Ahad, 22 September 2013

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Is coconut water really the most amazing drink ever?

Posted: 22 Sep 2013 08:27 PM PDT

September 23, 2013

Is coconut water the best way to rehydrate after a hardcore workout? - enciktat/Shutterstock.com pic, September 23, 2013. Once requiring a trek to the health food store to find, coconut water has now gone global, and you'll find it stocked on grocery store shelves, sold in gyms and yoga studios, passed along to runners during races, all in nifty box containers or cans and touted as nature's perfect sports drink. But is it just a clever marketing scheme or does it really work miracles?

A taste for coconut water originated in the tropics, places like Brazil and India, where palm trees thrive and locals have been drinking the fresh clear water from young coconuts for ages, dubbing it "miracle water."

Scientists say the benefit is all about potassium (it contains more than a banana) and its naturally occurring electrolytes, along with the added benefits of having no fat or cholesterol and not many calories.

Coconut water, primarily from brands Vita Coco and Zico, has been hot in the US for years, with Rihanna as the face of Vita Coco and splashed on billboards all over the country. The Independent in the UK reports coconut water is the fastest growing category in non-alcoholic beverages in the UK. Vita Coco is already in more than 10,000 outlets in the UK, and in around 16,000 across Europe, adds The Independent.

Meanwhile, the search for all those fresh, young coconuts is on. O.N.E. coconut water brand ran out of Brazilian coconuts in 2011 and has had to turn to the Philippines and Indonesia for supplies, while other brands are reaching out to Thailand, according to The Independent.

But do people really need all that coconut water? While some experts say it does a better job at keeping you hydrated than plain water, most people aren't working out long enough or hard enough to seriously need it, nutritionist Monica Reinagel told National Public Radio in the US. "They really don't need an electrolyte replacement drink," she says, "all they need to rehydrate is water." For hardcore fitness enthusiasts, she adds that the mineral they need most is sodium. Coconut water doesn't have much of that.

Men's Fitness magazine spells it out, "If your taste buds just can't take another sip of tap water, choose coconut water. If you're heading to the gym for a light training session or going for a leisurely bike ride, grab coconut water. If you've just wrapped up an intense workout or logged more than an hour of exercise, a traditional sports drink will help replace the sodium you lose through sweat." - AFP Relaxnews, September 23, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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Malaysia crush Hong Kong for first win - Bernama

Posted: 22 Sep 2013 08:51 AM PDT

September 22, 2013
Latest Update: September 23, 2013 07:51 am

Malaysia trounced Hong Kong 6-0 in a 2013 Women Hockey Asia Cup Group A match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.

Malaysia's goals were scored by Rabiatul Adawiyah Mohamed (35th min, 45th and 67th) Fazilla Sylvester Silin (39th, 58th) and Noor Hasliza Md Ali (61st).

In another Group A match, defending champion China beat India 1-0 while Kazakhstan whipped Taiwan 3-0 in a Group B match.

Meanwhile, in another Group B match, South Korea overcame Japan 3-0.

Tomorrow is a rest day while matches continue on Tuesday with China taking on Hong Kong at 6:00pm and Malaysia facing India in Group A match at 8:00pm.

Group B will see Kazakhstan facing off against Japan at 6.30pm and South Korea taking on Taiwan at 8:00pm. - Bernama, September 22, 2013.

Holders Ahli advance to Champions League semi-finals

Posted: 22 Sep 2013 08:26 AM PDT

September 22, 2013

Holders Al Ahli and opponents Orlando Pirates qualified for the African Champions League semi-finals after a goalless draw in Soweto today.

Al Ahli of Egypt finished top of Group A on 11 points and meet Coton Sport of Cameroon in next month's two-legged semi-final.

South African club Pirates will take on Group B winners Esperance of Tunisia in the other semi-final.

Today's final Group A matches also offered the Congolese club AC Leopards a chance to qualify but despite taking the early lead away in Egypt, they were beaten 4-1 by Zamalek in El Gouna.

Leopards and Zamalek both finished on seven points, one less than Pirates, who would have won the group had they taken a myriad of chances at home to Ahli today.

Ahli goalkeeper Sherif El Akrami made two point-blank saves to deny a home win while Walid Soliman could have stolen an away triumph for Ahli midway through the second half but steered his shot agonisingly wide.

"At this level you have to put the ball in the net but we made it to the semi-finals and now we'll have a go," said Pirates coach Roger de Sa after the match.

Ahmed Gaafar scored twice for Zamalek after Rudi Ndey had offered Leopards a brief glimpse of hope in the first half. Zamalek's other goals came from Mohamed Ibrahim and Mahmoud Shikabala.

The two Group B teams had already made sure of their last four places last weekend but yesterday, Esperance confirmed their superiority with a 2-1 away win over Coton Sport in Garoua. – Reuters, September 22, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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Disney and Pirates producer Bruckheimer to end film deal

Posted: 22 Sep 2013 12:23 AM PDT

September 22, 2013
Latest Update: September 22, 2013 11:23 pm

The Walt Disney Co and Jerry Bruckheimer (pic), the producer behind the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and the summer flop The Lone Ranger, will end their long-running film deal next year, the media company announced on Thursday.

The company and Bruckheimer decided not to renew their current deal which gives Disney first-look rights to the producer's films, according to a statement from Disney. They will continue working together on various projects, including a fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Last week, Disney announced it would delay the release of the fifth Pirates movie, which had been scheduled to open in theatres in July 2015. No new date was set.

Disney's film studio will continue to focus on brands including Disney, Pixar animation, the Marvel superhero franchise, and Star Wars producer Lucasfilm, the company said on Thursday.

Bruckheimer "is looking to produce more mature films outside the scope of the Disney brand", the statement said.

The partnership dating back to the 1990s produced 27 movies, including several big hits for Disney. The four Pirates films starring Johnny Depp have generated more than US$3.7 billion in worldwide ticket sales, according to the website Box Office Mojo. Bruckheimer also produced for Disney the National Treasure series and dramas including Con Air and Pearl Harbor.

Bruckheimer's most recent Disney release, The Lone Ranger, flopped at the box office after its July release. Disney has projected it will lose up to US$190 million on the film.

Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn said Disney and Bruckheimer "have had an incredibly successful collaboration over the past two decades".

"We will continue to work together in the future, and we look forward to seeing more of the films that have made Jerry Bruckheimer a Hollywood legend," Horn said.

Bruckheimer, in the statement issued by Disney, said he would work with the studio on the Pirates and National Treasure films plus "other projects we have developed together".

"I am very appreciative of the wonderful collaboration and support I have had at The Walt Disney Company for over 20 years," he said. – Reuters, September 22, 2013.

CSI creator prepping new project

Posted: 21 Sep 2013 09:55 PM PDT

September 22, 2013
Latest Update: September 22, 2013 08:55 pm

Anthony Zuiker has convinced ABC to take a chance on his latest project, The Bounty.

For his next project, Zuiker will not stray far from the themes of the show he created over a decade ago, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (pic), which will enter its 14th season on Wednesday. The producer is collaborating with ABC on a crime drama with an original "crowdsourcing" spin.

The Bounty will explore one victim's emotional recovery and quest for justice after a member of her family is murdered. The plot twist comes when the victim appeals to Americans everywhere in order to place the highest bounty in the nation's history on the killer's head.

Matt Cirulnick, the creator, screenwriter and producer behind the TV series South Beach, will join Zuiker's project as a writer. – AFP Relaxnews, September 22, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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Japan’s gaming market, a world apart

Posted: 22 Sep 2013 01:16 AM PDT

September 22, 2013
Latest Update: September 23, 2013 12:16 am

500 videogame fans queue up for the newly-released videogame software Monster Hunter 4 in Tokyo last week. - AFP pic, September 22, 2013.The latest version of blockbuster videogame Grand Theft Auto may have stoked a worldwide buying frenzy, but the ultra-violent offering is likely to be a minnow in Japan's vast gaming market.

Shoot-em-up offerings from abroad often struggle to gain traction in the multi-billon-dollar Japanese videogame sector where fantasy-style games reign supreme and sell in the millions – though many in the West have not heard of them.

They include the hugely popular Monster Hunter franchise, which has sold 23 million copies and counting since its debut a decade ago.

"But most of them were sold in Japan even though we did make an English version," said a spokeswoman for game creator Capcom.

Language translation problems and cultural differences were among the reasons cited for the struggles of foreign game operators in Japan, a rift that was apparent as gamers flocked to the Tokyo Game Show this week.

Over 600 games titles were on offer at the four-day extravaganza that wraps up Sunday.

Though Japan once dominated the worldwide market with the likes of Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, the country appears to be looking increasingly inward.

"The main trends of the videogame market in Japan are divided into two categories: major worldwide successes like Pokemon, Final Fantasy or Biohazard, and games that are specifically designed for core Japanese gamers," said the Asia Trend Map institute, pointing to the "overwhelming dominance of games made in Japan".

A blockbuster offering based on the popular comic book Shonen Jump reflects a common theme in which many Japanese games are centred around a character well known in multiple media platforms, from so-called manga cartoons and movies to music and television series.

Namco Bandai's AKB 1/149 Renai Sosenkyo, a popular dating simulation game, is the kind of title known to most at home but with little name familiarity abroad – AKB48 is the name of a well-known girl band.

"The title isn't suited to foreign markets," said Namco Bandai spokesman Toshiaki Honda.

Even Japanese giant Sony is releasing its PlayStation 4 abroad before its hits store shelves in Japan – a first – with executives saying that titles expected to be hits at home won't be ready in time.

Eiji Araki, senior official of mobile social game maker Gree, added: "We've learned that characters and visuals favoured in the United States are different from those in Japan."

For some, the unique character of Japan's gaming market encapsulates the country's so-called Galapagos Syndrome in which firms concentrate almost solely on the domestic market.

The take up in Japan on Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy smartphones trailed huge sales abroad as many mobile carriers focused on homegrown flip-phone offerings.

While iPhone is now selling well in Japan, a ride on the Tokyo subway underscores another unique aspect of the nation's gaming market – a love of handheld gaming devices.

Commuters on the city's vast transportation network are frequently seen thumbing away on portable devices to pass the time while, at home, consoles outpace the rising popularity abroad of playing games on personal computers

For one official at Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organisation, the love of fantasy and role-playing games in low-crime Japan stands in stark contrast to Grand Theft Auto's brutal depictions of urban violence.

"Japanese consumers prefer family-use games to those with violent, anti-social or extreme expressions of sexuality," she said.

A report by Internet firm GMO Cloud characterises the difference as "self-escapism versus self-expression".

True or not, Grand Theft Auto is undoubtedly violent, especially when compared to Nintendo's award-winning Animal Crossing: New Leaf in which players take on the role of a mayor running a rural community.

By contrast, past versions of Grand Theft Auto have included simulated sex with prostitutes and drunken driving, along with profanity-packed dialogue. Carjacking, gambling and killing are the staples of a game in which players take on the role of a psychopathic killer in fictional Los Angeles.

When Grand Theft Auto IV was released five years ago it blew away videogame and Hollywood records by taking an unprecedented $500 million in the week after its release, and it shows few signs of slowing with the game's fifth incarnation released days ago.

Despite its foreign pedigree, Hisakazu Hirabayashi, of Tokyo-based consultancy firm InteractKK, said he still expects the newest Grand Theft Auto to have relative success among Japanese consumers, at least "for a Western game". - AFP, September 22, 2013.

Hotel-style prison awaits China’s Bo Xilai

Posted: 21 Sep 2013 11:14 PM PDT

September 22, 2013
Latest Update: September 22, 2013 10:14 pm

The trial is over, the sentence given and Bo Xilai is now headed to prison. But what kind of prison will it be. - September 22, 2013.Fallen high-flyer Bo Xilai can expect hotel-style treatment at a jail for China's political elite, where he will enjoy comfortable surroundings but be constantly monitored by government agents, former prisoners say.

Hidden in wooded hills north of Beijing, guards stand outside the red gate of Qincheng prison, where the once-powerful Bo is widely expected to begin his life sentence after being convicted Sunday of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

The jail has high grey walls, but there are no obvious signs of barbed wire or watchtowers.

"It's like a five-star hotel," said Bao Tong, a former secretary to the ruling Communist Party's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee who spent seven years in the prison for opposing the 1989 crackdown on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

Inmates at the facility – which has housed almost all the high-ranking politicians jailed in China since the 1960s – are given large private cells equipped with soft beds, sofas, desks and an en-suite bathroom, former residents said.

"I was pleasantly surprised the first time I saw my room," Dai Qing, the adopted daughter of a Chinese commander, wrote in a description to AFP.

Dai, who spent 10 months in the prison for supporting the Tiananmen demonstrators, described her cell as about 30 square metres large (320 square feet) and coming "with high ceilings... and even a bathroom", while prison guards treated her with "warmth and care".

"The head of the prison let me put on better clothes before I left," she recalled of one occasion when she was let out to visit a sick relative. "He reminded me of my old school headmaster."

Prisoners can choose their clothes, drink milk for breakfast and eat selections of soups and meat dishes for lunch and dinner, they said.

Some of the jail chefs used to work in one of Beijing's top hotels and prepare food to "ministry chief level", according to a recent report by the Beijing Times.

Information about the prison – which does not appear on any Chinese maps – is tightly controlled in China, but a trickle of reports have emerged.

The former Communist Party boss in Shanghai, Chen Liangyu, jailed for graft in 2008, wore a western-style suit and practiced tai chi while incarcerated, Hong Kong media said.

Qincheng was expanded in the last year, with an old wall removed to make room for "pavilions, trees and grass reminiscent of a Chinese garden", the respected financial magazine Caijing reported last month.

The descriptions present a stark contrast with ordinary Chinese jails, where inmates generally share cramped cells, eat basic food and are encouraged to work, sometimes manufacturing goods for export.

"Qincheng gives the best treatment of any prison in China," said Chen Zeming, an academic blamed by authorities for helping to organise the Tiananmen protests and who spent several months in the facility.

The "Gang of Four", a political faction including former leader Mao Zedong's wife Jiang Qing, were sent to the prison following a high-profile trial in 1981. Prison authorities treated senior Party figures better than the Tiananmen activists, Chen said.

"Some prisoners were allowed outside to plant vegetables, later I realised one of them was Yao Wenyuan," he said, referring to one of the Gang of Four.

Built in the late 1950s with help from the Soviet Union, Qincheng is the only prison in China to be directly administered by state security, rather than judicial authorities.

"The prison is directly controlled by the Communist Party's central committee," Bao said. "The everyday situation of prisoners is reported directly to them."

Security officials stood outside his room at all hours noting his every change of position, Bao said, while Dai wrote of being constantly monitored.

Bo's status as the son of one of China's most famous revolutionary generals – and his continued support among the party elite – would ensure his comfort, the former inmates said.

"Bo Xilai won't be mistreated... he will have long periods to breathe the outside air and to communicate with others," said the academic Chen.

Bao added: "If Bo Xilai wants anything, and the central party agrees, then he will get it. If he wants to dance all day, and the party agrees, he can dance all day."

Top officials detained at Qincheng are often released on medical parole years before the end of their terms, according to reports never officially confirmed, and live out their days under house arrest.

"After two years, they will say (Bo) is ill and he will be released, and will live next to a lake," Bao predicted, "or by the sea". - AFP, September 22, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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Chin Peng: Kita terlepas peluang membuat perkara betul

Posted: 21 Sep 2013 06:12 PM PDT

September 22, 2013
Latest Update: September 22, 2013 09:29 am

Amin Iskandar adalah penerima anugerah zamalah Asian Public Intellectuals (API) bagi sesi 2009-2010. Kini merupakan Pengarang Berita bagi The Malaysian Insider. Beliau "berkicau" di www.twitter.com/aminiskandar.

Selepas pulang kerja semalam penulis sempat minum teh dengan seorang teman yang pernah bersekolah rendah dan menengah berpengetuakan kedua-dua adik kepada bekas setiausaha agung Parti Komunis Malaya (PKM) Chin Peng.

Beliau tidak faham mengapa kerajaan dan sesetengah pihak bersungguh-sungguh menghalang abu mayat anak kelahiran Sitiawan, Perak itu dibawa pulang ke Malaysia.

Kesimpulan perbualan kami, semua ini merupakan tindakan politik semata-mata. Di Malaysia begitulah, politik mengatasi segala-galanya termasuk kepentingan negara.

Umno berhadapan dengan pemilihan parti Oktober ini. Salah langkah, hilanglah jawatan parti yang akan membawa kepada kehilangan jawatan dalam kerajaan.

Keghairahan pemimpin-pemimpin kita dalam berhadapan dengan pemilihan parti mereka sehingga menyebabkan kenyataan yang dikeluarkan tidak waras dan agak kurang bijak.

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak sebelum ini berkata, kerajaan tidak akan menarik diri daripada pendirian untuk menghalang abu mayat Ching Peng atau nama sebenarnya Ong Boon Hua dibawa balik dan mencabar mereka yang tidak berpuas hati dengan keputusan itu untuk mengambil tindakan undang-undang.

Nasib baiklah masih ada yang waras.

Timbalan Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar mengatakan kerajaan tidak mempunyai apa-apa peruntukan undang-undang untuk menghalang sesiapa sahaja membawa pulang abu mayat kepada pemimpin komunis itu.

"Tiada apa yang boleh dilakukan pihak berkuasa. Kita tidak mempunyai undang-undang untuk menghalang atau mengenakan tindakan kepada seseorang yang membawa abu masuk," katanya di Kuching, Sarawak semalam.

Menurut Wan Junaidi, jika seseorang ditahan di lapangan terbang dengan abu mayat Chin Peng, beliau tidak tahu bagaimana pihak berkuasa akan menguruskan situasi berkenaan.

Apa yang dikatakan oleh Wan Junaidi itu benar. Bagaimana kerajaan mahu menghalang orang membawa masuk abu mayat ke negara ini?

Selain dari tidak mempunyai peruntukan undang-undang, tidak mungkin jentera kerajaan akan mampu mengesan kemasukan abu mayat untuk dibawa masuk ke dalam negara.

Apa sahaja pandangan kita terhadap Chin Peng, kita tidak boleh nafikan Malaya tidak akan merdeka tanpa perjuangan beliau dan rakan-rakannya.

Penjajah British tidak akan menyerahkan kemerdekaan kepada Tunku Abdul Rahman tanpa Rundingan Baling bersama Chin Peng dan rakan-rakannya pada 1955.

Malaysia tidak akan menjadi sebuah negara kalau bukan kerana British takut akan kekuatan pengaruh komunisme di Asia Tenggara.

Perang sememangnya akan memakan korban.

Jepun sewaktu menjajah dahulu bukan sahaja membunuh rakyat tempatan, malahan merogol anak-anak gadis kita selain menghisap kekayaan tanah air.

Hari ini umumnya rakyat Malaysia tidak lagi menganggap Jepun sebagai musuh. Malahan projek kereta nasional Proton tidak akan berjaya tanpa kerjasama dari negara matahari terbit itu.

Sejarah kemerdekaan negara tidak boleh terus dipolitikkan. Lagipun yang menyebabkan peperangan diantara PKM dan kerajaan Malaysia sehingga perjanjian damai Haatnyai adalah penjajah British sendiri.

Kalau tidak kerana darurat diisytharkan oleh penjajah pada 1948 untuk menghancurkan gerakan pro-kemerdekaan, belum tentu PKM akan mengangkat senjata.

Seperti kata bekas ketua polis negara Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor, Malaysia akan jadi bahan ketawa jika kerajaan tidak berganjak daripada keputusan "naif" enggan membenarkan abu mayat Chin Peng dibawa masuk ke dalam negara untuk ditanam.

Menurutnya, tindakan itu juga akan menyebabkan bekas pemimpin komunis itu bertukar menjadi ikon dan ia adalah langkah terkebelakang dalam cubaan kerajaan untuk memenangi semula sokongan masyarakat Cina berikutan prestasi buruk dalam pilihan raya umum yang lalu.

Apa yang dikatakan oleh Abdul Rahim itu benar. Ramai masyarakat Cina melihat isu tidak membenarkan kepuangan mayat Chin Peng ini sebagai isu perkauman.

Kata mereka jika bekas pemimpin kanan PKM seperti Rashid Maidin dibenarkan pulang sebelum ini, mengapa tidak Chin Peng? Apakah kerana Chin Peng itu Cina?

Tarikh kematian Chin Peng pada 16 September 2013 sempena ulangtahun Malaysia ke 50 akan menyebabkan dirinya tidak mudah untuk dilupakan.

Sayangnya, Malaysia terlepas peluang untuk membuat perkara betul. – 22 September, 2013.

* Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.

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