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Home dishes to chow down at Sai Kee Posted: 11 Oct 2013 09:43 PM PDT BY EU HOOI KHAW October 12, 2013 The Tai Chow stall at the back of a hotel in Jalan Sultan.We decided to make it an early dinner one week day and drove down to Petaling Street, then walked to Kedai Makanan Sai Kee which is just behind the Hotel Chinatown Inn there, on Jalan Sultan. It's a tai chow place, down a broad lane where there are well-spaced tables under a canvas canopy. It is relatively clean too. Braised chicken with bittergourd.Here you can have food you grew up with, such as the Braised Chicken with Bittergourd with black beans, Kau Kei Soup with Fish Paste, Beef with Ginger and Spring Onions, Ko Lo Yook or sweet and sour pork, Fried Fish with Beancurd, Eggplant with Prawns, and Steamed Pork with Tung Choy. We had all those with rice, for the four of us. The Fried Fish with Beancurd had ikan kurau fillets fried, then finished in a dark, garlicky sauce with large pieces of tofu. The fish was fresh and fried well, with crispy edges and meat that flaked off when prodded with a fork. The very soft, smooth tofu matched it well, doused with this intense sauce. This was the best dish of the evening. It's hard to go wrong with Braised Chicken with Bittergourd. This had the right combination of taucheo and fermented black beans, being just nicely salty, which worked with the bittergourd which stayed firm and juicy. The cook was a little too generous with his starch in the sauce though. The Beef with Ginger and Spring Onions was not good at all. The meat was a little too tenderised and the strong sauce overwhelmed it. Brinjal with prawns.I like eggplant cooked in any style. This Braised Eggplant with Prawns was cooked with sambal. It was hot and spicy with the yummy aroma of shrimp paste. It was so good. The stall does a mean Ko Lo Yook or sweet and sour pork. I liked it for the tender chunks of meat dipped into a light batter and deep fried till crispy before being finished in a sauce that had the sweet and sour well balanced. It was also generous with cucumber, tomato, big onions and pineapple. We also had a Kau Kei Yue Wat Soup. Kau Kei makes a nutritious soup that's good for the eyes, we were always told as a child. These dark green leaves plucked off some long thorny stems give the soup a sweet flavour. The big blobs of smooth, bouncy fish paste in it made it a satisfying soup.Fried fish with beancurd. The Steamed Pork with Tung Choy was most disappointing. There was too much fat in the mince, and there was little aroma from this distinctive preserved vegetable. Perhaps we should have ordered the pork slices steamed with harm har or shrimp paste, which this stall is better known for. For all the food and drinks (two loh hon kor and Chinese tea), the bill came up to only RM124.50. The fish was RM28, beef RM19, the soup RM9 and RM14 for each of the other dishes. Kedai Makanan Sai Kee is located at 72, Jalan Sultan, Tel: 012 290 6751.

Would you pay over RM7k for a glass of French Bordeaux? Posted: 11 Oct 2013 09:22 PM PDT October 12, 2013 A 12-litre bottle of 2009 Chateau Margaux is being touted as one of the best vintages in the winery's 400-year history to justify its $195,000 (RM620,100) price tag and make it the most expensive bottle of red wine to be retailed. After a little number crunching, based on the assumption that a standard bottle of wine yields five 150 ml glasses of wine, that works out to be a jaw-dropping US$2,437 (RM7,749) a glass. This marks the first time that the French winery has bottled Balthazars (12-litre bottles). Only six have been produced, three of which will be offered for sale through luxury wine merchant Le Clos, whose flagship outlet is located at the Dubai International Airport, Terminal 3. Their virtual store is open 24/7. The Balthazar is housed in an oak case which has been raised on steel legs and the bottle itself engraved in gold by a master craftsman. Winemakers describe the wine as having "finesse, balance and freshness" with a flavorful finish of "astonishing" length which can be aged for a century. In addition to claiming the landmark vintage, the owner will be flown first class to France to visit the estate in Bordeaux. They will also get a private tour of its cellars and vineyard before sitting down to dinner with chateau winemaker and managing director Paul Pontallier. Last year, Australian wine producer Penfolds also vaunted what they called the most expensive bottle of vino when they released their 2004 Block 42, a wine enclosed in glass "ampoule" that retailed for US$170,350 (RM541,713). - AFP Relaxnews, October 12, 2013.

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MotoGP fraternity pay tribute to Simoncelli at Sepang circuit Posted: 11 Oct 2013 09:26 AM PDT October 12, 2013 The Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) fraternity today paid tribute to the late Marco Simoncelli (pic), who died at the Sepang Circuit due to a tragic accident two years ago. On the eve of the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, starting from GO&FUN Honda Gresini (formerly known as the San Carlo Honda Gresini) team garage, Simoncelli's team, team members, riders and officials walked to Turn 11 on the Sepang circuit. Simoncelli fell and slid on the track when he was hit by Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards and Ducati Team rider Valentino Rossi at Turn-11 in the 2011 incident. The 24-year-old rider died due to thoracic and abdominal trauma. The race was immediately stopped and subsequently cancelled. Meanwhile, GO&FUN Honda Gresini team manager, Fausto Gresini placed a permanent plaque at turn 11 to honour the rider. The event was followed by a moment of silence as a mark of respect to the late Italian rider. Team members and other participating teams went up to the plaque to pay their last respects. - Bernama, October 11, 2013.

Former F1 test driver De Villota found dead Posted: 11 Oct 2013 09:13 AM PDT October 12, 2013 Former Spanish Formula One test driver Maria de Villota (pic), one of the few women to come close to the top of the sport but whose career was cut short by an horrific accident last year, has been found dead in a hotel in Seville. De Villota, who lost her right eye and fractured her skull at a test in England in July 2012, had apparently died of 'natural' causes, a Spanish police spokeswoman said. "We are assuming it was a natural death, but we cannot confirm anything," the spokeswoman said, adding that forensic scientists and a homicide unit would examine the scene. Although the 33-year-old recovered from the life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash, she no longer competed and had instead become an inspirational figure for aspiring female drivers and was due to present a book detailing her experiences on Monday. The daughter of former F1 racer Emilio De Villota, she was appointed test driver for Anglo-Russian team Marussia a few months before her crash. She never took part in a general test with other drivers but was one of only a handful of women to have driven Formula One cars in the last decade. None, though, have come near to racing one in competition. The news of her sudden passing stunned Spain and the motor racing world. "I feel I owe it to her (to say something) because, out of the paddock and out of the motorsport bubble, she was an incredible character, she was a fighter," Susie Wolff, a Williams development driver who had a test for the team last July and knew De Villota well, told Reuters. "She had such a spirit for life and what she came through was a testament to her strength of character and her positive outlook," added the Scot from the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. "After the accident she was so behind me and had such a lust for life, she was so happy to be alive and that she'd survived it and she had so many great plans for the future. "She was just an incredible lady, no matter about what she did on the racetrack. She was just an incredible character." Role model Spanish F1 driver Fernando Alonso appeared lost for words in an interview with radio broadcaster Cadena Ser shortly after hearing the news. "I really don't know what to say," he said from Suzuka. "Pray for her and her family and the whole motor sport family. She was really loved by everyone." De Villota's family posted a brief message on Facebook. "Dear friends. Maria has left us. She had to go to heaven like all the angels. We give thanks to God for the year and half more he allowed her to be with us." The crash occurred at Duxford airfield in England after De Villota had completed a test run and was returning to the mechanics. The car suddenly accelerated into the back of a team truck with her helmet taking much of the impact. She was taken to Cambridge's Addenbrooke's hospital and had an emergency operation that began on a Tuesday afternoon and kept her in theatre until the following morning. Marussia published a brief statement on their website (www.marussiaf1team.com) from Suzuka: De Villota was a test driver for the Marussia F1 team before the accident which ended her career in F1 in July last year. - Reuters pic, October 11, 2013."It is with great sadness that we learned a short time ago of the news that Maria de Villota has passed away. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Maria's family and friends at this very difficult time." Special insight Speaking in public for the first time since the accident in October last year, an upbeat De Villota, who married her personal trainer Rodrigo Garcia Millan in July, said she believed the best part of her life was still to come. Wearing a patch over her eye socket and with her blonde hair cropped close to the skull, De Villota thanked all those who had helped and supported her and said she now believed she had "a new opportunity to live at 100 percent". She said she was determined to stay involved with Formula One in some form and being a role model for aspiring young female drivers was extremely important to her. "I have motor sport in my DNA and there's no way I can stay away from that world," she said. "I want to keep fighting because I believe so strongly in women being part of motor racing. "The crucial thing was to get back some optimism about the future, that's what helped me to get my interior motor running again. I am sure that the best is still to come." Spain's secretary of state for sport, Miguel Cardenal, said the government was discussing ways of sustaining her legacy. "I was talking to her on Tuesday about the book she was going to present," Cardenal was quoted as saying in local media. "She believed she could help many people, find something positive, because losing something makes you realise what you have," he added. "The accident gave her this special insight and she wanted to give something to others. We are thinking about how to sustain her legacy because she brought something different to Spanish sport, different values and her vision of life." - Reuters, October 11, 2013.

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Superstar Shah Rukh Khan says Bollywood thrives on family Posted: 10 Oct 2013 07:50 PM PDT October 11, 2013 India's biggest film star Shah Rukh Khan says the family spirit of Bollywood movies is what makes them so popular while revealing he struggled to combine dance with serious acting. In a career spanning three decades, Khan has made himself one of the biggest box office draws in Bollywood as the hero of romantic dramas and high-octane action flicks, and he said he quickly learned there are certain ingredients that make a movie successful. "India's so diverse with 1.2 billion people (and) not extremely rich in some places," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation during a just-ended visit to Sydney for the Indian arts festival "Parramasala". "When people go to watch a film, they like to think of it as an event for the whole family for the whole year - so the grandmother goes and the great grandson goes. "So you've got to make a film which includes an interest for everyone - a little bit of action, a little bit of fights, a little bit of song, a little bit of crying, a little bit of happiness - and a big climax." Khan, whose most recent movie "Chennai Express" has smashed box office records in India, said that family spirit had helped Bollywood also appeal to international audiences. "(Some fans in Germany) said 'Indian films provide us with that button - you put it on and you feel connected'," he said. "It kind of takes you back to your roots and culture," he said, adding that "in this fast-paced world ... people want to look back and think of all the good things. Why don't we sing and dance a little more in our families?" While singing and dancing is a crucial element in any Bollywood film, Khan, whose popularity is such that he now has more than five million Twitter followers, admitted that he initially struggled to integrate this with his serious acting background in English theatre. "I used to find it awkward to begin with, but then I suddenly realised as an actor that given the right kind of a film, character and motivation, it's perhaps easier than going into an unnatural space and trying to make it look as real as possible," he told the broadcaster. "The first couple of years I had an issue and perhaps that's why I got accepted because I did it a little differently... because I would try to give some logic to it and I think this fitted for people to think there's a new way of doing it." – AFP, October 11, 2013.

“Captain Phillips” pirate nightmare endures for many Posted: 10 Oct 2013 06:07 PM PDT October 11, 2013 Cast members Barkhad Abdi, Mahat M. Ali, Tom Hanks and Faysal Ahmed attend the world premiere of the film On Somalia's high seas, ferocious pirates hijack a container ship but US special forces finally battle them off: the latest Hollywood film "Captain Phillips", based on a real story. In reality though, such daring rescues have been rare, and some 90 sailors languish in the hands of Somalia's gun-toting pirates, their boats sunk and no ransom in sight, many already held for more than two years. "Captain Phillips", releases today and stars Oscar winner Tom Hanks as the embattled captain, recounts the story of the Maersk Alabama, a vessel with a US crew delivering aid to Africa that was hijacked in April 2009 off the Horn of Africa. The crew fought back, kept control of the ship and overpowered one of the attackers, prompting the pirates to leave the vessel and hold Phillips hostage on a lifeboat. After a dramatic three-day standoff, Navy Seals marksmen killed the pirates and rescued Phillips, who returned home to a hero's welcome. But those stuck in Somalia do not come from countries able or willing to stage such commando rescues, and the owners of their ships abandoned ransom talks after the vessels sank. "The Maersk Alabama was a fairly unique case... but for those being held now, there is no fairytale ending," said John Steed, who heads an internationally-backed liaison body, the Secretariat for Regional Maritime Security. "These are poor people from poor families, and they simply do not have the money to pay the ransom - any ransom - that the pirates are demanding for their release," he added. Some 90 sailors and fishermen are still being held, many from poor families in Asia, as well as Yemeni fishermen on six boats being used by the pirates as "mother ships", floating bases from which to launch their skiffs and attack large commercial vessels far out to sea. Steed recounts gruesome accounts of how some hostages have "been tortured while they're on the telephone with their families" including having their ears cut off. For many of the hostages, Steed's team is one of only a handful of organisations still interested in their plight, liaising between the shipowners, the pirates and the desperate families. "These pirates can wait 10 years for a payment, but they are still not going to get anything from these hostages," said Roy Paul, who heads the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response, a coalition supporting captured seafarers. Several have held for several years, with no apparent hope of release on the horizon, and the pirates still steadfast in their belief they can still extort cash from their prisoners' impoverished families. No Hollywood ending in sight Foreign special forces have rescued others held in Somalia, including one last year by US elite commandos who swooped in by helicopter to free two aid workers held for three months on land in Somalia. There is no hope of such rescue for the remaining hostages. Earlier this year, families of sailors from the MV Albedo - a Malaysian-flagged container ship captured in November 2010 but which sank close to shore in July in rough seas - wrote a desperate appeal to the pirates. "Now that the vessel has sunk, the owner has no interest to pay money and rescue the crew," the letter read. "We appealed to everyone in this world to pay money towards the release of our people, but no one listened... We are very poor people, we even do not have any money to pay for medicines, school fees, buy food for our children." The hostages include nationals from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen. Last year, the pirates extorted over 31 million dollars (24 million euros) in ransom payouts, according to UN estimates. "We're in almost daily contact, negotiating for their release on humanitarian grounds," said Steed, a former British army colonel. The sums the pirates demand exceed anything the families of the hostages left can raise. But despite the apparent hopelessness of the situation, he points to the release last year of 14 sailors from Myanmar, held in similarly grim conditions. At their peak in January 2011, Somali pirates held 736 hostages and 32 boats. Rates of attacks have tumbled in the past two years, prompted partly by the posting of armed guards on boats and navy patrols, but the decline in successful attacks is also a complicating factor. "Their business model is broken and is not producing results... There hasn't been a succesful attack in over a year," Steed added. "But the problem is the pirates likely owe people money and need to recoup their costs." – AFP, October 11, 2013.

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WWII trainer, icon of flight, marks 75 years in sky Posted: 10 Oct 2013 07:36 PM PDT October 11, 2013 There's no mistaking the roar of the big radial engines as the most famous trainer to come out of World War II soars above this rural Virginia town. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the North American T-6 Texan, the muscular tandem-seat warbird in which countless pilots in dozens of countries honed their flying skills. On Friday, some 30 Texans will set off from Culpeper, 60 miles (100 kilometers) outside Washington, and fly up the Potomac River, over the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, to mark a unique aeronautical milestone. "There's a lot of history in this airplane. It trained so many air forces in the world," said Len "Stoney" Stonich of the North American Trainer Association, which represents owners, pilots and fans of the estimated 1,000 civilian-owned Texans around the world. "They called it 'the pilot-maker' because if you can fly the T-6, you can be up in any World War II fighter and be confident you can fly the airplane," he told AFP. Known as the SNJ in its US Navy version, and the Harvard in Canada's air force, the Texan distinguished itself with its agile handling and aerobatic qualities as it prepared fighter pilots for combat in Europe and Asia. It remained in US military service through the Korean War in 1950-53 and into the Vietnam era - and kept flying for many other air forces for even longer, until South Africa retired its fleet in 1995. In its day, the Texan represented the cutting edge of aviation technology, a mere 35 years after the Wright brothers' first flight on a North Carolina beach. More than 20,000 were built, most of them in Texas - hence the name - of which more than 500 have been restored to flying condition in the United States. With its 600 horsepower Pratt and Whitney radial engine, the Texan can fly 200 miles per hour as its pilots enjoy a commanding view of the skies above and the ground below from within a sliding glass canopy. Given how many were built, it remains the most popular of all World War II aircraft that turn heads at summer airshows all over North America, including the Culpeper Airfest this weekend that will attract 70 vintage aircraft and a estimated crowd of 10,000. It's also starred in the movies, playing the role of Japan's Mitsubishi Zero fighter "Tora! Tora! Tora!" - a 1970 dramatization of 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that pulled the United States into the war. Today, a mint-condition Texan can change hands for about $150,000, according to the aviation classified paper Trade-a-Plane. That's about half the price of a new Ferrari FF sports car - but seeing how it burns 30 gallons of aviation fuel an hour, at $6 a gallon, operating costs add up. "It's a millionaire's game," said retired airline pilot Andy Michalak, who owned a Texan when gas was cheaper and who still flies warbirds of all kinds for the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia. "It's guaranteed to make you broke and happy," added Mike Ginter, the coordinator of Friday's fly-by over Arlington, who got his Texan a year to the day he retired as a US Navy pilot. Commercial pilot Dan Gleason enjoys the next best thing to owning a Texan - flying the one that his employer owns, an experience he describes as deeply emotional and compelling, leavened with a powerful sense of history. "My dad trained in one in World War II, so being able, what, 60 or 70 years later, to be flying the same plane ... it's just a fun connection, a little hard to describe," he said. "It's a unique privilege for any aviator." In lieu of a Texan, Mike Dale, founder of the Culpeper Airfest, went back to his native England to find the remains of a Percival Provost - the same trainer in which he soloed as a Royal Air Force cadet as a teenager. "It was just a wreck. It had not flown in decades. There isn't a single rivet, a single nut and bolt, in that airplane that wasn't a part of the rebuilding," he said, looking out at his pride and joy - one of only four still flying in the world, and the only one in America. While he sees lots of youngsters at Airfest every year, Dale - who at 78 is building a replica of a World War II Nieuport 28 biplane - mourns how aviation has lost the sense of adventure that made it so alluring in his youth. "The interest in aviation is simply not there the way it was 50 years ago, when aviation was big technology," he said. – AFP, October 11, 2013.

In Umno, the youth work at steering party back to the centre Posted: 10 Oct 2013 07:21 PM PDT BY TRINNA LEONG October 11, 2013 A man walks under a rows of Umno flags at its party's headquarters in Dungun, Terengganu. - The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli. October 11, 2013.When Umno goes to the polls over the next two weekends, a group of youths are hoping to win posts to enable them to bring the party back to the centre and stop it from drifting further right. The original party founded in 1946 did not always hold such extreme thoughts on racial supremacy and the notion of being under siege. The country's first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, had preached for Umno to be a party for Malays and a party for Malaya and later, Malaysia. "Umno used to be very centrist. People viewed classical Umno leaders like Tunku and Ku Li as nationalists," said Zaidel Baharuddin, who leads the Barisan Nasional Youth Volunteers (BNYV). Well past its glory days, its supporters are idealistic about their dreams to relive the grand old dame's prime. "I grew up hearing stories from my great grandfather about Umno. Back in those days, it was a party that stood for the people and had the spirit of holding people at its heart," said Rahman Hussin, who heads Akademi Belia, a group linked to Umno supreme council member Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah. "I realised no one was going to fix the party from the outside and we would have to go in and play a part in the party's politics," the 27-year-old Rahman added. Former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, otherwise known as Ku Li, had reminisced in his blog about the Malaysia he once knew when Tunku was Umno's leader. "We had the confidence to unite people under a vision of the common good," Ku Li wrote. "Today's Umno, under its present leadership, is probably beyond reform. Our leaders are the problem, and they have structured the party, bullied and bought it, so that they cannot be replaced by those who would lead to serve," the former Finance Minister said. But the young Umno members are hopeful that they can change the party. "People like myself wants to shift Umno back to the centre. Not back to Tunku's period but toward more hawkish nationalism," said 30-year-old Zaidel, who is a prolific writer. The party has been at odds with the public and internally over many decades of change that saw Umno leaning on right-wing policies that has marginalised other races while isolating most of the Malay community through practices of cronyism. Although Umno has faced criticism for abandoning the Malays, the three-million strong party is still important to the race, argued its supporters. "The Malay struggle is still relevant," said Tengku Zuhri Tengku Abdul Aziz, 37, a special officer in the government. Zuhri referred to the issue of poverty that is still predominant among many Malays, citing the need to "fight for bumiputera equality". Youths like Zuhri subscribe to the belief that equality is still an issue that needs to be fixed if Malaysia were to maintain its social stability. In their eyes, Umno's ties to the Malay community provide a vast stable platform to address these issues. "I don't think one can resolve the problems within the Malay community without involving Umno," said Shahril Hamdan, 28, a consultant with an international firm. "Like it or not, the Malay consciousness has been set by Umno. To fix the Malay community is through and within Umno itself," added the party supporter. Countries where social instability occurs due to imbalances between majority and minority race or sect are examples that in order to keep the peace, the needs of the majority have to be addressed. In the case of nations like Syria and Iraq, having the majority sect situated in the lower rungs of the economy had proved detrimental when society disruptions occur due to dissatisfactions over monopoly and cronyism. To build a better Malaysia, young modern Malays such as Shahril believes that Umno can steer the ship to the right direction, provided it practices inclusivity among its party leaders and externally through the Barisan Nasional government. "The party needs to be Barisan Nasional centrist more than Umno centrist," said Shahril, pointing out the need for Malaysians to have more nationalist views.Women talk in front of a drawing of past and preset Umno leaders at its party's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. - The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, October 11, 2013. Zaidel agreed. "I'm in no illusion that Umno has no shortcomings but I think we still have leaders who can pull the country through," he said. Change may just happen though with party polls due in two weeks. Umno Youth supporters are optimistic after looking at the pool of candidates contesting for the party's crucial positions. "Historically, candidates were tied to one school of thought. This time we see multitudes of candidates from those in touch with grassroots Malay policies to those who argue that Malays need to be economically viable," said Rahman from Akademi Belia. "It is the first step to a more inclusive Umno, an Umno that I used to hear about as a child," he added. This time around, Umno's new voting format with votes from some 150,000 delegates compared to its previous 2,000 plus delegates could prove to be a game changer for the party. By including more votes from its nationwide delegates, results from the October 19 elections would indicate if the party is receptive to change or if it would continue to breed the same brand of senior leaders unable to accept contemporary ideas. For Rahman, the chosen ones could dictate if members like himself are given the chance to offer their ideas toward their vision of a better Malaysia. "I hope to capture that spirit of my great grandfather's pride as he passed by the Umno building, proud that he contributed to the foundation of the party he believed in," said Rahman. - October 11, 2013

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With Nobel, Canadian literature finds place in world Posted: 10 Oct 2013 05:51 PM PDT October 11, 2013 News that Alice Munro was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature delighted Canada, where writers have for years felt underappreciated despite their contributions to world literature. Munro is arguably the first Canadian to receive the prize from Sweden's Nobel Academy - Montreal-born Saul Bellow moved to Chicago at age nine and is identified as an American author. And, with typical modesty, she said on accepting the award yesterday that she felt pleased not just for herself, but for the shot in the arm that the award gives writers throughout her home country. "I'm particularly glad that winning this award will please so many Canadians," Munro said. "I'm happy, too, that this will bring more attention to Canadian writing." Throughout Canada, Munro's compatriots basked in the world recognition now accorded to one of their own. "Alice Munro's Nobel Prize for Literature will give Canadian writers the worldwide recognition they have long deserved," tweeted Ted Arnott, a member of Canada's parliament. Canada has a flourishing literary tradition with luminaries such as Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and novelist Carol Shields, who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. Prominent French language writers in the bilingual nation include Marie-Claire Blais, Anne Hebert, Gabrielle Roy and Michel Tremblay. Robert Sherman, director of the Canada Council for the Arts, told AFP that he was "over the moon" about the award - as much for his country as for the author herself. "Our sense is that Canada has been punching above its weight for many, many years now in the literary field, and we believe that this has been recognized internationally," said Sherman, noting that Munro has also been given Britain's esteemed Man Booker International Prize in 2009 and numerous other awards. "At the same time, there's something symbolic about the Nobel Prize - we can't deny it - and the fact that competition is particularly high on the global scale," said Sherman, whose organization is responsible for identifying and nurturing Canadian artistic talents. "There's just something very reaffirming about the fact that Canada finally - finally - gets its place among the many other nations of the world who can claim this particular distinction," Sherman said. On Twitter on Thursday, the hashtags #cancon - for "Canadian content" - and the equally popular #Canadianpride went viral in an uncharacteristically patriotic celebration of Munro's Nobel. The Swedish Nobel Academy hailed the 82-year old writer as a "master of the contemporary short story," a genre that has only rarely been honored with the world's most prestigious literary prize. Even as they trumpeted her achievement, Munro's countrymen said that there was something quiet, understated and, well, typically Canadian not only about her personal style, but also about the tone and subject matter of her works. She has rooted her writing in Canada, Sherman said, with stories that "could happen in Quebec as well as it could happen anywhere else in the country." "There's something common about the way that Alice Munro has grounded her voice in small town life. The word that I would use is modesty," he continued. "There's something extraordinarily modest about her choice of medium - the short story - her locating her place in small town reality," he said. "One can only assume that this has contributed to the power of her insights." – AFP, October 11, 2013.

Printers’ “Bridget Jones moment” leaves fans nonplused Posted: 10 Oct 2013 05:18 PM PDT October 11, 2013 Fans of Bridget Jones, rushing to find out the London diarist's latest adventures, were left baffled yesterday after pages from the autobiography of a British actor were mistakenly inserted in her new book. "The printers have had a Bridget moment," said a spokeswoman for publishers Vintage. "A printing error has been detected in some of the very early copies of 'Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy'," she explained. Readers were given an unexpected peak at a preview from the autobiography of David Jason, the much-loved star of BBC TV sitcom "Only Fools and Horses." Around 40 pages of his work found their way into early runs of Helen Fielding's latest book, the third in the Bridget Jones saga. "We are taking steps to remove these copies from sale and will be replacing misprinted stock as soon as possible," explained the spokeswoman. Fielding laughed off the glitch, calling it "so funny." "You are reading Bridget and suddenly you fall on David Jason," she told Sue MacGregor from BBC. "I really laughed, I thought it was great." After 14 years out of the limelight, Jones returned to British bookstores yesterday. The latest release follows Jones, now a mother of two, as she falls for a "toy boy" following the death of her husband Mark Darcy. Fielding urged fans to keep Darcy's death "in proportions" but revealed she was worried how Colin Firth, who played the character on the big screen, would react to the news. "The hardest was I had to ring up Colin and tell him, it was as if I was announcing someone's dead," she told MacGregor. "I asked him if he was sitting, if he was alone...were very upset but then we started laughing because in reality nobody died." – AFP, October 11, 2013.

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Sidang Dewan Rakyat: Ke mana sebenarnya kita? Posted: 10 Oct 2013 05:54 PM PDT October 11, 2013 Mujahid Yusof Rawa is MP for Parit Buntar and PAS National Unity Committee chairman. Perbahasan di Parlimen tiada yang luar biasa walaupun tajuk yang dibicarakan panas dan menggelegak. Sepanjang minggu akhir lapan hari bersidang, saya sentiasa mempersoalkan tentang apakah perkara baru yang hendak dibawa. Kami menjalankan rutin yang 'mengikat' kami dengan cara lama walaupun idea yang kami bawa menuntut pemunggahan cara kita memerintah negara ini. Apabila akta yang dibawa tidak melihat secara keseluruhan cara kita menangani sesuatu perkara, maka apa yang diperbincangkan di Parlimen hanyalah memenuhi keperluan 'endorsement' walaupun Parlimen pada hakikatnya boleh mengurang atau menambah sesuatu cadangan daripada kerajaan yang memerintah. Ke manakah kita sebenarnya? Akta diredah Segala kehendak kerajaan tidak diperhalusi sebelum ia hendak dibawa ke perbahasan di Parlimen. Kerajaan mengharapkan majoriti yang diperolehi oleh parti pemerintah sebagai 'tiket' untuk meredah apa sahaja yang mereka perlukan. Soalnya ialah bagaimana ditentukan sesuatu akta itu diperlukan? Cara BN ialah dengan mensensasikan sesuatu isu sebagai 'preamble' kepada sesuatu yang ia inginkan untuk diendorse oleh Parlimen. Contohnya isu PCA, atau Akta Pencegahan Jenayah yang dibawa secara redah untuk Dewan Rakyat meluluskan dalam masa yang singkat. Media mensensasikan berita pembunuhan secara senjata api sebagai alasan bahawa ketua gengster kini sedang mengamuk lalu dikaitkan ia berlaku kerana pembatalan EO yang mengizinkan tahanan tanpa bicara. Tiba-tiba Ahli Dewan Rakyat diminta untuk membahas (tetapi sebenarnya meluluskan) PCA yang menjejaskan usaha langkah ke hadapan prinsip hukum di negara ini. Tidak konsisten Semasa perbahasan penghapusan ISA dan EO, semua pihak mengalu-alukan langkah ini termasuk pembangkang yang memperjuangkan isu mansuhkan ISA sejak dahulu lagi. Asas tuntutan penghapusan ini ialah ia menjejaskan satu prinsip keadilan iaitu 'tidak bersalah sehingga dibuktikan sebaliknya'. Lebih-lebih lagi ISA disalahgunakan iaitu daripada memelihara ancaman negara kepada penahanan politik yang tiada kena mengena dengan keselamatan negara. Semua pihak daripada BN dan PR seolah-olah menerima hakikat bahawa ISA atas alasan prinsip hukum adalah tidak relevan dan hendaklah menjadi bahan sejarah bagi menandakan Malaysia sudah bersedia untuk menuju jalan ke hadapan dalam menjunjung prinsip hukum ini. Tiba-tiba hanya selang setahun kemudian satu pindaan akta PCA 1959 mengembalikan kembali 'nyawa' ISA yang sudah mati! ISA seolah-olah hidup semula dalam roh PCA bersedia untuk dieksploitasi sekali lagi. Apa sudah jadi kepada prinsip hukum zalim yang sudah kita talqinkan? PCA atau suruhanjaya baik pulih PDRM? Semua sedia maklum bahawa dalam  PCA diperuntukkan tahanan tanpa bicara oleh Lembaga Pencegahan Jenayah selama dua tahun tanpa ada penilaian semula kehakiman. Semua perkiraan Lembaga akan hanya ditentukan oleh laporan pegawai penyiasat. Pihak PDRM dalam hal ini seolah-olah dibiarkan dalam keadaan ketidakmampuan selamanya kerana provisi ini yang walaupun dilihat memudahkan kerja polis tetapi sebenarnya meremehkan kemampuan mereka untuk mensabitkan kesalahan penjenayah di mahkamah terbuka. Isu jenayah perlu dilihat dalam skop yang lebih besar daripada sudut memperkukuhkan bahagian laporan siasatan dalam kerangka peruntukan dakwaan yang ada supaya pegawai pendakwaan cekap dan mahir dalam menumpaskan kelicikan peguam penjenayah. Kedua, memerangi rasuah dari akar umbinya dalam perkhidmatan polis supaya kartel jenayah tidak boleh menyuap polis kita di semua peringkat. Ketiga ialah mobilisasi pendidikan dan kesedaran awam menyertai peperangan terhadap  penjenayah dengan menjadi 'mata dan teilnga' kepada keselamatan negara. Namun kerajaan mengambil jalan pintas atas alasan jenayah berleluasa sedangkan baru-baru ini kerajaan kita berbangga Malaysia sebagai negara aman. Pelik bin ajaib apabila mereka mahu mewajarkan PCA tiba-tiba negara jadi huru-hara kerana jenayah berleluasa. Ironi artikel 149 Artikel 149  Perlembagaan Persekutuan menjadi perkara yang mengabsahkan tindakan PCA yang sebenarnya bertentangan dengan hak dan kebebasan seseorang mendapat pengadilan seperti dalam artikel 5, ,9 dan 10. Pihak kerajaan yang mengetahui bahawa PCA adalah bercanggah dengan hak kebebasan seseorang sewenangnya mengambil alasan kepentingan keselematan seperti yang diperuntukkan sebagai alasan. Apakah keadaan sekarang sampai ke tahap keselamatan nasional terancam dan negara menuju kepada huru-hara? Pencerobohan dengan artikel 149  inilah yang dibimbangi menggadaikan prinsip hak asasi seseorang untuk mendapat pembelaan yang adil di mahkamah untuk membuktikan kesalahannya. Beberapa negara yang mengalami ancaman lagi besar seperti ancaman teroris tetap menolak konsep tahanan tanpa bicara dengan mereka mengukohkan kecekapan siasatan dan pendakwaan dan segala usaha pencegahan mestilah mendapat keizinan mahkamah dahulu dan bukan lembaga pencegahan yang terus menahan selama dua tahun tanpa bicara. Reformasi Parlimen Parlimen seharusnya menjadi institusi yang dihormati kerana mengekalkan peranan check and balance kepada perjalanan kerajaan. Oleh itu cara ia diurus mestilah membayangkan ia satu institusi yang bebas daripada telunjuk Kabinet sebagai eksekutif. Jikalau ada seorang menteri yang dilantik dalam hal ehwal Parlimen maka bagaimanakah Speaker selaku ketua Parlimen boleh bebas menjalankan tugasannya? Begitu juga dengan tiada jawatankuasa daripada semua pihak yang duduk untuk memperhalusi akta yang hendak dipinda atau akta baru yang hendak diperkenalkan sebelum dibawa ke Parlimen. Dengan cara itu barulah akta-akta itu tidak diredah begitu sahaja mengikut keinginan dan kehendak kerajaan yang memerintah. Rundingan Awam Parlimen yang bersifat berterusan diperlukan untuk apa sahaja dasar yang hendak diperkenalkan supaya demokrasi secara berpartipitasi dapat dijalankan. Begitulah sinergi antara masalah negara dan sistem Parlimen yang efektif mampu membawa negara kita satu langkah lagi ke hadapan. Sebab itu sepanjang saya menghadiri sesi Dewan Rakyat yang berakhir pada 3 Oktober lalu, saya sentiasa tertanya-tanya:  Ke manakah kita? – 11 Oktober, 2013. * Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.

We’re not multiracial enough in schools Posted: 10 Oct 2013 04:51 PM PDT October 11, 2013 Zan Azlee is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, writer, New Media practitioner and lecturer. He runs Fat Bidin Media www.fatbidin.com Last week, my wife and I were called to our daughter, Athena's, school by her teachers. They had something to report, they said. All kinds of thoughts went through my mind. Did she blow up the school toilet? Set the classroom on fire? Beat up another student? My wife and I arrived at the school around noon for the appointment. We were ushered upstairs by two teachers to a small room. We sat down around a table and the two teachers looked at us. They took out a file. Great! My daughter is two years old and she already has a file. "Athena is doing fine in school as far as her mid-year review is concern," said the teacher. "So she didn't blow up the school toilet!" I sighed in relief. The two teachers stared blankly in response to my statement. I smiled and they continued with updating us on how well Athena did in school. She's great at listening to instructions, loves colouring and drawing, and particularly alert and responsive when it comes to music and dancing. I was glad to hear that but I wasn't too concerned. She's two and going to playschool is just to allow her time to interact with people and not be so bored at home. She's having fun and developing, and that's what's really important right now. And I know she's still a little way off from going to primary school, but as a "kan cheong" parent, I can't help but think about when she joins the Malaysian public school system. With all the talk about how inferior the system is in educating and nurturing our young, I feel a bit worried. Even this year's Education Blueprint hasn't calmed me. And as a faithful taxpayer, I don't see why I should give up and send Athena to private school since I have a right to demand that the public education system be up to par. And anyway, I went through the public primary and secondary education system and I think I turned out okay (albeit it was 18 years ago since I left it!). However, I have great parents who made sure I had a balanced educational life and that I developed as appropriately as possible. My mother used to pay my teachers a visit all the time to make sure that I was being educated properly. Although it's usually to scold the teachers whenever she felt things were being done wrong! My father, at every report card day, was never concerned about grades. All he wanted to know from the teachers was how I was interacting with people around me and if I was developing self-confidence or not. But what I worry about most is the lack of multicultural elements and segregation of the races in the public school system. From what I see, multiracial and multicultural education in the system is nothing more than mere caricatures and are more than not, a mockery of it. And, combined with the social polarisation of the races in school (among the students and teachers alike), I fear it will negatively affect my daughter. So I hope things change for the better in the next five years before she turns seven and enters standard one of primary school. If not, I pray hard that I can provide the same kind of nurturing and guidance for Athena as what my parents provided for me. Hey, I turned okay, didn't I? - October 11, 2013. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

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Tiada penglibatan orang kenamaan dalam kongsi gelap, kata Hadi Ho Posted: 11 Oct 2013 02:08 AM PDT October 11, 2013 Pekida adalah pertubuhan sah di sisi undang-undang dan bukan kumpulan samseng.Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Bukit Aman, Datuk Hadi Ho Abdullah hari ini menafikan dakwaan kononnya terdapat penglibatan orang kenamaan dalam aktiviti kongsi gelap.     Katanya siasatan terperinci pasukan keselamatan mendapati tiada sebarang penglibatan orang kenamaan dalam mana-mana pertubuhan kongsi gelap di negara ini.     "Kedua-dua VIP (orang penting/kenamaan) atau VVIP (orang kehormat) tidak terlibat dalam sebarang pertubuhan kongsi gelap di negara ini, setakat ini...sekiranya ada bukti menunjukkan penglibatan mereka dalam pertubuhan haram ini, maka tindakan tegas akan diambil terhadap mereka," katanya.     Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas mengadakan sidang media bersama Persatuan Malaysia Hindu Sangam di Bukit Aman di sini, hari ini.     Hadi Ho juga berkata segelintir pertubuhan seperti Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Islamiah SeMalaysia (Pekida) merupakan pertubuhan sah di sisi undang-undang dan bukan kumpulan samseng.     Dalam perkembangan lain, Hadi Ho berkata Ops Cantas Khas menunjukkan perkembangan positif dalam membanteras jenayah berkaitan kumpulan kongsi gelap dan operasi itu akan terus dijalankan dari semasa ke semasa bagi mengekang jenayah. – Bernama, 11 Oktober, 2013.

Ancaman denggi di Selangor membimbangkan Posted: 11 Oct 2013 01:47 AM PDT October 11, 2013 Kes denggi di seluruh negara menunjukkan peningkatan apabila 23,829 kes dilaporkan tahun ini.Ancaman denggi di Selangor berada dalam keadaan sangat membimbangkan berikutan meningkatnya kes jangkitan dan kematian serta lokaliti wabak setakat minggu ke-40 tahun  ini. Menurut Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Selangor hari ini terdapat 11,498 kes dilaporkan setakat 5 Oktober lepas iaitu peningkatan 61.74% berbanding 7,109 kes bagi tempoh sama tahun lepas.     Sebanyak 14 kematian akibat denggi dicatatkan tahun ini berbanding  11 kes bagi tempoh sama pada 2012.     Dalam pada itu, sebanyak 230 lokaliti wabak dilaporkan di seluruh Selangor dengan 75 lokaliti (32.6%) daripadanya di daerah Petaling, 71 lokaliti (30.9%) di Hulu Langat dan 44 lokaliti (19.1%) di daerah Gombak.     Jabatan itu dalam kenyataan menyatakan terdapat 16 lokaliti wabak tidak terkawal dan 22 lokaliti 'hotspot' atau wabak berlarutan di Selangor.     Selain itu, ancaman denggi di seluruh negara juga menunjukkan peningkatan apabila 23,829 kes dilaporkan tahun ini, iaitu meningkat 42.44% berbanding 16,729 kes bagi tempoh sama tahun lepas.     Sebanyak 52 kematian dilaporkan setakat ini berbanding 27 kematian bagi tempoh sama tahun lepas. – Bernama, 11 Oktober, 2013.

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