Selasa, 15 Oktober 2013

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Chef Staffan Terje returns to Swedish roots with new restaurant

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 09:53 PM PDT

October 16, 2013

Chef Staffan Terje trained in his native Sweden and has lived in the United States for 30 years but regional Italian cuisine is the focus at his San Francisco restaurants.

With his partner, Umberto Gibin, Terje opened Perbacco seven years ago in the city's financial district, followed by Barbacco. Both eateries feature dishes from the regions of Piedmont and Liguria in northern Italy.

Terje fell in love with Italian food many years ago and has been cooking it since then, but he could soon be returning to his Scandinavian roots with plans for a third eatery in San Francisco, a Swedish-style restaurant.

"It will be a brasserie where you will see good Swedish meatballs next to steak frites with Bearnaise sauce and there will be oysters on the half shell, as well as pickled herring," he said.

Terje, who is also planning to write a cookbook, spoke to Reuters about discovering Italian cuisine, his family influence and the importance of sourcing ingredients.

*How did a Swede become the chef and co-owner of an Italian restaurant in San Francisco?

It really started when I had finished hotel and restaurant school and I was working in a French restaurant in Stockholm. Summer in Sweden is a good time to take a vacation. A friend of mine and I were both young cooks and we went around Europe for a month and a half.

During our trip we were in Italy and we ended up spending close to two weeks in Liguria... All the food we had there was amazingly simple and amazingly tasty. That was my first real introduction to Italian cooking and I just fell in love with that simplicity of great ingredients, done simply but done well. Since then it has always been with me. I've always wanted to know more and more and more.

Did you always want to be a chef?

Like any kid I probably wanted to be a million different things but I was fortunate to grow up in a family where my mom, grandmother, aunts and so on were all great cooks. At every family gathering there was always a lot of food. It was a very food-centric family.

Who have been your biggest culinary influences?

I have a lot of them. (French chef Georges Auguste) Escoffier has made a big impression on me as somebody who organized cuisine... the regimented way of a kitchen and cooking. That has made a big influence on me.

When I first started cooking, it was right when nouvelle cuisine was in its heyday. Of course, Alain Chapel, who was a consulting chef at the restaurant I was working in... he is probably one of the most amazing chefs in modern times.

What does the restaurant name Perbacco mean?

Perbacco is an expression in Italian... It is a positive affirmation. It is an emphasis on positive things, good times.

You specialise in the food of two regions of Italy, Piedmont and Liguria. Why did you select those two regions?

Piedmont, I think up until now, has been a little bit neglected in a way. It is cuisine that has so many other influences in it. You have a lot of French influence and really what we are highlighting is the kingdom of Savoy that predates Italy as it stands today. The kingdom of Savoy reached from Turin to Nice and encompassed parts of Liguria... It is far north so there is incredible use of dairy besides olive oil, so you have a lot richer cooking and a lot of the techniques are very similar to French.

You are also known for your farm-to-table methods. Why is it so important?

I grew up on a farm. My father was a farmer. My grandfather was a farmer. It is something that I have known all my life ... I don't look at my farmers as purveyors. They are partnerships.

What are your most essential ingredients?

I would have a hard time cooking without onions. I always start off with some form of onion or garlic. I have to have some good salt. To me they are basic ingredients. To be able to grate some really good parmesan on pasta is important. Eggs are another staple I can't live without. On top of that, it is just good ingredients.

Tagliatelle with Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts and Chanterelles

Brussels Sprouts and Chanterelles

10 oz fresh tagliatelle or fettuccine pasta

16 oz Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced

8 oz golden chanterelles, sliced

2 tbsp shallots, finely minced

6 sage leaves, chopped

4 tbsp brown butter

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Salt and pepper to taste

Large saute pan

Wooden spoon

Heat 2 tbsp butter over medium heat in sauté pan until light brown. Add shallots and sage. Cook for two minutes.

Add chanterelles and Brussels sprouts. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Boil tagliatelle pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, but do not rinse. The pasta should be fairly wet.

Add pasta to sprouts and chanterelles with remaining butter. Sprinkle with parmesan and toss until well incorporated. Place on a warm serving platter. Do not use a deep bowl.

Serve with more parmesan if desired. - Reuters, October 16, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Indonesian tycoon takes control of Inter Milan

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 06:27 AM PDT

October 15, 2013

Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir has acquired a majority stake in Inter Milan, club president Massimo Moratti confirmed today.

"We have signed with Thohir," Moratti said.

According to Italian press reports, Thohir will acquire a majority 70% stake in the club.

Thohir had been linked with a takeover of the Serie A club since last season, which Inter finished in a disappointing ninth place, failing to qualify for European competition in the process.

Moratti and Thohir met twice, in May and June, this year but failed to reach an agreement.

Inter, the last Italian side to win the Champions League, in 2010 when they won the treble under Jose Mourinho, are reported to be desperate for a move away from the San Siro ground they share with city rivals AC Milan.

Moratti is also keen for the club to take advantage of ripe markets in Asia which English Premiership giants like Manchester United have exploited.

Inter are one of the three biggest clubs in Italian football, along with city rivals AC Milan and champions Juventus. - AFP, October 15, 2013.

Former Malaysia coach Terry Walsh named India’s national hockey coach

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 05:14 AM PDT

October 15, 2013

Former Australian Olympian Terry Walsh has been appointed chief coach of India's faltering field hockey team, replacing compatriot Michael Nobbs who was sacked in June.

Walsh, a previous national coach of the Malaysian and Australian teams, is charged with turning India around, after the eight-time Olympic gold medallists finished last in the 2012 Games in London.

"I will ensure no stone is left unturned in India's quest to return to the pinnacle of world hockey," Walsh said in a statement.

Walsh, 59, was until recently the technical director of the United States field hockey association.

Hockey India did not spell out the details of Walsh's appointment, but reports said he was expected to remain in charge till the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Walsh will supervise the national team's campaign at next year's Asian and Commonwealth Games, and also the World Cup, if India qualify.

"Walsh not only has the experience, but also a vision to develop the senior men's hockey team into a well-knit professional unit," Hockey India secretary-general Narinder Batra said in the same statement.

Walsh was quoted as saying that "coaching India must be regarded as the greatest challenge in the hockey world."

Walsh will work alongside renowned Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans, who was appointed Hockey India's high performance director in January.

Four foreign coaches - Spaniard Jose Brasa, Australian Ric Charlesworth, Germany's Gerhard Rach and Nobbs - served as Indian coaches over the last decade before they were all sacked prematurely. - AFP, October 15, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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Movies with a 270-degree view to hit South Korean cinemas

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 01:27 AM PDT

October 15, 2013

A new format that gives movie-goers a panoramic 270 degree view will be rolled out by South Korea's biggest cinema chain this month, using the walls of theatres as additional screens.

Screen X, developed by cinema chain CJ CGV, was on show at the Busan International Film Festival last week in the premiere of a 30-minute spy thriller The X, directed by Kim Jee-Woon, a film commissioned to showcase the expanded three-screen format.

Kim, who directed this year's Arnold Schwarzenegger action adventure The Last Stand, said the technology brought a more immersive experience to the cinema.

He likened it to a horizontal version of IMAX, a format that offers greater size and resolution than conventional film.

Screen X requires filmmakers to use three cameras to shoot the same scene simultaneously from different angles to create the wider surround effect.

"The space in front of you is filled up completely," said Kim. "It provides a new depth for viewers."

The X showed off the capabilities of the format in a chase sequence and a dream sequence that seemed to envelop the cinema.

Audiences at Busan watching The X seemed at first confused whether to look left, right or straight ahead before settling in to the experience.

"It was really fun. I personally don't like 3D or 4D films but this made me feel like I was inside the film," 19-year-old student Jung Gwang-Soo said.

CJ CGV, which also has interests in China, Hong Kong and the United States, has been testing the technology on advertisements, but has remained tight-lipped on installation costs – reportedly between US$139,300 and US$185,800 per screening room, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

Installation will not be without logistical challenges, given that the effect is lessened in seats positioned to the sides of the cinema.

By the end of October the system will be available in 31 cinemas around South Korea in readiness for a series of planned feature-length productions to be rolled out over the next 12 months.

Others focus on intimacy

While Kim said he was excited to be able to explore the possibilities of the new technology – and freely admitted he was more concerned with effects than plot in his first production with it – other directors showcased technology they believe allows the audience to focus more on the stories they are telling.

The Israeli-French production Ana Arabia, which looks at life in a Jewish-Arabic community, was one of a number of new films screening in Busan that used advanced steady-cameras to enable directors to shoot in one single take.

In Ana Arabia's case, that was for 74 constant minutes while the Iranian film Fish & Cat managed to a single take of 134 minutes.

Ana Arabia's veteran director Amos Gitai said the technology helped filmmakers engage with their audiences through providing a sense of intimacy not available when using multiple cameras and edits.

"This method is a way of concentrating the audience's focus," he said.

"Filmmakers are always looking for new ways to tell our stories and I am trying to find ways to encourage dialogue through my films." – AFP, October 15, 2013.

US films dominate Rome festival line-up

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 12:54 AM PDT

October 15, 2013

US director Spike Jonze's Her will be one of the hotly-awaited premieres at the Rome film festival, including movies starring Scarlett Johansson (pic) and Christian Bale, the festival's director said yesterday.

Marco Mueller, formerly the head of the Venice film festival, yesterday unveiled a line-up for November featuring Brazilian, Chilean, Iranian, Japanese, Mexican and Portuguese films.

Of the 18 films in competition, 17 are world or international premieres, with a strong American and Italian presence in particular.

US director James Gray, best known for his 2007 crime drama We Own the Night, will head up the jury for the festival, which runs November 8 to 17.

Mueller said there was no overriding theme linking the films selected: "We chose the ones that moved us, that spoke to our hearts, our guts," he said.

Jonze's Her, already a favourite with critics granted a first look at New York's film festival this month, stars Joaquin Phoenix as a Los Angeles-based man who gets a new operating system on his mobile phone that answers his daily questions.

As the voice – played by Johansson – becomes less machine-like and more human he develops an infatuation for it in a wryly comic tale which questions our increasingly intimate relationships with technology.

Scott Cooper's US thriller Out of the Furnace – produced by Ridley Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio – will also have its international premier.

Starring Bale – of Batman fame – Casey Affleck and Willem Dafoe, it tells the tale of two brothers dreaming of a better life in the poverty-hit Rust Belt, who end up drawn into a spiral of violence with a ruthless gang.

The competition's ambitious line-up includes Japan Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Seventh Code and Chinese Jian Cui's Blue Sky Bones.

Mueller said the first seven days of the festival in the Eternal City will feature a nightly screening of a US film with "an important star" on the red carpet – though he would not be drawn on names.

Critics and audiences are looking forward to American producer Mark Turtletaub's first film as director, Gods Behaving Badly.

Starring Christopher Walken as Zeus, Sharon Stone as Aphrodite, Oliver Platt as Apollo and John Turturro as Hades, it sees a mortal couple run across the down-on-their-luck Greek gods living it up in New York city.

Mueller also promised a "return to real Italian comedy" with the opening screening, Giovanni Veronesi's The Fifth Wheel, about an unlikely everyman hero.

The new Hunger Games installment, Catching Fire directed by Francis Lawrence, will open out of competition with Josh Hutcherson in the lead role.

The festival will also host a masterclass with Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme. – AFP. October 15, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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Fast and malodorous: Bangkok’s khlong boat network

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 03:00 AM PDT

October 15, 2013

Every morning, tens of thousands of Bangkok's most rushed, reckless or cash-strapped commuters hop onto its "khlong" boats – plying the main canal in a speedy, if not fragrant, bid to avoid the city's notorious road congestion.

"I take the boat because it goes much faster," 18-year-old university student, Pam Olanthanyawat, said before she leapt blithely onto one of the crowded shuttles on the Saen Saeb canal.

As the city of 12 million grinds to a virtual standstill at peak times, many commuters have turned to the 30-kilometre-long canal, or khlong in Thai.

But the boats are not for the faint-hearted.

Passengers are overwhelmingly the young and able bodied – few older people or families with children dare board the vessels, which often pull in to dock for just seconds during rush hour.

Agile men and women – many of whom manage the feat despite perilous high heels – leap aboard the narrow vessels and cling onto a system of ropes inside as they speed off to the next stop.

The online video sharing site YouTube abounds with footage of unfortunate passengers who are not quick or deft enough when boarding and so plunge into the foul-smelling khlongs.

One clip shows what it calls a khlong "tsunami" – waiting passengers getting drenched as giant waves, caused by passing boats, wash over a pontoon – and has notched up several hundred thousand hits.

The boats' waterproof canvas roofs are controlled by passengers themselves, who move them up and down to allow others to board and keep everyone protected from khlong water.

But it is not always entirely effective.

"My mother never takes the boat because she is too scared," said Pam as grey spray thrown up by boats travelling in the opposite direction, dripped through the canvas.

A stinky "Venice of Asia"?

Bangkok has a vast network of canals, although rapid urbanisation means that many are now simply short disconnected stretches, while others are blocked with pipes or other objects that would prevent them being used by boats.

Tawatchai Laosirihongthong, a professor and transport expert at Thonburi University said despite their problems, the khlong boats are a draw.

"There is no 'boat jam' and the fare is cheap," he said.

There were 38 million passenger journeys on the khlong boats in 2012, according to official figures, or 100,000 per day.

At less than 20 baht (RM1.60), a ticket is much cheaper than the elevated train network for those travelling from the outskirts of the city.

Buses are the capital's cheapest rides, but with their open windows, lack of air-conditioning and propensity to get snarled in the Bangkok traffic, they are a less popular option for the time-stretched commuter.

Currently, the khlong shuttles are run entirely by a private company, Family Transport, whose fleet of 70 shuttles covers nearly 20 kilometres of the city's canals.

Tawatchai said the challenge is that in Bangkok's infrastructure "everything needs to be improved".

Municipal authorities are testing public boats on a supplementary 11-kilometre stretch, adding 14 new pontoons to the 27 already in use.

Bangkok is also promising more sewage and waste water treatment plants to make the khlongs a less pungent way to get around.

A recent article by the English language Bangkok Post expressed frustration that the city does not make more of its canals and main river, making an unfavourable comparison with the South Korean capital's reinvigoration of one of its waterways.

"Since Seoul can do it, why not Bangkok and our government?" it said of the Cheonggyecheon stream that runs through the heart of Seoul, where city residents can dip their feet into the water and picnic on its banks.

The Rough Guide to Bangkok said Khlong Saen Saeb was a worthwhile experience for visitors to the Thai capital, a city widely nicknamed the Venice of Asia.

"This is your quickest and most interesting way of getting between the west and east parts of town, if you can stand the stench of the canal," the guide said.

Pam, the archeology student, said her mother can remember a time when the canals were clean, but was astonished by a contemporary comparison to Italy's Venice and its renowned aquatic transit system.

"This, like Venice?" she said, with a look of disgust as she caught a whiff of the untreated sewage sloshing in the fetid canal. – AFP, October 15, 2013.

YSL muse auctions off huge fashion collection

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 01:12 AM PDT

October 15, 2013

A huge collection of haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion owned by the model who inspired Yves Saint Laurent's famous "Le Smoking" tuxedo went under the hammer yesterday in Paris.

The collection – the biggest of its kind – contains some 12,000 garments and accessories and attracted keen interest from private collectors, museums and fashion lovers.

Danielle Luquet de Saint Germain built up her collection as a model and muse for Saint Laurent and later as an artistic adviser at Christian Dior.

"It breaks my heart to see these dresses go one after the other," she said on telephone, explaining that she no longer had the energy to maintain the collection.

Among around 300 lots that went under the hammer was a long black robe in sheer black chiffon with a band of ostrich feathers around the hips.

Made in 1968 with Luquet de Saint Germain as the model, the dress fetched 119,000 euros, far in excess of its 13,000 to 15,000-euro estimated price.

The collection could be seen as a "witness to the significant moments in fashion history" in the last quarter of the 20th century, said auction house Hotel Drouot.

Luquet de Saint Germain spent 10 years at Yves Saint Laurent before taking up the role of artistic adviser at Christian Dior.

Speaking in 1969, Saint Laurent said of her: "I had nothing to teach her; on the contrary, it was she who helped free me of outdated references".

In addition to working at Christian Dior, she also helped French designer Claude Montana with his first collection.

The model, who has lived in Geneva since 1978 and did not attend the sale, maintained a strong interest in haute couture over the years, becoming a client of Azzedine Alaia and Christian Lacroix, whose creations feature in the collection.

"The collection is the thread of my life. I kept everything that I found significant, as a baseline for those who love fashion... Nothing is outdated. Everything is so beautiful," she said.

Other designers represented at the sale include Montana, Paco Rabanne and Thierry Mugler.

Yesterday's auction was the first of a number which will be held until all 12,000 items have been sold.

Just compiling the inventory of items to be auctioned took five weeks, according to auctioneers Gros & Delettrez which organised the sale.

Francoise Sternbach, of the French Union of Professional Art Experts, told trade journal Women's Wear Daily earlier this year the collection was of a very high quality.

Luquet de Saint Germain had a "strong eye, she did not pick any pieces that were banal" with many "one-offs, prototypes, designed especially for her," she said. – AFP, October 15, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

Black African author could win last “Commonwealth” Booker

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 11:53 PM PDT

October 15, 2013

Zimbabwe's NoViolet Bulawayo (pic) could make history when the Booker Prize winner is revealed today, but the favourite Jim Crace fears the literary contest will have lost some of its character next year.

Bulawayo is the first black African woman to be shortlisted for the Booker, for We Need New Names, the tale of a 10-year-old girl who escapes poverty at home only to find new problems in the United States.

But Crace is among several authors who fear the organisers' decision to admit US writers and those from any other part of the world from next year will degrade the prestigious contest.

While the novel must be an original work in English, the Booker is currently restricted to writers from the Commonwealth and former members Zimbabwe and Ireland.

"For me the great thing about the Booker Prize is that up to now it's been a Commonwealth prize reminding us about shared history," Britain's Crace told an audience at a literary festival this week.

"Not always happy shared history, but there is a solidarity and cousinship between us, England and Ireland... Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Canada, India, and all of those countries that make up the Commonwealth.

"That's my fear, I am worried about losing that. My hopes are that it will be a triumphant success."

Julian Barnes, another Briton who won the Booker in 2011 for The Sense of an Ending, also expressed concern about the change.

"I think that prizes thrive on having some restriction to them," he told BBC radio.

Barnes added: "There's a certain cultural cringe in this country to the big American books and I fear that British writers will win it much less often.

"And often the Booker gives a platform to young writers and encourages them, and that, I think, is much less likely to happen."

However, others note the inclusion on the shortlist of Ruth Ozeki, a Japanese-American who lives in Canada, suggesting the existing qualifications are already being stretched.

Another shortlisted author, Indian-American Jhumpa Lahiri, sits on US President Barack Obama's committee on the arts and humanities, and in 2000 won a Pulitzer prize.

"Personally, I think the prize ought to be open to American writers rather than extended in this piecemeal way," wrote novelist and critic Philip Hensher in the Spectator magazine.

Crace is the bookmakers' favourite to win the prize for Harvest, about a village under mortal threat from outsiders.

But many will be hoping for victory for Bulawayo, real name Elizabeth Zandile Tshele, who is also be the first Zimbabwean to be shortlisted.

"I feel there are so many deserving black women who came before me. So I feel very lucky and honoured, especially as this is my first novel," she told AFP after her nomination last month.

Bulawayo would be the fourth African winner if she triumphs at the ceremony in London's Guildhall, after South Africans J.M. Coetzee (1983 and 1999) and Nadine Gordimer (1974) and Nigerian-born Ben Okri (1991).

Irish writer Colm Toibin is also in the running this year for The Testament of Mary, the story of a woman trying to piece together the events that led to the death of her son.

Lahiri is nominated for The Lowland, about two brothers growing up in Kolkata in India, while Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being is a sweep through the history of a Japanese family.

Eleanor Catton, the youngest nominee at 28, was chosen for The Luminaries, about the goldrush in 1860s New Zealand.

Last year's winner Hilary Mantel made history as the first British author to win the Booker twice.

The Booker's expansion comes ahead of the start in March of a rival award – the Folio Prize – which also honours English language fiction published in the UK. – AFP, October 15, 2013.

New book raises doubts about 1979 Kennedy assassination probe

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 08:20 PM PDT

October 15, 2013

A new book raises doubts about a 1979 congressional probe that concluded President John F. Kennedy's assassination 50 years ago was the result of an undefined conspiracy.

The book, The Kennedy Half Century by prominent political science professor Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia, questions the conclusion by the House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations that a shot was fired at Kennedy from the so-called grassy knoll on November 22, 1963, in Dallas.

Lee Harvey Oswald fired at the Kennedy motorcade from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository overlooking Dealey Plaza. The House conclusion of an undefined conspiracy – with an additional shot from the grassy knoll – was drawn from an acoustical analysis of a Dictabelt recording device that was on a police officer's motorcycle.

The congressional investigators believed the motorcycle was in the Kennedy motorcade and that its Dictabelt recorded four shots. Sabato says new technologically advanced audio research conducted for his book proves the Dallas police motorcycle was not traveling as part of the presidential motorcade at the time the shots were fired.

The motorcycle, driven by officer Willie Price, was about 3.2 kilometres away at the time of the shooting, Sabato writes.

In addition, he says, acoustic experts found the sound "impulses" picked up by the Dictabelt that were initially believed to be gunshots could have simply been motorcycle engine noise. – Reuters, October 15, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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Prosiding PAC secara langsung di RTM ubah persepsi negatif masyarakat, kata Shabery

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 02:28 AM PDT

October 15, 2013

Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) sedia menyiarkan prosiding Jawatankuasa Kira-Kira Wang Negara (PAC) secara langsung jika diberi kebenaran, kata Menteri Komunikasi dan Multimedia, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

Beliau berkata tanggapan PAC selama ini bersidang 'secara rahsia' dengan hanya pengerusi dibenar mengeluarkan kenyataan perlu ditukar, dan siaran langsung prosiding berkenaan mampu menepis persepsi negatif sedemikian selain mempertingkat integriti jawatankuasa itu.

"Ada beberapa perkara yang perlu diubah dalam siasatan itu di mana mungkin ada perkara yang melibatkan perbincangan yang lama yang tidak dapat disimpulkan dengan hanya kenyataan beberapa minit oleh pengerusi PAC.

"Sekarang RTM sudah mengorak langkah dengan siaran langsung sesi soal jawab Parlimen setiap pagi, dan selepas itu disiarkan melalui IPTV (Televisyen Protokol Internet) di mana semua orang boleh menonton, jadi isu yang berkaitan dengan kerahsiaan sepatutnya tidak timbul lagi," katanya mengulas tanggapan siasatan PAC terlalu rahsia dan tidak akan membawa sebarang perubahan.

Ahmad Shabery berkata sebagai permulaan, beliau akan memohon kepada Dewan Rakyat agar membenarkan prosiding membabitkan dirinya berhubung isu bayaran RM1.6 juta untuk persembahan artis K-Pop dalam acara Hari Belia Negara 2012 bersiaran secara langsung.

Beliau bagaimanapun tidak pasti sama ada hasrat itu bercanggah dengan peraturan sedia ada namun berpendapat jika sudah dianggap lapuk, ia perlu ditukar.

Ahmad Shabery berkata seperti menteri lain, beliau tidak boleh memperjelas setiap perkara yang dibangkitkan dalam laporan Audit Negara di luar, dan kesempatan menjawab kepada PAC dan disiar secara langsung boleh mengubah persepsi negatif dalam kalangan masyarakat.

Selain itu, beliau berharap masyarakat tidak tersalah tafsir dengan menganggap apa yang terdapat dalam laporan audit negara sebagai jenayah kerana kebanyakannya lebih menjurus kepada isu perbelanjaan berhemah atau keputusan yang dibuat.

"Saya tidak fikir ia boleh dikaitkan dengan jenayah, tetapi saya terbuka untuk menjelaskan persoalan rakyat berhubung integriti dan amanah saya dengan keputusan yang dibuat," katanya.

Menurut Laporan Ketua Audit Negara 2012, Kementerian Komunikasi dan Multimedia membelanjakan RM2.94 juta untuk Hari Belia Negara 2012, termasuk RM1.6 juta untuk bayaran artis K-Pop dari Korea sempena Himpunan Jutaan Belia 2012. – Bernama, 15 Oktober, 2013.

MTUC cadang tiga perkara utama untuk Belanjawan 2014

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 02:18 AM PDT

October 15, 2013

Pelaksanaan GST akan memberi impak kepada golongan berpendapatan rendah dengan mengambil kira kos barangan dan perkhidmatan pengguna yang semakin meningkat saban tahun.Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC) mencadangkan tiga perkara utama berkaitan kepentingan rakyat untuk dipertimbangkan kerajaan dalam Belanjawan 2014, termasuk tidak melaksanakan sistem Cukai Barangan dan Perkhidmatan (GST).

Presiden MTUC, Mohd Khalid Atan berkata pelaksanaan GST akan memberi impak kepada golongan berpendapatan rendah dengan mengambil kira kos barangan dan perkhidmatan pengguna yang semakin meningkat saban tahun.

"Pengguna perlu menanggung cukai penggunaan jika GST dilaksana dan ia pasti akan membebankan golongan berpendapatan rendah meskipun bayarannya adalah kecil," katanya ketika dihubungi Bernama.

Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar dilapor berkata kerajaan sedang menjalankan kajian berkaitan GST bagi menilai impak terhadap kadar inflasi dan kaedah terbaik pelaksanaannya.

Beliau berkata pelaksanaan GST bagi menggantikan cukai jualan dan cukai perkhidmatan merupakan satu daripada pendekatan jangka panjang kerajaan bagi meningkatkan hasil pendapatan negara.

Sementara itu, Mohd Khalid berkata MTUC turut berharap Belanjawan 2014 yang dijadual dibentang pada 25 Oktober ini mempertimbangkan pemberian bantuan Elaun Sara Hidup (COLA) sebanyak RM300 kepada pekerja sektor swasta yang berdepan tekanan berikutan kenaikan harga barangan dan perkhidmatan.

Beliau juga meminta kerajaan mempertingkat kadar pelepasan cukai pendapatan individu menerusi Belanjawan kali ini selain mempertimbang pelepasan cukai tambahan sebanyak RM1,000 bagi mereka yang mempunyai anak pertama, kedua dan seterusnya.

Katanya, langkah itu bakal merangsang pertumbuhan ekonomi domestik kerana rakyat akan mula berbelanja lebih.

Mohd Khalid juga mengalu-alukan cadangan pemberian Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia secara dua peringkat mulai tahun depan, yang dilihat sebagai pendekatan baik bagi mengimbangi kadar inflasi. – Bernama, 15 Oktober, 2013.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Busking – antara kreativiti dan kejujuran

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 04:41 PM PDT

October 15, 2013

Meor Yusof Aziddin adalah Malaysian folk singer/songwritter yang telah menghasilkan 10 album indipenden sejak tahun 2000 sehingga 2011. Juga penulis untuk buku tentang kehidupan, "Sembang Tepi Jalan" dan "Syurga Yang Hilang." Memblog di www.pestajiwa.net. Berkerjaya sebagai "professional busker" di KL Sentral di bawah pengurusan KTMB sejak tahun 2010 sehingga ke hari ini.

Paul Wright (53 tahun) seorang professor muzik dan pemain biola professional, juga merupakan Perth Symphony Orchestra (PSO) Concertmaster. Pendekata beliau antara pemain violin yang terhebat.

Saya tidak nafikan itu, menonton persembahan dan gesekan biola beliau bersama duo groupnya Kashtany Duo di YouTube bergandingan dengan seorang lagi pemain akordian memainkan lagu Bulgarian Gypsy Hora dan Czardas yang penuh dengan mood-mood gipsi dan jazz memang mengkagumkan.

Beliau telah melakukan eksperimen dengan "busking" berhampiran pintu masuk masuk subway di Perth, Australia dengan bermain biola memainkan muzik-muzik Bach antaranya dan hasilnya beliau hanya mendapat 8 dollar walau khalayak ramai yang lalu-lalang namun mereka tidak mengindahkan kehadiran atau permainan hebat beliau. Mengapa itu berlaku?

Saya melihat beliau tidak jujur dengan apa yang dilakukannya atau cuba menjadi seorang busker dengan memainkan lagu-lagu hebat dan tempatnya bukan di situ sebenarnya.

Saya percaya jika diletakkan seorang busker yang sebenar di situ, perhatian dan sumbangan dari khalayak akan lebih baik dari hanya sekadar meraih 8 dollar.

Busking bukannya tentang menunjuk tahap hebat dan pandai kita dalam permainan muzik dan dari situ sepatutnya kita akan dapat banyak duit sebab kita bagus? Kita perlu faham manusia yang lalu lalang bukan semuanya pemuzik dan peminat muzik.

Mereka pula sibuk dengan urusan harian untuk meneruskan hidup tanpa menghiraukan kehebatan Paul Wright, saya tidak menyalahkan mereka kerana muzik bagi sesetengah kita hanyalah sekadar singgah seperti angin lalu saja.

Yang hanya indahkan muzik hanya kita-kita yang faham tentang aliran dan kefahamannya. Samada kita ini pendengar sejati mahu pun seorang pemuzik.

Berbeza jika Paul bersama PSO di mana para penonton yang datang adalah di kalangan mereka yang berduit dan peminat muzik orkestra. Dan Concertmaster seperti beliau, peranannya sangat penting dalam sesebuah orkestra yang mana beliau merupakan pemain lead dan kedudukannya nombor dua penting selepas konduktor.

Tapi cerita di jalanan ceritanya berbeza sama-sekali. Kita tidak dapat membaca apa yang khalayak mahu tapi bagi saya, daripada beliau memainkan lagu-lagu yang orang tak faham, lebih baik main lagu-lagu yang penuh dengan elemen pop yang mudah diterima pendengar seperti lagu-lagu Men at Work atau Crowded House, contohnya.

Busking bagi saya adalah tentang kreativiti, ketekunan dan kejujuran dan ia memerlukan fokus dan memerlukan nilai sabar yang tinggi dengan apa yang kita lakukan. Kita juga perlu layan apa yang mereka mahu, bukan apa yang kita mahu sepenuhnya.

Kalau di negara kita ini, apa yang kebanyakan mereka mahu itulah kadang-kadang lagu Tegar, Anak Kampung, Semut Merah atau lagu Sabun Mandi atau kalau mereka suka lagu Spoon, Sudu dan Garpu pun kita perlu tahu..

Semuanya lagu popular yang tidak punya nilai hebatnya di situ, tapi jika kita seorang busker, kita layan je apa yang orang suka dan yang paling penting kita perlu enjoy dengan apa yang kita lakukan.

Untuk saya, selepas layan lagu orang, saya akan pastikan diri saya juga terhibur dengan lagu-lagu yang sesuai dengan jiwa saya seperti lagu-lagu orang putih 70an yang rare tapi popular. Jadi kita sebagai nakhoda perlu tahu mengawal kemudi dan haluan. At the end, berapa banyak yang kita dapat?

Biasanya saya akan menyanyikan lagu-lagu Ronan Keating, Wonderful Tonight atau Hotel California sebanyak 4 atau 5 kali dalam sehari. Saya pun letih sebenarnya menyanyikan lagu-lagu itu tapi dah khalayak suka, saya layan je. Jika mereka suka, mereka akan menghargainya dengan memberi sumbangan, itu saja...

Kalau syok sendiri dengan lagu-lagu yang orang tak faham dan akhirnya kita hanya mendapat RM8 selepas busking berjam-jam, itu bagi saya tak berbaloilah. Lebih baik jangan busking, buat penat badan je...

Busking juga adalah tentang aura kita sebagai busker. Tidak semestinya kita hebat bermain muzik atau menyanyi saja, bahkan jika kita berjaya menghiburkan khalayak dengan telatah kita, itu juga satu kelebihan.

Itulah juga yang membezakan busker otai terdahulu antara Sidek (arwah) dan Wahid. Sidek lebih mendapat perhatian khalayak kerana beliau seorang "entertainer" atau penghibur dan hasilnya beliau mendapat lebih banyak hasil berbanding Wahid walau secara personal saya lebih tertarik dengan gaya Wahid. Wahid hanya seorang "performer".

Dulu sewaktu busking bersama rakan-rakan busker yang saya kenal, ada di kalangan mereka lebih mendapat banyak hasil dari apa yang saya dapat walau mereka hanya menghafal 10 lagu saja berbanding saya yang sudah bermain muzik lebih lama dan lebih banyak lagu-lagu yang saya hafal berbanding mereka.

Baru-baru ini seorang kawan lama datang berjumpa dan berbual dengan saya setelah tidak bertemu dari tahun 1992 dulu. Katanya saya konsisten dengan watak saya dari dulu sampailah sekarang dan nyata saya bahagia dengan apa yang saya lakukan.

Kita perlu nikmati dengan apa yang kita lakukan di dunia ini. Kita juga perlu belajar untuk lebih menghargai kehidupan ini kerana waktu semakin singkat dan dunia semakin gila.

Semua manusia kecuali orang gila semakin gila mengejar nikmat dunia dan kesenangan. Selain orang gila, tidak ada apa istimewa tentang manusia normal hari ini.

Berbalik pada fitrahnya kehidupan, semua kita hidup dengan watak-watak yang telah di amanahkan untuk kita menjalani seperti yang telah direncanakan. Jujurlah dengan watak kita di dunia ini. – 15 Oktober, 2013.

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

Progressives and Umno politics

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 03:36 PM PDT

October 15, 2013

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim founded Malaysia's largest law partnership before focusing on politics. He was a minister in the Abdullah administration, was in Umno, PKR and last in KITA as its president.

Last week I was immersed in the literary festival in Ubud, Bali, listening to well-known writers as they shared their progressive views on the many facets of the human condition.

Most people associate the word "progressive" to include far-sighted views on democratic systems of government, an equitable economy and a free society where personal liberty is well protected.

In political terms, a progressive country is one where laws protect the rights of all communities—including minorities—and where the courts are independent and well respected.

In other words, improving the human condition is the yardstick by which progressives are measured.

In the US, for example, the progressive movement of the 1890s included the fight for progressive taxation, where the rich were taxed more; the fight for the rights of women generally, including their right to vote; and freeing education from the clutches of vested interests and the Church.

In the UK, reformists sometimes use the term "progressive" when they are not happy with either the Conservatives or the left-leaning socialists in Labour.

There is not much difference, however, among the three big parties on the "big issues", such as the meaning of democracy; the need for accountability and transparency in Government; the need for the Rule of Law to be applicable at all times; or the idea that liberty and freedom for the people of Great Britain are guaranteed.

Their differences are more on budgetary priorities, healthcare services, school systems and the role of the state in providing socioeconomic services.

By now most of us have read about the great success of Khairy Jamaluddin and Dato Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil at the recent Umno polls.

Everyone was ecstatic that the so-called "progressive forces" in Umno had won. In their opinion, the fact that the relatively unknown challengers (whose names many people could hardly spell) failed to unseat the powerful incumbents signalled a major political shift in Malaysian politics.

That's how desperate Malaysians have become for change: they are willing to clutch at straws or believe in shadows if it helps them be happy with the conditions in the country.

A political party does not become something else just because some unknown challengers could not make any headway. The nature of the party—its political DNA—does not change.

The incumbents do not become "progressive'" just because they defeated challengers whose ideological viewpoints were different from theirs, just as the country did not become safer a week after the Prevention of Crime Act was passed.

I hope the supporters of the Umno "progressives" and their allies will help explain how this changes Umno in ways that we the rakyat (people) can relate to, and what policies they will bring about that are substantially different from the ones we already have.

Will Utusan Malaysia be different now? Will Dato' Seri Zahid Hamidi lose in the polls, or is he also a progressive? How are Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein's views, for example, different from Tan Sri Isa Samad's in politics, governance, integrity and accountability? How is Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir more racist than, say Datuk Seri Ali Rastum or even Zahid?

I am raising these questions because we must not treat the success of a certain gang or group as "progressive" just because they have conveniently and successfully labelled their opponents as "right wing".

There must be real and substantial differences in their political views and thoughts before we can make this distinction. It's not necessary for us the rakyat to take sides in the Umno political contest by lending credence and respectability when none is expected from us.

It's better to wait and see if the progressives are real or if they are just wayang (show)—which is what Ubud is wonderfully famous for. – October 15, 2013.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Selasa, 15 Oktober 2013