Khamis, 5 Jun 2014

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

0 ulasan 3:15 PG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

Orang ramai perlu yakin dengan sijil halal Jakim, kata Jamil Khir

Posted: 05 Jun 2014 02:11 AM PDT

Published: 5 June 2014 | Updated: 6 June 2014 1:11 AM

Orang ramai perlu yakin dengan sijil halal yang dikeluarkan oleh Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) bagi pelbagai produk makanan di negara ini.

Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom (gambar) berkata sijil halal yang dikeluarkan pihaknya akan mengambil kira standard makanan yang diuji oleh Jakim dan Kementerian Kesihatan (KKM).

"Dalam hal ini KKM hanya menjalankan ujian sampel makanan dan keputusan tentang status sesuatu makanan itu sama ada halal atau tidak hanya dikeluarkan oleh Jakim.

"Jakim juga ada kumpulan audit yang akan melakukan pemeriksaan di kilang bagi melihat pengurusan, penyimpanan bahan mentah dan pengeluaran makanan. Jika tidak menepati piawaian, sijil halal tidak dikeluarkan," katanya kepada pemberita selepas majlis penyampaian sumbangan di Pertubuhan Peladang Kawasan Sungai Limau di Yan hari ini.

Beliau berkata kumpulan audit terbabit akan melakukan analisis sampel setiap makanan lebih sekali dalam setahun bagi memastikan makanan yang dijual tidak tercemar dengan pelbagai bahan tidak halal seperti Asid Deoksiribonukliek (DNA) babi.

Jamil berkata Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan (KPDNKK) juga turut terlibat dalam penguatkuasaan di bawah Akta Perihal Dagangan (APD) 1972.

Beliau berkata pihaknya akan memastikan perkara seperti coklat susu Cadbury yang tercemar dengan DNA babi tidak akan berulang kerana masyarakat Islam khususnya memberi kepercayaan dan amanah kepada Jakim.

"Jakim pertahan sijil halal yang dikeluarkan kepada syarikat coklat Cadbury kerana produk makanan itu tidak tercemar dengan DNA babi seperti yang disebut sebelum ini," katanya.

Katanya jawatankuasa syariah syarikat itu juga perlu memperkemaskan pemantauan pembuatan coklat itu bagi mengelak kejadian sama berulang sehingga merisaukan pengguna dari kalangan masyarakat Islam.

Dalam satu kenyataan 2 Jun lepas, Jamil Khir berkata analisis makmal Jabatan Kimia terhadap produk coklat susu Cadbury-Roast Almond dan Hazelnut (badam dan kacang hazel) disahkan tiada DNA babi. – Bernama, 5 Jun, 2014.

Kanak-kanak terperangkap dalam kereta ditimbus tanah runtuh

Posted: 05 Jun 2014 02:01 AM PDT

Published: 5 June 2014 | Updated: 5 June 2014 5:10 PM

Seorang kanak-kanak lelaki berusia 9 tahun terperangkap hampir 30 minit dalam kereta selepas kereta itu tertimbus tanah runtuh dan tebing konkrit di Jalan C P1/21B di kawasan perumahan Taman Cheng Perdana, Melaka malam tadi akibat hujan lebat.

Kejadian berlaku kira-kira 10.30 malam semasa Koh Sue Siang baharu selesai makan malam di sebuah kedai makan di kawasan perumahan itu bersama datuknya Tham Peng Yong, 59, neneknya Wong Yok Moy, 57, serta tiga adiknya.

"Koh bersama adiknya yang berusia tiga tahun baharu menaiki kereta, namun nenek mereka sempat menarik keluar adiknya sebaik konkrit jatuh dan menghempas kereta.

"Saya sempat menjerit kepada isteri saya untuk menarik keluar cucu kami dari kereta apabila melihat tebing konkrit yang mengelilingi kawasan sebuah rumah bergerak-gerak sebelum jatuh menghempap kereta," kata Tham kepada pemberita.

Koh dikeluarkan pihak bomba dan penyelamat dengan bantuan orang ramai dan hanya mengalami cedera ringan.

Dia dikejarkan ke Hospital Melaka untuk mendapat rawatan.

Kejadian tersebut menyebabkan dua lagi kereta mengalami kerosakan.

Penolong Pengarah Operasi Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Melaka, Ahmad Adli Abd Rahman berkata pihaknya yang menerima panggilan pada pukul 10.34 malam menggegaskan dua jentera beserta 11 anggota.

Beliau berkata pihaknya mengambil masa kira-kira tujuh minit untuk mengeluarkan mangsa dengan menggunakan jengkaut. – Bernama, 5 Jun, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Rabu, 4 Jun 2014

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

1 ulasan 11:59 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Cooking class on Father’s Day at Lafite

Posted: 04 Jun 2014 08:16 PM PDT

Full concentration ... Children taking part in a cooking class under Chef Kunkel last year at Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. – June 5, 2014.It's time for bonding, and fathers get a chance to cook with their kids on Father's Day at Lafite in the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, in a unique programme aptly titled "Dad's the Way".

The two-day programme begins at the hotel on Saturday, June 14. Executive chef Rudolf Kunkel leads the way, taking fathers and their children on a visit to a nearby supermarket to choose fresh seafood and vegetables. Then it's back to the Shangri-La kitchen to do some prepping, followed by a light lunch.

On Sunday, which is Father's Day, father and son or daughter (or both) will be taught by Chef Kunkel and his assistants on how to cook and complete the four-course lunch at Lafite. The children will then serve the lunch to their fathers, joined by other members of their family in the Father's Day celebration.

After lunch, there will be a graduation ceremony for the participants, who will receive certificates from Chef Kunkel and pose for a group picture.

Each participant will pay a fee of RM250 nett for the cooking class and lunch at Lafite. The price also includes a chef's jacket, apron, chef's hat and certificate.

Families of the participating father and child or children will have to book a table for a minimum four persons (including the father and child) at Lafite to enjoy the four-course lunch at RM150 nett per person.

As the programme involves actual cooking experience in the hotel kitchen, the minimum age limit for the participants has been set at six years and above.

The closing date for the "Dad's the Way on Father's Day" programme is June 9. For enquiries and reservations, call 03-2074 3586 or email slkl-pr@shangri-la.com. – June 5, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

0 ulasan 2:42 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Brain wired to detect carb ‘kick’, say scientists

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 09:23 PM PDT

Published: 4 June 2014 | Updated: 4 June 2014 8:23 PM

The human mouth has a 'sixth taste sense' capable of picking up the presence of carbohydrates. – The Malaysian Insider pic, June 4, 2014.Scientists say the human mouth has a "sixth taste sense" capable of picking up the presence of carbohydrates and could explain why diet drinks lack the "kick" of their sugar-laden equivalents, Xinhua news agency reported.

Despite the drinks having identical taste and smell, the brain could detect more about the make-up of the drinks than the tongue, said researchers at the University of Auckland.

"Liquid solutions used in our study were sweetened artificially but when carbohydrate was present, we saw increased activation in the brain that we don't see when only sweetness is present," study leader Dr Nick Grant said in a statement.

"This helps explain the 'kick' absent in diet beverages or products. We may be able to use the experimental platform in this study to help develop functional foods and artificial sweeteners that are as hedonistically rewarding as the real thing," he said.

The study used a unique brain imaging sequence to test the behavioural and neural response of 10 participants who performed arm exercises while their mouths were rinsed with carbohydrate, artificial sweetener or placebo solution.

The study found a 30% increase in task-related brain activity when carbohydrate was present even though the liquid was not swallowed.

"This study provides further evidence of a 'sixth taste sense' for carbohydrate by receptors in the human mouth," Grant said.

"The mouth signals that energy is on its way, which in turn leads to increased activity in key regions of the brain, including those that control movement and vision."

The findings could also explain why the "perk up" response noted in athletes after they had consumed carbohydrates was immediate, even though the body had no time to absorb and convert it to energy.

"Carbohydrates are extremely powerful oral stimuli that have profound and immediate effects on the brain and the mouth is a more capable sensory organ that we currently appreciate," Grant said. – Bernama, June 4, 2014.

Tiananmen, the night dreams became nightmares

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 07:00 PM PDT

'Tank Man' is the nickname of an anonymous man who stood in front of a column of tanks on June 5, 1989, the morning after the Chinese military had suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 by force. – Pic courtesy of Wikipedia, June 4, 2014."They're shooting!"

The cry spreads through the Beijing crowd at 11.30 pm, as the first clicks from the army's AK-47s ring out into the darkness.

On the Avenue of Eternal Peace, the wide street running north of Tiananmen Square, one protester refuses to believe it.

"No, no, they wouldn't shoot," he insists, stripped to the waist on this humid June night.

"They're the people's army."

But a moment later there is no doubt. A tricycle cuts through the throngs of protesters. It's an ambulance now. Slumped behind on a plank of wood is the bloodied body of a student, his stomach ripped by several bullets.

For 50 days, the symbolic heart of the Chinese state had become a huge and peaceful experiment – hundreds of thousands of people, dreaming of democracy and freedom, as the Cold War wound down.

Day and night, Chinese citizens from all walks of life imagined a different future – one that was not dictated by the Communist Party. But the discussions they sought with authorities turned into a dialogue of the deaf.

In front of the world's cameramen – who had gathered here to cover a reconciliation summit between Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and the Soviet Union's Mikhail Gorbachev on May 15 – the horror unfolded.

Massed ranks of soldiers drafted in from outside Beijing – whose city forces were deemed too sympathetic to the protesters – launched an operation to take back control of Tiananmen Square on the night of June 3 and 4.

Martial law had been declared two weeks earlier, but did not have the government's desired effect – merely swelling the numbers of protesters.

Troops, tanks and terror

Last hopes for a peaceful solution is extinguished in the early hours of Saturday, June 3 when between 20,000 and 30,000 ill-prepared soldiers are sent marching towards Tiananmen.

The crowd soon disperses the soldiers, beating some of them. Humiliated, the military were forced to retreat. But it proves to be only the authorities' opening salvo.

On the evening of Saturday, June 3, at the Muxidi crossroads, tanks break through the line of buses that had blocked their entry.

With heavy helmets on their heads, the soldiers open fire at close range on the tightly packed crowd. Terrified protesters respond with a volley of projectiles.

The gunfire rains down under skies lit up by thousands of tracer bullets and burning vehicles. Swarming in from all sides, the troops finally reach Tiananmen around 2.00 am on Sunday, June 4.

Armoured vehicles charge full-throttle into the crowd. They flatten everything in their path, people included. Several tanks are burned, their crews beaten to death. Other soldiers are saved by the students.

In the capital's 20 or so hospitals, distraught medics struggle with the influx of dead and wounded crammed into blood-stained corridors.

Now totally encircled, Tiananmen Square plunges into darkness at 4.00 am, all the street lights switched off.

By now, there are no more than a few thousand protesters left gathered around charismatic student leader Chai Ling. The Goddess of Democracy, a towering replica of the Statue of Liberty fashioned by art students, is felled by a tank.

Defiance in defeat

Under the eyes of paratroopers with fixed bayonets, the remaining students leave the square at 5.00 am. Many of them are in tears, singing the Internationale anthem and raising their hands in a defiant "V" for victory.

A dozen of them will die later when a tank rolls over their procession back to their campus.

From a balcony of the Beijing Hotel – where a clutch of journalists, including this correspondent, have taken refuge – the scene before us in the early hours of Sunday is hellish.

Shots can still be heard across the capital, and smoke rises from burning vehicles. More protesting civilians are mown down on Sunday morning by tank machine guns, some as they try to collect the dead and injured littering the streets.

By now, Tiananmen Square itself is the heart of a military camp, with hundreds of tanks and army vehicles on standby.

But towards midday on Monday, under the windows of the Beijing Hotel, a young man in a white shirt walks calmly into the Avenue of Eternal Peace and stops in front of a column of tanks, halting them in their tracks.

His identity remains unknown, but he will forever be known as "Tank Man", a world-famous symbol of the courage and defiance of the Tiananmen protesters 25 years ago.

Fast-forward to the China of today and I see a country transformed at a pace never before seen in history.

But the Communist Party remains in control, its power reinforced by an emphatic declaration of might that sweltering June night – an event that has been virtually erased from the country's official history. – AFP, June 4, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

0 ulasan 4:12 PG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

Ibu Dyana Sofya tidak kisah dipecat Umno

Posted: 04 Jun 2014 03:55 AM PDT

Yammy Samat (kiri) berada di sisi anaknya, calon DAP Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud dalam PRK Teluk Intan yang diadakan 31 Mei lalu.Ibu kepada calon DAP, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud tidak kisah sekiranya dipecat daripada Umno kerana menyokong anaknya semasa Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Teluk Intan lalu.

Yammy Samat berkata terserah kepada pihak kepimpinan untuk mengambil sebarang tindakan ke atas dirinya, sama ada mahu menggantung keahlian atau memecat.

"Terpulanglah kepada Umno dan MT (Majlis Tertinggi) untuk buat keputusan, nak gantung, nak buang atau nak pecat saya... itu terserah kepada mereka," kata Yammy dipetik berkata dalam Sinar Harian hari ini.

Mengenai surat tunjuk sebab yang dikatakan dihantar, Yammy berkata setakat ini surat tersebut masih belum diterimanya.

"Saya nak lihat dan baca dulu kandungan surat itu, baru pertimbang nak jawab balik atau diamkan diri sahaja," kata beliau.

Semalam, Setiausaha Agung Umno, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor berkata surat tunjuk sebab dihantar kepada Yammy susulan tindakan beliau menyokong anaknya bertanding dalam PRK Teluk Intan.

Dyana Sofya tewas kepada calon Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Mah Siew Keong dengan majoriti 238 undi pada 31 Mei lalu.

Yammy turut meengumumkan keluar Perkasa ketika tempoh kempen sedang berjalan.

Dia turut menafikan pernah menjadi ketua wanita Perkasa pertama seperti yang pernah dihebahkan, sebaliknya jawatan itu disandang oleh Raihan Sulaiman Palestin yang pernah bertanding merebut jawatan ketua Wanita Umno.

Kontroversi tercetus semasa PRK Teluk Intan apabila Dyana Sofya yang dibesarkan daripada keluarga Umno dan graduan universiti bumiputera, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) bertanding atas tiket DAP.

Yammy secara terbuka menyokong anaknya sepanjang tempoh berkempen pilihan raya tersebut. – 4 Jun, 2014.

Perkasa tak ingin sertai NGO Pemuda Umno, sila cari NGO pondan, kata SU Agung

Posted: 04 Jun 2014 03:46 AM PDT

Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Kebangsaan (Perkasa) merasakan tiada keperluan untuk pertubuhan badan bukan kerajaan itu menyertai Biro Hubungan NGO Pemuda Umno.

Setiausaha Agung Perkasa Syed Hasan Syed Ali (gambar) berkata, pertubuhan sayap kanan Melayu itu, termasuk Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) juga tidak akan menyertai biro berkenaan walau dijemput sekalipun.

"Perkasa dan Isma tidak ingin walau dijemput sekalipun," katanya, ketika dihubungi The Malaysian Insider.

"Kami hanya mahu bersama NGO yang benar-benar anak jantan," katanya.

Pemuda Umno hari ini berpendapat tiada keperluan bagi Perkasa dan Isma untuk menyertai biro yang baru ditubuhkan mereka sebaliknya cukup saling berhubung dengan dua NGO itu.

Pengerusi Biro Hubungan NGO, Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, berkata apa yang paling penting adalah memahami agenda NGO berkenaan supaya segala isu yang dilontarkan dapat dilihat dengan lebih adil.

"Kita tidak perlu mengarah atau mempelawa mereka. Cuma yang paling penting hubungan. Setiap NGO di Malaysia perlu ada hubungan. Dengan Bersih pun kita kena ada hubungan. Tidak perlu mereka masuk ke payung NGO kita," katanya pada majlis makan tengahari bersama media di Kuala Lumpur, hari ini.

Khairul Firdaus berkata tiada gunanya mendekati NGO yang tidak mahu melakukan perubahan kerana sifat ekstremis dan cauvinis sememangnya perlu dielakkan.

Syed Hasan berkata, biro berkenaan boleh mencari mana-mana NGO yang lembut dan terlalu baik untuk menyertai mereka.

"Mereka boleh mencari mana-mana NGO pondan yang lemah lembut untuk bersama mereka," kata Syed Hasan.

Beliau turut mempersoalkan tindakan biro berkenaan, yang mana katanya sebelum ini sering memperlekehkan pertubuhan seperti Perkasa.

"Persoalannya kenapa baru sekarang ingin mendekati NGO seperti kami, kenapa tidak dari dahulu.

"Sudah lemas baru tahu kepentingan NGO seperti kami," katanya.

Biro Hubungan NGO merupakan biro baru yang ditubuhkan di bawah sayap Pemuda Umno bagi mengukuhkan hubungan Pemuda dengan NGO di serata Malaysia.

Enam kluster yang ditekankan oleh NGO di bawah gabungan itu adalah pendidikan, ekonomi dan kos sara hidup, keselamatan, perancangan keluarga, kepenggunaan serta agama. – 4 Jun, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

0 ulasan 3:44 PG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Melihat hudud daripada perspektif budaya, masyarakat mula tunjuk toleransi

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 04:14 PM PDT

Polemik hukum hudud yang berlangsung selama beberapa bulan ini meliputi pelbagai aspek, ragam, sudut, perspektif dan dimensinya. Suatu hal yang cukup menarik untuk diperhatikan.

Masyarakat Malaysia dalam pelbagai nada dan rentak, walaupun ada yang agak emosional dan menunjukkan kemarahan, kebencian dan kebosanan, namun secara keseluruhannya boleh dianggap berjaya memperkatakan dan berbincang mengenai isu agama yang sensitif ini secara agak munasabah dan bertoleransi, dalam suasana demokratik.

Agak memeranjatkan juga bagaimana kita boleh mencapai toleransi dan demokratik hingga ke tahap tinggi yang seperti itu. Masyarakat yang dikatakan sangat liberal dan demokratik di Amerika Syarikat pun, terutamanya di Hollywood dan Beverly Hills, begitu cepat melatah dan menunjukkan 'kuasa' mereka dengan aksi memboikot perniagaan (hotel) Sultan Brunei di sana, kerana tidak bersetuju sultan itu melaksanakan hukum hudud di Brunei.

Begitu juga dengan tokoh usahawan British seperti Richard Branson yang memiliki Virgin Group itu. Mereka nampaknya langsung tidak tahu menunjukkan sedikit pun rasa hormat kepada budaya dan agama orang lain yang berbeza daripada mereka.

Dalam hal ini kita sangat bersyukur dengan masyarakat kita yang pelbagai kaum, agama dan budaya ini, walaupun dalam berpolitik kita masih belum mencapai tahap kematangan yang serupa. Barangkali kerana politik itu berhubungan dengan kuasa dan perebutan, pemilikan, penunjukan serta manipulasi kuasa. (Kuasa selalu menggoda dan menuntut manusia supaya menguasai orang lain secara tidak demokratik).

Saya sendiri pun tidak menduga implikasinya yang sebaik dan sesihat itu di peringkat awalnya apabila kerajaan negeri Kelantan menyatakan rancangan untuk membawa usul pelaksanaan hudud di Kelantan itu ke Parlimen (Rang Undang-Undang Persendirian).

Situasinya hingga ke saat ini, saya perhatikan, tanpa memikirkan implikasi politiknya (apakah akhirnya Umno-BN yang akan mengaut untung darinya atau Pakatan Rakyat akan berpecah kerananya), adalah sangat baik untuk masyarakat kita. Ia membuka medan perbincangan dan medan persefahaman bersama, berasaskan suatu hukum agama yang dianuti oleh sebahgian besar rakyat negara ini.

Pembicaraan hukum yang pada asalnya dianggap eksklusif hak ulama atau ilmuan Islam itu, kini terbuka menjadi medan perbincangan hampir semua orang – sesiapa sahaja, yang pakar mahupun yang jahil, Islam atau bukan Islam – walaupun hukum itu sebenarnya dicadangkan akan dilaksanakan eksklusif di Kelantan dan atas orang Islam sahaja.

Maka kita pun dapat mengikuti perbahasan dan pemikiran yang pelbagai ragam, bertujuan mencari rasional dan kewajaran bagi menegakkan pandangan dan pendirian masing-masing, hingga tidak kurang juga yang begitu melucukan, atau mengelirukan (tanpa disedari oleh pihak yang berhujah tentunya) apabila dilihat daripada sudut tertentu. Dan kadang-kadang kita pun tidak menduga hujah sedemikian itu boleh diucapkan oleh orang atau tokoh yang sedemikian.

Tidak dinafikan ada juga pihak yang cuba membuat ugutan dan yang seumpamanya, tetapi hingga saat ini belum lagi ada yang sampai ke peringkat melampaui batas-batas demokratik.

Dan perbincangan bukan sahaja mengenai apakah potong tangan (kerana mencuri) itu wajar dilaksanakan atau tidak, suatu tindakan yang selaras dengan nilai ketamadunan moden atau tidak, tetapi juga mengenai makna dan maksud 'mencuri' itu sendiri pun.

Misalnya pihak pemodal yang mendapatkan hak ke atas tanah rakyat secara tidak adil melalui pengaruh wangnya, apakah itu juga dianggap sebagai 'pencuri', makanya pemodal itu perlu dipotong tangannya? Begitu juga penguasa yang menyalahgunakan kuasa untuk mendapatkan kekayaan yang sebenarnya bukan haknya. Juga perasuah yang mendapatkan sesuatu melalui rasuah.

Tidakkah mereka itu juga sebenarnya mencuri, kerana mereka mengambil sesuatu yang bukan hak mereka? Maka apakah perasuah dan penyalahguna kuasa itu juga tergolong sebagai pesalah 'curi' yang akan dipotong tangannya?

Kita tiba-tiba berfikir sampai ke situ, atau membuka fikiran kita hingga seluas itu, sedangkan selama ratusan tahu lalu di bawah undang-undang jenayah biasa kita tidak pernah pun berfikiran demikian? Kenapa kini ketika memikirkan hukum hudud maka fikiran kita tiba-tiba menjadi kreatif dan meneroka makna mencuri itu hingga sedemikian?

Apakah kerana hukum Islam itu dikatakan pada asasnya bertujuan untuk keadilan, makanya kita pun berfikir dalam perspektif mencari keadilan? Kalau benarlah demikian alangkah bagusnya, kerana itu menunjukkan pembicara hudud yang sebahagiannya terdiri daripada orang bukan Islam itu menerima asas prinsip hukum Islam adalah berasaskan tujuan untuk keadilan.

Secara tidak disedari kita dapati proses pemahaman atau persefahaman bersama antara rakyat Malaysia yang pelbagai agama dan budaya itu sedang berlangsung. Inilah perspektif budaya yang saya maksudkan. Kita melihat perkembangan polemik hudud yang sedang berlangsung itu bebas daripada sentimen dan pengaruh politik.

Memanglah polemik itu pada asalnya dicetuskan oleh suatu tindakan politik, atau cita-cita dan tekad politik (yang di suatu pihak itu bertunjangkan agama). Tetapi perkembangannya hari ini sudah melampaui perbatasan politik dan agama.

Saya pernah timbulkan persoalan nilai kemanusiaan pada denda potong tangan yang kebanyakan orang hari ini menganggapnya sebagai ketinggalan zaman dan bersifat kuno dan barbaric, (maka Dr Mahathir pun menyindir: akan kudunglah tangan-tangan orang Islam); sedangkan doktrin Islam menegaskan ajaran Islam, termasuk hukum-hukumnya, adalah sesuai untuk sepanjang zaman.

Persoalan itu dijelaskan dengan baik sekali oleh seorang pengamal undang-undang Mohamed Hanipa Maidin – tidak semestinya yang lama itu tidak baik dan yang baru itu lebih baik. Beliau mengemukakan hujahnya dengan bukti-bukti daripada apa yang berlaku dalam dunia perundangan dan kehakiman hari ini.

Memang hujahnya ada, tetapi bukan itu yang saya pertikaikan. Saya menyatakan persepsi orang ramai dan berdasarkan fahaman awam terhadap nilai ketamadunan moden hari ini, maka denda seperti potong tangan itu dianggap kuno dan barbaric. Itu terjadi akibat kegagalan umat Islam mempertahankan kedudukan mereka sebagai pemimpin tamadun dunia sebelum kebangkitan Eropah pada abad ke-17.

Hari ini nilai baik daripada denda potong tangan itu sudah tidak mahu diterima lagi oleh orang moden. Maka bagaimana dan apakah yang seharusnya dilakukan oleh orang Islam (dan parti serta kerajaan Islam) bagi mengembalikan nilai baik tersebut? Suatu jenis kempen secara lembut dan berseni perlulah dilakukan.

Misalnya saya teringat pada sebuah filem Iran terbitan 2001, Kandahar, karya dan arahan Mohsen Makhmalbaf, yang bercerita mengenai masyarakat Afghanistan yang ramai kehilangan kaki akibat peperangan. Bukan cerita pokoknya, tetapi menjadi sebahagian latar masyarakatnya. Maka kaki palsu menjadi barang yang sangat diperlukan oleh masyarakat miskin itu.

Akibat peperangan! Ramai orang kehilangan kaki. Yang mati di Iraq, Beirut dan Palestin jangan dikira, terlalu banyak. Juga yang cacat dan cedera. Akibat perang. Sejenis perbuatan yang masih terus dilakukan dalam tamadun manusia terkini, dipelopori oleh Amerika dan Eropah (yang bukan Islam itu).

Tetapi kenapa kita tidak berkempen menentang perang seperti kita berkempen menentang hudud hari ini? Kenapa perang tidak dicemuh sebagai aksi yang kuno, primitif dan barbaric? – 4 Jun, 2014.

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

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

0 ulasan 12:20 PG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

5 Brazilian dishes to try during the World Cup

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 10:37 PM PDT

Pastéis, best served hot and crispy. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, June 4, 2014.While visiting Brazil for the World Cup, football fans can take advantage of the opportunity to discover the country's rich and varied cuisine. Reflecting its warm climate and multicultural heritage, Brazil's cuisine is a colourful blend of Portuguese, African and Native American ingredients and influences. Here is a sampling of five signature dishes to savour on site in Brazil, or to make and enjoy at home while watching the tournament.

Pastéis

Travellers who have walked the streets of Lisbon will likely recognise this traditional street food, which is a direct reflection of Brazil's history as a Portuguese colony. In Latin America, pastéis (the plural form of "pastel") may be filled with meat, salted cod, hearts of palm, tomatoes or cheese. Served hot and crispy, pastéis may be enjoyed at the bar in cafes or purchased from street vendors to eat on the go.

Acarajé, filled with hot peppers and deep–fried in palm oil. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, June 4, 2014.Acarajé

Another iconic Brazilian street food, this African-influenced specialty is seen mainly in northeast Brazil. Not for delicate taste buds, this fried concoction is often filled with devilishly hot peppers. The street vendors form balls of mashed black-eyed peas and onions and deep fry them in palm oil. The giant fritters are then split in half and filled with savoury mixtures of dried shrimp, nuts, tomatoes and plenty of spices. One variation involves filling the acarajé with vatapa, a paste made from bread, coconut milk, shrimp, peanuts and hot pepper sauce.

Vatapa, a rich paste featuring a blend of flavours from land and sea. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, June 4, 2014.Vatapa

A typical filling for acarajé, vatapa can also be enjoyed on its own. This rich paste is based on the perfect harmony of flavours from land and sea, including caridean shrimp, rich coconut milk, peanuts, palm oil and bread. A healthy dose of garlic and hot peppers give the dish its signature kick.

Pao de Queijo, otherwise known as 'cheese bread'. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, June 4, 2014.Pao de Queijo

The local population in the state of Minas Gerais often enjoys cheese for breakfast, as in this popular dish, which might also be enjoyed as an hors d'oeuvre. This "cheese bread" is actually made of cassava starch and queijo minas, a semi-soft Brazilian cheese. As these two ingredients may be hard to find for those outside of Brazil, home cooks can substitute tapioca starch and a combination of grated Swiss and Parmesan cheeses for an approximation of the authentic dish.

Moqueca de peixe or fish stew. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, June 4, 2014.Moqueca de peixe

Given Brazil's geographical setting, it's no surprise that fish play a key part in its national cuisine. Moqueca de peixe, or fish stew, is among the most popular traditional dishes in the country, and Brazilian food bloggers are constantly offering up new variations. On site in Brazil, visitors will encounter versions with all types of fish, from tuna to monkfish. The dish typically also includes fresh cilantro, coconut milk, cumin, green peppers and garlic. – AFP/Relaxnews, June 4, 2014.

5 Brazilian dishes to try during the World Cup

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 10:37 PM PDT

Pastéis

Acarajé, filled with hot peppers and deep–fried in palm oil. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, June 4, 2014.Acarajé

Vatapa, a rich paste featuring a blend of flavours from land and sea. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, June 4, 2014.Vatapa

Pao de Queijo, otherwise known as 'cheese bread'. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, June 4, 2014.Pao de Queijo

Moqueca de peixe or fish stew. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, June 4, 2014.Moqueca de peixe

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Selasa, 3 Jun 2014

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

0 ulasan 3:23 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

FA Cup Final venue change angers Pahang supporters

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 08:28 AM PDT

Published: 3 June 2014 | Updated: 4 June 2014 7:28 AM

Pahang football supporters are up in arms after a last-minute change was made for the venue of the FA Cup Final match, scheduled for this Saturday, Bernama has reported.

The Malaysian Super League side is meeting the Premier League's Felda United for the first trophy up for grabs in the current domestic football season.

The action of the Malaysian Stadium Corporation to change of the venue to the Shah Alam Stadium in Selangor, from the original venue, the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, has met with strong protests from Pahang supporters.

Bernama reported a supporter of the Elephants squad, Muhammad Faiz Hashim as saying that fans had fervently hoped the match would be held at the National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur as it can accommodate more spectators.

"Work on the grass at the National Stadium should have been completed in six months from October 2013. We are entering June now or more than eight months after the completion of the work but the stadium still cannot be used," he told reporters in Kuantan.

He also quoted reports stating that upgrading work had been completed and the stadium had been handed to the stadium management and the situation was akin to a "house being completed and having received the Certificate of Fitness".

"The question now is why the handing over has been made but the stadium still cannot be used," Bernama quoted him as saying.

A total of 30,000 tickets for the final is to be distributed to each of the two teams while the balance of 10,000 tickets to be sold online via www.tickethotline.com.my. Tickets are priced at RM40 each for adults and RM5 each for children. – June 3, 2014.

Sharapova battles into French Open semi-final

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 07:44 AM PDT

Maria Sharapova reacts after winning her quarter-final match against Garbine Muguruza of Spain at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. – Reuters pic, June 3, 2014.Maria Sharapova battled into her fourth successive French Open semi-final and fifth of her career with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over rising Spaniard Garbine Muguruza on Tuesday.

The seventh-seeded Russian, who was the 2012 champion and runner-up to Serena Williams last year, goes on to face Canada's Eugenie Bouchard for a place in Saturday's final.

The four-time major winner and former world number one was given a fright by the 20-year-old Muguruza, who had knocked out Williams in the second round.

The world number 35, playing in her first quarter-final at a major, was a set and 5-4 ahead in the second set before Sharapova dug deep into her famed reserves of fighting spirit to win through after 2hr 06min on court.

"There was little I could do in the first set as Garbine was playing so well," said Sharapova, who had also dropped the first set of her fourth round tie against Samantha Stosur.

"I needed to pick up my energy and start moving my feet.

"It was tough losing the final last year and it has given me greater motivation to go one step further this time."

Playing in her 21st Grand Slam quarter-final, Sharapova needed a win to retain her top 10 ranking.

Muguruza showed no signs of nerves in the first set, racing into a 4-0 lead on the back of two breaks before a sluggish Sharapova opened her account.

The only time the confident Venezuela-born, Barcelona resident was under threat was when she fought off the only break point she faced in the sixth game.

Sharapova was made to pay for her failure to crack the 1.82m Muguruza when the Spaniard broke for a third time in the seventh game to take the opener after just 27 minutes.

The Russian star was not helped by 13 unforced errors in the muggy conditions, but Muguruza was worthy of her lead, finding the angles and the corners and not intimidated by having to volley at the net.

Sharapova, in desperation, even had to play one return with her left hand to stay in a rally.

Predictably, the 27-year-old eventually found her range, breaking for the first time in the second set for a 2-1 lead, which could have been 4-1 had the Russian converted another break point in the fifth game.

But Sharapova double-faulted twice to hand the break back, with the unflustered Spaniard consolidating for a 4-3 lead.

The Russian then stepped up the intensity and turned up the volume to break for a 6-5 lead and even the contest in the 12th game.

Sharapova then raced through the final set, fighting off four break points in a marathon 10-minute fourth game for a 4-1 lead on her way to sealing victory.

Muguruza ended with 52 unforced errors, half of which came in the third set. Sharapova finished with 40 errors, but just five of those came in the one-sided decider. – AFP, June 3, 2014.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

0 ulasan 2:11 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Clowning around in a time of war

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 12:37 AM PDT

Members of Clowns Without Borders entertaining Syrian refugee children in Jab Janine, West Bekaa, Syria. – Reuters pic, June 3, 2014.Does aid work always have to be serious? Do you have to be a doctor working on the frontline or an aid worker distributing food to refugees? David Clay, a clown from Oregon, thinks not.

Once a construction worker, Clay now volunteers for Clowns Without Borders, an international non-profit organisation that uses laughter to relieve suffering among children in refugee camps, conflict zones and natural disaster areas.

Yesterday, Clay dressed up in his navy blue suit, crooked black hat and a polka dot tie to entertain 200 Syrian refugee children who are now living in neighbouring Lebanon.

The tiny Mediterranean country hosts one million refugees, who have fled cluster bombs, chemical weapons and al-Qaeda militants in a war that has killed more than 160,000 in three years. Lebanon has not allowed official refugee camps, therefore many families live in unfinished buildings and wooden shacks.

Clay, along with three other clowns – another American, a Chilean and a Lebanese – juggled, played instruments and acted like buffoons for the children, who first appeared withdrawn but started to cheer and clap as the performance unfolded.

Describing himself a humanitarian, Clay has worked in Indonesia, the Philippines and Haiti. In Haiti, where a 2010 earthquake killed more than 250,000 people, Clay said other aid groups were originally suspicious of his work, dubious of the results in a high stress situation with limited resources.

"Doctors were cold to us. But their attitude changed distinctly," he said, preparing for the show at a school in central Lebanon, multi-coloured handkerchiefs hanging out of his back pocket.

"When the doctors heard those people laughing, especially in the children's ward, they saw that it was the first time some of the children had reacted to anything at all after the earthquake."

This trip is sponsored by Layan, a Kuwait-based aid group, and the team will take their stilts, Hula Hoops and blue trombone to camps over Lebanon during the next two weeks.

One million Syrian refugee children live in the region, millions are trapped by conflict inside Syria and public health researchers and aid workers say they are displaying symptoms of psychological trauma. Aid group Save the Children says one in three children it surveyed last year had seen a close friend or relative killed.

During the singing and the dancing on Monday, Clay pulled a young boy, Ahmed, from the audience up from the crowd and gave him a wooden mop to ride like a horse around the dusty playground.

The boy's teacher said Ahmed was exceptionally shy in class and had fled from the Syrian city of Raqqa to get to Lebanon.

Raqqa has been repeatedly bombed by Syrian air force jets and is also a focal point of fighting between Islamic insurgent groups. Al Qaeda-linked fighters have carried out public executions in Raqqa's main square.

Ahmed did not appear to like the attention as he followed Clay around the audience, but the other clowns asked the children to encourage him.

A broad smile slowly filled his face and he picked up speed as his friends shouted: "Ahmed! Ahmed! Ahmed!" – Reuters, June 3, 2014.