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Hidden treasure found under Nepalese palace Posted: 29 Jun 2011 08:11 AM PDT A general view of Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu on June 28, 2011 where a huge stash of gold and silver ornaments has been discovered by workers renovating the former royal palace. – AFP pic KATHMANDU, June 29 – Workers renovating a former royal palace in the Nepalese capital have discovered a huge stash of gold and silver ornaments weighing more than 300 kilograms, the government said yesterday. Three boxes of treasures, thought to be more than 500 years old, were hidden in a store room under the sprawling 16th-century Hanuman Dhoka palace, a UNESCO world heritage site, a spokesman for the culture ministry said. "There are coins and ornaments that look like offerings to the gods and goddesses," said the spokesman, Jalkrishna Shrestha. Only one box has been opened so far and its contents would be worth about 17.5 million rupees (RM707,818) on the local gold and silver markets, according to a calculation. The other two boxes will be opened later this week. "We expect to find more such treasure as the renovation continues," Shrestha said. The 4.5-million-rupee government restoration project at the dilapidated palace, which housed Nepal's royals until the late 19th century and is now a museum, began two months ago and will go on until September. The palace in Kathmandu, with intricately carved features and several courtyards, was named after the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. It was built by Malla rulers who were defeated by Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of Nepal in 1768. The palace also served as a venue for the coronation of the country's kings until the monarchy was abolished three years ago. Nepal's former king Gyanendra was deposed in 2008 after Maoist rebels who fought a decade-long battle against the country's centuries-old Hindu monarchy came to power. Gyanendra, who was widely disliked, came to power in 2001 after the former crown prince shot and killed nine members of his own family including the king and queen, before turning his gun on himself. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Diana returns from grave in shocking Newsweek cover Posted: 28 Jun 2011 06:13 PM PDT Princess Diana on the cover of Newsweek. — Reuters pic LOS ANGELES, June 29 — Princess Diana has returned from the grave on the front cover of Newsweek in a picture that imagines her, and her life, as it might have been had she lived to mark her 50th birthday on Friday. But the picture and story — which speculates that Diana would have twice remarried, used Botox, and been slightly jealous of new daughter-in-law Kate Middleton — provoked mostly howls of disgust as they arrived on US newsstands the same week that Prince William and his new bride begin an official visit to North America. "Shocking, brilliant or just plain cheap?" asked the Los Angeles Times. News blog Mediaite.com called it "disrespectful on so many levels", while The Atlantic Wire ran the headline "How Creepy is Princess Diana's Ghost?" Newsweek editor-in-chief Tina Brown, a Briton who wrote a gossipy 2007 biography about the late princess, imagines that if Diana had not died in a 1997 Paris car crash, she would have moved to New York, remained "great-looking," been friends with her ex-husband Prince Charles and his new wife (and Diana's old nemesis) Camilla, and have 10 million followers on Twitter. But it's the digitally-enhanced front page photo of Diana — imagining her as still slim and chic, if a little wrinkled — that has caused the biggest outrage. Diana is shown walking alongside a smiling, and admiring, Kate Middleton. "This is beyond tacky", commented one writer on the New York Magazine website. "Ugh this is SO tasteless...let the poor woman RIP...if i were any of her family members I'd be so offended and upset by this," wrote a woman on the Newsweek comments page. Some others said they were canceling their subscriptions to the US weekly news magazine. The Newsweek feature also fantasises about Diana's Facebook page, imagining her "liking" the movie "The King's Speech" and TV series "The Real Housewives of New York", hanging out with David and Victoria Beckham, and sending supportive messages to spiritual physician Deepak Chopra and Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei. But it is her supposed relationship with the new bride of her eldest son, Prince William, where Brown is perhaps most controversial. "The rising public adoration of Kate would have afforded Diana some tricky moments. Pleased, yes. But....Diana would have had to adjust to a broadening of the limelight," Brown writes. She also speculates that Diana would have been a defender against royal snobbery of Middleton's non-aristocratic upbringing "and ostentatiously made Carole Middleton, Kate's dynamic mother, her new BFF." Prince William and Kate Middleton, now formally known as the Duchess of Cambridge, arrive in Canada tomorrow for their first official visit overseas as a married couple. They will also visit southern California from July 8-10. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Berkualitikah penulisan kita? Posted: 28 Jun 2011 04:59 PM PDT 29 JUN — Pemerhati politik, penganalisis, pengkritik sosial dan bermacam lagi… demikianlah terma-terma yang sering digunakan oleh individu ketika menulis artikel dalam suratkhabar mahupun makalah-makalah. Yang tampil menulis pula bukanlah calang-calang orangnya. Ada dari orang politik, tokoh akademik, tokoh pertubuhan bukan kerajaan dan juga orang-perseorangan yang tidak berpengaruh seperti penulis. Kepelbagaian latarbelakang dan kehebatan mereka mengolah artikel dengan begitu profesional dan lembut, menjadikan komentar dalam ruangan mingguannya sering dinanti-nantikan. Tanpa artikel mereka, hidup kita seolah-olah tidak lengkap bagaikan kehilangan sesuatu. Kehadiran kolumnis-kolumnis ini sememangnya disambut baik. Apa tidaknya, pandangan yang dilontarkan dalam kolum mereka bererti pembaca boleh menikmati hasil tulisan bermutu yang boleh membina minda kita. Selain itu, pandangan-pandangan bernas yang dilontarkan itu boleh dijadikan sebagai panduan atau sumber rujukan. Dengan adanya artikel-artikel yang bermutu, ia juga berupaya membantu kerajaan untuk membina sebuah masyarakat yang berfikir atau thinking society. Konsep masyarakat berfikir yang dimaksudkan di sini merujuk kepada masyarakat yang mampu berfikir secara rasional dan berlandaskan kepada penghujahan yang bernas. Bererti masyarakat tidak terikat untuk menerima sesuatu pandangan dari satu pihak atas faktor kesetiaan kepada mana-mana parti politik tetapi masyarakat mempunyai kebebasan untuk memilih apa yang dirasakannya betul. Sebagai individu yang bergelar sebagai penulis, tidak salah untuk mengemukakan pandangan ataupun kritikan membina selagi ia dilihat mampu membantu memperbaiki keadaan. Kerana melalui kritikan membinalah, pemimpin negara akan mengambil perhatian terhadap permasalahan yang berlaku. Bagaimanapun, bukan semua penulis yang memiliki hasrat dan berkongsi visi yang sama. Terdapat segelintirnya yang nampaknya beria-ia melabel atau memburuk-burukkan pihak tertentu melalui penulisan mereka. Mereka berhak berbuat demikian kerana dalam kerangka demokrasi, semua pihak memiliki kebebasan untuk menyuarakan pendapat. Kepelbagaian pendapat dan kebebasan untuk menyuarakannya menjadikan demokrasi menjadi pilihan ramai. Apa yang menyedihkan sebaliknya, pandangan yang dikemukakan itu bukan sahaja berat sebelah malah diselitkan dengan label-label yang disifatkan tidak sesuai dengan norma masyarakat hinggakan ia sudah tersasar daripada matlamat asal setiap penulis iaitu untuk memberikan pengetahuan kepada pembaca. Jauh sekali juga daripada mengajak pembaca untuk berfikir secara kritis! Apabila label demi label sering diselitkan, ia menjadikan artikel yang ditulis tidak berwibawa dan kurang digemari oleh pembaca. Ada kalanya juga meloyakan! Sebagai kolumnis atau penulis-penulis yang berwibawa, haruslah penulisan mereka berpaksikan kepada kerasionalan, kewarasan dan objektif dalam menilai sesuatu. Kecenderungan penulisan yang terlalu condong ke satu arah aliran pemikiran adalah sesuatu yang tidak sihat dan hanya memomokkan profesionalisme itu sendiri. Lagipun, sasaran audiens melalui penulisan sebegini hanyalah kepada sebuah kumpulan sasar sahaja. Apakah itu yang dimahukan oleh si penulis tadi? Kelazimannya dan logiknya, hasil penulisan seboleh-bolehnya mengenai sasaran yang dimahukan. Apakah matlamat untuk menulis artikel-artikel yang berbaur ugutan, kurang baik terhadap orang lain? Apakah ada pasaran untuk artikel-artikel sebegini? Apa yang dapat dicapai melalui penulisan tersebut? Dalam sebuah negara berbilang kaum dan agama yang mempunyai sensitiviti masing-masing, adalah penting mereka yang bergelar kolumnis memanfaatkan ruang yang diberikan dengan melontarkan komentar yang konstruktif. Pastikan apa yang ditulis itu benar-benar mencerminkan suara hati si penulis. Lebih penting lagi ialah kejujuran si penulis dalam menghasilkan penulisan itu. Janganlah sesekali menggadaikan prinsip penulisan beretika untuk kepentingan jangka pendek. Jangan juga menokok-tambah apa yang tidak pernah disebutkan oleh si pelaku seolah-olah artikel nukilannya benar-benar belaka. Manakala citarasa pembaca juga tidak harus dikorbankan untuk kepentingan sesetengah pihak. Di sebalik keghairahan untuk menghasilkan artikel, prinsip kesederhanaan tidak harus diketepikan. Perlu diingat bahawa sebagai seorang penulis, kita mempunyai tanggungjawab sosial sebagai ejen penyatu. Penulis tidak mendakwa dirinya seorang penulis yang prolifik, malah boleh dikatakan masih perlu banyak belajar dari penulis prolifik di luar sana seperti Joceline Tan (The Star), Zin Mahmud (Mingguan Malaysia) dan Citizen Nades (The Sun). Malahan, penulis sendiri tidak pernah terlepas daripada melakukan kesilapan yang serupa hingga pernah ditegur oleh rakan-rakan seperjuangan. Pada pengamatan penulis, teguran itu ada baiknya. Melalui teguran dan kritikan membina, penulis akan mengetahui di manakah kelemahan yang perlu diperbaiki. Dari semasa ke semasa, penulis berupaya untuk memperbaiki kelemahan yang ada lantaran terus berusaha menjadi seorang penulis yang beretika. Sebagai seorang penulis, kita tidak harus takut untuk menerima teguran apatah lagi kritikan pedas yang dapat mematangkan pemikiran. Kritikan pedas itu tidak bermakna pembaca tidak sukakan penulisan yang dihasilkan tetapi mereka sebenarnya peka dan mengambil berat apa yang ditulis oleh kita. Yang pasti, setiap tulisan yang dihasilkan tidak mungkin dapat memuaskan hati semua pihak. Ada yang akan mengadu, mengeluh dan tak kurang juga yang berfikiran terbuka menerimanya dengan hati yang lapang. Mungkin ada baiknya juga, penulis-penulis yang mempunyai keinginan untuk menghasilkan penulisan sedemikian wajar memikirkan kembali kewajaran untuk menghasilkan artikel hanya semata-mata untuk memenuhi kuota yang ditetapkan. Apakah kuota menghasilkan artikel itu setiap minggu lebih penting daripada kualiti yang akan diterjemahkan kelak? Dalam apa sekalipun yang kita lakukan, aspek kualiti tidak boleh digadaikan. Kualiti ibarat penanda aras yang akan menentukan di mana sebenarnya penerimaan artikel mereka dalam kalangan pembaca. Penulis-penulis perlulah mengetahui selok-belok topik yang ingin dikupas, bukan sekadar melepaskan batuk di tangga. Bagi mereka yang ingin menerbitkan buku dan melariskan jualan, kualiti adalah jawapannya! Sudah tiba masanya, kita sebagai penulis, penganalisis mahupun pengkritik memperkasakan budaya diskusi rasional dalam penulisan mereka. Dalam konteks ini, diskusi rasional boleh diterjemahkan dalam bentuk pandangan yang tidak terlalu ekstrem, sederhana dan bersifat middle-path. Masyarakat sebenarnya dahagakan suatu analisis dan penilaian yang bernas, jujur lagi membina. Maka kerana itu, sebagai kumpulan pembaca yang menjadi mata dan mulut kepada penulisan penulis-penulis, masyarakat mengharapkan lebih daripada itu. Mampukah penulis-penulis yang bergelar penganalisis ataupun pengkritik ini menyahut cabaran itu? Ataupun sekadar mahu melepaskan geram semata-mata? Ingat, apa yang ditulis itu menjadi tatapan umum dan adalah menjadi tanggungjawab penulis-penulis agar tulisan yang dihasilkan tidak mencetuskan polemik yang tidak diingini. Jadilah seorang penulis yang beretika dan bertanggungjawab! * Segala pandangan diatas adalah pandangan peribadi penulis sahaja. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Freedom, imagined Posted: 28 Jun 2011 04:54 PM PDT JUNE 29 — Imagine this.  Tens of thousands of us came from all over to exercise our fundamental rights. In our midst were foreign elements; their presence threatening and encouraging at the same time.  The organisers of the event gave us clear instructions: Wear shirts of a certain colour. Be at the designated staging sites at the appointed time.  Alternative routes were suggested in case the authorities decided to block access to the sites. Many arrived hours ahead and camped inside their vehicles, counting down the hours to the event we'd all anticipated for so long.  And when the time came, friends, families, strangers — Malaysians and, yes, even foreign instigators — all moved in unison, in a sea of one colour. We were determined to get past all the obstacles and challenges that were put in our way.  It was a huge event. Traffic came to a standstill. Commuters were affected and businesses no doubt suffered too.  At major intersections and roundabouts, we'd come face to face with hostile forces. Car drivers gave us disapproving looks. I personally saw men on motorcycles cussing at us, trying to instigate an incident that would spark a flashpoint.  Some of us lost our nerve and fell out of formation.  But through it all, from our staging sites to the end of our route, were the men of the Royal Malaysia Police. On their bikes, putting themselves between us and impatient motorists; standing in the middle of intersections, holding back heavy traffic with nothing but their bare hands; walking along with us side by side, making sure we kept within the safe lanes.  They encouraged us, smiled and gave us friendly nods as we moved past them. A few asked us to keep up the pace and gently moved us in the right direction. We came together in this movement because of our belief in the cause of freedom. The freedom to express ourselves, to join with others who shared this passion, and to exercise it knowing no one could deprive us of this deep-rooted desire to be free.  In so many ways, it was us having a say in where we were headed. We all had different motivations for participating but shared a common destination. And so we moved, all of us wearing our green jerseys as participants of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon. Different events and categories, and for different reasons — a cure for diseases, in memory of loved ones, advocating civil liberties, or just simply to beat last year's personal finishing time.  A myriad of causes but the same finishing line. All 22,500 of us — men, women and children. Early last Sunday morning was the first time in a long time that many of us actually felt the police were our guardians, keeping us safe and facilitating that fundamental expression of our humanity.   For a while, at least, we didn't have to imagine it. It really did happen. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Tahanan pra-Himpunan Bersih tak sah, kerajaan boleh disaman Posted: 29 Jun 2011 12:10 AM PDT Dua anggota polis dilihat mengawasi perkarangan pejabat Bersih di Petaling Jaya hari ini. — Foto oleh Jack Ooi KUALA LUMPUR, 29 Jun — Naib Presiden PKR N. Surendran mendakwa penahanan pra-Himpunan Bersih 2.0 adalah tidak sah, sambil menambah mereka yang ditahan boleh menyaman kerajaan. Peguam hak asasi manusia ini memberitahu The Malaysian Insider bahawa tiada undang-undang di negara ini yang membenarkan penahanan pencegahan atau hanya kerana kemeja-T yang diisytiharkan haram hari ini. MENYUSUL LAGI Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Bersih 2.0: Hingga 400 peguam Pakatan sedia bantu jika ada tangkapan Posted: 28 Jun 2011 11:21 PM PDT PETALING JAYA, 29 Jun — Sehingga 400 peguam secara sukarela telah menyatakan kesediaan mereka untuk membantu jika ada peserta Himpunan Bersih 2.0 ditangkap, kata pemimpin PKR hari ini. "Setakat ini, berdasarkan maklumat yang saya terima antara 350 hingg 400 peguam menyatakan kesanggupan mereka membantu jika ada peserta yang ditangkap kerana menyatakan sokongan dan menyertai Himpunan Bersih," kata ahli Majlis Pimpinan Pusat PKR Shuhaimi Shafiei. Ketika bercakap pada sidang media di sini, Ketua Penerangan PKR Selangor itu berkata, bilangan itu dijangka akan meningkat. "Dalam Pakatan sendiri adalah ramai pemimpin kalangan peguam, yang ada asas undang-undang... dalam PAS seperti Hanipa Maidin, dalam PKR seperti R Sivarasa, Lateffa Koya... YB Kula di DAP," kata beliau lagi. Sehubungan itu kata beliau, PKR Selangor akan membolisasikan sekitar 70,000 orang untuk menyokong Himpunan Bersih 2.0. "PKR Selangor akan terus menyokong perhimpunan aman rakyat 9 Julai ini dan akan memastikan mobililasi 70,000 anggota PKR Selangor ke Himpunan Bersih 2.0 berjalan lancar. "Pihak berkuasa boleh menahan, boleh menangkap, boleh mendakwa dan penjarakan semua orang kanan Bersih 2.0, namun tiada kuasa yang dapat menyekat semangat dan kebangkitan rakyat," katanya lagi. PKR Selangor ada sekitar 120,000 ahli. Shuhaimi yang juga Adun Sri Muda berkata, pihaknya yakin mereka yang hendak menyertai Himpunan Bersih 2.0 akan datang dua hari sebelum perhimpunan. Pada sidang media hari ini, Shuhaimi juga mengumumkan tindakan memobililasikan mereka membabitkan lima lokasi berkumpul sebelum menuju ke ibu negara. Menurutnya, lokasi pertama melibatkan ahli-ahlinya dari selatan Perak iaitu cabang Klang, Kapar, Sungai Besar, Sabak Bernam dan Kuala Selangor yang diminta menggunakan stesen komuter Klang dan Pelabuhan Klang. Lokasi kedua melibatkan ahli dan penyokong dari kawasan Shah Alam dan Kota Raja yang dinasihatkan mengambil stesen komuter Seksyen 19 Shah Alam dan Padang Jawa manakala lokasi ketiga membabitkan mereka dari kawasan Tanjong Karang, Selayang, Hulu Selangor, Ampang, Pandan dan Gombak yang diminta menggunakan stesen komuter Batu Caves, Rawang, Sungai Buloh , LRT Putra Gombak dan Ampang. Dalam pada itu, lokasi keempat melibatkan mereka dari kawasan Petaling Jaya Utara, Petaling Jata Selatan, Kelana Jaya, Subang dan Puchong. Mereka dari kawasan-kawasan itu diminta menggunakan LRT Kelana Jaya dan komuter MidValley dan Seri Setia. Shuhaimi berkata, pihak dari kawasan Sepang, Kuala Langat, Hulu Langat dan Serdang yang hendak menyertai dinasihatkan menggunakan perkhidmatan ERL dari Salak Tinggi dan Putrajay, komuter dari Nilai, Bandar Baru Bangi dan UKM. Sambil mengakui ia sebahagian daripada strategi menghadapi Himpunan Bersih 2.0 yang dianggap polis sebagai haram, Shuhaimi berkata, pihaknya ada pelan kontigensi tetapi enggan mendedahkannya. Kata beliau, pihaknya yakin rakyat akan turun walaupun ada usaha di pihak berkuasa yang mahu menghalangnya daripada berlaku. Malah kata beliau, sebahagian hotel di Lembah Klang enggan menerima tempahan bilik hotel untuk 8 Julai ini. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Lisicki downs Bartoli to reach Wimbledon semi-finals Posted: 28 Jun 2011 07:51 AM PDT Sabine Lisicki of Germany serves to Marion Bartoli of France at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London on June 28, 2011. — Reuters pic LONDON, June 28 — German wildcard Sabine Lisicki beat Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-7 6-1 under the Centre Court roof in a dramatic Wimbledon quarter-final today. Lisicki broke the ninth-seeded Frenchwoman early in the opening set and late in the second to put herself in sight of her first grand slam semi-final. She served for victory at 5-4 and had three match points but the tenacious Bartoli, who beat defending champion Serena Williams in the last round, saved them all and forced a tiebreak which she won 7-4. Lisicki, who had to be carried off court on a stretcher after wasting a match point and losing to Vera Zvonareva at this year's French Open, dominated the third set and sealed victory on her fourth match point. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Scan reveals no serious injury for Nadal Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:49 AM PDT Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts after breaking the serve Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina in the fourth set at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London June 27, 2011. — Reuters pic LONDON, June 28 — A scan on Rafa Nadal's injured left foot has shown no major damage and the holder and number one seed should be fit to play Mardy Fish in the quarter-finals tomorrow, Nadal said in a statement today. The Spaniard suffered the injury towards the end of the first set of yesterday's four-set victory over Juan Martin Del Potro and needed almost 10 minutes of courtside treatment from a physio and doctor. "I thought I'd have to retire," Nadal said after the match. "I felt something very strange. I felt that I had broken my foot, I felt terrible. I am worried for sure. I will have the scan and then let's see if I can recover for Wednesday." After having the foot strapped he was able to play the rest of the match, though he said he was suffering some pain whenever he hit a forehand. He underwent an MRI scan today morning and will practise in the afternoon. — Reuters   Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Fuji Rock Festival in Japan Posted: 28 Jun 2011 02:49 AM PDT Fuji Rock Festival at Mount Naeba, Japan. – Photo by Masanori Naruse TOKYO, June 28 – One of the longest-running music festivals in Japan opens over the last weekend in July as the Fuji Rock Festival returns to its old stomping ground at the Naeba Ski Resort, with 100,000 music-lovers expected this year. Headlining before 40,000 fans on the Green Stage will be performers such as the Arctic Monkeys, Asian Dub Foundation, Big Audio Dynamite, The Chemical Brothers and Coldplay. Feeder and Fountains of Wayne are also on the schedule, along with Incubus, The Kills, Mogwai, Tangerine Dream and The Sisters of Mercy. The festival starts on July 29 and ends on July 31. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Ryan Dunn’s death dominates Google searches Posted: 28 Jun 2011 02:15 AM PDT The official Ryan Dunn website. Four of the top ten search terms over the past seven days were related to the former 'Jackass' actor. LOS ANGELES, June 28 –  The Jackass star Ryan Dunn, who died in a car crash on June 20, was the most searched-for subject in the world on Google over the last seven days as fans of the unconventional stunt man searched for news of his death and his best friend.     Dunn, who died at the age of 34, was best known for his role in the offbeat TV show Jackass, which saw members of the cast taking part in increasingly bizarre and frequently dangerous stunts. One of Dunn's best friends, professional skateboarder and actor Bam Margera, has been the subject of several news reports after appearing at Dunn's funeral and making an emotional visit to the site of Dunn's death. A news report of Bam Margera's sad outburst has attracted over one-and-a-half million views since being uploaded to YouTube on June 21. Over the seven days prior to June 27 searches related to Dunn and his friend Bam Margera appear four times in Google's top ten search results with the biggest increase in growth. Other popular search terms over the last seven days included "Wimbledon" tennis tournament and J.K. Rowling's latest extension of the Harry Potter franchise, the Pottermore website. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Football’s back… already?! Posted: 27 Jun 2011 04:29 PM PDT JUNE 28 — Having spent the last couple of weeks lazing on the beaches of Dubai and the Caribbean, Premier League footballers are now preparing to return to work for the dreaded prospect of pre-season training, which commences for most clubs at the beginning of July. It feels like football has never been away — the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United took place only just a month ago — but already one Premier League team, Fulham, are preparing for their first competitive fixture of the season as they host NSI Runavik from the Faroe Islands in the preliminary round of the Europa League on Thursday. It hasn't always been this way. Travel back to the year of my birth, 1973, for instance, when Liverpool won the last of their titles under the management of Bill Shankly. In that year, the Reds played their concluding league game on Saturday, April 28 (a 0-0 home draw against Leicester) and didn't begin the new season until Saturday, August 25 (a 1-0 home win against Stoke). That's a gap of four full months between the end of one league season and the start of the next one. By contrast, this year Kenny Dalglish's side brought their Premier League season to an end with a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday, May 22 and are scheduled to kick off the new campaign at home to Sunderland on Saturday, August 13. That's less than three months after the previous season concluded, and a break no less than five weeks shorter than their predecessors in 1973. Football seasons really are finishing later and starting earlier than ever before, and that effect is not just confined to competitive fixtures; over the course of the last few years, pre-season has effectively become an extension of the regular season, with every training session and warm-up game eagerly devoured by hungry supporters and media. Pre-season friendly fixtures used to be sparsely attended, low-key affairs that received very little media coverage and barely entered the consciousness of most supporters. The only pre-season game that occasionally attracted any interest was the Charity Shield, with all other games relegated to minor references in local newspapers. Now, Liverpool are preparing to embark upon a 10-day tour of Asia where they will play reasonably competitive fixtures in front of sell-out crowds and global television audiences in China (Guangzhou) and Kuala Lumpur, before returning to Europe to face Valerenga in Norway and then hosting major Spanish club Valencia at Anfield. The contrast between 1973 and 2011 is by no means exclusive to football, as most other mainstream sports have experienced the same thing. International cricketers, for example, are now forced to endure a seemingly endless procession of test matches and one-day internationals, while the desire of club owners to extend the season is one of the most significant factors behind the current "lock out" in American Football's NFL. As with most changes wrought upon professional sport in the last couple of decades, the elongation of the season and the heightened profile of previously peripheral pre-season activities have been overwhelmingly driven by one key factor: television. Like it or not, the main function of professional sport in contemporary culture is to satisfy the demands of 24-hour television, which takes great delight in sport's unmatchable ability to fill schedules, attract viewers and lure advertisers but most certainly does not appreciate lengthy gaps between the end of one season and the start of the next. Sky Sports, ESPN, Fox and Co are simply not prepared to accept a 1973-style break of four months without Premier League football. They spend billions of dollars on procuring the broadcast rights for their most popular products, and in return they expect them to become pretty much year-round spectacles. And so the end of one season is pushed further and further into May, with the start of the next pulled back ever closer towards the start of August, and a steady diet of hyped-up, glamorous friendlies and an assortment of international tournaments (youth age groups, women, etc) is seamlessly slotted in to fill the remaining two months. Of course, the broadcasters are only keen to establish such a state of affairs because it's what they believe their viewers want, and the large crowds and fevered discussion amongst supporters that now accompany pre-season activities suggest they are right. No doubt it's all part of our modern "fast-food" psyche. In days gone by, we were prepared to exercise patience (remember patience? People sometimes used to be patient, I've heard it said) and calmly wait for their next fix. These days, in the world of broadband Internet access, mobile phones, Twitter, Facebook, satellite TV and microwave meals, we want everything now, now, now! Or preferably five minutes ago. That includes our football. Can you imagine the Premier League and its clubs being put to one side at the end of April and not re-emerging until the end of August? Impossible; that's not how we live anymore. And so our TV networks await, with feverish excitement, the next update on Steven Gerrard's groin injury. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Strapping on quotas Posted: 27 Jun 2011 04:16 PM PDT JUNE 28 — We sure do love our quota-based "fixes" over here, don't we? The most recent being the announcement by the prime minister that corporate Malaysia will observe a 30 per cent women-in-the-boardroom quota by 2016. Yes, indeed. "Equality" by government-sanctioned allocation is our way forward, it would appear. Last I checked we don't actually get to dictate the abstract of equality; it can only arise from conditions that are conducive. What I actually found more disconcerting was that according to news reports, the women in the audience gave a big round of applause when the announcement was made. And afterwards, women's interest organisations were quoted as "lauding" the development. Yes, lauding. Now for that to actually happen would mean that many still don't get the crux of causes; in this case, what the Suffragettes suffered for and what the bigger picture "feminist causes" are about. Or perhaps I am the one missing the point here? Perhaps in a Machiavellian way, to achieve the cosmetic, external objectives by any means is also equally acceptable.  My understanding of the cause is that it is not about forcing the arm of the establishment, it is about changing people's mindsets. It is not about bypassing meritocracy; it is about getting a fair and equal shot. And if that were in fact achieved, why stop at 30 per cent?  And no, a "thick glass ceiling" shouldn't mean having a hole carved out for you by the Invisible Hand; it should mean smashing through the darned thing and consigning it to the dustbin of culture and history and evolutionary psychology shaping.     Besides, does anyone really think that enacting a quota is going to change the views of the typical Male Chauvinist Pigs out there, the ones in the boardroom? It's going to backfire rather epically, more like. It's not hard to envisage a state of affairs where no woman in the boardroom is going to be free from that extra level of scrutiny and scepticism; just like any successful Bumiputera might be now. In that sense, enacting a 30 per cent quota for women is about as acceptable as the 30 per cent Bumiputera quota, if you ask me. Perhaps it is true: sometimes, women are their own worst enemies. I seriously doubt the true blue feminists are going to be amused. Like I was commenting on Twitter rather crudely, I admit — it's the equivalent of giving them a strap-on and saying: "there you go; now you can play in the boardroom with the boys." And going further back, what was that we all heard from this administration about the age of "government-knows-best" being over? That is hardly true, based on current evidence (and yes, I'm also referring to the rest of our current affairs developments right now). While we're busy dismantling our economic crutches like subsidies we're also busy enacting its new equivalents in our human capital sphere, it seems. Not content with the racial interest dimensions of Teraju hijacking the New Economic Model (now that's something we're hearing less and less about eh?), we've now got a gender agenda to contend with on top of that.  Really now, how are corporations supposed to be the engine for economic growth and high-income generation if they can't be left alone to do their job? Whatever happened to just pushing for good old meritocracy? Can the government learn to stay out of business, for once? Sheesh. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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NIEI: Tangkapan penuntut Korea tiada kaitan dengan Bersih 2.0 Posted: 28 Jun 2011 01:57 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Jun – Institut Kebangsaan Integriti Pilihan Raya (NIEI) menafikan tangkapan warga Korea, Song Min Young oleh polis semalam ada kaitan dengan Himpunan Bersih 2.0, sebaliknya berada di tempatb kejadian kerana urusan kajian akademik. Setiausaha Agung NIEI Amin Iskandar berkata, Song, 24, merupakan seorang penuntut Universiti Chonnam, Korea Selatan dan berada di negara ini bagi membuat penyelidikan mengenai pilihan raya. "Song Min Young merupakan pelajar universiti. Beliau datang ke sini kerana terlibat dengan kerja sukarelawan yang mana beliau membantu NIEI untuk membuat kerja-kerja penyelidikan dan bukan sebahagian daripada Bersih 2.0," kata beliau pada sidang media di pekaranagn Balai Polis Bukit Jalil selepas melawat Song. Jelasnya, penglibatan Song dalam siri jelajah Bersih 2.0 termasuk di Johor hujung minggu lalu adalah atas arahan NIEI dan sebahagian daripada tuntutan penyelidikannya. Katanya, penyelidikan yang dilakukan Song menjurus pada soal pilihan raya di Malaysia – perbezaan antara Malaysia dan Korea Selatan. "Semasa Song ditangkap di Johor, dia telah dibebaskan keesokkan harinya. Tetapi semalam, dia ditangkap semula di Bangsar kerana pihak polis mendakwa Song memiliki dokumen perjalanan diri (pasport) palsu dan ditahan di bawah Akta Imigresen," katanya. Beliau berkata, pihaknya kini sedang menunggu keputusan Kedutaan Korea untuk mengetahui sama ada pasport dimiliki Song palsu atau sebaliknya. "Saya harap keputusan dari kedutaan akan keluar secepat mungkin kerana jika pasport itu tidak palsu, Song akan dibebaskan dan akan dihantar pulang ke Korea," katanya. Dalam pada itu, Amin juga menyelar kenyataan laporan Utusan Malaysia sebelum ini yang mendakwa National Democratic Institute (NDI) merupakan salah sebuah organisasi di bawah National Endowment of Democracy (NED). Katanya, NDI sememangnya tidak ada kaitan dengan NED dan segala maklumat yang dilaporkan adalah salah. "Saya meminta agar pihak Utusan Malaysia membuat permohonan maaf secara terbuka kerana maklumat yang mereka laporkan itu salah. Jika mereka tidak minta maaf. Dengan nasihat dari peguam, jika perlu kita akan saman mereka (Utusan Malaysia)," katanya. Sebelum ini, Utusan Malaysia melaporkan Song yang memasuki Malaysia 19 Mac lalu hadir atas tajaan NDI yang berpangkalan di Amerika Syarikat. Akhbar itu turut mendakwa NED yang dinaungi bekas Setiausaha Negara Amerika Syarikat, Madeline Albright juga merupakan sekutu Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ketika zaman reformasi. Selain itu, Utusan turut mendakwa,  warga asing itu memasuki negara ini atas pembiayaan pertubuhan bukan kerajaan asing, yang berpangkalan di luar negara bagi memastikan Malaysia huru-hara. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Tunjuk bukti saya minta RM1 juta, Johari cabar trio Datuk T Posted: 28 Jun 2011 12:40 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Jun — Datuk Johari Abdul menuntut trio Datuk T menunjukkan bukti bahawa beliau pernah meminta 'ganjaran' RM1 juta sebagai bayaran untuk meninggalkan PKR selepas menonton rakaman video seks yang didakwa mirip Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim Mac lalu. Justeru wakil rakyat dari Kedah ini mempertahankan beliau tidak pernah meminta sejumlah wang itu dan apa yang dikatakan trio Datuk T adalah tidak berasas sama sekali. Ahli Parlimen Sungai Petani itu (gambar) memberitahu beliau telah memberitahu ahli perniagaan Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, bekas ketua menteri Melaka Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik dan bekas bendahari Perkasa Datuk Shuaib Abdul Lazim bahawa si pelaku dalam rakaman didedahkan 21 Mac lalu bukan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Satu klip video terbaru muncul di Internet hari ini menyerang kewibawaan Johari dengan mendakwa beliau ada meminta RM1 juta untuk dirinya dan juga lima Ahli Parlimen lain jika mahu mereka keluar PKR. "Buktikan saya mengambil duit, di akaun bank yang mana? Adakah ia (dibayar) secara tunai atau cek? Saya tidak boleh menyimpan jumlah yang banyak itu di rumah. "Saya tidak pernah menerima apa-apa atau saya pernah ditawar untuk meninggalkan parti untuk bayaran... saya tidak memerlukan wang," kata Johari kepada The Malaysian Insider. Kata beliau, trio Datuk T boleh mengatakan apa yang mereka mahukan. "Tidak sesiapa pun yang boleh memberi keterangan apa yang saya kata di bilik (hotel) pada hari itu... saya tidak mahu membuang masa (dengan mereka," kata Johari lagi. Sejurus selepas rakaman video seks ditayangkan kepada pemberita pada 21 Mac lalu, trio Datuk iaitu ahli perniagaan Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, bekas ketua menteri Melaka Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik dan bekas bendahari Perkasa Datuk Shuaib Lazim, Johari mendedahkan beliau menonton video itu bersama mereka di sebuah hotel di sini. Wakil rakyat itu berulang kali menafikan bahawa beliau ada bersetuju yang lelaki dalam video seks itu ialah Anwar. Bagaimanapun satu video yang disiarkan oleh blogger pro-Umno blogger "Papagomo" (http://www.papagomo.com) hari ini mendakwa sebaliknya. Video yang panjangnya 1.59 minit itu, bersama dengan tulisan blog memetik Shazryl mendakwa Ahli Parlimen Sungai Petani itu yakin yang Anwar adalah lelaki dalam klip video itu dan Johari minta RM1 juta bagi diri beliau dan RM1 juta bagi setiap lima Ahli Parlimen yang bersedia untuk meninggalkan PKR selepas menonton video berkenaan. Klip video itu tiada bukti yang dapat menunjukkan bahawa beliau ada meminta wang dalam jumlah itu. Johari dilihat memasuki sebuah bilik hotel dengan diiringi trio Datuk T dan kemudian duduk di depan televisyen. Satu kamera terselindung dilihat diletakkan di depan televisyen, oleh itu memberi gambaran mengenai reaksi Johari. dan suara trio Datuk T. Berbanding naratif-naratif Johari sebelum ini tentang apa yang berlaku pada hari video itu ditonton, MP PKR itu kelihatan gelak ketawa dan mesra bersama ketiga-tiga Datuk T, dan berjenaka beberapa minit sebelum video seks ditayangkan. "Sudah pasti saya mesra dengan mereka. Saya kena mereka secara peribadi. Shuaib pak cik saya, Rahim bekas anggota Majlis Tertinggi Umno dan Eskay dari Sungai Petani... saya tidak tahu pada hari itu mereka hendak menunjukkan video seks kepada saya. "Saya menghormati pak cik saya, meskipun saya tidak setuju dengan apa yang dia lakukan. Jika saya bertemu Shuaib lagi, saya cium tangan dia, dia lebih tua daripada saya," kata pemimpin PKR ini. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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