Sabtu, 2 Februari 2013

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: Sports

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The Star Online: Sports

Czechs win seven-hour epic, Spain hang on
Kim Hock’s new academy aim to churn out more junior champions
Kim Hock: Stop changing coaches and their roles

Czechs win seven-hour epic, Spain hang on

Posted: 02 Feb 2013 06:21 PM PST

[unable to retrieve full-text content]PARIS: Tomas Berdych and Lukas Rosol won a Davis Cup doubles epic on Saturday to give defending champions Czech Republic the edge over Switzerland as 2012 finalists Spain stayed alive in Canada.

Kim Hock’s new academy aim to churn out more junior champions

Posted: 02 Feb 2013 03:22 PM PST

PANDAMARAN: Former international Yap Kim Hock produced three world junior doubles champions when he was a coach with Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).

Now that he is no longer with BAM, he continues to relish the challenge of churning out more junior stars.

The 42-year-old Kim Hock is hopeful of doing just that through his new YKH Academy in Pandamaran.

A total of 50 children aged between 7 and 12 years old from the Kampung Idaman Primary School attended the official launch of his academy and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games doubles silver medallist with Cheah Soon Kit was beaming with joy.

"It's a new life for me. I have my own academy and I can focus on producing more champions," said Kim Hock, who has turned a huge godown into a 12-court centre.

The stocky shuttler decided to run his own academy when BAM did not extend his contract last year. It marked the end of Kim Hock's 12-year service as a coach with the national team and also soured his relationship with the national body.

"I was disappointed with BAM's decision. They may have their own reasons for ending my service ... it's their prerogative. You cannot force someone to keep you," said Kim Hock.

"I know that I had given my best and enjoyed my 12 years in BAM."

Kim Hock, however, prefers not to dwell on the past and would rather work on raising the standard of his students.

"I also have several former state shuttlers under my academy. In the evenings, it is open for public use. I will use my experience and skills to inspire the youngsters under my care. I may not be in the limelight anymore but this work here is still rewarding," he said.

Kim Hock started as a BJSS coach in 2001 and was promoted to become national coach in 2003. Two years later, he became the chief coach. Despite ensuring that Malaysia returned home with one silver at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing through Lee Chong Wei, Kim Hock was demoted to coaching BJSS in 2009.

It did not dampen his spirit. In fact, he exceeded all expectations by producing three consecutive world junior champions – Chooi Kah Ming-Ow Yao Han (2009), Yao Han-Yew Hong Kheng (2010) and Nelson Heg Wei Keat-Teo Ee Yi (2011).

Kim Hock showed that he hasn't lost much of his skill when he partnered former international Chow Pak Chuu in an exhibition match against professionals Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif yesterday. Although Kim Hock-Pak Chuu lost, the match drew thunderous applause from the young audience.

Kim Hock: Stop changing coaches and their roles

Posted: 02 Feb 2013 04:22 PM PST

PANDAMARAN: Malaysia have not reached the men's doubles final in the Olympic Games since Yap Kim Hock-Cheah Soon Kit won the silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games – a good 17 years ago.

And Kim Hock feels that Malaysia's men's doubles will continue to hit a brick wall if the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) continue to chop and change their coaches frequently.

He hopes that their latest catch – Indonesian Paulus Firman, who started work on Feb 1 – would be given enough time and ample support to work with the players.

"Stop changing the coaches and their roles in the national men's doubles set-up regularly. Give the coaches the time to work with the players. By changing coaches regularly, they are not being fair to the players. Imagine the number of times that the players have to adjust to the changes," said Kim Hock.

The 42-year-old Kim Hock's heart also went out for Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong.

"They were under Rexy Mainaky for some time. After that, they were moved around under three other coaches – Pang Cheh Chang, Yoo Yong-sung and Tan Kim Her – for short stints. Let's hope that Paulus will be given a longer mandate to work with this pair.

"Usually, a coach needs two years to groom a pair ... one cannot expect immediate results," said Kim Hock after officially launching his new training centre – YKH Academy – in Pandamaran, Klang.

He has signed a partnership with the nearby Kampung Idaman Primary School and is currently coaching 50 students aged between 7 and 12 years old every Saturday.

Kim Hock, who was a coach with BAM for 12 years until 2012, hoped that Kien Keat-Boon Heong's fortunes would change under Paulus.

Besides Kien Keat-Boon Heong, the other pairs under the Indonesian's care are Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong and Tan Wee Gieen-Mohd Lutfi Zaim Abdul Khalid.

All the other pairs, especially the three promising ones – Lim Khim Wah-Goh V Shem, Chooi Kah Ming-Ow Yao Han and Nelson Heg Wei Keat-Teo Ee Yi – are training under chief coach Tan Kim Her.

"I've worked with some of these boys when I was the coach at Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) ... they are a talented group. Most of them have won world junior titles and all they need now is a proper guidance to facilitate their transition from juniors to seniors," he said.

Under Kim Hock, Malaysia produced three straight world junior champions – Kah Ming-Yao Han (2009), Yao Han-Yew Hong Kheng (2010) and Nelson Heg Wei Keat-Teo Ee Yi (2011).

"This batches should be groomed for gold medals at the 2020 Olympic Games. The others like Koo-Tan, Khim Wah-V Shem and Thien How-Wee Kiong should be aiming for medals at the 2016 Games in Rio.

MPS mulls shorter contract period for waste contractors to keep them in line

Posted: 02 Feb 2013 03:17 AM PST

MPS mulls shorter contract period for waste contractors to keep them in line

THE Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) is considering a shorter contract period for rubbish collection contractors in Selayang.

At the council's monthly full board meeting, MPS president Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain said the council was considering the move as the current five-year contracts for rubbish collection were too lengthy.

"It is too long. If we award the contract for five years, we cannot review or amend it in those five years," he said.

He added that the council was considering awarding two-plus-one year contracts in future, after the current batch of contracts expire in 2016.

"Usually, we find that three-times-a-week rubbish collection is sufficient," said Mohd Azizi.

He added, however, problems could crop up when the contractors did not follow the proper collection times.

Mohd Azizi said that since last year, MPS had terminated five contractors from a total of 36 contractors for both rubbish collection and cleaning services in Selayang.

"If a contractor does not follow the rules, we will issue them notice to correct their flaws. If they still do not follow, we will continue to issue and after the third notice, we will terminate their contract," he said.

He highlighted that MPS spent RM45mil last year on rubbish collection, and this was paid from RM88mil in assessment fees it had collected.

"If we increase the collection times, the cost of managing waste will be high and we might need to pay the contractor more but that is the price of more efficient rubbish collection," he said, adding that he estimated a 5% to 10% increase in allocations for rubbish collection.

"We expect the cost to go up this year but we have to try to maintain or reduce the cost. It should be around the RM45mil we spent last year," he added.

Meanwhile, Mohd Azizi said MPS was considering a shift system for its staff after spending more than RM600,000, although only RM300,000 had been allocated for overtime in their budget last year.

"Some people have said the overtime is too high, especially for our enforcement department. We are now trying to find a formula to reduce that number," he said.

He added that the enforcement department also needed to be more strict as more illegal cyber cafes, massage parlours and illegal gambling dens were mushrooming in Selayang.

Mohd Azizi also said MPS was ready to face the developer of the controversial 29-storey Dolomite Park Avenue condominium in Batu Caves after Selangor government pulled the plug on the controversial high-rise project.

"We are now waiting for the report and order from the Selangor State Government. After the state has sent it to us, we will send it to the developer," he said.

"If the developer decides to take the matter to court for compensation, we will have to settle it in court," he added.

Traders may need to pay more in stall charges next Thaipusam

Posted: 02 Feb 2013 03:17 AM PST

THE Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) is considering an increase in charges for stalls at Batu Caves for next year's Thaipusam period.

This comes after piles of rubbish including mounds of polysterene cups and containers, some with food and drinks still in them, were left behind by visitors in the temple grounds after the celebrations.

MPS president Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain said the cost to clean up the area was almost double the charges collected from traders this year.

"We allocated RM158,000 to clean up Batu Caves after Thaipusam this year compared to RM80,000 last year. Last year, we only hired the contractor for three days but this year, we had to engage the contractor for five days," he said.

He said MPS estimates that the festival this year generated between 430 and 450 tonnes of rubbish, adding that the amount was equivalent to the amount of rubbish collected in the whole of Selayang in one day.

"Even after all the charges we collected, we were still not able to break even," he said.

He added that there were reports of touts selling stall lots in the temple compound for up to RM2,500 per stall.

"If traders are willing to buy a stall for RM2,500, then we have to look at the price we are charging. We might have to increase the charges as we made a loss even after collecting the fees," said Mohd Azizi, explaining that MPS only charged RM200 for a stall.

"We also received a lot of comments from visitors saying that there was a lot of rubbish in the temple compound," he added.

Mohd Azizi said MPS had no jurisdiction inside the Batu Caves compound, which was under the care of the temple management.

"We also need to educate the traders as the cost of cleaning up is too high. We want to recommend to the traders, NGOs and private parties who prepared free food and drinks for the visitors to use materials such as brown paper or banana leaves instead of polysterene to serve the food. This can help the waste management be more efficient," he added.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: South & East

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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health

Loading up your day’s essentials with goodness from nature

Posted: 01 Feb 2013 08:37 PM PST

Protein is found in every single cell in the body. An important building block for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood, high quality protein provides all of the essential amino acids needed by healthy adults and growing children. People who don't get enough of this important macronutrient will lack energy, and they will see their muscles and immune systems weaken.

To help people meet their daily protein needs, leading direct selling company Amway is introducing NUTRILITE™ All Plant Protein Powder which helps to load up your day's essentials by unlocking more goodness from nature. The unique tri-blend of soy, wheat and pea provides the right combination of proteins and amino acids to keep you feeling healthy and energetic, without animal products or dairy side effects.

"As one of the macronutrient foundations of a balanced diet, protein needs to be consumed each day to maintain health," says Gene Maly, Senior NUTRILITE Research Scientist. "Most people have difficulty consuming the recommended amount of protein in their diet, which is why adding a high quality protein source, like NUTRILITE All Plant Protein Powder, helps people give their bodies the fuel to power their cells, provide energy to their bodies, and with the recommended amount of 25 grams of soy protein per day, also helps to reduce cholesterol."

But most people associate protein with meat, poultry, eggs and dairy. In today's world, that isn't always what people want to hear. Many people want to incorporate as many plant-based options as they can into their diets.

A simple observation Many of the essential amino acids found in NUTRILITE's previous version of Protein Powder came from dairy, essentially from cows.

In the history of NUTRILITE, observing the diet of cows signified an "ah-ha" moment for its founder, Carl Rehnborg. After a return from China in the early nineteen hundreds he made a simple observation that the healthiest cows ate a diet of alfalfa and water -- they had shinier coats, they produced the most milk, and they gained the most weight. He realized that for cows to thrive, they needed the essential nutrients found in plants like alfalfa.

Today, NUTRILITE scientists have taken Carl Rehnborg's observation one step further by going back to the natural source, creating a plant-based protein powder that provides all of the essential amino acids people need in their diets to maintain cellular health throughout their body. This simple idea has resulted in NUTRILITE All Plant Protein Powder.

Protein keeps us feeling healthy by acting as a cell repair nutrient, it provides energy by producing hemoglobin – the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout our bodies, it builds lean muscle, and it supports the immune system by manufacturing antibodies, the substances that fight off illness.

- This article is brought to you by Amway

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

Growing interest from the West in South Korean contemporary music

Posted: 02 Feb 2013 02:00 AM PST

America and Europe are taking a new interest in contemporary music from South Korea. What does this mean for the rest of Asia?

THANKS to Psy's Gangnam Style global smash hit, the South Korean music industry's long-held dream to make it big in Europe and the US with its K-pop boybands has taken a giant leap forward.

But Psy's international success looks unlikely to have a big knock-on effect in other Asian countries, experts said at the Midem music industry gathering in Cannes that concluded on Monday.

(Midem, which stands for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, is one of the world's largest trade fairs for the music industry.)

To build on the momentum of the "Psy" phenomenon and showcase some of their other big stars, South Korea's music industry turned out in force to attend the annual four-day trade fair that opened its doors on Jan 25.

"The Western markets have always been a kind of romantic dream and an end goal for the South Korean record labels," says Clayton Jin, CEO of South Korea's most respected music data service, Billboard Korea.

"However, Korean labels are very realistic and Asia remains their bread and butter," Jin stresses, adding that Asia continues to be the region where the country's labels are most successful, with Japan alone accounting for about 50% of South Korea's music exports.

It's only very recently that the South Korean music business has started to eye up the US and European markets, Jin says in an interview.

The first K-pop concerts held outside of Asia were organised in the US and Europe in 2011 and did much to increase the musical genre's popularity.

In terms of sales, however, the slick boy and girl-band routines proved successful only in a handful of niche markets, industry experts note.

"The American market and the European market represented just 0.5% of South Korea's total music exports," says Min Kim, who heads up Kocca, a non-profit organisation that promotes South Korea's content industry abroad.

But all that changed when rapper Psy unexpectedly shot to fame and his quirky Gangnam Style video notched up a record one billion views on YouTube.

"Before Psy, Western people associated Korea with IT, now with Gangnam Style they associate the country with music," Kim notes.

Psy's success has convinced many Western music industry insiders and fans take a closer look at K-pop, he adds.

"Now music fans are actually giving this music a chance while before they thought it was just some ethnic music genre and didn't pay much attention to it," Kim says.

Psy's success has also boosted the confidence of other South Korean artists and their management companies who didn't think it could be financially viable to tour in Europe and the United States, Jin adds.

Today, the industry believes that with the right investments and the right artists, they can make a meaningful push into these markets, he says.

Psy has also had an impact on how the music industry operates in his own country.

"Before, the artists' management companies had a very tight control over their artists. But the reason why Psy succeeded where so many other Korean artists failed was that he had a very open contract, so that as soon as his Gangnam Style single started taking off on YouTube, Psy was able to move to America and sign with (new manager) Scooter Braun (who also manages Justin Bieber)," Jin says.

Other Korean artists are now clamouring to follow in Psy's footsteps.

South Korean girl band Girls Generation has signed with Interscope in the United States, the label behind Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas, and is coming out with an English album next month.

But industry experts at the trade fair caution that the "Psy phenomenon" is unlikely to be easily copied in other Asian music markets – or even in South Korea itself.

Malaysia, for instance, faces a language barrier to promoting our songs abroad as there are four different main languages in the country and English is not widely used, the chairman of the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia, Norman Abdul Halim, says.

South Korea's big music success in Japan may also be on the wane, Japanese industry experts say, as Japanese music fans are starting to get bored of the pre-packaged Korean tunes and are hungry for something new and fresh.

And Psy's success hasn't necessarily made things easier for South Korean artists in other musical genres such as hip-hop and dance, Tasha, the female vocalist of the band Drunken Tiger, says.

"In one way, it's made things even more difficult because a lot of people now expect all Korean music to be like Psy's music," she says with a wry smile. – AFP Relaxnews

Salammusik poise for greater success

Posted: 02 Feb 2013 01:39 AM PST

Roots reggae act Salammusik, which is critically considered and well-loved by the masses, is poised for big things.

ESTABLISHED in 2006, Salammusik has come a long way in the Malaysian music industry. Having started with two vocalists – Salam and Tip, the group now has 10 members.

Before Salam founded Salammusik, he was an ambitious student (sound and music design) at Limkokwing University. Having met many friends in the music industry, he opened up a studio in 2004 and started to record for many artistes and for himself too.

In 2006, he met Lebanese musician, Tip. They shared common thoughts about music and set off to start the Salam dream.

"Working with Tip is inspiring. He gave me lots of music knowledge," said Salam in a recent interview.

For Salam (real name Ashraf Salam A.Azlan), any kind of music inspires him.

Influenced by reggae but also mixing various genres like rock, R&B and jazz into the music, Salammusik is now the talk-of-town.

Last November, the 24-year-old Salam and his crew won the best album award at the Anugerah Industri Musik Malaysia 2012 (AIM 19).

At the AIM awards, Salammusik's self-titled album faced tough competition from the likes of Hujan, Nora, Mizz Nina and Stacy, but this bohemian outfit defied the odds.

On the award-winning album, the group collaborated with rapper Altimet, Zion Dread, Sayla and others. National laureate Datuk A. Samad Said's lyrics were also set to a roots rock groove on Malam Doa, which reflected Salammusik's diverse range of influences.

For Salam, who also produces the band's music, the collaborative process has been one of his creative strengths.

Before the Salammusik album brought the group wider national attention, Salam also had a hand in the K.O. The Mixtape by DJ Fuzz and Malique, which picked up the best hip hop song award at the AIM awards in 2010.

If anything, Salam's role in hit singles like Cerita Kedai Kopi (with DJ Fuzz and Malique) and Bangkit (with Altimet) gave him a respectable profile in the music industry.

As an independent recording act like Republic of Brickfields and Pure Vibracion, Salammusik has carried the torch for the homegrown reggae scene.

In fact, Salam has a big year ahead with the group's second album O, which was launched last month. This new album, featuring 13 songs, strives for a broader music range with artistes like Altimet, Bouchra, Sayla, Zion Dread and Pitahati on board.

Curiously enough, the group also reissued its Salammusik album last month. It looks like it has two albums to introduce to the masses.

"We were also nominated for the best new artiste at AIM and we expected to win that. But bagging the best album of the year was such a great honour," said Bulya, the group's drummer, who is more than happy to play gigs with material from Salammusik and O sharing the spotlight.

Apart from the affable Salam, the group includes two vocalists (Tip and Eyza Bahra), four horn players (Payung, Jaz, Djambul and Ferdy), percussionist (Bulya) and two guitarists (Ammar Habir and Kamal Razali).

People say less is more but Salammusik has redefined the term by having 10 members in the group.

"All of us have the same passion, which is music. To keep a big group together is pretty simple. We do what we love and we take care of each other," said Salam.

Salam also added that he doesn't mind making the group bigger and encouraged budding musicians to join Salammusik.

As a band, Salammusik has toured many places (reggae gigs and acoustic nights) around Malaysia, including festival spots at Urbanscapes and Rock The World in the Klang Valley last year.

"Live performances are the best to do! And we love to travel around the country to spread our music," he added.

With a band manager based in the Netherlands, Salammusik also has an opportunity to take its music to Europe.

The hard-driving Tunggu Dulu, which features rapper Zion Dread, entered the Denmark music charts.

"Our songs are also being played in London as many Malaysian students have embraced our music."

Famed for socially-aware lyrics and reggae-infused music, the band retained its sound and flavour on the newly released O.

The emphasis now, according to Salam, is on poetry. The album title itself holds weight and meaning.

"O is a symbol for the circle of life; its continuity and unity that encompasses the cycle of life," said Salam.

Touching topics that are close to the heart, fans can expect a new musical journey on O, that examines the human condition, unity, love, dreams and life.

The future certainly looks bright for Salammusik. The group represents the continuity and evolution of reggae music in Malaysia, a genre which has legions of local fans and followers. And it looks like the cycle won't be broken anytime soon.

"This is what we love to do. It's a platform for us to express ourselves and the music we make is for the people," concluded Salam.

An enhanced version of this story came out in the Jan 17 edition of The Star Editor's Choice, which is a free downloadable app available on tablet devices. More details on the band at salammusik.com.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Sabtu, 2 Februari 2013