Selasa, 30 Julai 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Probation for two youths who ran charity scam
Teens spread anti-loan shark message
Scratch and lose for naive victims

Probation for two youths who ran charity scam

Posted:

TWO youths, who claimed they were probationers tasked with soliciting for donations for a charity, are now really serving probation. District Judge Siva Shanmugam sentenced Brian Sie Eng Fa, 20, and Ho Loong Ann, 19, to 18 months' probation on Tuesday and also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.

Sometime at the end of last year, the duo hatched a plan to obtain fast cash by selling badges for S$2 (RM5) each for St Luke's Elder Care, a charitable body that provides a variety of day care services for elderly folk. For donations of S$10 (RM25) or more, they offered the badge for free. They had bought the badges for an undisclosed sum in Thailand.

On Jan 9, Ho forged two donation registration permits purportedly issued by St Luke's and endorsed by the Singapore Police Force.

At 8am, the duo started from the top floor of a block of flats in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8. However, a resident was suspicious and called the police at 9.20am. Officers nabbed the two cheats at 10pm with 14 badges and the two forged permits. By that time, the two youths had cheated residents of $325. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Teens spread anti-loan shark message

Posted:

"KENNETH" remembers vividly the dread that gripped his heart when a loan shark came pounding at the door of his flat one night.

Then a pre-schooler, he ran to hide in his room, only to be greeted seconds later with the sight of his dog dashing in after him, its body splashed with blue paint.

Kenneth (not his real name) had been living with his grandfather, who had debts with loan sharks.

Today, the 15-year-old patrols his neighbourhood and approaches members of the public to warn them against borrowing money from such people.

Kenneth is part of the Youth Community Outreach Programme (COP) team, which accompanies policemen on patrols and advises the public on crime prevention.

The project, a partnership between the Students Care Service (SCS), schools and the police, aims to rope in students who may or may not be deemed to be at risk to do some form of community policing. Teachers can nominate students to volunteer or students can volunteer themselves.

It is hoped that the authority and trust placed in them will encourage them to stay away from crime.

"We want to catch them earlier," said Zhuang Xinyan, social worker at SCS.

"Instead of labelling some as bad kids, we give them a positive identity and they usually try to meet those expectations."

Those who have taken part in the patrols have improved their attendance, behaviour and motivation levels in school, Zhuang added.

When The Straits Times tagged along on a patrol to Clementi Town Centre two Thursdays ago, the normally shy teens had their self-confidence tested as they spoke to strangers and handed them loan shark harassment leaflets.

Since the project started in 2007, 375 youths from five schools have taken part in the monthly patrols. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Scratch and lose for naive victims

Posted:

SINGAPOREANS are still falling victim to scratch-and-win scams in Malaysia – despite many warnings and an ongoing crackdown by the authorities across the Causeway.

And although the number of reported cases has fallen, the con artists are making off with more money each time.

The average amount stolen has hit S$6,300 (RM16,040), Singapore police statistics show, up from S$4,000 (RM10,182) last year.

At least five victims have reportedly lost more than S$10,000 (RM25,455) each.

The scam works like this: The crooks approach the victims and ask them to try their luck with a scratch card.

They tell the victims they have won a mystery prize and ask them to go to an office to find out what it is. When they arrive, the con men reveal the "prize", usually cheap electrical goods, such as foot massagers.

The victims are offered the chance to win a more substantial prize, and asked to hand over cash in advance to cover bogus costs such as "taxes".

Malaysian police have been trying to clamp down on the scam, with some success.

Around 30 Singaporeans reportedly fell for it between January and May, down from 46 in the same period last year. But the amounts involved are on the rise.

Yesterday, Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao said that a 39-year-old secretary had been cheated out of more than S$25,000 (RM63,651), the most lost by a victim from Singapore in a single case so far.

Yesterday, a Johor policeman said that a task force had been set up last month to tackle scratch-and-win scams.

At least eight suspects have been charged, said the officer, who asked not to be named because he did not have permission to speak to the media.

These included some of the alleged organisers.

"The scam is nothing permanent; it comes and goes," he said "They are just opportunists at work."

In February, police on both sides of the Causeway launched a series of pamphlets that have been distributed at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, as well as tourist spots in Johor. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

Lord of social media

Posted:

Peter Jackson celebrates the end of The Hobbit filming with his cat, Mr Smudge.

After spending 15 years bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's vision to the big screen in New Zealand, Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson celebrated the last shot of the final film in The Hobbit trilogy, There And Back Again, by cuddling with his cat, Mr Smudge.

"1.14am. Back with Mr Smudge. A long day. A great day. Thank you all for being part of it! Now for some sleep!", Jackson wrote on his Facebook page last Friday morning.

A screen capture of Peter Jackson's Facebook page.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker has been making good use of social media since returning to Middle-earth to direct The Hobbit trilogy. Much to fans' delight, Jackson has regularly released video production diaries, behind-the-scenes set photos, and even creative viral videos with the stars of his beloved franchise.

Three weeks ago, he celebrated Orlando Bloom's final day on set as Legolas with a self-parody of a fan-made YouTube video that remixes the actor delivering the line, "They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard."

That video has over eight million views.

In another delightful embrace of his passionate following, Jackson uploaded a video titled, Happy Elves, which features Bloom, Lee Pace and Evangeline Lilly reacting to two fans. With his videos regularly attracting over 500,000 viewers, and his photos garnering thousands upon thousands of Likes, while hundreds more choose to share them across other social-media platforms, it's fair to say that Jackson has mastered the medium.

With The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey grossing over US$1bil (RM3.1bil) worldwide, there's plenty of proof that the self-marketing strategy is paying off, too.

Jackson continued sharing the experience of making his cinematic babies up until the end on Thursday evening. He took to Facebook to share "the last shot" of his final Tolkien adaptation, The Hobbit: There And Back Again – "10.32 pm. 4 or 5 takes so far," Jackson wrote with the picture. "No, wait ... Done! While I was typing this, we shot more takes and finished! Richard was fantastic. Splinter almost done. Minutes away. Smiles and happiness... And sadness. Yikes, very sad."

Before sharing his joy of being reunited with Mr Smudge, Jackson also reiterated just how much of his life was spent working six Hobbit movies. "1.08 am. A 20 hour day ... 15 years of Tolkien ... 771 days of shooting. ... And we arrive home exhausted, to a house full of teenagers! It's going to be a long night!" — Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Fox returns to TV
Complex outline
No love for the undead

Fox returns to TV

Posted:

New Michael J. Fox show highlights humour in Parkinson's fight.

Actor Michael J. Fox said he aimed to bring laughs and a dose of reality about day-to-day living with Parkinson's disease to a new NBC comedy loosely based on his life, his first lead role in a television show in 13 years.

In the upcoming The Michael J. Fox Show, the actor plays a father with Parkinson's who returns to work as a local newscaster on an NBC TV station in New York. To his surprise, his fictional family reacts with relief that he will be getting out of the house.

The show draws from Fox's own experience to generate laughs and give viewers a sense of everyday life with Parkinson's, a nerve disorder that causes tremors. In one scene, gun-toting police show up at his character's home after his shaky hands accidentally dial 911.

"The reality of Parkinson's is that sometimes it's frustrating, sometimes it's funny," Fox, 52, said last weekend at the semi-annual Television Critics Association press tour. The show will not veer into dark humour, he said, because he did not see his disease that way.

"There's nothing horrible on the surface about someone with shaky hands," he said. "There's nothing horrible about someone in their life saying, 'God, I'm really tired of this shaky hand thing' and me saying, 'Me, too'. That's our reality."

The show, which debuts Sept 26 in the United States, is a high-profile bet by Comcast-owned NBC to lift its prime-time ratings. The Canadian-born Fox won over audiences in the 1980s for his role as conservative Alex P. Keaton on NBC sitcom Family Ties, and as teen adventurer Marty McFly in the Back To The Future movies. He later starred in the ABC political comedy Spin City, but semi-retired from acting in 2000 as his Parkinson's symptoms worsened and he focused his efforts on research for a cure.

Fox said guest roles on shows like The Good Wife made him want to do more. He said medications helped control his symptoms and he felt ready to commit to a lead role. NBC has already ordered 22 episodes of the new show.

"It's what I've loved to do," he said. "I thought: 'Why can't I? There's no reason not to do it'." Parkinson's will figure less prominently in later episodes, Fox said.

His real-life wife and Family Ties co-star, Tracy Pollan, will make an appearance. His wife on the show is played by Breaking Bad actress Betsy Brandt. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will also guest star, playing himself in one episode. Fox said his real-life family supported his return to a regular series role. "There is a kind of scrutiny of their stuff that won't exist if I'm occupied doing something else," he joked. — Reuters

Complex outline

Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]New drama The Bridge connects murder and immigration.

No love for the undead

Posted:

The Walking Dead's zombies are beneath snobbish academy.

This year's Emmy nominations reflected a lot of change in TV. Netflix got creative validation; there are more female-led dramas than ever. But one rule has become calcified: No zombies need apply.

Even as hordes of network executives and publicists hawked their wares at Comic-Con, The Walking Dead was once again shut out of the Emmys.

On lists that ran as long as seven slots, every show and its brother seemed to get a nomination – except, you know, the show that's the No 1 scripted drama in the key 18-to-49-year-old demographic. Even Scandal and Nashville made lists, for heaven's sake.

You would think the television academy, of all institutions, would understand the shortsightedness of genre elitism. For years, television has felt the sting of snobbishness, perpetually playing second fiddle to film and diminished by epithets such as "the boob tube" or "the idiot box".

Now, of course, the tide has turned; film stars, writers and directors flock to TV, sparking a creative melee that is as rich in both promise and peril as the logistical implications of Netflix.

Mad Men may have set the template for the new basic-cable-goes-scripted model that every network and streaming service is now following, but The Walking Dead made it critically acclaimed and commercially viable.

Smartly written, beautifully acted and gorgeously shot, The Walking Dead tells the same intertwined tales of physical and moral survival, of family bonds, fractured passions and social collapse that have become the hallmark of our "prestige" dramas while creating a post-apocalyptic world as vivid and detailed as ever seen on any screen, big or small.

But it's about, you know, zombies. And though the purveyors of awards have been forced with great reluctance to accept that warrior-based fantasy is as genuine and effective a sub-genre as, say, gangster epics or CIA thrillers, they draw the line at the undead.

I understand that horror is not for everyone and popularity among young people is not synonymous with quality, but members of the television academy must take degree of difficulty into consideration. Horror is the hardest genre to sustain with depth and dignity. Even Game Of Thrones has the advantage of taking place in a truly alternate universe.

Year after year, despite all its well-publicised internal drama, The Walking Dead continually transcends the confines of its own decaying flesh. It isn't even about zombies at this point.

The Walking Dead is, obviously, not the only name on the "shoulda been" list. The rise of television has been slow and steady and much-chronicled by those who cover it, but this year's nominations provide the quantifiable proof of its scope. Every category is bursting at the seams, and still there are the shadow lists of those just as deserving.

The female leads, in drama and comedy, were particularly gratifying. Just a few years ago, putting together a list of five was something of a chore (name a woman in a leading role who isn't Mariska Hargitay!). Now seven (drama) and six (comedy) don't quite cover it.

But where is Tatiana Maslany for Orphan Black? It's an amazing show and she plays six characters, people! Where, for that matter, are Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife or Keri Russell for The Americans?

Let's hear it for Laura Dern, whose excellent and revolutionary HBO comedy Enlightened got cancelled this year (please win, please win). But shouldn't Patricia Heaton have been nominated for The Middle by now?

Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke were nominated, but Game Of Thrones could have easily filled the supporting/drama category – Lena Headey was also fabulous this year, ditto Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Gwendoline Christie.

I could go on, and many will, as the "what-were-they-thinking?" lists jam up new and old media. Everyone will have their top causes of exultation and aggrievement, and no doubt the category issue will be re-examined.

Netflix made history, as did Kerry Washington – the fact that almost 20 years separates her from the last black woman who earned a lead actress nomination is truly horrifying. But more important, television made history too.

It has become so good that even the Emmys can't keep up. – Los Angeles Times/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

U.S. to declassify documents on spy programs, surveillance court
Panama uncovers fighter jet engines from seized North Korea ship
Egypt allows EU envoy to see deposed president

U.S. to declassify documents on spy programs, surveillance court

Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. spy agencies plan to release newly declassified documents as early as this week about the National Security Agency surveillance programs revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden, and also material related to a secret intelligence court, a U.S. intelligence official said on Tuesday.

Panama uncovers fighter jet engines from seized North Korea ship

Posted:

COLON, Panama (Reuters) - Panamanian investigators unloading the cargo of a seized North Korean ship carrying arms from Cuba under sacks of brown sugar on Tuesday found 12 engines for MiG-21 fighter jets and five military vehicles that officials said resembled missile control centres.

Investigators earlier this month had found two MiG-21 fighter jets and two missile radar systems on board the Chong Chon Gang, which was bound for North Korea when it was stopped by officials.

Panamanian Security Minister Jose Mulino said the cargo appeared to fall within what Cuba had said was a range of "obsolete" arms being sent to North Korea for repair.

Panama asked the United Nations to delay the arrival of investigators by a week until August 12, because the process of unloading cargo found under 100,000 tons of sugar has taken longer than expected.

About 25 percent of the sugar has been removed so far, Mulino said.

Investigators have gone through most of two storage houses in the 155-meter (510 foot) vessel, Mulino said, but three more warehouses remain.

The process has involved about 500 police since June 15 when Panamanian law enforcement discovered the military equipment.

They initially pulled over the Chong Chon Gang after receiving a tip it was carrying drugs, Panamanian law enforcement have said. Cuban officials told Panama the cargo was a donation of sugar for the people of North Korea.

Officials have found most of the weapons Havana said were on board, including the two fighter jets, originally produced by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s, and two missile radar systems.

No missiles have been found, and though officials originally feared one container held explosive material, none was discovered.

(Reporting by Lomi Kriel; Editing by Ken Wills)

Egypt allows EU envoy to see deposed president

Posted:

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt allowed Europe's top diplomat to meet deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on Monday, flying her after dark to Mursi's secret detention facility but ruling out any role for him in ending the turmoil convulsing the country.

Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, became the first outsider to see Mursi since he was deposed by the army on July 3, taken into detention and placed under investigation on charges including murder.

His fate - and a deadly crackdown by security forces on his supporters - has raised global anxiety about a possible bid to crush Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, a movement that emerged from decades in the shadows to win power in elections after the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak.

The state's MENA news agency reported early on Wednesday that an African delegation headed by former Malian President Alfa Omar Konari held a one-hour meeting with Mursi.

The agency gave no details on the visit nor when it took place but said some of the delegation's members will host a news conference later on Wednesday after meeting with Arab League officials to discuss the latest developments in Egypt.

Ashton had revealed little about what she called a "friendly, open and very frank" two-hour conversation with the deposed president. An aide said they had "in-depth" talks.

"I've tried to make sure that his family knows he is well," said Ashton, who has emerged as one of the only figures accepted by both sides as mediator in a conflict that has found the United States cast as a meddling hand.

Flown to the meeting by military helicopter, Ashton said Mursi had access to television and newspapers and was informed about the situation in the country. "I saw where he was," she said. "I don't know where he is, but I saw the facilities he has."

Ashton spent Monday shuttling between Egypt's rulers and the Brotherhood to try to pull the country back from more bloodshed.

In a possible sign of progress, a spokesman for Ashton said EU envoy Bernadino Leon would travel to Cairo on Wednesday to "continue the work."

ARMY ROAD MAP

Nearly 300 people have been killed in violence since Mursi was removed, including 80 of his supporters gunned down at dawn on Saturday as they marched from a month-long vigil at a mosque in northern Cairo.

The crisis has left Washington treading a fine line with a pivotal Arab ally that it funds with $1.3 billion a year in military aid and whose stability is of crucial importance to Middle East peace.

On Tuesday, Lindsey Graham said he and fellow U.S. Republican Senator John McCain - both members of the chamber's Armed Services Committee - hoped to travel to Egypt next week at the request of President Barack Obama. Graham said specifics of the trip, including whom they would meet, had not yet been decided.

Ashton stressed the need for an "inclusive" process to ending the confrontation, one that would necessarily include the Brotherhood. But Egypt's army-installed interim government made clear Mursi would not be part of it.

"No," interim Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei told a joint news conference with Ashton when asked whether Mursi could be part of a future process of negotiation and reconciliation.

"I think there is a new road map," ElBaradei said. "Mr Mursi failed, but the Brotherhood very much continue to be part of the political process and we would like them to continue to be part of the political process."

He said an end to violence, which the government blames on its foes, would allow the shutdown of the Brotherhood's sit-in protests and create room for dialogue. The Brotherhood accuses the security forces of stirring up the violence to justify their crackdown on the Islamists.

Media have speculated about why the military-backed rulers would have allowed Ashton to meet the ousted leader, who had been kept incommunicado for a month.

She denied carrying an offer to Mursi of "safe exit" if he were to renounce his claim to the presidency.

Many people have suggested such an arrangement could be part of a deal that would allow the Brotherhood to leave the streets and join an army-backed "road map" to civilian rule, but would require Mursi to abandon his historic mandate as Egypt's first freely elected leader.

CALL FOR RELEASE

The road map envisions parliamentary elections in about six months to be followed by presidential polls. Accusing the army of mounting a coup, the Brotherhood says it wants nothing to do with it. The army said it acted in response to mass protests last month against Mursi.

Meeting Mursi was a condition of Ashton's offer to visit Egypt, where she also met the general who removed him and other leaders on her second trip in 12 days.

Since the fall of Mubarak as the Arab Spring revolutions took hold more than two years ago, the Arab world's most populous nation has remained in turmoil, arousing concern among allies in the West and in neighbouring Israel, with which Egypt has had a peace treaty since 1979.

Egypt's authorities say Mursi is being investigated on accusations including murder, stemming from a 2011 jail break when he escaped detention during protests against Mubarak.

The Brotherhood says the accusations, including conspiring with the Palestinian group Hamas, are absurd and trumped up to justify his detention. He has not been officially charged.

(Additional reporting by Tom Perry, Asma Alsharif, Yasmine Saleh, Shadia Nasralla, Omar Fahmy, Ali Abdelaty and Patricia Zengerle; Writing by Michael Georgy, Tom Perry and Matt Robinson; Editing by Philip Barbara and Eric Beech)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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The Star Online: Business

KLCI falls more than 13pts in early trade
Advertising Standards Authority Rules For Tesco In Spat With Sainsbury's
Siemens chief faces exit as board votes on his job

KLCI falls more than 13pts in early trade

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's blue chips fell sharply in early trade on Wednesday, dragged down by losses in Maybank, Hong Leong Bank and Petronas Dagangan.

At 9.28am, the FBM KLCI was down 13.51 points to 1,781.57, the lowest in recent weeks. Turnover was 281.03 million shares valued at RM221.77mil. There were 77 gainers, 341 losers and 165 counters unchanged.

Maybank KE Research said after the KLCI fell 3.70 points to close at 1,795.08 on Tuesday, its resistance levels of 1,795 and 1,815 would cap market gains, whilst weaker support levels are at 1,774 and 1,792.

"The KLCI's recent swings are 1,826.22 (high), 1,723.74 (low) and 1,811.65 (high). We prefer to take a 'Range Trading' stance as a gap-up move has existed since May 6. The gap was partially filled by the drop to 1,723.74. The index will remain weaker on persistent foreign selling, as a secondary peak was formed at 1,811.65 on July 26," it said.

Maybank fell 22 sen to RM10.34 while insurer LPI and Hong Leong Bank fell 20 sen each to RM15 and RM13.98.

Petronas Daganagan fell 22 sen to RM26.78 and Petronas Gas 16 sen to RM20.76.

Among plantations, KL Kepong lost 20 sen to RM21 and United Plantations 18 sen lower at RM26.02.

Sona-WA fell two sen to 24 sen and Sona shed 1.5 sen to 43 sen in active trade.

Advertising Standards Authority Rules For Tesco In Spat With Sainsbury's

Posted:

LONDON: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled in favour of supermarket leader Tesco in a spat over price comparisons with third-largest J Sainsbury, which reacted by launching a campaign to emphasize product quality.

Britain's supermarkets, despite their focus on essential goods, are battling intensely for market share as the economy has been sluggish. Advertising is a major battleground.

The ASA said on Wednesday it had decided not to uphold Sainsbury's challenge to Tesco's "Price Promise" campaign.

Tesco launched "Price Promise" in March, comparing the overall cost of a basket of its branded, own-label and fresh food against the same or equivalent products from Sainsbury's, Britain's second-largest grocer Wal-Mart's Asda and fourth-largest Wm Morrison.

If the comparison shows the basket would have been cheaper at a competitor, Tesco automatically issues a coupon for the difference up to 10 pounds when customers receive their shopping receipts.

Sainsbury's alleged that Tesco's advertised claim that "You won't lose out on big brands, own-label or fresh food" was misleading in relation to the own-label and fresh food items, because it did not take into account product attributes such as provenance and ethics.

It argued that comparing products such as Tesco's non-Fairtrade bananas with Sainsbury's Fairtrade bananas or Tesco's Everyday Value ham, which is produced in the European Union, with Sainsbury's basics ham, which is British, was unfair.

The ASA ruled, "While we acknowledged there would be differences in animal welfare and country of origin for the ingredients, we were satisfied that Tesco had taken those elements into account when identifying and matching products and had compared on the basis of them meeting the same need."

Tesco's UK marketing director, David Wood, said the ASA's verdict vindicated the retailer's decision to "go the extra mile for customers" and offer a price-matching scheme based on a full basket of shopping.

CAMPAIGN OF ITS OWN

Sainsbury's, whose "Brand Match" scheme compares the prices of branded products only, said it had yet to decide whether to appeal the ASA ruling.

Its immediate reaction was to launch a "Same price, different values" print advertising campaign across national media.

"If there's one big lesson that we should all have learned from the horsemeat scandal, it's that customers care deeply about where their food comes from and how it is produced," said Mike Coupe,Sainsbury's commercial director.

Unlike Tesco and Asda, Sainsbury's was not implicated in the horsemeat scandal. None of its products testing positive for equine DNA.

The advertising spat is the latest in a long list of disputes between the two grocers.

In January, Sainsbury's accused Tesco of being "a bit disingenuous" in headlining its Christmas trading statement with a figure that included sales activity related to coupons.

Though Tesco overtook Sainsbury's at Britain's No. 1 retailer in 1995, Sainsbury's has performed better of late.

Tesco issued its first profit warning in over 20 years in January 2012, while Sainsbury has posted 34 consecutive quarters of like-for-like sales growth.

- Reuters

Siemens chief faces exit as board votes on his job

Posted:

FRANKFURT (Reuters): The supervisory board of Siemens will seal the fate of Chief Executive Peter Loescher on Wednesday when it votes for his early dismissal in one of Germany's most dramatic boardroom battles in years.

The board meeting comes after Siemens last week issued its second profit warning this year, adding to signs that Loescher was struggling to turn around one of Germany's biggest engineering conglomerates.

Loescher had in the past promised that the company, whose products range from gas turbines to fast trains and ultrasound machines, would grow faster than rivals such as ABB, General Electric and Philips.

But bungled acquisitions, charges for project delays and a focus on sales growth caused Siemens to fall behind.

Last week, Siemens rattled shareholders by abruptly abandoning its target of boosting its core operating profit margin to at least 12 percent from 9.5 percent by 2014.

That turned out to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

A majority sided against Loescher in emergency meetings of supervisory board members over the weekend, prompting Siemens to issue a tersely worded statement saying that the board would decide at its meeting on Wednesday on Loescher's early departure.

A newspaper cited sources on Monday as saying Loescher was not yet prepared to give up and would fight for his job or else drag supervisory board chairman Gerhard Cromme, who hired him six years ago, down with him.

A spokesman for Siemens denied at the time that Loescher wants Cromme to leave as well, while Loescher did not comment.

The most likely candidate to replace Loescher is finance chief Joe Kaeser, a Siemens veteran who was already on the management board when Loescher joined.

Having earned a reputation as a hands-on pragmatist during his 33 years with the company, Kaeser is seen as having an understanding of Siemens' business and culture that Loescher, an Austrian who was brought in as an external candidate, has always been felt to lack.

Analysts said Kaeser should be well-placed to gradually get Siemens back on track by tightening project control, by selling off more non-core businesses, such as those that make rail technology or healthcare software, and by setting more conservative and realistic targets.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

Lord of social media

Posted:

Peter Jackson celebrates the end of The Hobbit filming with his cat, Mr Smudge.

"1.14am. Back with Mr Smudge. A long day. A great day. Thank you all for being part of it! Now for some sleep!", Jackson wrote on his Facebook page last Friday morning.

A screen capture of Peter Jackson's Facebook page.

That video has over eight million views.

With The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey grossing over US$1bil (RM3.1bil) worldwide, there's plenty of proof that the self-marketing strategy is paying off, too.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

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The Star Online: Nation

Ops Selamat launched to reduce road fatalities and house break-ins this Hari Raya

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: This year's Ops Selamat aims to reduce traffic fatalities as well as house break-ins during the Hari Raya period.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said most police personnel would be on duty throughout Ops Selamat, which would be held from Aug 1 until Aug 15.

"Only 10% of the police force will be on leave during that period.

"The rest of the police personnel will deployed to patrol highways and federal roads as well as patrol homes," he said after launching Ops Selamat at Bandar Sunway here Tuesday.

Khalid said more than 6,900 road fatalities were recorded throughout last year, which a spike of about 200 deaths, compared to 6,700 deaths in 2011.

"We are very concern over the fatalities. We have 23 million vehicles on the road compared to Australia, which has 30 million vehicles, but have fewer fatalities annually," he said.

He announced that the Armed Forces Medical team would join the Emergency Response Team for the first time throughout the 15-day campaign.

"The response team will be placed at rest stops along the highway to assist motorists, no matter what the emergency," he said.

Khalid said the police would also introduce the Ops Selamat toll-free number 1-800-88-1412, courtesy of Telekom Malaysia Berhad.

"The public can call this hotline to report traffic congestion, road accidents or ask for assistance. They can even report a break-in or obtain traffic reports," he said.

"Ops Selamat aims to enforce the law while educating the public. The awards for good drivers, which was started last year will be continued this year," he said.

Video taken minutes after banker shot dead uploaded to Facebook

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: A video taken minutes after banker Hussain Ahmad Najadi was shot dead has been uploaded to a Facebook page.

Hussain, 75, who is the founder of Arab-Malaysian Development Bank, was shot dead in the parking lot near the Chinese temple Kuan Yin in Lorong Ceylon at 2pm on Monday.

The 30-second video shows a lifeless Hussain on the ground of the parking lot covered in blood.

There is also a woman, believed to be his 49-year-old wife, cradling his head on her lap as she sits slumped on the ground.

The woman appears to have a wound on her arm, which coincides with Kuala Lumpur CID deputy chief ACP Khairi Ahrasa's statement that Hussain's wife was hit in the left wrist and right thigh.

Hussain was shot twice in the chest at close range, killing the renowned banker on the spot.

The video also shows an unidentified woman checking Hussain's pulse and comforting the distraught woman, as several bystanders look on.

The video was uploaded at around 1.38pm and has since received 19 Likes, 19 Shares and five comments.

However, it has received several negative comments.

Facebook user Cindy Antoinette Fernandez commented on the video, saying: "This video is very disrespectful to the victim and family."

Mohd Hilmi Hassan wrote: "Tolong delete video ni (Please delete this video)."

Facebook user Woei Hern commended the unidentified woman who comforted the woman believed to be Hussain's wife.

"I'm glad at least one person put a consoling arm around her," she wrote.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

Growing Up In A Nonya Kitchen

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Stories and recipes from a Singaporean Nonya.

When I was asked to review a Nonya cookbook, I jumped at the chance with glee.

Anything Nonya just reminds me of my paternal grandmother who is a Nonya. But after the initial excitement died down, I was worried that the book would fall short of my Nonya expectations.

For me, everything that my Ah Ma shared with me will always have a special place in my heart – from sewing a pair of beaded shoes to wearing Nonya kebaya, from cooking the most delicious kapitan chicken curry to steaming the perfect kuih talam. Ah Ma has definitely enriched my childhood with these experiences.

Sharon Wee, the author of Growing Up In A Nonya Kitchen, is a Singaporean Nonya whose Nonya memories are slightly different from mine.

The book, in my opinion, is foremost a tribute to Wee's mother and her wonderful Nonya memories, and then a Nonya cookbook.

Wee fills the book with many anecdotes from her childhood during the different celebrations and family meal times. In between these stories, you can find recipes that are associated with these occasions.

She dedicates the first chapter to recipes for Chinese New Year. Flipping through her recipes for Ngo Hiang (which we call lobak), Ayam Kormak (or Hong Kay), Achar, Itek Tim and Golden Agar Jelly bring back so many wonderful memories of my Ah Ma cooking these dishes for Chinese New Year and sometimes for Cheng Beng too.

I find that some of Wee's recipes are differently named than what I am familiar with – because her family is Singaporean Nonya while my Ah Ma is a Penangite Nonya – but after a look at the ingredients list and the accompanying photo, it is not that hard to figure out what the recipe is.

Wee also provides recipes for Sunday Family Gatherings – Nasi Lemak, Otak-Otak, Mee Siam and Mee Rebus – while A Very Festive Family has recipes for special family occasions such as Nonya Kueh Chang for Dragon Boat Festival, Kueh Ee for Tang Chek (Winter Solstice) and Kueh Ku and Red Eggs for babies' Full Moon celebration.

Wee dedicates a chapter, Life of the Party, to entertaining Nonya-style. The recipes include Pai Ti, Nonya Pork Satay, Popiah, Popiah Goreng and Curry Puffs.

You can get recipes for Pineapple Tarts, Cashew Nut Cookies, Sugee Biscuits and Kueh Bolu from The Housewives Baking Club.

The Secrets of Arab Street showcase recipes such as Nasi Biryani, Ayam Rendang, Lontong, Soto Ayam and Beef Rendang, which Wee's mother picked up from her Arab and Indonesian friends.

Recipes for everyday dining are featured in Our Daily Fare. In this chapter, you can find goodies such as Udang Garam Asam, Ikan Gulai, Tau Yu Bak (Braised Pork), Sambal Telor and Ikan Sumbat. Oh, how I crave for these dishes now!

Wee does not forget to include recipes for desserts in Sweet Rewards. Choose from Kueh Ko Swee, Kueh Talam Hijau, Ondeh-Ondeh, Goreng Klodok, Pulot Hitam or Bubur Cha Cha to complete your Nonya dining experience.

The more I read about Wee's experiences and adventures, the more I am reminded of my own Ah Ma.

Page after page of this book give me the chance to relive my growing up years with my Ah Ma who has since passed on.

I would highly recommend this book to those who have Nonya parents/grandparents or those who wish to learn about the Nonya way of life and would like to relive those memories through cooking and food.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

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Ambitious space plan poised for take-off

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THE bold plan to send a Singaporean into space in 2015 is on track, according to one of the key drivers of the project.

IN.Genius director Lim Seng told The Straits Times that seven unmanned flight tests have been carried out overseas so far.

He declined to reveal more, including whether the plan involves a craft that looks like a plane or a giant balloon, citing confidentiality agreements.

But he said a vessel for two which will fly more than 20km into the Earth's stratosphere - most commercial planes fly 10km to 12km above the planet - will be launched in 2015 on National Day.

A commercial version of the vessel, which will be able to hold about four to six passengers, will be ready the following year, he added, as part of a programme to kick-start Singapore's space tourism industry by 2016.

"We have a business plan and we are confident that our effort to launch space tourism here will create revenue, high-tech jobs and open up a new business sector for Singapore."

The privately-funded scheme, which also has the backing of the Singapore Space and Technology Association (SSTA), has its doubters. Professor Chew Yong Tian, from the National University of Singapore's department of mechanical engineering, described the 2016 space tourism plan as "ambitious", noting that there are "many other considerations such as commercial viability, safety and attraction to tourists".

But SSTA president Jonathan Hung said he believes that they will be able to meet the deadline, without compromising safety.

He added: "Singapore has the right ingredients to build such an industry and we should capitalise on our strengths to realise it."

Commercial space travel has yet to become a reality, but British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, which has been selling US$250,000 (RM805,250) tickets on its spaceplane, hopes to have its first launch next year.

Spanish firm zero2infinity is also purportedly ready to offer commercial flights using giant helium balloons in the next two years.

Meanwhile, the race to be chosen as Singapore's first space traveller is heating up.

More than 120 applicants, 90% of whom are Singapore Airlines pilots, have sent in their bids since a call for entries was made in late February.

The deadline for applications has been extended to Sept 30.

"We want to have a bigger talent pool to draw from," said Lim.

Applicants should have a pilot's licence, but that has not stopped Tanjong Katong Girls' School student, Cherie Lim, 15, one of five female applicants.

She said: "Space is truly amazing. There are so many new discoveries waiting for us." — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

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Riot of colour
Beatlemania on stage
The frame of life

Riot of colour

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British sketch artist Jon Burgerman has made his mark with colour markers, paper, and a healthy dose of imagination.

Letting your mind wander can take you to great places. Designer Jon Burgerman explains he didn't have an end goal or trajectory for his career. Graduating with a degree in Fine Arts from the Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, England back in 2001, his plan consisted of putting his art on a website, meeting other artists and hopefully scoring freelance work.

"Sometimes we do stuff we're not conscious of at the time but when we look back we realise we were actually heading in a certain direction. I think I work in this intuitive way," says Burgerman, who is most known for his unique style of sketching, where he creates zany and intricate images free style – like the doodling equivalent of jazz.

A decade later, Burgerman's work has been translated into everything from wallpaper iPhone apps and Kidrobot vinyl toys, bagging him advertising awards for his collaborations with brands like Sony, Nike and Levi's. He even has permanent collections on display in London's Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

"You have a vague sense of where you'd like to go, even if you don't how you're going to get there – a bit like my tour around South East Asia," adds Burgerman, who will be making a one day stop in Kuala Lumpur as part of his It's Great To Create workshop and tour across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

The British artist will be hitting Kuala Lumpur on Aug 3 at The Black Box, Publika, courtesy of Designers Weekend & Safe Tree, to share his insights about the importance cultivating "play at work".

"A lot of innovation comes from when we are relaxed, not worried about the outcomes and are playing. I aim to show that through play and experimentation we can come up with new ideas and further our practice," notes Burgerman, in an email interview.

"It seems as we move on in our careers there is a culture of fear of failure and fear of not being in total control of everything we do, this leads to stagnation and stunted imagination. Let's loosen up and play more and achieve things we didn't expect. No risk no fun!"

Though the workshop is meant primarily for designers and illustrators, Burgerman insists his lessons applied to everyone, not just arts people.

"Pen pushers especially – loosen your tie and get scribbling," he jokes.

For aspiring artists, he also recommends working in different mediums to help see one's work with fresh eyes, saying they need distance or a new perspective on their work to see where it could go next.

Jon Burgerman's unique artistic quirks as a 'full-time doodler' has earned him recognition worldwide.

Despite being self taught, describing his current style as basically the same doodles he did as a child (albeit refined and with more influences thrown in), the Fine Arts degree holder is an advocate of getting an education in the arts.

"It (my degree) gave me three years to purely develop ideas and skills. Time is the valuable commodity, more so than the actual degree, though I was relieved to get a first!

Although it's never been important what mark I got awarded. Time and development is the key," explains Burgerman.

He also attributes his success at work with keeping to his guns and turning down jobs he did not agree with, whether he disliked the brand or felt the clients were over controlling.

"I'm too grumpy and life is too short to work with people you don't like or on projects your heart is not fully into. I've learned that over time," says Burgerman.

"However, sometimes you have to work for pay, a sad reality of life. But where it's possible, I only take corporate work where I have free reign to express my ideas and the client trusts my judgement. It's a collaboration and there has to be mutual trust."

He warns that all of a person's decisions go some way to define them as an artist and as a person.

"I've turned down major fast food burger places many times because I don't like the culture they purvey and what they stand for," says Burgerman, despite his ironically similar name. Not just a corporate artist, the enterprising designer also runs an online store (Burgerplex.com) that sells his artbooks, merchandise and apparel.

His ultimate goal? To have his signature characters made into a cartoon series.

"I have one project in development right now with two studios jointly and I am working on some new concepts for pitching. It takes a loooong time though, the world of animation is slow!" laments Burgerman.

But the artist will doodle along until he gets there. It has proven to be a sound strategy so far.

Jon Burgerman's It's Great To Create workshop will take place at The Black Box, Publika, in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 3 at 3pm. Registration is at RM20 per person, RM15 for groups of more than two. To reserve, email daniel@safetree.com.my or call Daniel (017-626 7220). Attendees who would like to take part in the hands-on workshop are advised to bring magic colours, black artliner pens and a sketch pad.

Beatlemania on stage

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The Beatles bring all their loving back to Broadway.

The Beatles – that is, a version of the Liverpool band that broke up more than 40 years ago – are back on Broadway, sending theatre audiences dancing into the aisles and proving it's not just Paul McCartney who still believes in Yesterday.

Let It Be, a concert-style celebration of the music of the Fab Four that opened in New York last week, is the latest stage show to take fans old and new back to the Beatlemania of the 1960s even as surviving members McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr perform and tour the world in their own right. Unlike the Abba stage show Mamma Mia! or Green Day's American Idiot that string a plot around well-known hits, Let It Be simply features young look-alikes for McCartney, Starr and the late John Lennon and George Harrison who play and sing Beatles songs live as if the audience were attending a 1960s era concert.

"It's not a musical and it's not just a concert. It's somewhere between those things," director and musical supervisor John Maher told Reuters.

The band performs some 40 hits each night in roughly chronological order from The Beatles' last show at Liverpool's Cavern Club to their final live concert on a London rooftop in January 1969. Attention is given to detail, including how the band members stood while performing, as well as their Liverpool accents, changing looks, mannerisms and hairstyles.

Screens in the theatre show original newsreels and some psychedelic video projections. "If we don't get the authenticity right, the evening doesn't succeed as a concert or a theatrical event. When people walk out, if all we have done is play the songs really well, it doesn't take people to the same place than if we make them believe, just for a second or two, that they are watching the real deal," Maher added.

Please please me

The show is not endorsed by either The Beatles or their Apple Corps Ltd company. (Copyright to most of the songs is held by Sony/ATV.) Only the Cirque du Soleil acrobatic spectacle Love, which has been playing in Las Vegas since 2006, has that distinction. Audiences don't seem to mind. On a recent night, babyboomers and 20-somethings alike sang along loudly, got to their feet and danced, and screamed with appreciation.

Let It Be arrives on Broadway after mixed reviews in London. It follows a similar tribute show, Rain, in 2010-2011, and the 1970s Broadway show Beatlemania, which is still touring. Maher says the music remains so strong and well-known internationally that there is room for another production.

Record label EMI estimates that The Beatles have sold more than one billion units worldwide since they formed in 1960 and disbanded in 1970. Musician and author Jonathan Gould hasn't seen the Broadway show but said the music of the Fab Four appears to be more popular now than 20 years ago and has been embraced by new generations.

"It is like listening to Mozart or Beethoven or Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington. All those cliches about it being somewhat timeless have some relevance now, and I think people can just give themselves over to it," said Gould, author of the 2007 book Can't Buy Me Love about the Beatles and their impact on pop culture.

Why not just go hear McCartney, 71, himself perform many of the old Beatles hits on his current, critically acclaimed Out There world tour, now wrapping up its US leg? Starr, 73, is heading out to South America and Mexico on tour in October. Gould said fans should go see McCartney, but they won't get "the incredible dimension of the four of them singing and playing together.

"When you saw The Beatles on stage, they were really performing for one another. They are looking and laughing at one another. That's a quality that I think was enormously affecting," said Gould. Maher agrees that the Beatles together had a spark that made them more than the sum of their parts.

"There is a nostalgia element that takes many of us back to what feels like a simpler time or a happier time. But for me, it begins and ends with the music. "The quality and scope of their songwriting is astonishing. The change in their writing from 1962 to 1966 is enormous. I can still come home from a day of 18 hours in the theatre and put the Beatles on very happily and still be blown away by it." — Reuters

The frame of life

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The Malaysia Chapter of the Royal Photographic Society announces its arrival with its first major exhibition.

THAT'S my picture!" exclaimed Nick Ng as we strode into the room that housed the People, Places & Life Through The Lenses showcase at YTL Land and Development Bhd's Sentul East Design Centre (SEED) in the city centre that is now the refurbished Sentul in the capital.

The said image – seen at Royal Photographic Society (RPS) Malaysia Chapter's first major exhibition – was photographed in the north of India in that part of a restaurant that most patrons will never set foot – the definite business end of the kitchen. The cooks and their assistants, it seems, welcomed Ng's intrusion and he, in turn, had maximised their hospitality.

The shot was pulled back on a wide angle to take in their whole habitat and effectively placed the gritty in an imposing facade. As Ng explained, the exhibition shied away from any thematic pretensions though anyone visiting it from now till July 28 will be persuaded to accept a common thread that intertwines the works of 15 of RPS's members: realism.

On July 18, two days before the opening night of the RPS Malaysia Chapter's first major exhibition, the passion of Ng and his collaborators at the RPS sliced through the sizzling evening. The impression, it would not be incorrect to say, was akin to the imminent staging of a long awaited coming-out celebration.

"We are very lucky to be able to use the place for no fees while J&A Imaging (www.jaissb.com) is sponsoring the prints. To have an event of this scale once a year is manageable, but we can't have it too often because of sponsorship … we may overstretch ourselves," said Ng as he mentioned the struggles to raise funds for RPS's plans.

Nick Ng's gritty shot A Little Sanctuary In The Alley of Delhi takes a detour from the stereotypical tourist sights in India.

The RPS was officially listed with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) in February this year. It has quietly worked the ground in the Peninsular and Sarawak by introducing the organisation to various photographic societies and conducting workshops. Ng recalled the materialisation of a Chapter of the RPS here, and he did not attempt to rein in his sense of disbelief and elation.

"All this happened at the end of October in 2011, before I went to India, when the President of the RPS of Britain e-mailed to ask if I would like to start a chapter in Malaysia. I was doing a salon for a photography society and I e-mailed her for a message for the salon.

"When I got back from India, I received an email and it said 'You've been officially appointed by the Council as the Malaysia Chapter Organiser.' We never actually discussed the proposal … I think they needed somebody to start it here. I then appointed Steven Leong as the West Malaysia Chair while Chan Hua Chiang (Fellow of RPS) is the East Malaysia Chair," he said.

Chan ran RPS's activities in Sibu last year, and Miri in May, and is in touch with the local photographic societies in Sabah and Sarawak to co-organise events. RPS draws its membership from the photographic societies in Malaysia and their efforts are part of People, Places & Life Through The Lenses exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.

Ng was keen to stress that RPS is not a society, and has no ambition to ursurp these clubs into a single body.

"We can't group them into one … some of the societies have been established for more than 50 or 60 years. We are trying to build relationships and a community feel amongst them because it is easier to do things in future. If we manage to build that in every state (in Malaysia), we can bring this exhibition to Penang and Malacca, and promote the name of RPS.

"We are a platform for sharing. If you want to know about photography, you can come over and we will share what we know with you. If we don't have that particular information, there are other people (within RPS) who do know since we have a variety of photographers in every category. That's how we grow together."

The Match by Kid Chan provides a laugh during a joyous wedding shoot.

The exhibition is a step in this direction. Ben Toh, Ng's co-curator, proposed to the RPS that they hold a showcase at SEED when the former organised the Women Behind The Lens exhibition in conjunction with International Woman's Day in March. The SEED management wanted to breathe life into the property – home to mainly landscape designers, interior designers and architects – and convert it into a throbbing hub for the arts, design and photography fields.

According to Toh, the first photography exhibition was in February and helmed by MK Salma or Sally, as she is also known, and the soft launch of the RPS at the same d7 venue was the follow-up in April. In line with the aims of SEED, the People, Places & Life Through The Lenses exhibition traverses the subject matter.

"This event is in itself is not only about photography, but also about bringing the values of the arts to the people … the exhibition is not confined to our members. We are opening it to the public. Besides the exhibition, we have talks and workshops," said Ng.

"This Sunday (July 21), we have a Photo Hunt Competition around Sentul. The theme is Sentul Yesterday & Sentul Today. On July 27, we managed to get three commercial photographers, Kid Chan, Adam Seow, Jen Siow and (Long) Thien-Shih, who is the resident artist at University Malaya (plus) activist and musician AiLin (Yong) for a talk."

Another well-known photographer Patrick Low will moderate this informal "meet & chat" session on July 27, which will discuss Contemporary Views On Art & Photography. Members of the public are invited to participate, especially the click-and-upload generation. Ng is expecting interest to come from these youngsters.

He noted that photography in the digital era – made more convenient with each application and model upgrade – has allowed many to explore this discipline, with the new generation picking it up as a hobby while the rest venture into it professionally as freelancers. While Ng welcomed the development, he broached the issue of art in photography.

Steven Leong's The Egrets, which was captured at an abandoned pond off Rawang, Selangor.

Opining that this is a subjective topic, he held the view that the proliferation of software and applications has afforded freedom for photographers or virtual artists to create compositions out of computer-generated images. This, he said, is acceptable in the same way an artist respects another's ability to create.

Ng elaborated that the question always is if one image is better than the other in the manner in which it invokes a feel for it. But there are exceptions.

"In travel documentary and photojournalism … what you capture is what you should show. Apart from this category, I believe that every image taken digitally should be enhanced – using software – because it brings out the beauty of the image.

"If I was to shoot raw and I don't do anything – level or contrast it – the image that is produced is unattractive.

"This brings us to the chat sessions on July 27 when we deal with the subject of whether technology has diminished the inner creativity of the authors or has it helped the authors to be more creative," he concluded.

Join the activities and discussions during the People, Places & Life Through The Lenses exhibition that daily runs till July 28 at G-19, d7 @ Sentul East in Kuala Lumpur. Opening times: Monday to Saturday (11am to 5pm, by appointment) and Sunday (11am to 4pm). Call: 012-205 0716. For details, go to www.facebook.com/rps.msia. For info on The Royal Photographic Society (Malaysia Chapter), e-mail: nickng6208@gmail.com. Call: 012-377 2331.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Selasa, 30 Julai 2013