Ahad, 11 Mei 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Southern Ocean winds strongest in 1,000 years: study

Posted: 11 May 2014 10:57 PM PDT

SYDNEY, May 12, 2014 (AFP) - Winds in the wild Southern Ocean are blowing at their strongest in a millennia as climate change shifts weather patterns, leaving Antarctica colder and Australia facing more droughts, a study showed Monday.

Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere were strengthening the winds, already dubbed the "Roaring Forties" for their ferocity, and pushing them further south towards Antarctica, researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) said.

"The Southern Ocean winds are now stronger than at any other time in the past 1,000 years," said the study's lead researcher Nerilie Abram of an ocean notorious for having some of the fiercest winds and largest waves on the planet.

"The strengthening of these winds has been particularly prominent over the past 70 years, and by combining our observations with climate models we can clearly link this to rising greenhouse gas levels."

The new research, which was published in the Nature Climate Change journal, explains why Antarctica is not warming as much as other continents.

The westerly winds, which do not touch the eastern parts of Antarctica but circle in the ocean around it, were trapping more of the cold air over the area as they strengthened, with the world's southernmost continent "stealing more of Australia's rainfall", Abram said.

"This is why Antarctica has bucked the trend. Every other continent is warming, and the Arctic is warming fastest of anywhere on earth," she said.

The study's authors analysed ice cores from Antarctica, along with data from tree rings and lakes in South America, using the southern hemisphere's most powerful supercomputer "Raijin", which is based at the ANU.

The research helped to explain why the westerlies were further cooling already cold parts of the continent even as they were also driving "exceptionally quicker" warming in the Antarctic Peninsula, which juts out into their path, Abram said.

The strengthening westerlies drive up the temperature at the peninsula - the only part of the Antarctica that is hit by the wind - through the warm, moist air they carry from the Southern Ocean.

This has made the peninsula the fastest-warming place in the southern hemisphere, with scientists concerned about the stability of the ice sheets and sea level rises in the region.

The shift in the westerlies - approximately 200 kilometres in the 20th century - was driven by human emissions of carbon dioxide, said research fellow Steven Phipps of the University of New South Wales, who worked on the climate modelling used in the study.

From the 1970s, the shift was exacerbated by the expanding ozone hole caused by human emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Phipps added.

"Even for a mid-range climate scenario, the trend is going to continue in the 21st century," Phipps said, adding that southern Australia was likely to experience more dry winters.

Beijing launches armed police patrol force

Posted: 11 May 2014 10:52 PM PDT

BEIJING, May 12, 2014 (AFP) - Beijing launched armed police patrols Monday to handle violent incidents in the capital, city authorities said, three weeks ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown and after a series of attacks on civilians.

The armed division, which has 150 vehicles, aims to "strike on terrorist and violent crimes in a rapid and effective way", the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB) said on its verified account on Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

The patrols were being deployed in the face of "the current severe and complicated situation of anti-terrorism," it said.

The Chinese government is on alert after a series of dramatic attacks it blames on militants from far western Xinjiang, home to the mainly Muslim Uighur minority.

A fiery vehicle crash in Beijing's Tiananmen Square - the symbolic heart of the Chinese state - last October was followed by a horrific knife assault in March at a railway station in the southern city of Kunming, which left 29 dead and 143 wounded.

Two weeks ago, assailants using knives and explosive devices attached to their bodies attacked a train station in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, leaving three dead - including two alleged attackers - and 79 wounded.

The Beijing PSB said each patrol vehicle will have an armed team of at least two police officers and one auxiliary on every shift, who will arrive on the scene within three minutes of a report.

They will park at main roads, crowded venues and unspecified "key areas" - possibly a reference to politically sensitive sites such as Tiananmen Square - and set up checkpoints, it said, adding: "They will respond immediately whenever an emergency takes place."

State-run media posted pictures of black Hummer-like vehicles online.

The announcement came three weeks ahead of the sensitive June 4 anniversary of the brutal suppression of huge anti-government protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989, when hundreds - by some estimates, thousands - were killed.

Authorities routinely round up outspoken critics of the Communist Party in the weeks before key events and police have recently detained prominent former journalist Gao Yu, celebrated human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang and other activists.

Questions remain as China remembers 6 years since quake

Posted: 11 May 2014 10:19 PM PDT

BEIJING, May 12, 2014 (AFP) - Six years after a huge earthquake killed tens of thousands of people in China, questions over poor building work and corruption were still being asked on Monday's anniversary, as online posters remembered the dead.

More than 80,000 were left dead or missing when a 8.0 magnitude tremor struck Sichuan on the afternoon of May 12 2008, including 5,335 school pupils.

The disaster provoked widespread grief in China, but also outrage after it emerged 7,000 schools were badly damaged in the southwestern province, triggering accusations of shoddy construction, corner-cutting and possible corruption, especially as many other buildings nearby held firm.

The aftermath of the earthquake saw the rise to prominence as a government critic of artist Ai Weiwei, who organised a citizens' probe into the school collapses. The campaign led to him being badly beaten by police when he tried to testify in support of an activist who had investigated the issue.

"The earthquake was a natural disaster, but we still have to call into question, wasn't the death of more than 5,000 students in relation to a man-made disaster?" said Liu Xiaoyuan, Ai's lawyer, in an online posting Monday.

Many campaigners and parents are still seeking answers on how the quake destroyed so many schools when it struck during afternoon classes. They have become known as "tofu schools" in China, likening their structural instability to the popular soft bean curd dish.

"Apart from the officials and experts who don't believe that the school buildings had problems, how many others would believe the collapse of the buildings was unrelated to 'tofu construction'?" Liu added on his verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter.

Elsewhere on the hugely popular forum, many posted messages remembering the casualties of a disaster.

"May the dead rest in peace, and the living remain strong," said one post.

"We should continue to grieve, but also ensure that help is provided to those who continue to be affected," said another.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews


New image alert: Star-Lord from 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'

Posted: 10 May 2014 12:25 AM PDT

Just-released stills from the movie show Chris Pratt as Star-Lord.

Ahead of the release of a second trailer, new images from the superhero movie have hit the Internet.

Published on the Guardians Of The Galaxy Facebook page, the new stills provide a better look at Star-Lord and his futuristic mask.

In this adaptation of the Marvel comic introduced in 1969, Chris Pratt (Parks And Recreation) leads the cast as Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord. The movie also features Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Benicio Del Toro.

After stealing a strange globe, Star-Lord finds that he is being pursued by bounty hunters working for the evil and powerful Ronan. The adventurer must join forces with four aliens, each from a different planet, to prevent Ronan from getting his hands on the globe and unlocking its true power, which could threaten the entire galaxy.

Guardians Of The Galaxy is set for a release in August. — AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz


New image alert: Star-Lord from 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'

Posted: 10 May 2014 12:25 AM PDT

Just-released stills from the movie show Chris Pratt as Star-Lord.

Ahead of the release of a second trailer, new images from the superhero movie have hit the Internet.

Published on the Guardians Of The Galaxy Facebook page, the new stills provide a better look at Star-Lord and his futuristic mask.

In this adaptation of the Marvel comic introduced in 1969, Chris Pratt (Parks And Recreation) leads the cast as Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord. The movie also features Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Benicio Del Toro.

After stealing a strange globe, Star-Lord finds that he is being pursued by bounty hunters working for the evil and powerful Ronan. The adventurer must join forces with four aliens, each from a different planet, to prevent Ronan from getting his hands on the globe and unlocking its true power, which could threaten the entire galaxy.

Guardians Of The Galaxy is set for a release in August. — AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


'Agents Of SHIELD' renewed; 'Agent Carter' gets the greenlight

Posted: 11 May 2014 12:20 AM PDT

TV network ABC renews a string of programmes including Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD, The Goldbergs and Modern Family.

ABC has given a second season to Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD, and has also given a series order to Marvel's Agent Carter, starring Hayley Atwell from Captain America. The network has also given the greenlight to the romantic comedy Manhattan Love Story and Forever, starring Ioan Gruffudd, as well as a second-season order for the comedy The Goldbergs.

The network's hit comedy Modern Family, not surprisingly, has been given the go-ahead for a sixth season.

The comedy Selfie, starring Karen Gillan as "instafamous" personality Eliza Dooley, has also been given a series order from the network.

Marvel's Agent Carter follows the story of Peggy Carter (Atwell, below). It's 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy a serious blow as she finds herself marginalised when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life – Steve Rogers.

Inspired by the feature films Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, along with the short Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter, the series is executive produced by Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters, Steve McFeely, Christopher Marcus and Jeph Loeb.

Manhattan Love Story, meanwhile, explores the question, Have you ever wondered what your date was thinking? This romantic comedy exposes the differences between men and women through the unfiltered thoughts, and often contradictory actions, of a new couple who have just begun dating. Analeigh Tipton, Jake McDorman, Nicolas Wright, Jade Catta-Preta, Chloe Wepper and Kurt Fuller star.

Forever stars Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) as Doctor Henry Morgan, New York City's star medical examiner, who has a secret. He doesn't just study the dead to solve criminal cases, he does it to solve the mystery that has eluded him for 200 years-the answer to his own inexplicable immortality. This long life has given Henry remarkable observation skills which impresses his new partner Detective Jo Martinez.

Each week, a new case and their budding friendship will reveal layers of Henry's long and colorful past. Only his best friend and confidant, Abe, knows Henry's secret. Alana De La Garza, Barbara Eve Harris, Marcia Roark, Donnie Keshawarz, Joel David Moore and Judd Hirsch also star.

Selfie stars Gillan (above) as Eliza Dooley, who has 263,000 followers who hang on to her every post, tweet and selfie. But one lonely day she has a revelation: Being friended is not the same as having actual friends. She asks marketing guru Henry (John Cho) to "rebrand" her self-obsessed reputation and teach her how to connect with people in the real world. 

Loosely based on My Fair Lady, Selfie explores the modern struggles of Eliza and Henry, as he tries to teach her how to live life offline-whether she "likes" it or not. — Reuters

End of the road for TV's 'Community'

Posted: 10 May 2014 12:10 AM PDT

TV's dysfunctional college 'family' gets the boot as Community is cancelled after five seasons.

Community is no more: The wildly unconventional comedy, known for paintball fights, animated episodes and tributes to the celebrated and obscure, has been cancelled after five years of critical praise but poor ratings.

NBC stuck with Community for as long as it did in part because of its acclaim and dedicated online following. It was tailor-made for Internet obsessing, with niche-y jokes and memes that included most famously, Annie's Boobs. (The joke involved both a monkey and the sensible bookworm played by Allison Brie.)

Even star Joel McHale's response to the bad news was an inside joke. "#Darkesttimeline", he tweeted, a reference to an episode in which life split into six different realities, depending on which of the characters got up to answer a door.

It was all too complicated for most viewers. One episode, which began as a Pulp Fiction spoof, turned out to be an homage to the much lesser known My Dinner With Andre.

The show won an Emmy – its only one – for an animated Christmas episode that paid tribute to the stop-motion holiday specials of the 1960s. It suffered internal drama that included Chevy Chase leaving after a very public feud with co-creator Dan Harmon; Donald Glover leaving to focus on his other projects; and Harmon leaving at the behest of NBC because of the show's ratings.

In the biggest twist, he returned after one season away.

But the show brimmed with talent – maybe more than could fit in one show. Jim Rash, who played the dean, had a modest side job as an Oscar-winning screenwriter. Ken Jeong, who played Mr Chang, also appeared in the Hangover blockbusters. McHale also hosted The Soup on E!.

And Brie, who also appeared on Mad Men, was already working on the TV Land pilot Teachers before news of the axe.

They and the rest of the cast, including Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi and Yvette Nicole Brown, will be in high demand.

One of the show's longest-serving hashtags was #sixseasonsandamovie, which reflected Harmon and his cast's hope that the series would last six years, then assemble an onscreen reunion.

Community got five years. There's no word on a movie, but the online Community community might want to train their paintball guns on Kickstarter. — Reuters

Jeremy Wade(s) through Asian rivers in search of monsters

Posted: 09 May 2014 08:45 PM PDT

Renowned biologist to share his encounters with freshwater beasts in Asia during his River Monsters Live In Asia stop in Malaysia.

If you think crocodiles and alligators are the only predators you need to worry about the next time you take a quick dip in a river ... you have obviously not watched Discovery Channel's River Monsters series.

Eager to take you on a spine-chilling monster fishing adventure – all from the safety and comfort of your living room – is renowned angling guru and biologist Jeremy Wade who is back on air with River Monsters 6.

"I've been fishing the world for decades, but it's the Amazon that keeps calling me back," said Wade. "Now, I'm returning to solve the mission of a lifetime to spend an entire year going farther, deeper and more remote than I've ever been before."

Just in case you didn't know, the amount of water flowing through the Amazon river in South America is greater than the flow of rivers Ganges (India), Congo (Africa), Mississippi (United States), Nile (Egypt) and Yangtze (China) – combined. Yikes!

Well, that explains why the concentration of fish species there is 10,000 times of that in the ocean, and this includes some very real "river monsters".

And guess what? You can be one of first people to hear Wade talk about his experience as he stops by Malaysia for his River Monsters Live In Asia tour. Yes, Wade will be at Sunway Pyramid in Bandar Sunway, Selangor on May 24 to share stories about his adventures from the new season, his encounters with freshwater beasts in Asia, tips on how to catch a monster fish (yay!) and of course, to meet fans.

There is also a special photo exhibition featuring some of Wade's most epic River Monsters moment at Sunway Pyramid from May 23 to 25.

Wade will also be in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 22 and Singapore on May 25. For details go to discoverychannelasia.com or facebook.com/DiscoverySEAsia. Catch the action on social media via the #RiverMonstersAsia hashtag.

River Monster 6 premieres on July 8 (Tuesday) at 10pm on Discovery Channel (Astro Ch 551).

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies


New image alert: Star-Lord from 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'

Posted: 10 May 2014 12:25 AM PDT

Just-released stills from the movie show Chris Pratt as Star-Lord.

Ahead of the release of a second trailer, new images from the superhero movie have hit the Internet.

Published on the Guardians Of The Galaxy Facebook page, the new stills provide a better look at Star-Lord and his futuristic mask.

In this adaptation of the Marvel comic introduced in 1969, Chris Pratt (Parks And Recreation) leads the cast as Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord. The movie also features Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Benicio Del Toro.

After stealing a strange globe, Star-Lord finds that he is being pursued by bounty hunters working for the evil and powerful Ronan. The adventurer must join forces with four aliens, each from a different planet, to prevent Ronan from getting his hands on the globe and unlocking its true power, which could threaten the entire galaxy.

Guardians Of The Galaxy is set for a release in August. — AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf


Listen To The Squawking Chicken

Posted: 10 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

A child who can make her parents happy, will be happy herself.

Let's be very, very honest.

What kind of impression would you have of your mother if she was the type to consort with the Chinese Mafia, played mahjong all day and is a veritable show off?

Elaine Lui, who has written this book in honour of her mother, puts in succinctly: She'd be nothing without her.

A prominent Toronto-based blogger, Lui captures her mother's larger-than-life personality in this phrase, "Muhammad Ali floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee. Ma walks like an elephant and squawks like a chicken and, she has always taught me to do the same".

Of course, her mother is a feminist to boot. In the very first chapter, Lui recounts how an uncle who had hollered at his daughter to walk like a lady, was shot down indirectly when her mother turned to Lui and said it was OK to stomp around like an elephant. Real women don't creep around like mice.

Unlike most sappy mother-daughter memoirs where all the salacious parts are conveniently left out, Lui spares no detail on how her mother came to be christened the "Squawking Chicken" because of a jarring voice and a reputation for delivering sharp-edged retorts.

First to find fault were Lui's maternal grandparents, one of whom was a habitual gambler and another, an alcoholic and odd job lackey of sorts for local Hong Kong gangsters. One can sense the resentment, as Lui describes her grandparents' unsympathetic reaction when mum is raped – believe it or not, so they didn't have to waste money on medical expenses and to save face. Just to be fair to everyone, even her fathers (meaning Lui's biological father and stepfather) are not spared, as she exposes their inadequacies and infidelities.

As Lui puts it, she did not have it easy being her mother's daughter.

For all her shortcomings, the Squawking Chicken sounds like an answer to the "strawberry generation", the Chinese neologism for those born into economic prosperity and so used to being overprotected by their parents that they have actually come to believe the world owes them a living. Assuredly, Lui is fortunate to have escaped this brand of delusion-causing upbringing.

If you were Squawking Chicken's daughter, whinings of having to walk in the heat instead of taking a taxi are quickly silenced. If you're going to complain, then stay home.

To put it bluntly, the Squawking Chicken's parenting method is the antithesis of the modern style so lauded by the West. Lui's mother is not the type who will go easy on you, not even if it's for the sake of sparing a child from so-called mental torture. In her book, it's actually an effective way of nipping a problem in the bud.

In one episode, after a young Lui had unintentionally whacked her mother's thigh with a ruler during a mahjong game, devastating all chances of a win, the Squawking Chicken promptly declared to a roomful of friends that she should have given birth to a piece of barbecued meat instead, certainly less trouble than mothering a child who gave her nothing but trouble!

What kind of mother is the Squawking Chicken? Does she not fear that the scars of humiliation will run deep and damage a fragile psyche?

Not according to Lui, who tells the story of a childhood friend who later suffered the disastrous consequences of over-lenient parenting. Lui defends her mother, insisting it is the duty of every parent to put a child in its rightful place, and not by using "reasoning", as modern parents prefer to do. Because five minutes later, the child is at it again, unrepentant.

As for fulfilling the ideal of a self-sacrificing parent, for Lui's mother, a child should be thankful just for being a born. For receiving the gift of life, she must repay her parents her entire life, first with obedience and, when required, in the form of cash, jewellery, lavish birthday parties or leisure cruises. As it turns out, the Squawking Chicken is a stickler where the collection of such dues are concerned.

In the end, the rules of filial piety according to the Squawking Chicken simply boils down to this: A child who can make her parents happy, will be happy herself.

Related story: 

Mothers in literature

Orphan Train

Posted: 10 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

THE quirky backwaters of history can be rich places of exploration for novelists and so it has proved for Christina Baker Kline. She discovered the existence of "orphan trains" through reading a non-fiction article in an American historical society publication and her interest was caught. But the clincher was the realisation that her husband's grandfather and his siblings were key figures in the account she was reading. When history met family, the idea of writing a novel based on the orphan trains was born.

Historically, the orphan trains ran in the United States between 1854 and 1929 and transported more than 200,000 orphaned, abandoned and homeless children. Many of these came from immigrant families from east coast cities like New York.

The children were put onto a train with a predetermined route. In advance of the train arriving at any specific township, posters were displayed advertising the time of arrival and the availability of orphans for adoption. When the train pulled into the station, the children would be lined up and the local people given their pick. Children not selected were then put back on the train and taken to the next township where the selection process was repeated.

It is hard to imagine the emotional turmoil that must have afflicted these poor children, uncertain of where or to whom they were being taken. There also seems to have been little or no effective screening of the suitability of the adoptive parents. Poor Mid-Western farmers saw it as a wonderful opportunity to get free labour from strong looking boys and small businesses welcomed young girls who could contribute to stitching and garment-making. All this for the price of minimal accommodation, food and clothing. No wonder that many of these children ended up in loveless households, victims of exploitation and abuse.

Orphan Train follows the lives of two children, one through the 1920s and 1930s, the other a modern day one.

Niamh Power is the child of Irish immigrants whose entire family is killed in a fire. Boarding the orphan train, she has a baby boy thrust into her arms as, at nine, she is one of the older and more responsible children. The baby is swiftly adopted when the train stops at Minnesota. For Niamh, the train journey in search of a home continues but it quickly becomes obvious that, despite the Christian protestations of charity and "doing good", many of the orphans are simply viewed as a source of cheap labour.

"So you have the opportunity both to do a good deed and get something in return," advises the children's overseer in his address to the citizens of Minnesota, before adding:

"The child you select is yours for free on a ninety-day trial. At which point, if you so choose, you may send him back." Niamh is taken at the next station by a couple who need an additional seamstress.

Molly is a typical difficult 21st century teenager. With her Goth appearance, nose studs, multiple earrings and stroppy attitude she has moved from foster family to foster family and ended up in one where she is tolerated rather than loved. She has her commercial value as well – the family is paid for looking after her. One of the pleasures of Orphan Train is watching the gradual process by which Molly finds her place and herself.

Sentenced to 50 hours of community service for the theft of a library book, she agrees to help clear the attic of an old lady who is the employer of her boyfriend's mother. Full of trepidation and near visible hostility, she finds herself committing to the old lady and to her past, and in the process learning a great deal about herself.

Orphan Train is carefully researched and its descriptions of the American mid-West are particularly vivid. After the sewing business collapses following poor stock investments, Niamh ends up on what can only be called a backwoods white trash homestead. In one of the book's standout episodes, she lives in grinding poverty, forced to make stews from squirrels and whatever game the idle owner can shoot while his wife lies in bed and shouts abuse at her. Fortunately, better things are to come.

First and foremost, Orphan Train is a very good read, and it is not difficult to see why it has become a bestseller. Despite its rather grim subject matter in places, it is ultimately a feel-good novel and one that I am sure will be beloved of book groups, as it offers a deal to talk about. Buried not too deeply in it are probing questions about survival, belonging and identity.

For instance, Niamh has her name changed several times by her adopted parents – is the re-naming a sign of their "ownership" and, if so, what effect does that have on the renamed little girl who finds herself increasingly wedged apart from her real origins?

Reflecting on these matters, she says: "In Kinvara, poor as we were, and unstable, we at least had family nearby, people who knew us. We shared traditions and a way of looking at the world. We didn't know until we left how much we took these things for granted."

As Orphan Train makes clear, the world can be a very big, alien place when the things we take for granted are removed entirely from our control.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Nation


Two killed as explosions rock south Thailand

Posted: 11 May 2014 08:47 AM PDT


 HAT YAI: At least two people were killed and nine others injured when southern Thailand was shaken by dozens of bomb blasts.

It has yet to be ascertained if Malaysians were among the victims in the latest spate of violence.

According to a local source, the incident started at 7.30pm local time when four bombs exploded in Sungai Golok.

Three explosions were reported in Sungai Padi while a school and a motorcycle repair shops were burned down.

Other explosions shook Takbai Town leaving two people dead and several others hurt.

In the Yala Region, five bomb explosions disrupted power supply to several areas while three explosions were reported in the Yaha district and two in the Thanto district.

Shootings and burning of tyres were reported in the Benang Setar District and in Krong Pinang. - Bernama

Police may act against dad of Kota Kinabalu missing boy for negligence

Posted: 11 May 2014 08:08 AM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: The police wants to take action against the father of a three-year-old boy who was abducted after he was left in a four-wheel drive vehicle (4WD) at a petrol station in Kampung Air early Friday.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said police might question Low Yee Shang, 31, under the Child Act for negligence in leaving Low Min You in the 4WD, with the engine running to attend a call of nature.

"We are looking for the child and I have directed the state criminal investigation department to investigate the possibility of taking action against the father under the Child Act for negligence," he told reporters.

In the 6am incident, Min You, who was wearing a white t-shirt and short pants was understood to have been asleep in the 4WD when both child and vehicle were missing.

The 4WD was recovered by the police in the vicinity of the Clock Tower in Bukit Bendera about 9.30am last Friday.

Those with information on the missing child can contact 088-529270, 088-529207 or the investigating officer at 016-3572935. - Bernama

Related story:

'All I want is my missing son'

Najib: BN has right strategies for upcoming by-elections

Posted: 11 May 2014 07:59 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants members to give their full commitment and dedication to the upcoming by-elections.

"We will be facing one or two by-elections soon and our deputy chairman and his committee has prepared the right strategies.

"There will be short and long term challenges but if we have enough love and care for the party, as well as commitment and dedication, and InsyaAllah..I think Umno and Barisan will continue to succeed," he said at Umno's 68th Anniversary celebration at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) on Sunday.

The Election Commission has set May 31 as polling day for the Teluk Intan by-election and May 25 for the Bukit Gelugor by-election.

Najib, who is Umno president, pointed out that the party was faced with a new environment and it must be prepared to look at its strength and make improvements.

"For instance, in this new political reality, Umno cannot just maintain its strong support in the rural areas and must take the initiative to win the hearts of the urban, semi-urban and those in urban villages who stay in urban areas but votes in the rural area," he said.

He noted that Umno must be more open in welcoming more intellectuals and professionals within its rank.

"Have we given the intellectuals enough opportunity to join us or have we made it hard for them to join us so they can also serve the community.

"We must also be able to attract more ulama (Muslim scholars) as it is important to help champion and chart the future of Islam," he said.

Najib called on Umno leaders to be well-equipped and continue to win the hearts of the younger generation especially in the cyber space.

"We must remember that the social media, which is considered a neutral platform, is vital as those who managed to colour the platform will get the most influence.

"It is not about how many bloggers we have but we must understand that its their influence that matters most," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, and other component party leaders attended the event where Tan Sri Hassan Azhari and Tan Sri Dr Salma Ismail were honoured as Tokoh Melayu Terbilang 2014.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: Central


Sea row dominates Southeast Asian summit

Posted: 11 May 2014 03:31 AM PDT

Naypyidaw (Myanmar) (AFP) - Surging maritime tensions dominated a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders Sunday with Vietnam expected to call on its regional neighbours for support in its deepening territorial dispute with China.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is convening just days after both Vietnam and the Philippines locked horns with China in contested waters, stoking international alarm.

The summit, hosted for the first time by Myanmar in its showpiece capital Naypyidaw, is set to be dominated by discussion of the South China Sea, which is crisscrossed by key shipping lanes and thought to contain vast energy reserves.

In prepared remarks for the summit seen by AFP, Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged his ASEAN counterparts to protest what he termed China's "serious violation" in the sea.

Tensions flared after a controversial decision by Beijing to relocate a deep-water oil rig into territory also claimed by Hanoi in early May.

The move sparked a series of incidents in the disputed waters, with Vietnam on Wednesday accusing its neighbour of attacks on its ships.

"This extremely dangerous action has been and is directly threatening peace, stability and maritime security and safety," Dung said, according to the prepared remarks.

On Saturday, ASEAN foreign ministers expressed "serious concerns over the on-going developments" in a joint statement ahead of the summit, as the bloc sought to present a unified front in dealing with the region's massive neighbour.

The stand-off has stoked bitter anti-China sentiment in Vietnam, with about 1,000 people joining one of the country's largest ever rallies against Beijing in Hanoi on Sunday. Protests also broke out in two other major Vietnamese cities.

China and Vietnam, who fought a brief border war in 1979, frequently trade diplomatic barbs over oil exploration, fishing rights and the Spratly and Paracel Islands.

Vietnam's communist regime, which is wary of public gatherings that could threaten its authoritarian rule, has alternated between tolerating anti-China rallies and violently breaking them up.

- Exercise 'utmost restraint' -

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on both countries to "exercise the utmost restraint" in the sea, United Nations deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Friday.

Observers have said Beijing's decision to move the rig could have been a tit-for-tat response to a visit to the region by US President Barack Obama, who reaffirmed support for Asian allies the Philippines and Japan, which is locked in its own maritime territorial dispute with China.

Beijing claims sovereign rights to almost the whole of the South China Sea.

The Philippines and Vietnam are China's most vocal critics within Southeast Asia.

But the South China Sea is also claimed in part by ASEAN members Brunei and Malaysia as well as Taiwan.

Manila, which has asked a UN tribunal to rule on China's claims over most of the sea, also said on Wednesday it had detained a Chinese fishing boat in disputed territory.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino Saturday urged fellow Southeast Asian leaders to face up to the threat posed by China's increasing assertiveness in the sea, stressing that it affected regional security.

Beijing prefers to negotiate directly with its smaller, weaker neighbours on a bilateral basis, a policy that is rejected by rival claimants.

The other ASEAN members are Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.

Myanmar's chairmanship is the first time it has taken the helm of ASEAN, despite having been a member for 17 years, as concerns about the rights record of the former junta kept the country on the sidelines.

But reforms under a quasi-civilian regime that came to power in 2011 have burnished the country's international standing and seen the removal of most Western sanctions.

ASEAN suffered a serious knock to its credibility in 2012 during Cambodia's chairmanship of the group when foreign ministers failed to issue a joint communique at their annual meeting for the first time in the bloc's history because of deep divisions on the South China Sea issue.

The Philippines at that time blamed Cambodia, a key Chinese ally, for the fiasco.

Thailand's contribution to the summit will be overshadowed by the removal of Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra from office for abuse of power in a recent court ruling that drew both pro- and anti government protesters onto the streets.

Samsung chief has emergency heart operation

Posted: 10 May 2014 10:24 PM PDT

SEOUL, May 11, 2014 (AFP) - The head of Samsung Group, South Korea's largest business empire, underwent an emergency operation Sunday after developing symptoms of heart failure, hospital officials said.

Lee Kun-Hee, 72, was admitted to a hospital near his home in Seoul Saturday night due to a respiratory problem.

He showed symptoms of heart failure and received emergency treatment before being moved early Sunday to Samsung Medical Centre where his problem was diagnosed as "acute cardiac infarction", the hospital said in a statement.

"He is now recuperating in a stable condition after going through an operation," it said.

Lee underwent lung surgery in the late 1990s and has been suffering from respiratory complications since then.

Lee is South Korea's richest man with a net worth estimated by Forbes magazine at around $10.8 billion and has a son and two daughters. His son, Jay Y. Lee, serves as Samsung Electronics' vice chairman.

The founding family controls Samsung through a complex web of share cross-holdings in group subsidiaries.

The senior Lee stepped down as group chairman in 2008 and now serves as chairman of Samsung Electronics, but he remains the de facto head of the entire business empire.

Under his stewardship, the conglomerate has flourished and become the world's top chipmaker and mobile phone maker.

He is largely credited with turning Samsung - founded by his father in 1938 - into a global brand.

Samsung has rapidly expanded its presence in the global smartphone market, dethroning Apple as the world's top smartphone maker amid worldwide patent battles between the tech giants over technology and design.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion


Photographic memoir: Annie Leivobitz debuts in Singapore

Posted: 10 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

American photographer Annie Leibovitz's retrospective exhibition makes its South-East Asian debut in Singapore. 

Her work is mostly seen in the glossy pages of Vogue and Vanity Fair, but visitors to Singapore's ArtScience Museum can now see celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz's photographs on a grander scale.

An exhibition titled Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life 1990-2005 is currently on at the museum. The retrospective, which is being shown in Asia for the first time, features close to 200 of her iconic images.

Among the famed pictures going on display is that of a nude, pregnant Demi Moore, which drew controversy when it made the cover of Vanity Fair magazine in 1991.

Other revealing celebrity portraits in the show include those of a young Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman.

"I don't have a favourite photograph. It's the body of work that's important, and I think I understood this early on," writes Leibovitz, 64, via e-mail. "When I go to galleries or museums, I like to see retrospectives, a lifetime of an artist's work. That's when it becomes really interesting."

Besides looking back at Leibovitz's work, the exhibition is also a photographic memoir of a decade and a half of her life.

Nicole Kidman, New York, 2003. Photo taken from the Annie Leibovitz from A Photographer¿s Life 1990 ¿ 2005.

Nicole Kidman, New York, 2003.

 

There are photographs of her with friends and family; and with her long-time partner Susan Sontag, the well-known American writer and intellectual who died of cancer in 2004.

The pictures also document the birth and childhood of her three daughters, as well as the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s. And her camera's eye preserves the landscapes of Monument Valley in the American West as well as the Jordanian desert's Wadi Rum.

"I've been taking reportage-type pictures my whole life," says the photographer.

"The photographs of my family and my friends come out of a tradition established by Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson, who were important models to me when I was a student. They're a sort of relaxed reportage. I don't think of them as snapshots, although the boundary between snapshots and personal reportage is pretty thin."

Honor Harger, executive director of the ArtScience Museum, says: "The striking power of Annie's photographs lies in the fact that they capture the essence of the subject in a unique and visceral fashion."

Her subjects are diverse and disparate, from celebrities to war-torn countries. Harger notes: "When it comes to her personal life and work, Leibovitz doesn't separate the two. As Leibovitz states in her publication, Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life 1990-2005, 'I don't have two lives. This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it.'

"There is no hierarchy – every photograph, from family portraits, photographs of celebrities, landscapes and war photographs, holds equal importance. Walking through the exhibition, visitors will feel like they are on an archaeological dig into Annie's life."

First displayed in 2006 at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in the United States, the exhibition has since travelled around the United States and Europe. Singapore is the second of two stops in Asia for the exhibition, after Seoul.

Leibovitz made a name for herself in the 1970s and early 1980s as the chief photographer for music magazine Rolling Stone, before going on to work for Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines.

She shot to fame when her photograph of a naked John Lennon, curled around and kissing his wife Yoko Ono, became the last photograph taken of the Beatles frontman, just five hours before he was assassinated in 1980.

On how her time at Rolling Stone led to her working process of often having elaborate set-ups for portraits (such as an ongoing project to shoot celebrities as various Disney characters), she writes: "I didn't have the luxury of spending a lot of time with a subject. The photo sessions became more like appointments that I had to have an idea for." – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life 1990-2005 is showing at ArtScience Museum in Singapore. It runs daily till Oct 10. Opening times: 10am to 7pm daily. Last admission at 6pm. More info: www.marinabaysands.com/ArtScienceMuseum.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: South & East

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: South & East


Sea row dominates Southeast Asian summit

Posted: 11 May 2014 03:31 AM PDT

Naypyidaw (Myanmar) (AFP) - Surging maritime tensions dominated a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders Sunday with Vietnam expected to call on its regional neighbours for support in its deepening territorial dispute with China.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is convening just days after both Vietnam and the Philippines locked horns with China in contested waters, stoking international alarm.

The summit, hosted for the first time by Myanmar in its showpiece capital Naypyidaw, is set to be dominated by discussion of the South China Sea, which is crisscrossed by key shipping lanes and thought to contain vast energy reserves.

In prepared remarks for the summit seen by AFP, Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged his ASEAN counterparts to protest what he termed China's "serious violation" in the sea.

Tensions flared after a controversial decision by Beijing to relocate a deep-water oil rig into territory also claimed by Hanoi in early May.

The move sparked a series of incidents in the disputed waters, with Vietnam on Wednesday accusing its neighbour of attacks on its ships.

"This extremely dangerous action has been and is directly threatening peace, stability and maritime security and safety," Dung said, according to the prepared remarks.

On Saturday, ASEAN foreign ministers expressed "serious concerns over the on-going developments" in a joint statement ahead of the summit, as the bloc sought to present a unified front in dealing with the region's massive neighbour.

The stand-off has stoked bitter anti-China sentiment in Vietnam, with about 1,000 people joining one of the country's largest ever rallies against Beijing in Hanoi on Sunday. Protests also broke out in two other major Vietnamese cities.

China and Vietnam, who fought a brief border war in 1979, frequently trade diplomatic barbs over oil exploration, fishing rights and the Spratly and Paracel Islands.

Vietnam's communist regime, which is wary of public gatherings that could threaten its authoritarian rule, has alternated between tolerating anti-China rallies and violently breaking them up.

- Exercise 'utmost restraint' -

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on both countries to "exercise the utmost restraint" in the sea, United Nations deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Friday.

Observers have said Beijing's decision to move the rig could have been a tit-for-tat response to a visit to the region by US President Barack Obama, who reaffirmed support for Asian allies the Philippines and Japan, which is locked in its own maritime territorial dispute with China.

Beijing claims sovereign rights to almost the whole of the South China Sea.

The Philippines and Vietnam are China's most vocal critics within Southeast Asia.

But the South China Sea is also claimed in part by ASEAN members Brunei and Malaysia as well as Taiwan.

Manila, which has asked a UN tribunal to rule on China's claims over most of the sea, also said on Wednesday it had detained a Chinese fishing boat in disputed territory.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino Saturday urged fellow Southeast Asian leaders to face up to the threat posed by China's increasing assertiveness in the sea, stressing that it affected regional security.

Beijing prefers to negotiate directly with its smaller, weaker neighbours on a bilateral basis, a policy that is rejected by rival claimants.

The other ASEAN members are Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.

Myanmar's chairmanship is the first time it has taken the helm of ASEAN, despite having been a member for 17 years, as concerns about the rights record of the former junta kept the country on the sidelines.

But reforms under a quasi-civilian regime that came to power in 2011 have burnished the country's international standing and seen the removal of most Western sanctions.

ASEAN suffered a serious knock to its credibility in 2012 during Cambodia's chairmanship of the group when foreign ministers failed to issue a joint communique at their annual meeting for the first time in the bloc's history because of deep divisions on the South China Sea issue.

The Philippines at that time blamed Cambodia, a key Chinese ally, for the fiasco.

Thailand's contribution to the summit will be overshadowed by the removal of Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra from office for abuse of power in a recent court ruling that drew both pro- and anti government protesters onto the streets.

Samsung chief has emergency heart operation

Posted: 10 May 2014 10:24 PM PDT

SEOUL, May 11, 2014 (AFP) - The head of Samsung Group, South Korea's largest business empire, underwent an emergency operation Sunday after developing symptoms of heart failure, hospital officials said.

Lee Kun-Hee, 72, was admitted to a hospital near his home in Seoul Saturday night due to a respiratory problem.

He showed symptoms of heart failure and received emergency treatment before being moved early Sunday to Samsung Medical Centre where his problem was diagnosed as "acute cardiac infarction", the hospital said in a statement.

"He is now recuperating in a stable condition after going through an operation," it said.

Lee underwent lung surgery in the late 1990s and has been suffering from respiratory complications since then.

Lee is South Korea's richest man with a net worth estimated by Forbes magazine at around $10.8 billion and has a son and two daughters. His son, Jay Y. Lee, serves as Samsung Electronics' vice chairman.

The founding family controls Samsung through a complex web of share cross-holdings in group subsidiaries.

The senior Lee stepped down as group chairman in 2008 and now serves as chairman of Samsung Electronics, but he remains the de facto head of the entire business empire.

Under his stewardship, the conglomerate has flourished and become the world's top chipmaker and mobile phone maker.

He is largely credited with turning Samsung - founded by his father in 1938 - into a global brand.

Samsung has rapidly expanded its presence in the global smartphone market, dethroning Apple as the world's top smartphone maker amid worldwide patent battles between the tech giants over technology and design.

Woman fights python to save pet dog in Hong Kong

Posted: 10 May 2014 10:12 PM PDT

HONG KONG, May 11, 2014 (AFP) - A woman used a pocket knife to fight off a huge Burmese python which attacked her dog while out walking in a Hong Kong country park, a report said Sunday.

Courtney Link told the Sunday Morning Post the five-metre (16-foot) snake had coiled itself around her 24 kilogram (53-pound) mongrel Dexter last weekend.

"When I suddenly saw the snake's head, I just started stabbing furiously", Link said, adding she resorted to using the knife only after hitting the serpent with her fists had failed to make it release the dog.

The snake finally loosened its grip and slithered away, leaving the dog with bite wounds on its chest and legs.

A spokeswoman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department confirmed a dog had been attacked by a Burmese python.

Burmese pythons are one of the world's largest snakes and can grow to six metres long and weigh more than 100 kilograms.

They are Hong Kong's biggest natural predator and are a protected species in the territory.

They are rarely sighted but snake attacks on dogs are not unknown.

In 2007, a woman rescued her pet dog following a fight with a 4.5-metre python and the previous year a 22-kilogram husky was crushed to death by a snake.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health


Stay fit to live longer

Posted: 10 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Why pop pills when you can turn  to exercise for a natural remedy?

Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of deaths globally, but physical inactivity could emerge as the biggest public health problem of the 21st century.

According to the 2010 World Health Organization report on mortality and burden of disease estimates, physical inactivity causes 3.2 million deaths a year.

Yet, many refuse to incorporate some form of movement into their daily lives, preferring to be sedentary.

"Changing patterns in leisure and work have led to a health crisis. A low level of fitness causes more deaths than any other illness. Failure to reduce chronic diseases will result in heavy losses in terms of human life and economic production," says Dr Steven Blair, a professor in the departments of exercise science, and epidemiology and biostatistics, at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South California, United States.

Dr Blair, who was previously attached to the Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research in Dallas, had conducted a study with his colleagues. They monitored 25,341 men and 7,080 women for an average of eight years to compare the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and risk factors that predispose people to an early death.

The researchers made these principal observations: People who were fit, but smoked, had high blood pressure or high cholesterol, had lower death rates than people who were otherwise healthy.

And moderately fit men and women had a considerably lower death rate than those in the low fitness group.

"Yes, everything has genetic reasons, but being fit is good for you whether you have other risk factors or not. Even weekend warriors have better health outcomes than someone who doesn't exercise," states Dr Blair, who was in Kuala Lumpur recently.

But there are people who don't know how to exercise! Mopping, sweeping and gardening count because some activity is better than nothing.

"A low level of fitness causes more deaths than any other illness,¿ says Dr Steven Blair.

Dr Steven Blair

He says: "The best form of exercise is the one you can do virtually anywhere. Each person needs to find what works for him. The excuse is always that there is not enough time. You can walk around the couch during a commercial break – don't tell me you're too busy!"

The key is to make exercise fun. Some people thrive on sociability, so for them, group activities are pleasurable – walking, volleyball, line dancing, squash, badminton, etc.

Others find joy in the outdoors – hiking, cycling, mountain-biking, rock climbing, kayaking, etc. For gym junkies, there are aerobic classes, running on the treadmill, elliptical training, or perhaps swimming.

The fun factor increases when you minimise monotony and routine, and maximise sociability, variety and enjoyment.

Is being overweight bad for you? Not necessarily, although fat people are often associated with being unhealthy.

"The obesity epidemic is caused by decreased occupational energy expenditure and not because of eating more. There are people who fall into the category of being metabolically healthy, but obese," argues Dr Blair.

"All you need to do is exercise, because exercise is medicine. Every visit to the doctor, your height and weight are measured, but never your fitness because doctors don't know how to give a prescription for fitness," he says.

Hence, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) rolled out the Exercise Is Medicine (EIM) initiative in 2011, aimed at encouraging primary care physicians and other healthcare providers to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients, or to refer the patient to a qualified health and fitness professional.

EIM has just made its way to Malaysia under the Move Malaysia banner, a programme mooted by the Olympic Council of Malaysia.

The ACSM recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity.

Dr Blair, who is a past president of ACSM, says: "It's not hard. You just have to start and stick to it."

At 75, the academician doesn't portray a picture of fitness and calls himself "fat".

A decade ago, he stated in an interview: "I need more than an hour of vigorous exercise. I have run nearly every day for 35 years and now, at 65, I run 40km (25 miles) a week, which is a lot for a fat, old man." Even so, he gained 11.36-13.6kg (25 to 30lbs) in 35 years.

But he practises what he preaches: exercise is medicine.

"You can't tell by looking at somebody's body shape whether he or she is fit. Many studies show that overweight people are less likely to die than unfit, normal weight people.

"If you're fit and fat, you don't have an elevated risk," he rationalises.

"Obesity is overrated. There are too many negative perceptions out there about fat and obese people. You need to take other factors into account."

Dr Blair keeps track of his exercise level by wearing a pedometer. He has taken more than five million steps every year since he turned 70.

He says, "Everyone should have a goal. Monitoring is a good strategy and can be applied to many behaviours. Generally, for adults, moderate exercise is to walk five to six kilometres an hour. For older people, depending on their mobility and disability, they should be able to walk 400m in less than 15 minutes."

"Even if you're too old, frail and sick, it's not hazardous to take up a physical activity."

Vaginal rejuvenation: A 'private' makeover

Posted: 10 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

The emergence of vaginal rejuvenation means that now a woman's privates can also be 'improved'.

Consultant Aesthetic Physician Dr Karen Po. (do not reuse)

Consultant aesthetic physician Dr Karen Po. 

With the standards of beauty and perfection constantly being raised, a growing number of women are now choosing to rejuvenate their vaginas to enhance both form and function.

Never before has a woman's privates generated so much hype, at least, not in the open.

What has typically been the subject of hushed conversation between close girlfriends and one's gynaecologist is now coming out in the open.

Not only are women openly discussing vaginas these days, but there is also a new fad that has hit today's Malaysian women and generated quite a number of raised eyebrows – designer vaginas.

As women's awareness of their bodies start to increase, more and more women are resorting to vaginal rejuvenation to restore the youthful form and function of their genitalia.

Just like a facelift or breast augmentation, women can now also have more attractive and functional genitalia through vaginal rejuvenation.

In the past, this type of operation was only performed for cases of serious diseases or injuries, but today, more women are requesting for more aesthetically-pleasing genitals to improve the quality of their lives and relationships.

While many may never openly admit to having undergone this procedure, or any aesthetic procedure for that matter – Malaysian women are still conservative that way – I have seen countless women of all ages and races walk through my doors in recent years.

But what is an attractive vagina in the first place?

An attractive or "perfect" vagina can be described as tight, light-skinned with symmetrical inner labia sheared to tiny strips of skin that cannot be seen when you stand.

Sadly, the relentless passing of time, as well as changes to hormonal levels, can cause significant functional and structural changes to a woman's genitals.

Pregnancy, menopause and an active sexual lifestyle can lead to the loosening of the vaginal muscles and soft tissues over time, causing laxity and loss of contraction during intimacy.

When a woman goes through hormonal shifts, which can occur during pregnancy or menopause, her body undergoes changes as well. This can affect both the vagina and vulva.

Examples of changes that can occur to the vaginal area are:

·Thinning of vaginal walls

·Lack of folds

·Dryness or less lubrication

·Loss of elasticity or flexibility

The external area of the genitalia, or vulvo, can also experience scarring, abnormal tearing, darkening, wrinkling and lengthening of the labia majora during the course of a woman's lifetime.

All this can adversely affect a woman's general well-being, as well as sexual satisfaction of herself and her partner.

It can also severely affect her self-esteem and confidence, which in turn can cause her relationships or marriage to suffer.

Unfortunately, the body is not able to naturally repair the looseness of the vagina – hence why many women have started resorting to cosmetically rejuvenating their genitalia in recent years.

In fact, vaginal rejuvenation has become a multi-million ringgit industry in Malaysia in the last five years, with the emergence of non-surgical procedures like Fractional CO2 laser, surgical threads and dermal fillers.

Essentially, vaginal rejuvenation includes designer vaginoplasty (plumping the labia majora or outer lips, and trimming the labia minora or inner lips), vaginal tightening (strengthening vaginal tissue), clitoralplasty (snipping off excess skin from the clitoris), hymenoplasty (restoring the hymen), and G-spot rejuvenation (making the G-spot more prominent).

Many natural and non-invasive treatments are being developed in vaginal rejuvenation, making it relatively painless, safer and more affordable.

As a result, more and more women have started to opt for these procedures.

There are also treatments such as the MonaLisa Touch, which effectively marks a new frontier in vulvo-vaginal procedures.

It regenerates the fibres weakened by age, while inducing the production of new collagen to restore the ideal conditions of the vagina.

Arguably, there is a grey area here, and I understand that many women might be up in arms after reading this article.

After all, in a world where women are constantly being held up to unrealistic beauty standards, the emergence of vaginal rejuvenation means that now a woman's privates could become an additional feature by which they are scrutinised and judged.

But while having a "perfect vagina" may not necessarily be a goal for all women, in the many cases I have witnessed and worked on firsthand, vaginal rejuvenation does go a long way in helping a woman regain her self-confidence, enhance her general well-being and improve the quality of her sexual relationship.

n Dr Karen Po is a consultant aesthetic physician. Her interest in aesthetic medicine started when her eldest daughter was born with a café-au-lait birthmark on her face. In the process of finding the best treatment for her daughter, she developed a passion for aesthetic medicine and has been in the aesthetic field ever since. For further information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader's own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

Natural solutions to ease joint pains

Posted: 10 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Natural solutions to help ease the symptoms of osteoarthritis.

These days, more mums are returning to work after having a baby, and many parents turn to their own parents for help with the kids.

Thus, more seniors are having to help their children out by looking after the grandkids. Many parents say their parents are their first choice when it comes to childcare – the ones they trust the most.

Even though most grandparents adore their grandkids, they find it physically challenging, especially those with joint aches and pains.

If you have heard them crying "ouch!" when climbing the stairs or while they're playing with your children, or complaining about stiffness when trying to bend or straighten their knees, they may be suffering from osteoarthritis.

This is a condition characterised by the breakdown of joint cartilage. The cartilage cushions the ends of the bones and allows easy movement of joints.

The cartilage in the joint is important because it allows the joints to move smoothly and helps prevent friction between bones. However, as people approach middle age, they find themselves in a situation where their joint cartilage regrowth is unable to keep up with the rate of wear and tear.

When the joint cartilage wears out, it causes pain, inflammation and swelling – also known as osteoarthritis.

Self-help measures can reduce the stress on your joints and reduce the severity of osteoarthritis. Some of the measures that can be taken include:

·Losing weight to take pressure off the knees.

A new study shows that for each pound of body weight loss, there is a four-pound reduction in knee joint stress among overweight people with osteoarthritis, and the effects of this reduction of pressure on the knees should have a significant impact on the progression of osteoarthritis of the knee.

·Exercising regularly and keep moving. This helps to keep the joints working well, but it's also important not to overexert the joints.

·Supplementing with joint health nutrients. This helps cartilage regrowth and strengthens the worn-out cartilage.

Some of us will be aware of the role of glucosamine and chondroitin for relief of joint pains.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are found in the body, and they work by supplying the natural raw ingredients cartilage needs to repair and rebuild itself.

They also work by suppressing the natural enzymes that break down cartilage in the first place.

Besides glucosamine and chondroitin, it has been found that a natural form of sulphur found in living tissues, MSM, can also be useful for joint pain.

MSM delivers sulphur to the body in a useable way to help strengthen joint connective tissues.

Many developed nations across the globe such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, regularly observe positive results in the treatment of osteoarthritis when oral MSM supplements are added to glucosamine and chondroitin nutritional therapy.

Studies have also found that MSM helps to reduce stiffness and swelling, thus, reducing pain and improving flexibility.

So, if you are currently taking only glucosamine and chondroitin, you may be missing out on the synergistic benefits of MSM.

A combination of the three is currently in the market, and the Arthritis Foundation of America recommends starting it with a low dosage of 500mg twice a day and increasing gradually to 1,000mg twice a day.

After starting MSM, allow a reasonable period before you begin to notice any benefits.

> This article is courtesy of Live-well Nutraceuticals. for more information, please consult your pharmacist or e-mail iinfo@livewell2u.com.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my
 

The Star Online

Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved