Starbucks announces strawberry Frappucino includes insect parts

So you want fewer artificial ingredients in your food? Well, be prepared to get some bug bits in your Starbucks strawberry Frappucino then!

The coffee giant has announced their signature pink drink gets its vibrant colour not from food dyes but rather crushed up insects.

They released a statement that reveals they use cochineal extract - or the ground-up bodies of insects - in place of chemicals for their strawberry milk drink.

To get that extra colourful ingredient just right, bugs from Mexico and South America are dried out and then ground up and used in their popular beverage.

While it may turn off some, the ingredients are not harmful. They are used to brighten up the colour of many foods including jams, meats, cheese, baked goods and alcoholic drinks. In fact, cochineal extract has been a staple in food and drink production for years.

Starbucks has said it’s using the bug bits to help reduce the number of artificial ingredients it puts in its products.

‘At Starbucks, we strive to carry products that meet a variety of dietary lifestyles and needs,’ their statement read. ‘While the strawberry base isn’t a vegan product, it helps us move away from artificial dyes.’

It has been deemed safe by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration but there are warnings from the World Health Organisation that cochineal extract may cause asthma and allergic reactions.

The truth about food photography

Whether it's a spray of WD40 to make meat shine, or ice cream cones actually containing scoops of mashed potato, we've all heard about the 'tricks' used in food photography. But does it still go on? We ask a food photographer and a food stylist to set the record straight.

Natural styling

It's generally believed that hours of tinkering and prepping go into making those dishes in magazines and cookery books look perfect on the page. But according to food stylist Genevieve Taylor, there has recently been a move towards more natural styling. Food stylists no longer spend hours fluffing up, painting and arranging food. "It's very quick", she tells us. "We cook something, take it out of the oven and photograph it." So whereas a photo of a perfectly-cut cake or spotless pie dish used to be trendy, now we love fruit oozing out from under a pie crust, or crumbs tumbling from a home-made cake.  "Exactly," says Genevieve, "it's kept as natural as possible."

Fake steam

Steam can be a nuisance to the photographer, fogging up the camera lens and billowing out in all directions. So, photographers and stylists have some techniques up their sleeves for making food look piping hot, if it's gone cold. "We use tampons," says Genevieve. "We soak them in water and put them in the microwave, because they're absorbent and let off steam." Cotton wool balls are also used, and can be placed strategically behind the plate for a natural-looking wisp of steam. We've heard of incense and cigarette smoke being used to create a similar effect, but photographer Carl Pendle thinks these techniques are outdated, commenting, "I don't think that goes on very much these days".

Fake food

We've heard about mashed potato being scooped into ice-cream cones (because real ice cream melts under the hot lights) and sponges being painted and brushed with oil to look like toast. Carl told us that he'd once heard of plastic fruit being placed in the background of shots. But while some of these tricks were probably used in the past, it doesn't seem the done thing any more. HERS Agency told us that "most food stylists like to do as much as possible for real," before adding: "suffice to say, mashed potato is NOT used instead of ice-cream."

Padding

Ever seen a photograph of a burger or a sandwich that looked plump, glossy and everything in it was perfectly stacked? There has been talk of this kind of effect being achieved by padding — sticking small sponges between the layers to puff it up. But this often results in a fake look — something that doesn't excite the readers of cookbooks and food magazines. "I've been known to use the odd toothpick to hold down an unruly sandwich", Carl told us, "but that is as far as it would go".

Boot polish to create shine

We've heard of food photographers and stylists using WD40, hairspray, petrol, glue and boot polish to create texture and shine on meat or desserts before photographing them. Carl sets the record straight. "Some foods don't always look great even though they taste fantastic," he says. "Like most things, food photography follows trends and in the past tricks were used to make food look great that meant the food being photographed wasn't palatable." But, as Genevieve reveals, a great photo of a juicy steak can still be achieved with natural techniques.

For example, olive oil can be brushed onto the cut surface of meat "to give it a bit of a gleam." Carl told us that he had, in the past, heard rumours of boot polish and hairspray being used on food, but assured us that nowadays, "most of the food photography you see in magazines and newspapers is real food taken in natural light and it hasn't been tampered with that much. And anyway, most food photographers like to eat what they've photographed!"

GONG XI FA CAI

Benetton pulls pope-imam kiss ad after Vatican protest

Italian clothes company Benetton backed down and pulled a photo montage showing the pope kissing a leading imam from its new global ad campaign on Wednesday after the Vatican issued a stern condemnation.
The company, which is no stranger to controversy over its advertising campaigns, said it was "sorry that the use of the image had so hurt the sensibilities of the faithful".
The statement came shortly after the Vatican expressed "the firmest protest for this absolutely unacceptable use of the image of the Holy Father".

The Vatican says it is taking legal action to prevent the publication of a photo montage showing the pope kissing a leading imam as part of a Benetton advertising campaign.

Benetton's poster showed Pope Benedict XVI kissing on the lips Egypt's Ahmed el Tayyeb, imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo and a leading voice in Sunni Islam.
It launched Wednesday a new global advertising campaign called UNHATE that contained a series of photo montages of political and religious leaders kissing.
The company defended the campaign, saying its purpose "was solely to battle the culture of hate in all its forms".
There were other shock pictures showing US President Barack Obama kissing Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in one picture and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez in another.
One picture showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu smooching Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas. In another, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is depicted kissing German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A picture of Silvio Berlusconi kissing Merkel was pulled at the last minute after the jovial billionaire submitted his resignation last week.
The Vatican strongly criticised the Benedict ad.
"We must express the firmest protest for this absolutely unacceptable use of the image of the Holy Father, manipulated and exploited in a publicity campaign with commercial ends," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said in a statement.
"This shows a grave lack of respect for the pope, an offence to the feelings of believers, a clear demonstration of how publicity can violate the basic rules of respect for people by attracting attention with provocation," he said.
The Vatican was examining what steps to take "to guarantee a fair defence of respect for the image of the Holy Father", he added.
The posters appeared in Benetton clothing stores across the globe as well as in newspapers, magazines and on Internet websites.
The passionate embrace between the pope and the imam was briefly shown on a banner held up near Rome's landmark Castel Sant'Angelo castle not far from the Vatican.
Benetton deputy chief Alessandro Benetton said earlier in a statement that the ads were "constructive provocation" intended "to give widespread visibility to an ideal notion of tolerance".
Benetton "chooses social issues and actively promotes humanitarian causes that could not otherwise have been communicated on a global scale", he said.
But Luca Borgomeo, head of the Association of Italian Catholic Television Viewers, called for the ad to be removed.
"Is it possible Benetton could not come up with anything better?" he said.
The company, which became famous in the 1990s with a series of shocking ads, said it was also setting up a foundation to promote international tolerance.
"The central theme is the kiss, the most universal symbol of love, between world political and religious leaders," the company said.
One of the iconic Benetton ads -- photographed by Oliviero Toscani -- was of a young nun in white kissing a priest dressed in a black cassock, and others addressed important social issues such as AIDS and homosexuality.
Relations between the pope and the Al-Azhar imam, one of the leading voices in Sunni Islam, have been very tense particularly after Benedict expressed his solidarity with the victims of an attack on a Coptic church in Alexandria.
The statement was interpreted by Tayyeb as interference and he did not send a delegation to an inter-religious meeting hosted by Benedict last month.

Program Ibadah Korban INSAF MALAYSIA di Jawa Tengah, INDONESIA

How Can I Stop Feeling Guilty about Everything?

There are times when a sense of guilt can motivate us to make amends, change a destructive pattern or own up to a misdeed. Once the wrong has been righted, this sense of guilt is often replaced with a sense of relief or moral balance. But what happens when a sense of guilt never fully goes away, or is replaced by an even greater sense of guilt or shame? How can a person stop feeling guilty when he or she understands on an intellectual level that he or she has not committed any actual wrongdoing or shameful act?

One of the reasons a person may not have the ability to stop feeling guilty is upbringing. A child who has been unfairly blamed for the wrongs of others, for example, may decide to absorb those feelings of guilt rather than escalate the situation or confront the true culprit. It may be easier to accept the blame for a minor infraction rather than trigger an even bigger confrontation with the real wrongdoers. Over time, a passive child may not be able to stop feeling guilty for either the infraction itself or her inability or unwillingness to defend herself or properly reassign the blame. This early pattern of accepting the guilt of others can make it difficult for an adult to stop feeling guilty about past events.

Another reason some people may not be able to stop feeling guilty is due to long memories and few opportunities to reconcile them. It is not unusual to replay specific memories over and over again, especially those which leave us with strongly mixed emotions of guilt, embarrassment or shame. An event which triggers feelings of guilt in one person may actually be a blip on the radar for others. If you want to stop feeling guilty for past events, you may want to consider psychotherapy or other forms of personal counseling which encourages "talk therapy." Sometimes the mere act of vocalizing a guilt-inspiring memory can help you overcome it and reduce your present day level of undefined guilt.

Sometimes a person's own personality works against them when dealing with feelings of guilt. A perfectionist who fails to achieve an impossible goal, for example, may punish himself with unnecessary guilt for his perceived lack of focus. A person with a tendency to be a people pleaser may torture herself with guilt if someone rejects her overtures of friendship or doesn't praise her efforts on a project. To stop feeling guilty when no reason for guilt exists, you may want to examine what personality traits may be triggering those feelings and what can be done to gain perspective on those traits first. Once a perfectionist learns to live with imperfection, for example, then he or she should not experience nearly as much unnecessary feelings of guilt.

Some people find that they stop feeling guilty when they've either resolved or at least made an effort to resolve past indiscretions. This could mean calling a former classmate or co-worker or friend and making a formal apology for something you might have done or said. You might want to discuss a guilt-inspiring childhood memory with someone who was there and can assure you no permanent damage was done. Feelings of guilt can also be a sign of clinical depression, so you may want to consider having a medical professional prescribe medication for depression or anxiety.

Happy Eid Mubarak

10 ways to speed up your metabolism overnight

Nutritionist Rachael Anne Hill reveals how to speed up your metabolism in 24 hours…

1. Eat little and often Every time we eat, we burn off calories through excess heat production, digestion and absorption of the food. This is called dietary thermogenesis and accounts for approximately 10% of our daily use of calories. Research shows that eating small, regular meals helps increase the amount of dietary thermogenesis that takes place and therefore burns more calories than eating one large meal per day. It also helps to keep hunger at bay reducing the likelihood of over eating.

2. Pack in some protein
Protein rich foods such as meat, poultry, fish, beans, nuts, seeds and tofu require up to 18% more energy to be eaten, digested and absorbed than carbohydrates or fats so make sure your diet consists of the recommended intake (15% of calories coming from protein) by adding a little in to each meal or snack you have. His will also help to slow the rate of digestion helping you to feel fuller for longer.

3. Spice up your life!
Several clinical research studies have found that an ingredient known as capsaicin found in spices, particularly chilli, can raise the metabolic rate slightly after a meal. This is because the heart rate increases when spices are eaten. Spices are also a great way of flavouring low fat dishes and they’re good for you as many contain high concentrations of antioxidants so use them liberally without guilt!

4. Give yourself a caffeine kick!
Just two and a half cups of caffeine containing coffee or cola can raise the metabolism by 10% – 30% for 1 to 3 hours after drinking them. This is because caffeine increases both the heart rate and the circulating amounts of the hormone, adrenaline. Good news for calorie burning but not so great for overall health if drunk to excess so limit your intake to a maximum of 3 or 4 cups a day.

5. Go green
A Swiss study found that people who drink green tea burned significantly more calories than those who didn’t. It is thought that the phytochemical flavanoids found in the tea may affect the ‘energy’ hormone noradrenalanie which in turn, may speed up the rate at which fat is burned in the body. Green tea is also extremely good for overall health.

6. Start fidgeting
According to researchers at the highly renowned Mayo Clinic people who naturally fidget, move around and change posture burn up to 400 more calories a day than those who are less active. The researchers labelled this factor NEAT (for non-exercise activity thermo genesis).

7. Get excited
Emotions such as excitement or stress can increase the amount of adrenaline that is released into the system. This hormone speeds up the metabolic rate therefore increasing the amount of calories burned overall.

8. Turn down the thermostat
Try turning down the thermostat in your home or office by just a few degrees.  This will force the body to burn more calories so that it can stay at its preferred temperature of 37 degrees.

9. Update your CV – and no, we’re not talking about your resume!
It won’t come as any surprise to learn that cardio-vascular (C.V) exercise such as walking, swimming, running, dancing and cycling automatically increases your metabolic rate.  However, you may be surprised to learn that by adding a few short, sharp bursts of higher intensity exercise into your usual workout can ensure your metabolic rate remains elevated for up to 38 hours after leaving the gym! 
So, pepper your usual jog with a few short sprints, alternate every fourth length of breast stroke with one of super fast front crawl, increase the resistance on the exercise bike for 30 seconds out of every five minutes or power walk between every second lamp post and then go home and collapse on the sofa content in the knowledge that you’re burning extra calories even whilst you rest!

10. And finally, start strength training!  
It might not work overnight but strength training (working your muscles against a resistance sufficient to ensure you cannot do more than ten repetitions of the exercise) is still one of the most effective ways going to increase your metabolic rate.  In fact, you’ll burn an extra 50 calories a day for every pound of muscle tissue you put on. 
Consequently, regular strength training can increase your basal metabolic rate by as much as 15% in just a few short weeks of regular training!

Coffee can reduce the risk of developing a certain type of breast cancer.

Coffee can give you a jolt of caffeine, but a new study published May 11 suggests that heavy daily consumption may also reduce the risk of developing a certain type of breast cancer.

Study results found that women who drink five or more cups of coffee a day are 57 percent less likely to develop estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer than women who drink less than a cup of coffee a day, said study researcher Jingmei Li, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, in a statement. Estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer is just one kind of breast cancer, and its growth is not dictacted by estrogen.

This study supports a German study that found a similar trend, but the “relationship was much weaker” Li said. However, health news source MyHealthNewsDaily cites conflicting research: A review of studies published last year showed that coffee had a protective effect on endometrial and colorectal cancers, but no benefits for breast, pancreatic, ovarian, or prostate cancers.

In research published earlier this year, scientists discovered that drinking four cups of coffee a day can slash your risk for Type 2 diabetes in half.

"I wouldn't necessarily tell my patients after reading an article like this to drink more than five cups of coffee a day to lower your risk of a particular type of breast cancer," said Dr. Michelle Shayne, an oncologist at University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, in an interview with MyHealthNewsDaily. "It's just that if you happen to enjoy coffee consumption, you may possibly have an added benefit of protection against one subtype of breast cancer."

Coffee can give you a jolt of caffeine

Chocolate can be good for you

It has many health benefits, when eaten in moderation

Thu 21 Apr, 2011

Don't let your sweet tooth worry you this Easter: eating both ears off that chocolate bunny is not only fine, it may even be good for you.
Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, is known to have a range of positive effects on your body. It is rich in antioxidants, creates endorphins that cheer you up, and reduces the level of stress hormones.
We've compiled a list of its key benefits, to sooth your conscience.

Hearth health

Research has found that dark chocolate can significantly reduce high blood pressure, though its effect was less in people whose blood pressure was already normal.
Part of the effect appears to be related to the ability of dark chocolate to inhibit an enzyme in the body that is partly responsible for high blood pressure.
But there is no need to consume large amounts of chocolate to reap its benefit - a small daily amount can lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.
One reason chocolate has a positive effect is that it boosts the good kind of cholesterol, also known as HDL, and lowers levels of bad cholesterol, or LDL.
While chocolate may reduce your risk of stroke, it can also increase your ability to survive one. One recent study found that people who ate 50 grams of chocolate weekly were 46 per cent less likely to die after suffering a stroke than those who ate none.

Choose the right chocolate

Alas, not all chocolate is created equal. Go with dark chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa - at least 30 per cent - if you want to reap the benefit.
A large study published last year involving more than 30,000 middle-aged and elderly women in Sweden, found that those who ate two servings of chocolate per week reduced their risk of heart failure by 32 per cent.
But the chocolate they consumed was 30 percent cocoa, or twice what you may find in some milk chocolates.
This study also highlighted the need for moderation. Women who ate one to three servings per month reduced their risk by 26 per cent – but those who ate at least one serving per day saw no benefit.

Beware: it's high in calories

While chocolate can have a positive impact on your health, remember that it's generally heavy on sugar and calories.
If you do add chocolate to your daily diet, or you eat plenty already, try to limit other energy-dense foods, such as snacks.
Whether you're a self-proclaimed chocoholic or you limit yourself to special occasions, you have one more reason to indulge this Easter.

How wheat can damage your health

Allergy, Coeliac Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome all linked to wheat consumption

Increasing numbers of people appear to be "intolerant" to wheat. But foods made from wheat - bread, pasta and cereal - are some of the most common in the British diet. Can they really damage your health?
Wheat allergy, wheat intolerance and Coeliac Disease are all associated with eating foods containing wheat.
To complicate matters further, wheat may also trigger or worsen symptoms in some, but not all, people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Wheat allergy
Around 90% of food allergies are caused by just eight foods, one of them wheat. A wheat allergy occurs when the body’s immune system over-reacts to a substance - usually a protein - present in wheat.
In people with an allergy, the immune system responds to the food allergen by producing IgE antibodies and releasing histamine and other chemicals from specialised cells.
Within minutes of eating the culprit food – including wheat - symptoms such as wheezing, itchy or swollen mouth or throat, runny nose, red and itchy skin rash and watery eyes can develop. Eating tiny amounts of the food can trigger a severe, and potentially fatal allergic reaction. Fortunately, food allergies are relatively rare as only around 2% of people have them.
Allergy symptoms differ from those of a wheat intolerance (see below). Wheat allergy can be diagnosed using standard blood and skin prick allergy tests, but diagnosing a wheat intolerance is more difficult.

Wheat intolerance
The symptoms of a food intolerance, including wheat are much more varied and can include stomach pain, bloating, nausea, wind, diarrhoea/constipation, joint and muscle pain, headache and more.
Unlike a wheat allergy, a wheat intolerance does not involve the immune system - in fact, little is known about the underlying mechanisms behind food intolerances, including wheat. It also means standard blood and skin tests used to diagnose a wheat allergies will be negative for wheat intolerance.
With wheat intolerance, it may take hours or even days for symptoms to develop after eating food containing wheat. People with wheat intolerance may be able to eat small amounts of the offending foods, but larger amounts can cause them to feel unwell.

Coeliac Disease
People who have Coeliac Disease cannot eat wheat either. Confusingly, it is often referred to as “gluten intolerance,” but Coeliac Disease is actually an autoimmune condition.
Eating any amount of gluten - the sticky substance found in wheat, rye, barley and oats – triggers the body’s immune system to turn on itself.
Antibodies produced against a protein in gluten result in the lining of the gut becoming inflamed, leading to problems absorbing nutrients from food.
Some of the symptoms of Coeliac Disease - bloating, stomach pain, nausea, diarrhoea, excessive wind, heartburn, indigestion, and/or constipation - are also similar to those of a wheat intolerance and IBS.
If they are not diagnosed and put on a strict gluten-free diet, people with Coeliac Disease can face serious health problems later in life.
In the UK alone, an estimated 500,000 people have Coeliac Disease and don’t know it. Fortunately, there are blood tests to diagnose the condition and some can even be bought over the counter.
Under some circumstances, these blood tests can give “false negative” results, so if you think you could have Coeliac Disease, it’s essential you contact your GP.

How do you know if you have a wheat intolerance?
There are no specific tests to diagnose wheat intolerance. Because of this, and the wide range of symptoms, some doctors remain sceptical whether wheat intolerance is a stand alone medical condition.
Be that as it may, if you're having problems eating foods containing wheat or wheat products you need to get checked out by a doctor. At the very least, they can rule out other medical conditions with similar symptoms. You can also ask to be referred to a registered dietician.

Food diary
Before you visit your GP, keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. Note down all the foods you eat and the time you eat them. Then note down your symptoms, how severe they are and the time they first appear. This will help your doctor or dietician to find a pattern. Although you may link your symptoms to eating wheat based foods, there are many other substances in foods which can be the cause.

Elimination Diet
The only way to identify a food intolerance, including wheat, is by an elimination diet. The suspect foods are removed from your diet for a period of time. Any effect this has on your symptoms is recorded. Foods are then re-introduced one at a time to identify exactly which food or food component is the cause of the symptoms.
This is not as easy as it sounds and is best done with the help of a dietician. Some suspect ingredients lurk in foods where you least expect them. And foods which are guaranteed to be gluten-free may not be wheat-free. They're not the same thing.
You should never exclude an entire food group from your diet as it can leave your body deprived of essential nutrients, and may even make you feel worse. A dietician can advise you on what extra nutrients you need during the test period to keep your diet balanced and help you find an answer.

UNHRC wants Malaysia to scrap ISA, preventive laws By Melissa Chi

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has urged Putrajaya to abolish the country’s preventive laws — especially the Internal Security Act (ISA) — “as soon as possible”.

The recommendations from its working group on arbitrary detention, conducted from June 7 to 17 last year, suggested the government abolish all four preventive laws, improve its detention centres for immigrants, remove the Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia (Rela) volunteer force from guarding the detention centres, and give more power to Suhakam, the Human Rights Commission.

“With regard to the criminal justice system, the working group observes the relatively long periods accused persons spend in pre-trial detention, sometimes for several years,” said the council.

“The law imposes excessive restrictions on appeals and the habeas corpus resource is rarely used, and solely for procedural issues.”

The report said that the human rights in Malaysia are hindered by preventive laws, mainly the ISA, but also the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance, the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act and the Restricted Residence Act.

“The working group recommends that the government abrogate all these laws as soon as possible.” it said, while calling for the ISA to be subject to judicial review in the interim.

The report also said that detention under immigration powers “does not seem to be in line” with international human rights law, adding that it had received complaints of “detainee abuse, inadequate food, water, medical care and poor sanitation in most immigration detention centres.”

The panel further expressed concern over the deployment of Rela to guard detainees and questioned the advisability of using such a force in an immigration enforcement role.

“Rela, as a volunteer force, should not be used for law enforcement nor for guarding immigration detention centres,” it said.

The report also recommended that the government strengthen the status, powers and functions of Suhakam in accordance with the Paris Principles.

The Paris Principles were defined at the first International Workshop on National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights held in Paris, in 1991.

They were adopted by the UNHRC and relates to the status and functioning of national institutions for the protection and promotion of human rights.

A number of other recommendations include guaranteeing access to legal counsel and communication from detainees with their relatives, develop a parole system, provide for a legal aid system for immigration detainees, and to have minor offenders to do community work, and not be imprisoned.

It was also suggested that the government facilitate the access of Suhakam and non-governmental organisations to immigration detention facilities, police lock-ups and prisons to monitor conditions and provide additional services in partnership with the government.

The group, however, lauded the government’s progress in the addressing such concerns, pointing the reduction in the recourse to the ISA and the release of five leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), who were detained in 2007 for organising protests against the alleged marginalisation of ethnic Indians.

Tun Dr M, my hero — Art Harun

February 09, 2011

FEB 9 — In the last few weeks I have been entertained by two of my favourite people in the world.
Yes. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Lee Kuan Yew. Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison. The pot and the kettle. The men with the plan. The visionaries. The beacon of liberty, freedom, progress, development and, oh yes, the Asian Values.
One calls the other, firstly, “little Emperor of a tiny Middle Kingdom.” Then he downgraded the other — two days ago, to be exact — from being an Emperor to just a Mayor. The other one insinuated that his counterpart is delusional. And it goes on.
Nobody knows who is right or who is mightier.
One thing which I know for sure is this: Both were benevolent absolutists bent on achieving anything which they managed to conjure up in their respective warped mind regardless of the consequences of their respective acts. Both are old people who really should just stop churning out vitriol and do some good instead, like by not saying anything about anything.
The latest by Tun Dr M is a mind-boggling pronouncement that Malaysia belongs to Malays and that the non-Malays just have to live with that fact by accepting the culture and language of the dominant community. He has reportedly said:
“This country belongs to the Malay race. Peninsular Malaysia was known as Tanah Melayu but this cannot be said because it will be considered racist.
“We must be sincere and accept that the country is Tanah Melayu.” (The Malaysian Insider)
I am Malay. Tun Dr M is my hero. Thank you very much, Tun.
As dirty talks go, that must have outperformed Linda Lovelace and the whole Dallas team put together.
I do not know why some people are obsessed with the ownership of this country. It is as if this country is full of things which could be owned and are in fact owned.
On my last count, Bahasa Melayu is owned by Malays. The word “Allah” is also owned by Malays (who by Constitutional definition are synonymous with Muslims). There are also “special rights” which are owned by Malays. 30 per cent of the economy is owned — well, actually, is supposed to be owned — by Malays.
In fact, I know of one specific Malay who is going around town owning everything and anything — mostly government projects and monopolised businesses — which is “ownable.”
And now this. Malaysia is owned by Malays.
I am so glad to know that. Because the last I went back to my kampung, I saw countless Malays riding old motorbikes, struggling to pay their water bills and school fees (who says our schools have no fees?), eating plain rice and ikan masin day in and day out, working in leased paddy fields with just enough money to buy rice and ikan masin after paying their landlords for the paddy field and the rentals for the tractors and harvesters.
Now, I suppose these poor Malays could go to the land office and claim this land, which has been declared as theirs.
Nice. The Malay problems are solved. Poverty among the Malays is solved. Declining standard of education is solved. Health care problem is solved. Inability to think is solved.
And with one sentence (or two), Tun Dr M has managed to solve the issue which had been ghosting his mind since 1969.
Yes folks. THE MALAY DILEMMA IS SOLVED.
Take that, Minister (Mentor) Lee Kuan Yew! What do you have to say about that, huh? You surely have not solved the Chinese Dilemma, have you, Minister Lee?
In fact, you do not even have a Chinese Dilemma to begin with! How very inferior to Tun Dr M, you are.
I have written so much on the so-called social contract and on how Malaysia gained her independence as well as the thoughts and rationale which went into the framing of some of the provisions of our Federal Constitution, especially Article 153. I am not going to repeat them here.
I am not going to argue with Tun Dr M anymore. Let’s just assume — and it is really a very big assumption — that what he said is correct. Tanah Melayu belonged to the Malays. Let’s just take that as the gospel (oh, I forget, I am Muslim, and so it should be the “Quranic”) truth.
But is there a Tanah Melayu now? In 2011?
The truth is Tanah Melayu disappeared from the face of the Earth on September 16, 1963, when Malaysia was born. All her citizens became Malaysians. They may belong to different ethnicities, different races, different faiths, different tribes speaking different languages and dialects, but they all became Malaysians that early morning.
This country did not belong to Malays anymore that morning. This country belonged to Malaysians from that morning onwards.
If the Tun’s favourite hypothesis of the social contract is correct, true and accurate — that there was a round table agreement between leaders of the three main races where the Malays have agreed to allow the non-Malays to become citizens in exchange for special rights — then by that same token, it means that the Malays, through that very same social contract, have agreed to disclaim their ownership of Tanah Melayu in exchange for some special rights.
I am not making this up. I am saying this based on what Tun Dr M has been saying all this while.
If ever there was such an agreement — as repetitiously blared by Tun Dr M and his ilk — that would be the natural and legal consequences of that agreement.
If that being so, on what basis, I wonder, is Tun Dr M now basing his claim that Malaysia is owned by the Malays?
As for Lee Kuan Yew, you do not have the right to even speak about us, okay. You have not even identified the Chinese Dilemma yet. You little Mayor! — art-harun.blogspot.com

11-day Do In Conjunction With 111th Anniversary Of Kampog Bharu

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 (Bernama) -- Many are not aware that Kampong Bharu, which is the major Malay settlement in the city centre here, will be 111 years old Thursday.

In conjunction with the anniversary, various programmes will be organised for the first time to celebrate the occasion by Centrepro Sdn Bhd together with the Ministry of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing as well as Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) which will also be celebrated by about 35,000 of its residents.

According to the managing director of Centrepro Sdn Bhd, Ishak Abdul Kadir, the programmes will begin tomorrow with a tahlil and thanksgiving session at the Masjid Jamek and several surau.

The climax of the celebrations will be a dinner which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in February or the following month.

"The celebration, the first ever in the history of the formation of the Malay Agricultural Settlement (MAS) Administration, aims to give recognition and to remember the struggles of those who are no longer around or are still living in the historic kampung.

"In addition, it is to commemorate the 111-year existence of the Kampung Baru MAS Administration in the Kuala Lumpur capital city.

"The 111 years is a unique figure and MAS as a board under the Malays is seen as a strong administrator that upholds a village that is struggling for the Malays.

"The responsibility as a Malay who promotes the Malay sentiment has become a motivation to hold this celebration to remember the struggles of the race in defending a village that had once been administered by the colonialists in the past," Ishak told Bernama.

Ishak, who is also the Coordinator for the 'Kampong Bharu, Our Heritage' Programme, said among the events for the celebrations are the Health Day on Saturday, beginning from 8am to 6pm with various programmes provided such as physical exercise, blood donation, free medical examination, and a competition for children which will be held at the Kelab Sultan Sulaiman.

In addition, the residents, from children to adults, also have the opportunity to participate in the Sports Day and Traditional Games on Sunday at the same location.

-- BERNAMA

How I became a vegetarian — Mohani Niza

DEC 30 — I have done it. I have become a vegetarian.

Never in a million years did I think I would become one. I had always regarded vegetarians as fervent tree-huggers and Birkenstock-wearing hippies. Me? I was cool. I was one of the boys — I enjoyed my steak.

It's only been a bit over a month since I made the leap, but it feels like I've been doing it forever. And I know there's no turning back.

A friend commented that I took her by surprise. She had not spoken to me in three weeks, and all of a sudden I was swearing off meat.

I laughed.

The fact is I had long debated with myself on whether I should become a vegetarian.

I have always loved animals. About three years ago, I started to feel that perhaps killing animals for human consumption was wrong.

This realisation did not land all of a sudden. In fact, it wasn't a realisation at all, as much as it was a feeling.

But each time that feeling came up, I would push it away. I was raised in a culture that loved consuming meat. To acknowledge that something which I had regarded as normal could perhaps be wrong scared me.

However, I did explore my doubt a few times. I surfed the web for pro-vegetarianism arguments, and even bought a book about animal ethics (I never finished it). But it didn't spur me into action. After all, if you can find an argument for an issue, you can also easily find three arguments against it. Why? Because we see what we want to see.

And an intellectual argument, however elegant, remains exactly that: an intellectual pursuit.

This may explain why I have not done a million things that I say I want to do: like jog every morning, or read newspapers back-to-back. At the end of the day, they remain things that I think I should do. Deep down inside I don't believe in them. Do I really think that reading the newspaper back-to-back would make me a better person? I think not. There are a million ways to be curious.

One night, nearly two months ago, I was writing a college essay about an animal rights campaign. And so I braved myself to watch videos about the treatment of farm animals. I had heard so much about such videos, but had shrugged them off as cheap sentimental ploys. But I know now I was just scared.

Those videos convinced me what I had already felt all along, but was scared to acknowledge: that it is wrong to inflict pain on another living being. 

That very same night, I decided that I would not eat meat again.

I have learned a few things since I turned vegetarian. Such as I can easily flick off my desire to eat meat. And that yes, vegetarian food can be scrumptious -- you just have to find ways to be creative. But most of all, I have learned to embrace my feelings.

Once you do this, you are bound to do things that you want to. And those things that you never get around to doing? You simply don't want them enough.

This new year, I am not making any resolutions.

Exhibitions: Picasso Zurich exhibition recreates art landmark

December 25, 2010

Melancholy Woman - Pablo Picasso. Oil on canvas. 100 x 69.2 cm. — Reuters pic

ZURICH, Dec 25 — In September 1932, already a world-famous artist, Pablo Picasso drove from Paris to Zurich for the opening of a mega-exhibition of his works that was to mark a turning point in Western cultural history.

Although he curated the exhibits himself and stayed at a luxury lakeside hotel nearby for two days, hobnobbing with art connoisseurs and critics, he mysteriously never went to see the show at the city’s Kunsthaus Museum.

This autumn, and to celebrate its own centenary, the Kunsthaus has recreated the landmark exhibition — or something under a half of it — and it has been pulling in the crowds.

For the original, the then already 51-year-old Picasso chose the 229 works himself — paintings, lithographs and a handful of bronze sculptures — to be displayed.

“In effect,” says Tobia Bezzola who put together the new show, “he curated this one too.”

At a time when contemporary art was normally displayed in private and commercial galleries, the 1932 exhibition was probably the first retrospective of a living artist to be put on in a museum, cultural historians say.

Covering the Spanish-born Picasso’s output from 1899, when he was an 18-year-old prodigy in Barcelona, through the Pink, Blue, Cubist, Constructivist and semi-Surrealist periods that followed when he moved to Paris at the turn of the 20th century, it set a trend that swept the art world after World War Two and still dominates it.

With its catalogues, in cheap and expensive versions, its posters and press releases, the first Kunsthaus show was a prototype of the art blockbusters that boost revenues for major and minor museums around the world today.

Not that it brought much cash in then, a time of deep economic woes as the world moved into the Great Depression of the 1930s, despite — for the time — an impressive total of 32,000 visitors during the two months it was on.

A reflection of the cash-strapped age was that none of the canvases which Picasso offered for sale at the Kunsthaus were bought except one, by the museum itself.

That Cubist work, “Guitar on a Gueridon” of 1915, is one of the central pieces at the new show, which opened on October 15, closes on January 30 and has already hosted 250,000 visitors.

Only about 100 pieces, including engravings and three bronze heads, are there — loaned by over 40 art institutions worldwide and many private collectors — and they include many of the best-known Picassos of his first 50 years.

Among them are a penetrating portrait of depression in “The Melancholy Woman” of 1902, the sensual “Girl in a Chemise” of 1905, the Cubist “Man with a Clarinet” of 1911, “Harlequin Musician” of 1924, the miniature “Players with a Beachball” of 1928, and “Sleeping Woman with Mirror” of 1932.

Kunsthaus guide and art historian Paula Lauger suggested that one of the most colorfully stunning canvases in the latest show — the playfully erotic “The Yellow Belt” — may also provide an answer to the mystery of why Picasso did not visit the first show after putting so much effort into it.

The famously priapic artist had brought to Zurich his wife, former Ballets Russes dancer Olga Khokhlova and their son Paulo, and the clearly marked sub-title of The Yellow Belt is “Marie-Therese Walter” — a model with whom he began a long and secret affair when she was a 17-year-old in 1927, Lauger said.

“I think, perhaps, Picasso just didn’t want to upset Olga.” — Reuters

A Muslim perspective on Christmas

 Abdul Malik Mujahid

December 25, 2010

DEC 25 — Christmas is an annual Christian religious holiday commemorating the birth of Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him. For many Muslims who even do not celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, it becomes an issue of what stand they should take. 

There have been a number of legitimate criticisms of the holiday from Muslims and non-Muslims based on theological and cultural considerations. However, this cannot be used to disregard the holiday as merely an exercise in ancient pagan practices, for instance, or excessive consumerism. Muslims have to remember that for practicing Christians, Christmas really is about Jesus. 

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was so accommodating of Christians that according to the two earliest Islamic historians, Ibn Saad and Ibn Hisham, the Prophet even allowed a delegation of 60 Byzantine Christians from Najran in Yemen to worship in his own mosque in Madinah. 

Lead by their bishop (Usquf), they had come to discuss a number of issues with him. When time of their prayer came, they asked the Prophet’s permission to perform this in the mosque. He answered, “conduct your service here in the mosque. It is a place consecrated to God.” 

God expects us to stay away from mocking the religious beliefs of others, no matter how much we disagree with them. He says in the Quran: “And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides God, lest they insult God wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair-seeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do” (Quran, 6:108). 

We also have to remember that even if for many nominal Christians, the celebration is not really about participating in religious traditions, Christmas is a time for families to get together. In a number of cases it is the only time of year families get together, either because family members are scattered in different parts of the country or the world, because of communication and relationship problems, or because in America today, the family unit is becoming weaker and weaker. 

Christmas is a great time to relate to our neighbors. We should not forget though, that “relating” does not mean “preaching”. Da’wah cannot be made in a rude manner. Allah says in the Quran: “Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful advice, and reason with them by ways that are the best and most gracious: because your Lord knows best, (those) who have strayed from His Path, and those who receive guidance “ (Quran, 16:125). 

In particular, when dealing with Jews and Christians, Allah says: “Do not argue with the People of the Book unless it is in the politest manner, except for those of them who do wrong. Say: ‘We believe in what has been sent down to us and what has been sent down to you. Our God and your God is [the same] One, and we are Muslims before Him’“ (Quran, 29:46). 

This may not be an occasion to emphasis the differences as much as the commonality of our beliefs, unless someone is really asking you about them. 

A starting point for a discussion about Christmas could be the Islamic belief in all Books revealed by Allah and all Prophets sent by Him. In this discussion, special emphasis could be made on Prophet Jesus. Non-Muslims are often surprised to discover that Muslims also believe in this noble Prophet and his great mother Mary (peace be upon her). 

Remember that respect does not mean compromise. This article is not asking you to compromise anything. You have freedom of religion given by God to believe in what you believe in. But in a world where conflict is increasing, a Muslim should be a bridge- builder and a peacemaker. It was due to the Muslim practice of Islamic ideals of respect and tolerance that the key of the holiest Christian Shrine in Jerusalem, the church of the Holy Sepulcher, remains entrusted with a Muslim family, as it has been for over 1400 years. 

These are the lessons which need to be learned by those extremists who attack Christians during their worship in Nigeria and those extremists who burn Masjids in the USA. — harakahdaily.net/en

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication.