New Straits Times articles from May 2010, page 9

New Straits Times archives from May 2010

MDeC organises innovative ICT contest.
May 23, 2010... SHOWCASING the best of Malaysia's ICT creativity and innovation for the 11th time is the MSC Malaysia Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards (MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards) scheduled for August. With only one week before the submission deadline, the...

Fire-trap student 'hostels'.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Roy See; Masriwanie Muhamading; Abdul Azim Idris MANY university and college students are risking their lives by living in cramped apartments and houses off campus. Living rooms and rooms are partitioned with highly flammable dry...

Nilai UC's ideal study abroad option.
May 23, 2010... ASK any parent about their children's education and they will tell you that an overseas education is the preferred choice. Quality of the institutions aside, one cannot deny that many employers still prefer overseas graduates. This is simply...

For smart, strong children.
May 23, 2010... DON'T wait till your baby can talk before you think about what you can do to help him or her grow up smart and strong. Do it from the day your baby is born. A child's brain is a work-in-progress. Although most brain cells are formed before...

Colleges should not be held responsible.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Chai Mei Ling THE Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities has not received any complaints or reports of students being housed in overcrowded accommodation off campus. Its president, Dr Parmjit Singh, said while...

Uniten bags 24 medals at ITEX 2010.
May 23, 2010... THE Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) team bagged 24 medals and special awards, including nine gold medals at the recently concluded International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition 2010 (ITEX 2010). Uniten had sent 25...

Karma-nomics!
May 23, 2010... Byline: Tessie Lim I'VE been working to make sense of the chaos in our world today and I've pieced together a theory that I've simplified. Let me know what you think. By karma, I'm referring to the law of cause and effect. What goes around...

RM200m to clean up river.
May 23, 2010... JOHOR BARU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday announced a RM200 million allocation to clean up Sungai Segget, reputed to be one of the most polluted rivers in the country. Najib, who was on a walkabout here last night, believed...

Villagers elated by Najib's visit.
May 23, 2010... JOHOR BARU: The village elders in Kampung Baru Plentong never thought that they would be having breakfast with the prime minister one day. Yong Lip Yen, 96, said he was elated when Datuk Seri Najib Razak stopped by the 100-year-old village...

Attracting, keeping top brains.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Shahrum Sayuthi; Ahmad Fairuz Othman NUSAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the country's bright economic prospects are making it even more pressing for the government to not only stop the "brain drain" but also draw...

University of Nottingham in elite group.
May 23, 2010... THE School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham is recognised internationally for its high quality teaching and research. The quality of its research was confirmed in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, which placed them in the top...

Neighbours to focus on moving forward.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Sharif Haron WHEN Datuk Seri Najib Razak met Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore in May last year, the two prime ministers acknowledged the need to improve bilateral relations despite the "legacy issues" that were still hanging over both...

UTAR introduces new engineering course.
May 23, 2010... UNIVERSITI Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) has launched a new degree programme. Beginning this month, the new course, Bachelor of Industrial Engineering, will commence at UTAR Perak campus under the Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology. ...

UUM's enterprising venture.
May 23, 2010... THE Master's of Science in Technopreneurship is a premier graduate programme offered at the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM-CAS) as a smart-partnership initiative between UUM and Mara since July 2004. The main objective of this programme is to...

Nik Aziz may contest polls for last time.
May 23, 2010... DESPITE the calm that appears to have fallen on Kelantan since Sultan Ismail Petra returned to Istana Mahkota, another succession issue is taking place. This concerns the replacement of Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Tok Guru,...

Who'll be next Kelantan MB?
May 23, 2010... Byline: Anis Ibrahim; Sulaiman Jaafar KUALA LUMPUR: A guessing game on who will be the next menteri besar of Kelantan is arising even as the the Kelantan palace saga drags on. Sources say the two events are linked as Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz...

Taste of fabulous Shanghai.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Tan Bee Hong CHINESE National Culinary Master chef Li Yao Yun introduces Shanghai specialties and traditional Huaiyang cuisine at Mandarin Palace, writes TAN BEE HONG. MY jaw dropped all the way to the floor. I just couldn't...

MAHSA to meet demand for healthcare staff.
May 23, 2010... NOTHING is more valuable in life than one's health. It is for this reason that healthcare professionals are held in high regard. To enter into this profession, a qualification in allied health sciences is necessary. There are many specialised...

Korean on a budget.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Tan Bee Hong AT Haeun Khon, you can get inexpensive set meals of Korean, Japanese or Chinese cuisine, writes TAN BEE HONG. THE name Restoran Haeun Khon definitely marks it as a Korean restaurant. But flip through the menu and...

Man dies of H1N1 at Klang hospital.
May 23, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: A 48-year-old man, who was coughing for a week and had fever for three days, died at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang from influenza A (H1N1) two weeks ago. The man, who had no risk factor, was admitted on May 6 for...

'No' to teacher licensing.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Ili Liyana Mokhtar KUALA LUMPUR: There will be no need for teachers to have a licence to pursue their profession, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The idea was not practical, he added. "I have analysed it...

Set reasonable rate for levy, urges Mustapa.
May 23, 2010... JELI: A higher levy for foreign workers is needed to protect local workers, but the new rate should be reasonable to ensure it does not affect industries badly, said International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed. Mustapa...

Kerdau state rep in critical condition.
May 23, 2010... KUANTAN: Kerdau state assemblyman Datuk Zaharuddin Abu Kassim has slipped back into coma and is reported to be in critical condition at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur. Zaharuddin's condition had worsened at noon yesterday....

PTPL students pick up valuable tips during tour.
May 23, 2010... A GROUP of Seremban PTPL College students from its School of Hospitality & Culinary Art participated in a study tour to Singapore recently. Thirty-four Diploma in Hospitality Management Tourism students were part of the tour. The...

Bear-y lovable mascot.
May 23, 2010... "HOWDY do dee, little girl?" said the Great Root Bear as he gave two-year-old Nur Liyana Md Yusni a beary "pawshake" while her friends eagerly waited for their turn. Nur and her friends were at the A&W Drive-In Restaurant in Petaling Jaya...

Indomitable spirit rising.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Ben Tan; Khairul Ghazali NOW that the guns are silent, what comes next? For people like us who are on the ground, the anti-government protests that have hit a nerve in Thailand, are quickly becoming old news, replaced by interest in...

IMU continues to offer scholarships.
May 23, 2010... THE International Medical University (IMU) continues its commitment as a responsible corporate citizen through the award of its annual scholarships to students of its medical, pharmacy and nursing programmes. These prestigious scholarships,...

Visual poetry that's so Jai.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Rachel Jenagaratnam HIS paintings are so distinctive that his style is called Jai-ism. Jalaini Abu Hassan's solo exhibition here after four years is indeed long-awaited, writes RACHEL JENAGARATNAM. AN artist like Jalaini Abu...

MSU meets the needs of experts.
May 23, 2010... DEVELOPMENT in science and technology has led to the creation of many new things which have benefited mankind. It also creates an alternative to the road of new discoveries, utilising existing know how and knowledge. On such field is...

Young Malaysian millionaires.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Tan Choe Choe MORE and more Malaysians - especially the younger generation - are turning entrepreneurial in their bid for financial freedom. Four young Malaysians, who have made it big in vastly different industries, share with TAN...

Resourceful Russian aid for students.
May 23, 2010... PROFESSIONAL placement agency Russian Resources Sdn Bhd or RRSB has 13 years of experience in placing aspiring doctors at the right universities in Russia. To date, RRSB has placed more than 2,000 medical students, both government and private...

Zamrudah fulfils dream with OUM's help.
May 23, 2010... PURSUING a degree while working may prove strenuous to some but for Zamrudah Mohd Ismail, it was a worthwhile effort. When she enrolled for a degree programme two years ago, she knew very well the consequences that she had to face as a working...

Chapters history forgot.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Rachel Jenagaratnam AN artist revisits his father's experiences from the Second World War in a poignant short film. RACHEL JENAGARATNAM reviews Doghole. WONG Hoy Cheong is a resident of Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB), a quiet town in...

African alienation.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Audrey Vijaindren; Sonia Ramachandran SCARY, intimidating and rude are only some of the words used to describe Africans in Malaysia. Are we allowing a few bad apples to spoil the bunch? AUDREY VIJAINDREN and SONIA RAMACHANDRAN take a...

Talks on winning shots for SEGi students.
May 23, 2010... CREATIVE Arts & Design students at SEGi were given a valuable sneak preview of different career options in photography. Three experienced speakers were invited to share tips on photojournalism, commercial photography and the business of...

Soo pursues his studies in peace thanks to KDU.
May 23, 2010... HAVING decided to pursue his tertiary education in KDU College, Soo Xinghan was worried whether he could continue his studies due to financial constrains. But KDU College has always recognised the fact that money matters should never stand in...

Introducing Brand Amber.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Dennis Chua SUPERMODEL Amber Chia is set to welcome her bundle of joy this Christmas, and her triple "jobs" as celebrity, wife and mum-to-be will be shared with fans in a television diary, writes DENNIS CHUA. NEWLYWED...

Malaysia's haul of medals.
May 23, 2010... ASIA is the biggest and the fastest growing market for London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) International Qualifications. Each year, LCCI awards 270 students around the globe who have demonstrated their academic strength by scoring...

It's a 'hair-raising' solution.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Shanti Gunaratnam THERE are political societies and those safeguarding the welfare of children and single mothers. Others are set up to champion labour issues, and environmental preservation. But a society on hair? Or, more...

Tight slaps from funny gangster.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Reviewed by Philip Lim NOW SHOWING ONCE A GANGSTER Directed by Felix Chong Starring Ekin Cheng, Jordan Chan, Michelle Ye, Candice Yu, Alex Fong, Wilfred Lau THERE'S a sense of disquiet in the first five minutes of the show when a...

Smile! You're on Gunung Senyum.
May 23, 2010... Byline: T.N. Alagesh TOURISTS scaling this mountain never complain of tiredness. They talk about having a "good feeling" upon reaching the mountain's peak, and having a smile plastered on their faces. And why not? They have, after all,...

Dedicated to youth.
May 23, 2010... THE United Nations (UN) defines "youth" as people between the ages of 15 and 24 years. There are some one billion youth in the world today. Approximately one person in five is between the ages of 15 and 24 years, or 18 per cent of the world's...

Wither the politics of hope?
May 23, 2010... Byline: Zainul Arifin THE pre-occupation of political punditry, amateur or professional, these days must be because of the declining support of Chinese voters to Barisan Nasional, and presumably, the phenomenon of them casting their votes...

Are rankings relevant at all?
May 23, 2010... Byline: Dzulkifli Abdul Razak FIVE Malaysian universities were ranked among the top institutions in the 2010 QS Asian University Rankings. While some cheered and reckoned this is deservedly so - considering the hard work - others felt it...

Dancing in the street.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Suzieana Uda Nagu ATTRACTIVE prizes and lucrative deals await aspiring dancers and bands at YOUTH'10, writes SUZIEANA UDA NAGU. A LOT has happened to Project Element'z since winning the Extreme Street Dance Challenge at YOUTH'09...

Danger lurks behind Facebook, emails.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Wan A. Hulaimi THE wonder of technology is so vast and its sweep so powerful that soon we'll all be tagged with barcodes under our skin, our family and circle of friends known to the whole wide world, and our homes photographed and...

Let's have new ways of doing things.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Ahmad A. Talib LET'S start every day with this motto - let's look for a new way of doing things. Let's find a faster and cheaper way to get to office; let's find a better way of conducting meetings; let's also find new friends as the...

The problem of satire.
May 23, 2010... Byline: U-En Ng THERE'S a fine line that divides satire from the thing it's satirising," says Patrick Teoh. The line is the same as the precipice in Friedrich Nietzsche's observation about fighting monsters: The more you look into the abyss,...

The young ones.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Nurjehan Mohamed THE competition may be tough but for young teenagers joining the RHB New Straits Times National Spell-It-Right Challenge, it's all about the experience, writes NURJEHAN MOHAMED. NASRUL Imran Ashaari knew it would...

Our forests the 'lost frontier'?
May 23, 2010... Byline: Baharuddin Ghazali FELLOW senior citizens would probably remember Hollywood's The Last Frontier - a typical "cowboy-injuns" saga, taken during the days when it was not politically incorrect to show massacres of so-called unruly Red...

Shedding light on the darkness of prejudice.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Mazlina Mohd Noor HAVE you ever felt like a skittle policeman? You can find him in the Enid Blyton books, huddled with the golliwog and the sailor doll. Similar to Polly Pocket, the skittle policeman is frequently abused by children...

Gaga remixed for hard partying.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Reviewed by Faridul Anwar Farinordin THE REMIX Lady Gaga (Universal Music) LADY Gaga has already changed the way we enjoy pop/dance music. Since the release of her debut album, The Fame, we have seen many variations of her music in...

The magic and mystery of the mind.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Rehman Rashid HAVING personally processed a few hundred schoolchildren through the National Spell-It-Right (SIR) Challenge since its founding two years ago, I have come to perceive what I might call the Four-Fold Path for those young...

Don't do it, it's not cool.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Halimatul Saadiah Abd Hamid A FEW days ago, while I was having tea with my university mate at a kopitiam in Kota Damansara, I overheard a conversation between a teenage girl and her friend. They looked really young, probably about 16...

Evergreen and caring singer.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Dennis Chua Datuk DJ Dave AN evergreen singer who celebrates his birthday with the less fortunate every year, Datuk Iwan Shah Abdullah, better known as Datuk DJ Dave, is an icon of the 1Malaysia spirit. His stage name has nothing...

Students wait at tables for charity.
May 23, 2010... ALICE Smith School students have a tradition of giving back to society. This year, for the first time, a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur trained some 60 Sixth Form students as waiters/waitresses for the school's recent charity dinner. The...

No time to be wife, mum.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Tortured I TOTALLY agree that teachers are tortured. I should know as my wife is a teacher. My children and I hardly have time with her as she has to attend to co-curricular activities and all kinds of school, related work even on...

Not only in movies.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Abdullah I WAS only 22-years-old when the Mona Fandey story surfaced. The brutal murder of Batu Talam assemblyman Datuk Mazlan Idris was the talk of the country but the infamous murder case was forgotten over the years. Kudos to...

Time to groom youngsters.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Asli AS much as I would like to support the Malaysian Thomas Cup team, the players' attitude towards the game shows they are not ready for such a prestigious competition. The Badminton Association of Malaysia is not bothered with...

We need to forge ahead on our own.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Muniandy THE recent 2010 Asian University Rankings shows five of our universities having made it to the top 100 with Universiti Malaya leading at number 42. Definitely, it is an improvement. Congratulations! But, our academicians...

Have a separate area for the thrill seekers.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Niels Rosenberg-Nielsen I READ with interest the article on Batu Ferringhi on April 25. I'm a regular visitor to Batu Ferringhi, but I don't go on the beach any more because of the dangers posed by para-sailors, all-terrain vehicle...

Email is faster and costs less.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Bulbir Singh I READ with nostalgia, and some sadness, the article on snail mail on May 16. But I don't think that snail mail will die off, it will just be used less often. People still write but not as often with the advent of...

It was worse in the 1970s.
May 23, 2010... Byline: S.K.L. I HAVE come across my fair share of tortured teachers during my school days back in the 1970s. So overworked were they that some had mental problems. I remember an English teacher who kept going out of class to talk to his...

Show how your school rocks!
May 23, 2010... ASIA'S biggest inter-school dance competition, High School Musical: My School Rocks!, is back with more awesome prizes up for grabs. Dancer Linda Jasmin and actress Sazzy Falak are two of the judges for this year's dance-off and are eager to...

Crushed, only for a moment.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Adib Povera SUNGAI PETANI: Nik Asyraf Nik Azis won the state-level RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right challenge for the secondary school category yesterday. At first, it was easy for the Form Four boarder of MRSM Kubang Pasu, who...

Boy wins contest, underdogs win respect.
May 23, 2010... KEMAMAN: It was success at first attempt for Aqlanputra Iqbalputra at the Terengganu RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right challenge in Mesra Mall, Kerteh, yesterday. The 14-year-old student of Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Besut had little...

Tea with Mad Hatter, Nuku.
May 23, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Dave Nuku, a Biggest Loser Asia fitness trainer, will be facing his toughest challenge yet - advising children about healthy eating. The fitness trainer will be attending the Mad Hatter's Tea Party organised by the Malaysian Red...

10 youths assault Form 2 student.
May 23, 2010... ROMPIN: A Form Two student was injured when a group of 10 youths attacked him in Kota Bahagia here on Friday. In the 4.45pm incident, the student had waited on a bridge to settle a misunderstanding with a Form Four student who had agreed to...

Shy ladies raised $4,000 in one night.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Yusoff Azmi Merican FROM a shy and reserved lot in the background of society, Penang women proved they had what it takes to play an active role in society, writes YUSOFF AZMI MERICAN. BEFORE Merdeka, a group of prominent Penang...

Kapar MP denies he is 'quitting party.
May 23, 2010... SHAH ALAM: Kapar member of parliament S. Manikavasagam yesterday denied rumours that he was defecting, together with two unidentified Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) representatives. The rumour mills were abuzz since morning when SMSes were...

Another chance to clear the air.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Zubaidah Abu Bakar IT'S time again for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's loyalists in Parti Keadilan Rakyat to gather for a two-day national congress next week. Whether delegates at the congress will have the courage to openly discuss the...

Teen who wanted to die rescued.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Zainuddin Muhammad; Taufiq Md Daud KUALA TERENGGANU: A policeman and a Fire and Rescue Department officer thwarted the attempt by a 17-year-old girl to jump off a four-storey building in Jalan Banggol on Friday night. They...

Speedy aid for flood victims in Pensiangan.
May 23, 2010... KOTA KINABALU: Efforts are under way to help residents who lost their homes and livelihood in a flood that devastated several far flung villages in Pensiangan, 280km from here, nearly three weeks ago. Temporary relief rations, such as rice...

Tickling our tongues.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Chai Mei Ling WHY do fast food, snacks and instant meals rule the nation's palate? Why do we turn our noses up at certain kinds of food? Flavouring plays a major role, as CHAI MEI LING finds out. HOW many strawberries are there in...

Thrill ride for Hong Kong Porsche drivers.
May 23, 2010... GEORGE TOWN: Members of Hong Kong's Porsche Club were so impressed with Malaysia that they vowed to return to make the country their annual holiday destination. Club chairman Benjamin Lam said this was their fifth trip to Malaysia since 2002,...

RM4m loss for Penang ferry ops.
May 23, 2010... Byline: S. Arulldas BUTTERWORTH: Ferry operator Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) has recorded between 15 per cent and 20 per cent drop in traffic and passenger volume since the Penang Bridge's third lane was opened to traffic. PPSB managing...

Inability to deal with disabled son a likely cause.
May 23, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: The inability of a couple to deal with their mentally disabled child may have been the motive for poisoning him before they committed suicide. City police chief Datuk Muhammad Sabtu Osman, who said this yesterday, added that...

Ipoh wildcard boy outshines them all.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Dennis Chua KUALA LUMPUR: Shahir Zawawi, 22, of Ipoh is Perak's second winner of popular reality talent show, Akademi Fantasia. He won Akademi Fantasia 8 (AF8) at its final concert in Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil here last night. ...

His was no fairy tale.
May 23, 2010... WHEN award-winning actor Rosyam Nor picked Remy Ishak as the next Malay hero, the latter thought he was kidding. Far from basking in the glory, he played it down. "Wow! I don't believe he said that. Did he really say that? I don't know what...

Dangerous bear encounters.
May 23, 2010... ON April 2006, a 200kg black bear killed a young girl and mauled her mother and brother in Tennessee's Cherokee National Forest in the United States. The following year, a bear killed a woman as she mountain biked in British Columbia. In...

Good Sight eyes debut win.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Go-Ram NEWCOMER Good Sight looks forward to make a winning debut in the RM80,000 Da Ma Cai Malaysia Three-Year-Old Championship Heat 2 over 1200m (Race 5, 3.15pm) in Ipoh today. The Australian gelding by Lonhro, who arrived in...

Humble Prince triumph.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Go-Ram CONSISTENT Humble Prince qualified for the final event on July 25 with an outstanding victory in Heat 1 of the RM80,000 2010 Da Ma Cai Malaysia Three-Year-Old Championship over 1200m (Race 4) in Ipoh yesterday. Partnered by...

Fitri's late strike sinks Kelantan in final.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Devinder Singh A LAST-MINUTE goal saw Kedah Schools Sports Council clinch the 2010 Manchester United Premier Cup at the National Sports Council ground in Bukit Jalil yesterday and earn a trip to the regional finals next month. ...

Selangor maintain perfect home record.
May 23, 2010... SELANGOR made light of the absences of two key players and coach K. Devan to beat KL Plus 2-0 in Shah Alam and maintain their perfect Super League home record in Shah Alam yesterday. With Devan watching from the stands and Safee Sali and...