New Straits Times articles from May 2010

New Straits Times archives from May 2010

Soccer on the big screen.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili CAN'T get a ticket to South Africa for World Cup 2010? Don't fret. You can still get your soccer kicks from the comfort of your living room. Here are 10 big-screen models - from 3-D-capable to plasma - that can...

This one's for you.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Edwin Kee HERE'S a media player that can play HD content from PC to big screen TV. EDWIN KEE writes. WD TV Live HD Looking for a media player but in the wilderness about which model to get? Western Digital has a winner with the...

Malaysia's Top 10 Fastest Rising Searches on Google.
May 31, 2010... * Week: May 21-27 1. Pac-Man Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde of the iconic video game celebrated their 30th birthday on May 21, and to commemorate the occasion, a special playable game of Pac-Man replaced Google's logo on the search engine's...

All for Blu-Ray on hard disk.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili IDEATOOLS Technology Sdn Bhd may be new in the local audio visual industry but the company is bent on helping consumers add the IT element into their home theatre setup. According to Khoo Swee Khean,...

Hybrid for superb video and audio.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili WHEN it comes to audio performance, many Hi-Fi purists believe that hybrid products, such as an amplifier that comes with built-in DVD or Blu-Ray drive, may not be able to deliver the same quality as standalone...

Wireless keyboard for less.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Bruno Dieter Chan THE MiWit wireless keyboard is good company for your PC. It?s cheap too, writes BRUNO DIETER CHAN. MOST HTPC (Home Theatre Personal Computer) builders will tell you that you can have the most perfect set-up to...

More bad company.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Chris Chan WITH fast action and nice graphics throughout, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 offers plenty to shout about, writes CHRIS CHAN. A FOLLOW-UP to first-person shooter from the successful Battlefield franchise, Bad Company 2...

Obsessed with sound.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Izwan Ismail IZWAN ISMAIL offers a sneak peek of new Philips products. DUTCH electronics giant Philips has launched a set of flagship audio products that will take the mainstream consumer audio segment by storm. Reinforcing its...

Sleek, smart printers.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili LASER printers and multifunction units are commonly perceived as dull, complex machines that get placed in office corners. But not these latest offerings from HP. The six new HP LaserLaserJet Pro models -...

For creative minds.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili IF you have talent for content creation, give the MSC Malaysia Intellectual Property Creators Challenge (IPCC) Series 2010 a shot. Open to both professionals and amateurs, the competition has four categories...

Lessons in ICT for SMEs.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Rozana Sani WHY have there been so many Information and Communication Technology (ICT) conferences, workshops and seminars targeted at SMEs these past few years? According to the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of...

Riding on a Cloud.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Rozana Sani CLOUD Computing marries desktop software to the power of the Internet, making it the way forward, writes ROZANA SANI. CLOUD Computing is the new frontier. With the new mantra, Microsoft Corporation has taken steps to...

Yam's newest Canon.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Izwan Ismail CANON has added a new member to its Yam digital IXUS camera family, with the IXUS 300 HS. Launched in Malaysia by Canon brand ambassador and Hong Kong actor Simon Yam in Subang last week, the new IXUS 300 HS features a...

Virtual way to keep in touch.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Rozana Sani FREINDS sometimes drift apart due to distance and time. But for Jizi Yahya, friendships cultivated in her teenage years have continued to strengthen, thanks in part to Facebook, writes ROZANA SANI. A QUICK glance around...

Love reunited on Facebook.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili BACK in 1990, when they were in Standard 6, he was the shy boy in class and she was the teacher's favourite who wore Pallas shoes to school. That was how senior legal executive Laila Fadzillah Zulkifly and...

Power bands for kicks.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Ridzwan A. Rahim INITIALLY sceptical of Aqualung Slingshot fins, RIDZWAN A. RAHIM gives them a try and kicks off with greater power. WHAT: Aqualung Slingshot scuba diving fins IT'S LIKE: The effort of a split fin, the power of...

Shrimp farming the IT way.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Izwan Ismail IZWAN ISMAIL looks into how information technology is used in shrimp farming to meet international demand and standards SHRIMP aquaculture is a multi-million dollar business if you do it right. It's not just about rearing...

Samy Vellu strikes back (HL).
May 31, 2010... Byline: Patrick Sennyah; Eileen Ng; Sean Augustin KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu yesterday consolidated his leadership of MIC by installing a veteran party man as his 11th secretary-general. Negri Sembilan party chief Datuk T....

Tough training lands woman in hospital.
May 31, 2010... KLANG: A diplomatic and administrative officer (PTD) trainee who fell unconscious during a commando-style training in Banting, is in critical condition at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR). Nor Hashimah Wahid, 30, has been drifting in...

Debate over high salaries of football players.
May 31, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: There was a heated debate at the Youth'10 Festival yesterday over whether professional footballers should be paid high salaries. The Asian parliamentary style debate was between youths in the NST Flipside Battle Competition held...

Clueless about soccer but she's off to S. Africa.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Ili Liyana Mokhtar KUALA LUMPUR: Han Kar Kay knows nothing about football, but the 22-year-old journalism major is now the envy of football-loving fans. The Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman student yesterday won an all-expenses-paid...

Quit in one week, Samy Vellu told.
May 31, 2010... Byline: V. Shankar Ganesh DATUK Seri S. Samy Vellu has been given one week to think thoroughly about whether or not to step down by sacked deputy MIC Youth chief V. Mugilan. "We are announcing a one-week truce so that the leadership can...

Mugilan urged to stop causing friction in party.
May 31, 2010... SEVERAL MIC leaders yesterday called on organisers of Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) to let the president execute his transition plan in peace. Leading the calls was MIC Youth chief T. Mohan, who said the poor turnout at the Mines Convention...

Poor turnout attributed to top leader sabotaging the event.
May 31, 2010... AT the end of the day, there was little tangible mileage for sacked deputy MIC Youth chief V. Mugilan's GAS, or Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu, with more than 4,000 people turning up, yesterday, well short of the target. The crowd was made up of MIC...

New sec-gen to work closely with Samy Vellu.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Suresh Ram NEWLY appointed MIC secretary-general Datuk T. Rajagopalu said he will work closely with party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and other party leaders. "He is the general. I will take instructions from the general,"...

Panel wants study on prevention of graft.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Fauziah Ismail KUALA LUMPUR: The Anti-Corruption Advisory Board (ACAB) is calling for the anatomy of corruption in Malaysia to be charted. It is recommending a comprehensive research study to look into the causes of corruption and...

Newborn found in milk box dies in hospital.
May 31, 2010... KULAIJAYA: She was alive, with her umbilical cord still attached, when placed in a milk box and left on a bus stop seat in Jalan Air Hitam-Johor Baru here early yesterday. Not long after being found, the baby girl's life was cut short. She...

Huge wave pulls 2 to their deaths.
May 31, 2010... MALACCA: A holiday outing to the beach for a family group of 30 turned tragic when two brothers-in-law drowned while fishing at Pantai Padang Kamunting near Pengkalan Balak, Masjid Tanah, yesterday. Nine families from Negri Sembilan decided...

More crews to clear sludge.
May 31, 2010... KOTA TINGGI: The remaining crude oil sludge on the shores of Pengerang is expected to be cleared by Wednesday. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas said more personnel from agencies such as the Environment...

'NEM last hope for Malaysians'.
May 31, 2010... Byline: R. Sittamparam KUALA LUMPUR: The New Economic Model may be Malaysians' last chance to break out of the old mould of protectionism and a subsidised mentality towards a more meritocratic, competitive and self-respecting society. ...

Gertak gathering on June 14.
May 31, 2010... KUALA TERENGGANU: The Melayu Bangkit gathering had been revived by the Gerakan Kebangkitan Rakyat (Gertak) and will be held at the Terengganu state stadium here on June 14 with double the expected turnout number. The gathering, which was...

Free laptops for a million poor kids.
May 31, 2010... RAUB: One million laptop computers will be given out free to poor secondary school students nationwide soon in an effort to increase broadband penetration in the country. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Tan...

'Have open mind about legal sports betting'.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Chan Wai Kong; Mazlinda Mahmood KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Vincent Tan is upset that there is opposition to legalised sports betting in the country. The Berjaya Corp Bhd chairman said legalised sports betting would generate revenue for...

Sticking to lemang for the festivities.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Peter Sibon ON average, Rosni Nadek and her aunt, Ligim Ajin, make as many as 60 lemang a day for customers, especially tourists, passing through Kampung Grogo, Bau. For Gawai Dayak, they will be preparing more than the usual...

Day to remember their ancestors.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Peter Sibon GAWAI Dayak has become a symbol of unity, aspiration and hope for Sarawakians and is an integral part of their social life, PETER SIBON reports. Gawai Dayak is a harvest festival celebrated by the Dayaks - comprising...

A special day for fair maidens and suitors.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Peter Sibon SOME 50 years ago, Gawai Dayak would double as a festival of love. Bidayuh bachelors would search for a maiden to take as their life partners in between the merry-making. Bei Aled - one of the last few Bidayuh men who...

Easier to get our sugar in Thailand.
May 31, 2010... PATTANI: The sale of Malaysian-processed sugar is rampant in this district amid the public complaint about difficulty in getting sugar in several areas in Kedah. A New Straits Times check shows that sugar in its original packaging is openly...

PKR rep: Check our own flaws.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Sulaiman Jaafar; Shuhada Elis KOTA BARU: A Parti Keadilan Rakyat delegate yesterday said that the party should "repair" itself before criticising any of its opponents. Speaking at the sixth PKR congress here, Rahim Ali of Malacca...

'Pay more to be better drivers'.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Jaspal Singh TAPAH: Malaysians may have to pay more to obtain driving licences once the new driving curriculum is introduced by the Road Transport Department (RTD) at the end of the year. RTD director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan...

What makes the Muslim leader.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Mohammad Hashim Kamali A PLENARY session on leadership at the recent sixth World Islamic Economic Forum explored the traits necessary to overcome new challenges, writes MOHAMMAD HASHIM KAMALI. "Leadership challenges for the new...

Driving home the message.
May 31, 2010... THERE are times when the messenger matters. Had it been anyone but Datuk Seri Idris Jala to shove the rakyat's collective face in the steaming pile of subsidies fertilising our way of life, he would have been chided as a scaremonger or worse. In...

India's labour of love for its neighbour.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Mahendra Ved NEARLY two millennia after the first, Lord Buddha has had a second coming to China. An Indian-style temple was dedicated to the Chinese people last week by Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil. The temple is...

Witness protection law needed.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Rachel Y. I REFER to the report "MACC to haul six hostile witnesses to court" (NST, May 14), and would like to call for firm action to be taken against prosecution witnesses in a criminal trial who turn hostile when they testify in...

Be more responsible.
May 31, 2010... Byline: V. Mani RECENT encounters with banks and bankers have made me come to the conclusion that they might just be Ah Long in sheepskin. Let me give a few examples: * Credit card: hardly a day goes by without someone from a bank...

It's ridiculous.
May 31, 2010... Byline: F.N MY son goes to a Chinese school. He has too many subjects in a day and six books per subject (this includes textbooks and activity books). Isn't it ridiculous to carry six books per subject? In addition, he has to carry three...

Send the tiger to the zoo.
May 31, 2010... Byline: M.K. I WOULD like to know what the authorities are doing about the case of a tiger that is said to have been abused at a resort in Malacca. The tiger lies on a platform and is barely conscious. When visitors come, the handler...

Store in school.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Solihan Badri I REFER to the letters from P.L.C. of Kuala Lumpur and Ting Lian Lee of Johor Baru, "Lighter book load if you follow timetable" and "Use worksheets" (NST, May 18). In 2003, the Education Ministry conducted a study to...

Too much load for a child to bear.
May 31, 2010... Byline: C.L.H. MY daughter is in Year One, studying at one of the top Chinese schools in Kota Kinabalu. These are her subjects and the number of books she has to carry: * Chinese: one textbook, three activity books and four exercise books;...

It is also for their own good.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye I APPLAUD the efforts by the Road Safety Department to get the public to understand the importance of rear seat belts. According to the Road Transport Department, only 20 per cent of Malaysians are complying...

Filling the gaps.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Samuel Yesuiah THERE have been letters about schools using non-English option teachers to teach the language to overcome the shortage of English-trained teachers. Many rural schools have non-English option teachers for the...

Easier 'English'?
May 31, 2010... Byline: Wan Abu Bakar Wan Teh Ibrahim I REFER to a number of letters in the New Straits Times recently lamenting the poor English in some examination papers. Could it be the questions were purposely worded in that way so that the many...

Not motivated to do their best.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Marisa Demori I REFER to the letter "False confidence" (NST, May 21) by Liong Kam Chong of Seremban. I do not share the writer's opinion that mistakes occur in the English public examination papers because those who set them are not...

RM50 limited notes still aplenty.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Mohd Faizal Abdullah IN 2007, Bank Negara Malaysia issued limited edition RM50 notes to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the country's independence. The notes had the figure "50" printed on the top right-hand corner and on the...

Plug the leaks quick.
May 31, 2010... Byline: James Gonzales THE statement by Datuk Seri Idris Jala, minister in the Prime Minister's Department, that Malaysia's debt would rise to 100 per cent of the gross domestic product by 2019 from 54 per cent at present without cuts in its...

Do proper repairs.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Murugan Nair JOHOR Baru city is undergoing a transformation in infrastructure, particularly the upgrading of roads and the construction of elevated highways. While construction works are going on smoothly, deplorable road...

Cancer relay ends on high note of hope, cheer.
May 31, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Clad in purple T-shirts, some 550 cancer survivors were in top form when they took part in the National Cancer Society Malaysia's (NCSM) Relay for Life 2010 to symbolise their never-ending fight against the disease. The 16-hour...

Funding health needs.
May 31, 2010... FALLING sick these days is by no means a cheap matter and, depending on the medical attention you require, the cost can easily run into the thousands. This is why some individuals delay seeking treatment. The EPF Medical Withdrawal scheme...

Angkasa plans retail co-op chain.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Alina Simon KUANTAN: The National Cooperative Organisation of Malaysia (Angkasa) plans to set up a chain of 200 cooperative retail shops and compete with the established supermarkets and hypermarkets. Its president, Professor Datuk...

Family of three killed in accident, 2 others injured.
May 31, 2010... RAWANG: Three members of a family were killed and another two seriously injured in an accident involving a car and a lorry at Km72 Jalan Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh here yesterday. The accident occurred at 2am near a sharp bend during a slight rain. ...

A lively little girl thanks to lifeline.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Teresa Yong KUALA LUMPUR: Three-year-old Foo Yan Lin is today a far cry from the frail 3-day-old baby who could barely breathe and needed surgery to survive. Her grandmother, Pang Hee Moi, 56, recalled the day Yan Lin was born in...

VIPs break the ice with sumazau.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Clement Chee PENAMPANG: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman had his dancing shoes on when he turned up for the state-level Pesta Kaamatan celebration here yesterday. After the speeches, rituals and the seven-gong-beat launch, Musa...

Sweet victory for the boys.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Looi Sue-Chern; S. Ista Kyra IPOH: A good guess bagged 14-year-old Chan Wei Han the main prize for the secondary school category at the Perak finals of the RHB-New Straits Times National Spell-it-Right Challenge at Jusco Kinta City...

Most-wanted drug trafficker held.
May 31, 2010... KUALA TERENGGANU: Three men, including the most-wanted drug trafficker in the state, were arrested when police cornered their Perodua Viva in Binjai Rendah, Marang, on Thursday. The driver of the vehicle had reversed his car into several...

Kenyan and policewoman win Malakoff Penang Run.
May 31, 2010... GEORGE TOWN: A five-month pregnant woman was among 1,000 people who took part in the Malakoff Penang Run 2010 at Taman Perbandaran here yesterday. Charlyn Holden, 31, a Mathematics teacher at the Dalat International School here, said she took...

Record gathering of milk drinkers.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Masami Mustaza KUALA LUMPUR: Dutch Lady Malaysia's "largest milk-drinking event" made it into the Malaysia Book of Records yesterday, thanks to the participation of 3,200 milk drinkers. Malaysians from all ages turned up at the...

Perdana peace group to reach Gaza in 4 days.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Shamsul Akmar THE Malaysian delegation from the Perdana Global Peace Organisation (PGPO) boarded the cargo ship Rachel Corrie at 10pm Malaysian time last night. The Rachel Corrie departed from Dundalk, Ireland, on May 14 and sailed...

Ghozi captures Stewards' Cup.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Go-Ram LIGHTLY-raced Ghozi upstaged the favourites to capture the S$300,000 (RM704,000) Stewards' Cup, the first leg of the Four-Year-Old Challenge for Group 2 horses over 1400m (Race 10) at Kranji yesterday. Partnered by 'the King...

Malacca dump Selangor.
May 31, 2010... FORMER champions Selangor were bundled out of the Minister of Education League Cup (MELC) Under-14 competition following a 4-1 defeat to Malacca in a Group B match at Stadium Tun Fatimah on Saturday. Selangor, who won the inaugural title in...

Kelantan still in the hunt.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Devinder Singh KELANTAN are not out of the title chase even if they are fast running out of games to bridge the eight-point gap on Super League leaders Selangor. As evidenced by their come-from-behind 3-1 win over Penang at Batu...

Our athletes must know respect is not their right...
May 31, 2010... Byline: Vijesh Rai RESPECT is something which is very important in all aspects of life, especially in sports where an athlete is always expected to bow to the knowledge and wisdom of his coach. It is a bit more complex in the Malaysian...

UniKL are the champions.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Jugjet Singh UNIKL stunned favourites Bandar Penawar Sports School Thunderbolt 2-1 to be crowned MHF-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League Overall champions at Tun Razak Stadium yesterday. Runners-up in the league, UniKL showed good...

Record-breaking day for Song Hwa, Adi.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Devinder Singh TAN Song Hwa and Adi Aliffudin Husin put in record-breaking performances at the Taiwan Open athletic championships as the national squad bagged three gold medals at the two-day meet which ended on Saturday. Song Hwa,...

Giap Chin stuns Wei Sheng.
May 31, 2010... GOH Giap Chin toppled Asian Junior Championship runner-up Loh Wei Sheng for the boys' Under-18 singles title in the 100PLUS National Junior Grand Finals in Kuantan yesterday. Giap Chin beat Wei Sheng, the No 1 junior in the country, 21-18,...

Jazeman in podium finish.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul JAZEMAN Firhan Jaafar scored his first podium finish of the British Formula Three International Series at the Hockemheimring in Germany on Saturday. The 18-year-old Malaysian is joint sixth in the standings in his...

Chong Wei's easy path.
May 31, 2010... Byline: K.M. Boopathy LEE Chong Wei can keep his winning momentum in the Super Series as Olympic champion Lin Dan of China will not be competing in the Singapore Open (June 15-20) and Indonesia Open (June 22-27). Chong Wei, the World No 1,...

Accounting adds up as a vocation.
May 30, 2010... Byline: R. Zeeneeshri A MALAYSIAN brand in Accounting is making waves internationally, writes R. ZEENEESHRI. Return plane ticket? No need. Life savings in bank account to last length of study? No need. Instant noodles, curry powder and...

Oceans of ideas.
May 30, 2010... Byline: Rachael Philip While his wife keeps her eyes on land, Datuk Simon Foong of Aquaria KLCC plays his part in the conservation of oceans. He tells RACHAEL PHILIP that it starts with the rivers JUST back from the world's largest aquarium...

'Baby hatch necessary as alternative for unwed mums'.
May 30, 2010... Byline: Ili Liyana Mokhtar PETALING JAYA: The nation's first baby hatch was launched here yesterday with the support of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. Couples who cannot take care of their babies can drop them off at...

Waste not, want not.
May 30, 2010... IF there is anything that can be said to bring Malaysians together, it is the enjoyment of food. Any Malaysian who claims to not like food will immediately be met with the interrogative: "Are you sure you're Malaysian, ah?" While not exactly...

New direction for development.
May 30, 2010... Byline: James Campbell THE recent release of the New Economic Model (NEM) has caused considerable debate in Malaysia and abroad. Recently we hear that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on his trip to Washington DC, the United States...

Band of brothers.
May 30, 2010... Byline: Intan Maizura Ahmad Kamal Boyhood bonds formed during days with the Boys' Brigade transcend time. Wong Giok Leigh of the 1st KL Boys' Brigade tells INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL more. I'D always wanted to be part of a uniform...

'I will step down earlier if ... '.
May 30, 2010... SEREMBAN: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said yesterday that he may step down earlier than Sept 2011 if he was given "other responsibilities". While Samy Vellu did not specify what the "other responsibilites" were, sources said he was...

Ironing the Quick way.
May 30, 2010... Byline: Meera Murugesan PANASONIC'S 360 Quick Iron promises to cut ironing time by 25 per cent, which is good news for working mums, writes MEERA MURUGESAN. MULTI-TASKING is her middle name, and rest and relaxation a luxury she can little...

Stop talking, start communicating.
May 30, 2010... Byline: Zaid Mohamad DURING one of our family dinners, I overheard the kids' conversation on the latest game. The word "ratapon" or something that was mentioned stoked my curiosity. Dad: What do you call the game? Son: "Patapon" (in a...