CYCLING: A calm Anuar heads to the US Read more: CYCLING: A calm Anuar heads to the US -

AN embattled Anuar Manan leaves for the United States today remaining calm over his inevitable exclusion from the Olympics road race team.

Anuar Manan

But the 26-year-old believes he has much more to look forward to as he continues to work towards his goal of making it into a Grand Tour.

Anuar begins his US-stint with the China-registered Champion System team in the TD Bank International Cycling Championship in Philadelphia on June 2.

"I'm not thinking about whether I'm going to be selected for the Olympics team. I don't want to say much. I'm leaving it to the MNCF (Malaysian National Cycling Federation)," said Anuar.

"Of course it is going to be hard for me to deliver victories or results this year because I'm racing at a much harder level compared to the rest of those short-listed.

"I have been racing in Europe with UCI Pro Teams and now in the US it is going to be about the same.

"If they are looking at results, then I don't think this is the year that I'm going to do much because I'm just continuing my development."

Anuar will be racing in the US for the next two months but has been told he needs two years to make it as a top sprinter in Europe.

"I've been very disappointed with my results in Europe where it was very hard to even finish races. But my more experienced teammates had calmed me down and told me that it was normal," said Anuar.

"They've said I will need to adapt to the level of cycling slowly and it takes time. There's a lot of adjustments to my riding already being made.

"Right now I'm working on my riding position, which still needs some adjustments. Little by little I am starting to get things right.

"In the US we'll see whether I've improved a little or not. I won't be discouraged if I'm not selected for the Olympics."

The MNCF will be registering its recommendations to the Olympic Council of Malaysia in the final selection committee meeting on Monday.

Indications are that Anuar's teammate Adiq Husainie Othman and Terengganu Cycling Team's Harrif Salleh are the frontrunners for the two slots available for Malaysia's road race team that will compete in the Olympics.

Undergraduate Focus: Student-centred teaching, learning environment

PROJECT-Based Learning epitomises the student-centred approach to education taken by INTI International University (INTI IU). In the past year, INTI students have successfully completed a total of 50 real employer assignments that were formulated to help develop in-demand skills such as problem solving, collaboration and effective communication. By providing an environment that focuses on student-centred teaching and learning, INTI IU empowers its students to become self-directed, motivated and independent learners.

“Many educational institutions in Malaysia tend to be very teacher-centred and traditional, where the teachers just lecture the students. There is very little interaction, participation and discussion of the subject matter, which is why we prefer the student-centred approach,” says Professor Dr Saw Sor Heoh, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Office of Education, Quality and Innovation at INTI IU.

Aside from Project Based Learning, which is applied in many courses at INTI IU, student engagement takes place with initiatives such as First Year Experience to help students cope with tertiary education by providing academic development skills sessions in academic writing, mind mapping, note taking, preparing for examinations, library research and IT skills; peer-assisted study sessions by student leaders to help fellow students enhance their learning abilities; and entrepreneurship module to nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship among students.

“Experiential learning is tied to the educational process at INTI. Past experience has shown that students really appreciate direct, hands-on exposure to activities and events that make learning fun and interesting. We also believe that our method encourages independent and practical thinking, a key quality of successful employees and entrepreneurs,” says Professor Dr Walter Wong, Vice Chancellor of INTI International University.

Other initiatives in place to help INTI’s students build up competencies and learn new skills include Enrolment to Employment (E2E) — a synergy with blue-chip companies including IBM and Ricoh, aimed at increasing the employability of every INTI graduate. E2E addresses critical market needs by tailoring courses together with the industry, which means that the curriculum and coursework activities at INTI are designed to be in tandem with the expectations of the industry, as well as being relevant to the market’s needs.

A unique component of E2E is the Business Leadership Series, which has seen prominent corporate leaders such as Google Malaysia’s Sajith Sivanandan, Media Prima’s Ahmad Izham Omar, Dell’s Bobbi Dangerfield, Microsoft Malaysia’s Ananth Lazarus, Frost & Sullivan’s Manoj Menon, IBM’s Ramanathan Sathiamutty and many others speaking to INTI students on the latest trends and developments in business and career opportunities on a global scale. The opportunity to be inspired by accomplished thought leaders on a regular basis is a privilege accorded to few students outside of INTI.

Students of INTI benefit not only from the institution’s more than 25 years of experience and strong track  record, but also gain from the global synergy and resources that Laureate International Universities provides. INTI is part of Laureate, the world’s largest private education network with a presence in 29 countries, with more than 60 accredited universities and 130 campuses, serving more than 675,000 students globally.

For more information www.newinti.edu.my

THOMAS CUP: Malaysia-China in last eight

GLOOMY: National team looking at early exit after injury to Chong Wei

Lee Chong Wei being taken to a hospital in a wheelchair after suffering an ankle injury during the Thomas Cup tie against Denmark’s Peter Gade Christensen in Wuhan, China, yesterday. Pic by Edmund Samunting

MALAYSIA'S fears came true as they will take on red hot favourites China in the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup as a result of their 3-2 defeat to Denmark in Group C yesterday.  

Malaysia, who also lost Lee Chong Wei to an injury during the defeat to Denmark, can forget about their semi-final target as China will be too strong without the World No 1 in their line-up in the last eight at Wuhan Sports Centre today.

Denmark received a kind draw as they will meet Russia in the last eight and should they win, they will either meet second seed South Korea or Germany in the semi-finals on Friday.

The other semi-final clash will be against Indonesia and Japan with the winners most likely meeting China in the last four.

It could have been avoided if Malaysia had beaten Denmark but it was never meant to be as Chong Wei twisted his ankle while leading 2-1 in the first game against Peter Gade Christensen.

The match ended just after five minutes when Chong Wei was forced to concede a walkover before things got from bad to worse when the scratch pair of Tan Boon Heong-Hoon Thien How lost 21-17, 21-23, 21-11 to Carsten Modensen-Mathias Boe to go 2-0 down.

Liew Daren then, to everyone's surprise, calmly negotiated a must-win situation as he secured a 21-15, 21-13 upset win over Jan Jorgensen.

Denmark also fielded the scratch pair of Jonas Rasmussen-Joachim Fischer Nielsen who outplayed Koo Kien Keat-Goh V Shem 21-18, 21-15 for an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Hafiz Hashim secured a consolation 17-21, 21-17, 21-19 win against Hans-Kristian Vittinghus but it was to no avail.

The absence of Lee Chong Wei means Malaysia's singles line-up be reshuffled. Daren and Hafiz will now move up the order while Chong Wei Feng will come in as the third singles.

National singles coach Rashid Sidek said Malaysia face a difficult task but the players will still give their best to try and achieve the semi-final target.

"Chong Wei's injury is unfortunate but things like that can happen to anyone.

"We could have won the match but it is not the end for us. We must battle harder without Chong Wei in the last eight," said Rashid.

"Daren and Hafiz will play as the top two singles while Wei Feng will be the third singles which means our line-up will be weaker. The team is still spirited and we will go all out although there will be added pressure. This is also a chance for the younger players to prove their worth."

Kim Swee is thrilled

SO PROUD: Coach glad Nazmi has landed a contract with Portuguese club

Nazmi poses with Portuguese Premier League side Beira-Mar’s scarf after signing a pre-contract agreement.

NATIONAL Under-22 coach Ong Kim Swee could barely contain his joy on learning about Nazmi Faiz Mansor's successful trial with Portuguese Premier League side Beira-Mar.

"We are proud of him. I believe he will go very far. The fact that Beira-Mar gave him a three-year contract indicates that they must have confidence in his abilities," said Kim Swe when contacted in Budapest yesterday.

"It is a big achievement, and testament to our youth development programme. Nazmi has put Malaysian football on the world map."

Nazmi signed a pre-contract agreement with Beira-Mar following last week's successful trial at the club's base in Aveiro.

He joined Kim Swee's squad in Budapest yesterday where they will play three friendly matches from today to May 30 that will also see the team play one match in Slovakia and another in China before facing Timor Leste in Kuala Lumpur as part of intensive preparations for next month's AFC Under-22 Qualifiers. Malaysia are in Group G with South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines and hosts Myanmar.

All the hype, however, is getting Kim Swee somewhat worried as he does not want Nazmi's success to affect his players' immediate task at hand.

"Nazmi has set a benchmark which I am certain everyone of us is happy but we have a major assignment to focus on. I hope that when we do get back to Kuala Lumpur on June 12, the team won't get carried away by all this talk of Portugal and Beira-Mar," said Kim Swee, who had stated before that several members of his squad were on the radar of clubs in Asia and Europe.

These include Wan Zack Haikal Wan Noor and Wan Zaharulnizam, who have postponed trials with a Japanese second tier club due to international commitments.

Nazmi, formerly a member with the Bukit Jalil Sports School Under-14 squad, first represented the Tigers B before Kim Swee included him in his Sea Games squad and later the Olympic side.

"I first spotted Nazmi in one of the local league matches last year. He impressed me and I decided on taking him to Vietnam for a series of friendly matches. The rest is history," Kim Swee added.

Meanwhile, former international K. Gunalan reminded Nazmi to focus on minor things first while in Portugal.

"He, however, must adapt to the food, weather and most importantly learn the language," said Gunalan.

Traders to go ahead with night market if not compensated

KUALA LUMPUR: The group which calls itself "Bersih 4.0" will withdraw its plans to set up a night market outside the electoral reform group "Bersih 3.0" co-chairman Datuk S. Ambiga's house in Bukit Damansara if traders are compensated for their losses.

In this May 10 photo, Malaysia Small and Medium-sized Entrepreneurs Alliance (IKHLAS) members holding a peaceful demonstration by having a burger stall set up in front of Bersih co-chairman Datuk Ambiga's house in Bukit Damansara. They demand that she repay their losses suffered during the Bersih 3.0 rally.

It claimed that the organisers of the Bersih rally on April 28 caused a major fracas in the city centre leaving

scores injured.

"We are ready to cancel the plan for the night market if we are given compensation for our losses," Kuala Lumpur Petty Traders Action Council chairman Datuk Jamal Md Yunus said. "Until we are assured of that by the organisers, the plan will go on," he said, adding that the traders only wanted to recover their losses.

Jamal said the council was also contemplating seeking compensation from those charged in court for participating in the Bersih 3.0 rally.

He said they would be applying for permits from the authorities to do business at the night market there, but would still go ahead if permits were denied.

Bersih 3.0 steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah when contacted by the New Straits Times said there would be no compensation to be paid to the traders.

"The issue of compensation is not a grave concern as a lot of traders experienced a boom in their businesses on the Bersih 3.0 rally day," she said, adding that the behaviour of the Kuala Lumpur Petty Traders Action Council was infringement of a person's privacy.

Chin said the action of the Bersih 4.0 members was pure intimidation and harassment.

"Ambiga has already had a dialogue with the burger stall operators outside her residence and there is no necessity for another dialogue."

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Tan Sri Ahmad Fuad Ismail said on Monday that Kuala Lumpur City Hall would not grant a permit to the group to hold a night market in front of Ambiga's house.

Fuad said the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 prohibited people from intruding into other people's territory and, therefore, the group should not proceed with its plan.

On Sunday, 60 petty traders said that they planned to open up stalls in front Ambiga's house tomorrow and Friday, with the hope of recouping losses suffered during the rally.

Three charged with the kidnapping of Nayati

KUALA LUMPUR (May 22, 2012): Three men were charged with kidnapping Nayati Shamelin Moodliar with intention to demand a ransom of RM300,000 at the Magistrate’s court today.

Chong Tat Siong, 24, from Chemor, Perak, Foong Khar Fai, 19, from Ampang and Lee Phak Seng, 24, from Cheras, allegedly committed the offence with another, who is still at large, at Jalan Kiara 1, Mont Kiara at 7.30am on April 27, 2012.

The charge under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961, carries a death sentence or life imprisonment, upon conviction. If no death sentence is ordered, whipping can be imposed.

No plea was recorded from the three accused.

DPP Faizah Mohd Salleh asked the court to set a mention date as the prosecution are waiting for the chemistry report.

Magistrate Erry Shahriman Nor Aripin set July 20 for mention.

Lawyer Rejinder Singh represented Chong who is self-employed and Foong, a handphone seller. The third accused, Lee, an unemployed was not represented.

Nayati, a Dutch national, was kidnapped by two men while walking to school in the Mont Kiara neighbourhood on April 27. He was held for six days at a house in Ipoh, Perak.

He was freed in Sungai Buloh after his parents who were contacted by the abductors via Facebook, paid a ransom of RM300,000.

Police have recovered half of the ransom money with the arrest of the seven suspects.

The case drew both local and international attention after Facebook postings by Nayati's parents on the case went viral.

DAP challenged over MB's post

KULAIJAYA: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has challenged DAP to openly pledge to the people that should the Chinese community here vote for them, a menteri besar will be appointed from among the non-Malay and non-Muslim candidates.

Dr Chua said Johor DAP chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau had many times stated at several functions that although the state constitution only allowed a Muslim Malay to be menteri besar, there were provisions for this to be otherwise if the sultan approved it.

Sin Chew Daily had reported in April, quoting Dr Boo as saying that a non-Malay non-Muslim could be appointed to be the menteri besar should Pakatan Rakyat win Johor in the next general election.

Dr Chua questioned why such statements were only made available to the Chinese media. He added that this seemed to be an effort to mislead the Chinese community by giving them false hope and to fish for more votes.

The MCA president was speaking at a press conference yesterday at the launching of the Kembara Mahkota Johor 2012.

He said it was not wrong to say that supporting DAP was a vote to Pas, in order to help the conservative Islamic party lead the rule at both state and federal levels.

source : New Straits Times

http://www.nst.com.my/nation/politics/dap-challenged-over-mb-s-post-1.83642

'Do Form 6 and enter university'

KUALA LUMPUR: School leavers should consider enrolling in Form Six if they are not offered scholarships or a place to do matriculation.

MCA Youth Education Bureau chairman Chong Sin Woon said Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia students should not think that matriculation was the only way for them to secure a place in local universities.

"Although we have been telling this every year, students still don't understand that there are other options for them to get into universities.

"MCA Youth is always advising students to consider Form Six as the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia qualification is recognised not only in local universities, but also private higher learning institutions and top universities overseas," he said yesterday.

This year, MCA received 892 appeals from students who failed to secure a place in matriculation. Among the appeals, four were from straight A+ students.

Chong said while students could think about enrolling in Form Six, the government should also consider increasing the non-bumiputera quota in matriculation programmes.

Currently, only 10 per cent out of about 20,000 matriculation places are reserved for non-bumiputeras.

"While we can advise students to take up Form Six if they were not given a place in matriculation, the government should also consider increasing the quota to 20 per cent.

"Students, on the other hand, should also be realistic when applying for matriculation.

"If you are applying for a Science major, then you have to make sure that you have scored good marks for a Science-related subject."

soure : News Straits 

http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/do-form-6-and-enter-university-1.85126

Blog for Fundamental of Media Writing

hello..

introduction..

this is a new sites special for our subject Fundamental of Media Writing

we are student from Unisel (University of Selangor), 

program  Bachelor of Communication(Journalism) 

on this blog we (which means me and my teammates)

only post about news and the only news

that happened around the world

please kindly support us

thank you

team of journal.