Ulama muda Umno sedia bertanding PRU jika diberi peluang

Ulama Muda Umno tidak menolak untuk bertanding atas tiket Barisan Nasional (BN) dalam pilihan raya sekiranya mendapat lampu hijau dari kepimpinan pusat.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kerja Sekretariat Ulama Muda Umno (Ilmu), Fathul Bari Mat Jahaya yang dihubungi The Malaysian Insider berkata, pihaknya bersedia menghulurkan bantuan jika parti memerlukan mereka, bagaimanapun menegaskan, pihaknya bukan jenis yang meminta-meminta, tetapi sedia membantu jika diperlukan bagi memperjuangkan prinsip Islam.

"Kami tidak akan menolak. Kami bukanlah jenis yang meminta-minta, jika parti perlukan kami, kami sedia berkhidmat untuk memperjuangkan prinsip Islam," jelasnya.

Kewujudan cabang ulama muda di dalam Umno dilihat masih baru berbanding PAS yang mempunyai Dewan Ulama sendiri, khusus untuk pemantapan ahli PAS dan penyertaan politik yang aktif.

Bagaimanapun, ulama muda Umno ini menjelaskan, kewujudan mereka tidak seharusnya dilihat sebagai satu entiti semata-mata, sebaliknya perlu dilihat dari konteks yang lebih luas.

"Kami bukan berjuang atas dasar peribadi, politik. Tetapi kami berjuang demi agama," tegas Fathul Bari.

Menurut bekas Penasihat Agama Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) ini lagi, pihaknya tidak berat sebelah dalam mengeluarkan kenyataan, sama ada melibatkan pembangkang mahupun kerajaan pimpinan Umno-BN, parti yang dianggotai mereka.

"Suara kami tidak pernah disekat. Umno tidak pernah menghalang kami, bahkan, kami turut mengeluarkan kenyataan yang tidak memihak kepada parti, tapi kami tidak pernah disekat," katanya lagi membandingkan kebebasan bersuara di dalam PAS.

"Bukan seperti PAS. Ramai ulama PAS yang dihalang daripada mengemukakan kenyataan yang bercanggah dengan pemimpin mereka. Kita lihat mereka bercakaran dalam Pakatan Rakyat (PR), tapi mana suara ulama, pemimpin PAS?", soal beliau lagi.

Fathul Bari turut menegaskan, segala kenyataan yang diutarakan ulama muda tersebut juga bukanlah atas telunjuk Umno, sebaliknya atas inisiatif mereka sendiri selaku umat Islam.

"Adakah kami keluarkan kenyataan mengikut kepentingan Umno?" Tidak," tegasnya, dan menambah, perjuangan kumpulan ulama muda tersebut adalah semata-mata kerana Islam dan masyarakat Melayu di negara ini.

"The Borneo Incident", jejak kaum pemenggal kepala

 Filem terbaru "The Borneo Incident" tidak berbunyi seakan-akan sebuah filem. Namun itu faktanya. Ia merupakan sebuah filem seram eskperimental pertama terbitan Maverick Media yang diarahkan oleh Michael Helfman.

Filem ini dibintangi oleh pengacara "The 8TV Quickie", Henry Golding sebagai watak utama. Bagi pengacara program 8TV, "Without Boundaries" ini, untuk sekali lagi masuk ke hutan menjalani penggambaran filem itu seperti tidak sukar. Walaupun pada kali ini dia menjelajah isi hutan bukan sebagai hos, tetapi sebagai pelakon, ia adalah sesuatu yang baru yang mengujakannya.

Selain Golding, Hansen Lee, Daphne Iking turut akan membintangi filem ini termasuklah pelakon dari Singapura, Fay Hokulani selain pelakon seksi Carmen Soo dan penyanyi Dennis Lau.

Menurut pengarah filem, Helfman, dia memilih Malaysia sebagai lokasi untuk filemnya ini kerana Malaysia mempunyai pelbagai kaum dan budaya dengan mempunyai permandangan yang memukau.

Filem "The Borneo Incident" ini menceritakan pengalaman lima orang sahabat yang mendokumentasikan pengembaraan mereka dari New York, Amerika Syarikat ke Borneo, Malaysia. Tujuan rombongan mereka adalah untuk menjejak semula keluarga Henry yang terkenal dengan kaum 'pemenggal kepala' Iban sehingga tersasar daripada matlamat asal setelah tersesat sehingga memasuki sempadan sebuah puak di Indonesia.

"The Borneo Incident" ini bakal berada di layar perak pada September tahun ini. Filem ini juga dikatakan akan turut dipertandingkan di Festival Filem Toronto sebelum memasuki Malaysia.

GAY ACTIVIST !? and a MUSLIM !? what !!??

A Canadian Muslim gay activist launched her controversial new book on liberal Islam in Muslim-majority Malaysia Saturday despite a government minister's attempts to shut down the event.

Irshad Manji launched "Allah, Liberty and Love" at a hastily arranged event in the capital Kuala Lumpur after two other venues pulled out of hosting her, according to local publisher ZI Publications.

"Fantastic event in KL! Great energy -- except 4 cops who told latecomers that event is banned. Didn't stop us. Congrats 2 all," Manji wrote on Twitter.

Jamil Khir Baharom, minister in charge of Islamic affairs, had said Islamic officials and the Home Ministry would not allow the author's roadshow in the country following complaints.

He was quoted by national news agency Bernama as saying earlier on Saturday that the book was offensive to Muslims as was Manji's ideology and openly gay lifestyle, which was deemed to be against Islam.

According to her website, the book, now available in the local Malay language, "shows all of us how to reconcile faith and freedom in a world seething with repressive dogmas... This book is the ultimate guide to becoming a gutsy global citizen".

The book has not been officially banned. Manji was due to fly to New York City late Saturday.

Her previous internationally acclaimed book, "The Trouble with Islam Today", is already banned in Malaysia, ZI Publications said.

Manji also faced problems while touring Indonesia before coming to Malaysia. Police shut down several events after the Islamic Defenders Front group held violent protests condemning her liberal views on Islam and her homosexuality.

It is also not the first time a foreign act has run into trouble in Malaysia.

In February, Malaysia banned a show by American singer Erykah Badu after a photo of her with body art including the Arabic word for "Allah" was published in a daily newspaper.

10 fast and fuel-frugal sports cars

It doesn’t take a market research maven to determine that with gas prices still hovering around the $4.00 mark, fuel economy remains of paramount importance among new-car buyers. But what if your vehicular preferences run more toward the fast and the furious – can a true sports car be both entertaining to drive and fuel efficient?

The answer, surprisingly, is yes.

While the sports car market is still populated with plenty of gas-guzzlers, there are a number of models – some of which are among the quickest rides on the road – that boast downright decent fuel economy.

And while it could be said that anyone who’s able to afford a costly sports car could well absorb sky-high gasoline prices, consider the environmental effects of choosing a “greener” alternative. According to the EPA’s figures, the aforementioned 911 Carrera S will burn an average 10.3 fewer barrels of oil and spew 4.6 fewer tons of greenhouse-gas emissions annually than will either the comparably performing Lambo or Aston Martin. Such emissions include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, which are said to be major contributors to global warming. (For fuel economy and emissions ratings for all vehicles, check the EPA’s website at www.fueleconomy.gov.)

We sorted through both the EPA’s official fuel economy ratings and posted 0-60 mph times for all sport coupes/convertibles sold in the U.S. to compile a formidable list of ten models that can reach 60 mph in well under six seconds, yet achieve an estimated combined city/highway fuel economy of 22 mpg or better. These include fleet-footed models like the Porsche 911, Boxster and Cayman, the Lotus Evora, Nissan 370Z, Audi TT, Mercedes-Benz SLK, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Infiniti G37 and an unexpectedly frugal version of the venerable Ford Mustang.

While most of these cars offer the choice of either a standard stick shift or an automatic transmission, you’ll note that many models achieve their quickest 0-60 mph times and top fuel economy ratings with the latter, particularly if it’s a sophisticated dual-clutch automated manual gearbox. While such racecar-inspired transmissions can be operated by hand for a quasi-manual effect, in fully automatic mode they typically shift faster and more precisely than most humans could muster.

One caveat, however. The EPA’s ratings are based on standardized tests conducted under strictly controlled conditions on a dynamometer, which is like a treadmill for cars. Out in the real world lead-footed motorists will likely never achieve any of these models’ lofty estimates. The EPA cautions that “aggressive” driving (i.e. the manner for which sports cars are built) can reduce a vehicle’s gas mileage by as much as 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent in the city. As they say, your mileage may vary.

Given that corporate average fuel economy regulations here and in Europe are scheduled to rise significantly in the coming years, expect sports-car builders to pay added attention to their models’ mileage down the road. This will likely include expanded use of lighter-weight materials like aluminum and carbon fiber; all else being equal, decreasing a vehicle’s mass by 10 percent enables about a three percent increase in fuel economy. Expect widespread use of technology like direct fuel injection and turbocharging to help make smaller engines perform like larger ones, as well as a so-called stop-start function that automatically de-powers an engine while the car is at idle to save fuel.

We’ll also be seeing more hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric sports cars in subsequent model years. The recently discontinued Tesla Roadster proved that a battery-powered sports car could maintain top performance (0-60 mph in around four seconds) and use no gasoline at all. Porsche is currently testing a plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder “supercar” it plans to introduce in the fourth quarter of 2013. While it’s expected to break the bank at a reported $845,000, Porsche says the 918 Spyder will boast the equivalent of over 770 horsepower and get around 78 mpg (three liters per 100 km).

Now that’s really fast and frugal.

hate snooring

Nobody likes the idea that they snore like a truck driver. But a lot of us do just that. In fact, it's been estimated that up to 50 percent of the US population snores at one time or another. And snoring is more than just a nuisance--it's been shown to disrupt the sleep of 90 million American adults and their partners. The good news is that lifestyle changes and medical advances can minimize the log sawing

Nine amazing outdoor hotel suites

Sheets, quilts, pillows may seem strange bedfellows for the open air, but these are cozy sleeping platforms that referee civilization and nature. Here are nine of the most spectacular hotel suites in the world.

Amangiri Resort
Lake Powell, Canyon Point, Utah

A full moon showcases the mesas against the sky. At night the occasional coyote yips, and at dawn bighorn sheep may troop by. Welcome to Amangiri, the extravagant 600-acre resort near the Navajo Nation in Utah as it cuts in near Page, Arizona. This is one of the best places in the United States for star-gazing: The air is clear and dry, and there's very little ambient light. If you'd like less exposure but a more focused relationship with the starry pitch above, six Amangiri suites have "Sky Terraces" – three protecting walls with the open sky above and a pool below you. With summer nights in the 60s and January nights in the mid-30s or lower, there's appropriate bedding – from silk and wool throws to plumped down quilts. Cocoa with a shot of brandy? Coffee at 5:30 a.m.? This is Amangiri (            435-675-3999      ; suites, $1,500–$3,500).

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg marries sweetheart

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg updated his status to "married" on Saturday.

Zuckerberg and 27-year-old Priscilla Chan tied the knot at a small ceremony at his Palo Alto, Calif., home, capping a busy week for the couple, according to a guest authorized to speak for the couple. The person spoke only on the condition of anonymity.

Zuckerberg took his company public in one of the most anticipated stock offerings in Wall Street history Friday. And Chan graduated from medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, on Monday, the same day Zuckerberg turned 28, the person said.

The couple met at Harvard and have been together for more than nine years, the person said.

Zuckerberg designed the ring featuring "a very simple ruby," according to the person.

The ceremony took place in Zuckerberg's backyard before fewer than 100 guests, including Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg.

The guests all thought they were coming to celebrate Chan's graduation but were told after they arrived that the event was in fact a wedding.

"Everybody was shocked," the guest said.

Rather than his trademark hoodie, Zuckerberg wore a suit for the ceremony, while his bride wore a traditional wedding dress.

Food was served family-style and included dishes from the couple's favorite Palo Alto sushi restaurant. The two had been planning the marriage for months but were waiting until Chan had graduated to hold the wedding, the guest said.

The timing wasn't tied to the IPO, since the date the company planned to go public was a "moving target," the guest said.

Even after the IPO, Zuckerberg remains Facebook's single largest shareholder, with 503.6 million shares. And he controls the company with 56 percent of its voting stock.

The site, which was born in a dorm room eight years ago, has grown into a worldwide network of almost a billion people.

Zuckerberg founded Facebook at Harvard in 2004.

He was selected as Time's Person of the Year in 2010, at age 26.

Zuckerberg grew up in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.