Remember 31 May NO NO NO

FOOD POISONING

Watch out for food poisoning

30 May 2010

POSITIVE PARENTING
By Prof Dr CHRISTOPHER BOEY CHIONG MENG

AHMAD arrived home from school looking pale and feeling weak. Holding his hurting tummy, he told his mother that he vomited in school and had had diarrhoea three times.

His mother brought him to the doctor and found that Ahmad was suffering from food poisoning.
 

Most food poisoning cases in Malaysia are caused by eating food contaminated with infectious agents.

Food poisoning happens when there is inflammation of the stomach and/or intestines caused by eating contaminated foods. Usually, symptoms present themselves within two to 24 hours after eating.

Depending on the severity, sufferers of food poisoning may also experience fever and chills, bloody stools, and dehydration.

Although food poisoning is usually a common and mild illness, it can sometimes be deadly, especially in children.

Infectious bacteria are to blame

Food poisoning is usually due to either toxic agents or infectious agents. Toxic agents are pesticides on fruits and vegetables, improperly prepared exotic foods (such as shellfish or barracuda), or poisonous mushrooms.
 

To reduce the risk of food poisoning, never leave cooked food at room temperature for more than two hours.
Most food poisoning cases in Malaysia however, are caused by eating food contaminated with infectious agents. This means that the food contains harmful viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

These bacteria release poison that causes inflammation of the lining of the intestines. E. coli, salmonella, shigella, and staphylococci are common infectious bacteria which cause food poisoning.

Hygiene keeps contamination at bay

Poor sanitation and improper food preparation are usually to blame for food contamination.

Food handlers should practise good personal hygiene and ensure the food preparation area is clean.

Contamination is also likely to occur when food is not properly stored, or kept at the wrong temperature.

Here are some good food preparation practices to help you prevent food contamination:

1. Prepare food with care

Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly.

Do not prepare foods with bare hands if you have wounds.

For raw and cooked foods, separate utensils (knives/cutting boards) should be used.

Defrost foods completely before cooking. Thaw food under clean running water.

Cook foods (meat, poultry, egg and seafood) thoroughly.

Reheat cooked food thoroughly. Bring foods like soups and stews to boil.

2. Serve food well

Serve cooked foods as soon as possible in clean crockery.

Never leave cooked food at room temperature for more than two hours.

3. Store food properly

Separate raw food from cooked food in different packages when storing them in the refrigerator.

Cooked food should be properly packaged and stored in the refrigerator within two hours.

It is not advisable to give your child cooked food that has been prepared longer than two days previously.

When to see the doctor

Food poisoning should not be taken lightly as severe diarrhoea and vomiting can cause dehydration, which is very dangerous, especially if it happens in young children. Here’s when to see the doctor:

Your child is very young (age two years and below:

* Persistent vomiting

* Altered level of consciouness

* Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea lasts for more than two days

* Your child also has fever, chills, or bloody stools

* Other family members or friends who ate the same thing are also sick

* Your child cannot keep any liquids down

* Your child does not improve within two days even though he’s drinking large amounts of fluids

* Your child has other immune related disease or illness

* Your child experiences slurred speech, muscle weakness, double vision, or difficulty swallowing

Managing food poisoning

If your child is suffering from mild food poisoning, in which he experiences short episodes of vomiting and minimal diarrhoea, symptoms will usually go away on its own in two to three days.

You can help your child feel better by trying these home care tips:

Do not let your child have solid food until he stops vomiting.

Offer your child water frequently in small amounts to prevent dehydration. You can also add a special oral electrolyte solution (found in pharmacies).

Once vomiting has stopped, slowly reintroduce easy-to-digest foods. You may offer him rice, wheat, breads, potatoes, bananas, or low-sugar cereals.

It is not recommended to give children over-the-counter medicines to stop diarrhoea.

Check what your child has eaten over the pass twenty-four hours.

If in any doubt, seek medical help early.

Prof Dr Christopher Boey Chiong Meng is a professor of paediatrics and consultant paediatric gastroenterologist. This article is not in any way intended as a substitute for medical attention. When in doubt, please consult your doctor. This article is courtesy of the Malaysian Paediatric Association’s Positive Parenting Digestive Health Initiative and the Malaysian Society of Gastroenterology & Hepatology that is supported by an educational grant from Vitagen Healthy Tummies Programme. For further information, please visit www.mypositiveparenting.org. To know more about children’s digestive health, please contact 03-56211408 or 03-56323301 for a free digestive health booklet by the Malaysian Paediatric Association’s Positive Parenting in collaboration with the Malaysian Society of Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

BRUSH TEETH TWICE A DAY AGAINST HEART DISEASE

By Emma Wilkinson Health reporter, BBC News  

 

Dentists recommend brushing twice a day

People who fail to brush their teeth twice a day are putting themselves at risk of heart disease, say researchers.

A Scottish study of more than 11,000 adults found those with poor oral hygiene had a 70% increased risk of heart disease compared with those who brushed twice a day.
The British Medical Journal study backs previous work showing a link between gum disease and heart problems.
But a charity said oral health was just one factor in good heart health.
It is known that inflammation in the body, including in the mouth and gums, has an important role in the build up of clogged arteries, which can lead to a heart attack.
But this is the first time that researchers have looked at whether the frequency of teeth brushing has any bearing on the risk of developing heart disease.

If you don't brush your teeth, your mouth can become infected with bacteria which can cause inflammation

Judy O'Sullivan British Heart Foundation

Data was collected on lifestyle behaviours, such as smoking, physical activity and oral health routines.

Participants were also asked how often they visited the dentist and how often they brushed their teeth.
Then nurses collected information on medical history and family history of heart disease, took blood pressure and blood samples.
Overall, six out of 10 people said they visited the dentist every six months and seven out 10 reported brushing their teeth twice a day.
Over the eight-year study there were 555 "cardiovascular events" such as heart attacks, 170 of which were fatal.
Taking into account factors that affect heart disease risk, such as social class, obesity, smoking and family history, the researchers found those who brushed twice a day were at a lower risk.
Those with poor oral hygiene also tested positive in blood samples for proteins which are suggestive of inflammation.
Cause and effect Study leader Professor Richard Watt, from University College London, said future studies will be needed to confirm whether the link between oral health behaviour and cardiovascular disease "is in fact causal or merely a risk marker".
Judy O'Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse at British Heart Foundation, said: "If you don't brush your teeth, your mouth can become infected with bacteria which can cause inflammation.
"However, it is complicated by the fact that poor oral hygiene is often associated with other well known risk factors for heart disease, such as smoking and poor diet."
She added: "Good personal hygiene is a basic element of a healthy lifestyle.
"But if you want to help your heart, you should eat a balanced diet, avoid smoking and take part in regular physical activity."
Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser to the British Dental Association, added it was still unclear whether there was a definite cause and effect between oral hygiene and heart disease.
"Whatever the true position is, we can say with certainty that if people brush teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, visit the dentist regularly and restrict sugary snacks to mealtimes; that this will go a long way towards keeping the teeth and gums in a healthy state for life."

SUKAN MASUM 2010

Sifu berada di Sukan Catur Masum 2010 di USIM, Nilai, sifu lihat ramai kenalan menjadi jurulatih berada di sana.  Norazmi Mohd Noor dengan pasukan UiTM,  NWM Khairulnissa Wahiduddin dengan UMP, Hasidin Abdul Rashid dengan  UPM, Nik Ahmad Farouqi dengan IIUM, Shamsuddin Md Isa dengan UKM, Fadli Stonemaster dengan USIM dan merupakan tuan rumah bersama pasukan teknikal nya bersama  Cikgu Suhairi sebagai Ketua Arbiter. Hebat betul siapa yang akan jadi juara agak IIUM, UM, UPM, UiTM atau USIM !!  Tapi buat ketika ini nampak pasukan UM terlalu gagah untuk pasukan lelaki dan wanita. Kedudukan terkini: Pasukan Lelaki 1 UM 17   2 UiTM 15   3 UTM 14.5 4 UIAM 14 5 UPSI 14 6 USM 13.5 7 UKM 12.5 8 UMP 12 9 UPM 12 10 UDM 11 11 UUM 10.5 12 UPNM 10 13 UTHM 9 14 USIM 3   Pasukan Wanita MASUM 1 UM 18.5  2 UTM 14.5   3 UIAM 14.5 4 UMP 14.5 5 UPM 13.5 6 UiTM 13.5 7 UKM 13 8 UPSI 13 9 USM 10.5 10 USIM 10.5  11 UDM 8 12 UUM 0

TRAGEDI CATUR

Bila di lihat di Chess Overboard, Lim Chong imbas kembali masa silam dengan  Rosazman Mat Rosley, seorang prodigi catur tapi hilang ....NWM Khairulnissa ada cerita di blog nya..

TAPI SABENARNYA INI BUKAN CERITA TAPI PERISTIWA SEDIH TRAGEDI CATUR TERUTAMA UNTUK ANAK MELAYU TERMASUK TRAGEDI PCMM DI HARAMKAN !!!

Mengapa tragedi ?
Tragedi saperti ini berulang dan berulang bagi pemain berbakat tapi mereka yang menjadi pemimpin tidak berubah hanya menukar topi, atau memakai terlalu banyak topi dan tersilap topi selalu atau terlupa topi berlaku.... ini lah punca tragedi nya.
Sifu berada di Kejohanan CaturMASUM di USIM, Nilai dan perbincangan ini di timbulkan.

Sifu sudah berperanan dengan bangga nya untuk menyumbang 10 butir Emas Catur Paralimpik untuk negara di dua Paralimpik Sukan Asean Korat dan Kuala Lumpur serta 8 butir Pingat Perak serta Gangsa.
Serta dapat bersama beberapa jurulatih nasional terkemuka saperti Fadli Stonemaster, Rizal Ahmad Kamal, Shamsuddin Mat Isa, Hashim Jusuh, Asmah Hambadley Ahmad, Abdul Haq Mohamad dan Roslina Marmono.
Kata mereka dengan OKU bolehlah tapi bekerja dengan OKU tidak boleh kaya, tidak banyak duit...tapi bekerja  dengan ikhlas bersama mereka lebih mulia dari cemohan yang di hadapi kini yang tiada hasil nya untuk di banggakan mungkin bertambah IM tapi GM nampak jauh lagi di lautan....
Pemain OKU lebih menyerlah saperti Nur Fique Halil, Norain Yusof, Atirah, Aqilah, Tham Siew Foong, Choo Min Wang, Shaharuddin Sidek dan Mah Hassan Omar yang telah mencipta sejarah Emas Negara. Ini semua adalah perancanga teliti sejak sepuluh tahun lalu 1990 antara sifu dan Rizal Ahmad Kamal bersama MPM dan MSN, sifu tidak mahu tragedi catur able bodies berulang di OKU Paralimpik.
Balik pada tragedi...
PCMM ketika itu persatuan catur harapan orang Melayu dengan Kejohanan Terbuka Melayu, Masters Melayu, Hari Buruh, Allegro Bank Pertanian, Terbuka Rank Raayat dan Catur Merdeka...tapi bila tidak tahu memakai topi oleh beberapa pemimpin kanan, Mula merampas satu persatu bermula dengan Merdeka untuk masuk kantung MCF, tapi kantung MCF tetap kosong hingga kini.
Merdeka selalu memberi nafas untuk PCMM untuk menganjur Terbuka Melayu dan Masters Melayu, sabelum di bantu oleh Bank Pertanian.
Zaman gemilang PCMM ini melahirkan banyak harapan dan prodigi catur di bantu oleh Persatuan Catur Dan Dam Shah Alam, Persatuan Catur Kelantan, Persatuan Catur Terengganu, Pesatuan Catur Kedah dan Persatuan Catur Perlis ketika itu.
Kejohanan demi kejohanan tanpa berhenti  untuk melahirkan prodigi catur...mula dengan Rosazman Mat Rosley,

Jusjefri Ahmar,

Mas hafizul Helmi Agus,

keluarga Wahiduddin dengan Nurul Huda, Kamal Ariffin serta Khairulnisa,

keluarga Saranon dengan Norfatitah,

keluarga Ibrahim dengan Haliza Hanum dan Haliza Hanim,

keluarga Hussain dengan Hazuin dan Hazril,

keluarga Zakaria dengan Fadli dan Fairn,

keluarga Che Hassan dengan Abdullah,

keluarga Kamsah ,

keluarga Ustaz Ali,

keluarga Nik dengan Nik Ahmad Faruki,

keluarga Ishak dengan Nursafawati Ishak,

keluarga Effa....dan banyak lagi yang mungkin sifu tertinggal termasuk keluarga sifu sendiri.

Tapi  Rosazman, anak seorang penoroka Felda Jengka 2 setiap kali datang ke Kejohanan PCMM di bawa oleh bapa nya Mat Rosley bersama seorang rakan ia itu Jusjefri menaiki bas dari Temerloh dan tinggal di rumah sifu  kalau beliau tidak menang mungkin perjalanan mereka menjadi lebih perit sebagai anak peneroka dan perancangan untuk kejohanan seterus nya akan terjejas.  Rosazman ini adalah anak didik CikGu Robil, dan Rosazman bermain di peringkat MSSM sejak berumur 9 tahun lagi dan permainan nya terserlah di MSSP dan MSSM sahaja sehingga beliau memasuki ITM Jengka.
Sifu bersama beberapa rakan telah cuba menempatkan Rosazman di sebuah sekolah terkemuka berasrama dan diambil sebagai anak angkat oleh seorang ahli koperat, malang nya beliau tidak mahu tinggalkan keluarga nya dan memberi syarat agar di ambil Jusjefri sekali, tapi peruntukkan itu untuk seorang sahaja maka ...hilanglah Rosazman dari dunia catur mungkin sebab kepahitan hidup sebagai anak peneroka.
Khairulnissa ada pernah berjumpa dengan Rosazman tapi dunia catur nya sudah ditinggalkan...


Seorang lagi trajedi ialah Norsafawati Ishak dari Kampung Kandang Lembu di Kedah, beliau amat menyerlah diantara pemain wanita dan di peringkat MSSK dan MSSM, untuk memastikan kejayaan nya,  beliau diminta belajar dan tinggal  dengan se angkatan nya Hazuin, pemain catur handalan Shah Alam atas permintaan keluarga Hussain di Shah Alam, malang nya permintaan di tolak dan Norsafawati, anak seorang perniaga warung kopi di kampung hilang.. tapi Hazril masih gagah bermain baru ini di UiTM Terbuka dan adik nya Hazuin, bakal menjadi doktor. 


Lain tragedi ialah kehilangan anak anak keluarga Effa, yang semua menerima pendidikan di sekolah Cina maka pakar berhasa Cina dan dunia catur, satelah mengkuasi dunia catur tempatan satu ketika dahulu merka hilang ......Baru ini sifu ada berjumpa dengan tiga Effa ini yang sedang belajar di UiTM Shah Alam, mereka masih mempunyai sengat dan bisa catur tapi mereka bermain setakat di kampus sahaja sebab nya.....
Ini adalah tiga tragedi catur dan PCMM yang sifu amat rasakan silap utama ialah tiada pembangunan catur di peringkat negara hanya kejohanan dan kejohanan sahaja.  Bila menyerlah maka habis di situ sahaja, nak pergi jauh di peringkat antarabangsa jangan harap dengan MCF, semua pemain negara kena bayar tambang sendiri sambil menyumbang untuk membawa pagawai MCF pula...inilah realiti hingga kini
tragedi  PCMM adalah satu bab yang lain.....
satu lagi  realiti yang sedih adalah penglibatan beberapa pemain dalam kancah dadah yang telah turut menghancurkan beberapa pemain...sifu amat menyokong peraturan FIDE untuk memilih cara rambang pemain untuk di uji untuk dadah terutama pemain pemain terkemuka yang nampak pelik atau yang 'gila'.
Realiti nya kejayaan hanya untuk keluarga yang mampu dan perihatin sahaja akan menyerlah saperti keluarga Zulkafli, Azhar, Saleh aka Gilocatur, dll
tapi ingat kalau setakat mengantar pemain di kejohanan tanpa persediaan awal,sokongan moral dan perhatian jurulatih jangan jangan...lihat sahaja Anand menjadi juara Dunia kali ke 4 sokongan nya amat menyerlah sehingga Kasparov pun dalam pasukan sokongan nya... jadi nak main di peringkat nasional dan antarabangsa, pemain kena bersedia dan di sokong dengan wang...... adakah MCF mampu......???
Mungkin dengan tiada nya PCMM maka akan berkubur juga Terbuka Melayu dan Masters Melayu...
nak di harap dengan MCF jauh sekali tengok sahaja kelahiran FIA sejak terakhir nya dengan Ismail Ahmad (bukan Ismail polis).....pada 1990  tragedi tragedi.....tragedi catur di Tanah Melayu untuk Melayu oleh Melayu.......atau kita patut kaji dan cari punca mengapa ini semua berlaku di antara anak Melayu !!

[NOTA: sifu ingin mencari dan menulis berkenaan perkembangan anak Malayu dan penglibatan keluarga untuk meraih kejayaan catur dan kejayaan masa hadapan. 
Soalan nya adakah penglibatan dengan catur telah membawa kejayaan ?  Adakah catur membantu menjadikan pemain jadi pelajar cemerlang atau pelajar A ?

Jawapan email kapada sifu.mycatur@gmail.com]

Be kind: Text, don’t call

For sometime, sifu found it irritating having to listen to unwanted conversations of mobile users in trains, buses or in restaurants, either they are showing off or would not care attitudes of the surroundings and this article and findings is for all to take note...

 

Be kind: Text, don’t call

May 24, 2010

Hearing only one side of a conversation irritates and distracts people within earshot. — Picture by Dmitriy Shironosov

WASHINGTON, May 24 — Do you often have the urge to chat with a friend while stuck on a train, subway or waiting on a never-ending line? In a new study researchers from Cornell University are saying you should resist the urge to dial as it irritates and distracts all the people around you — yes, even if you whisper.
For those stuck by a chatty Kathy feeling frustrated and annoyed with the distraction, well that is completely normal according to Michael Goldstein, assistant professor of psychology at Cornell University and Lauren Emberson, PhD candidate in psychology at Cornell University in their research to be published in the June edition of the journal Psychological Science.
Eavesdropping cannot be avoided and someone else’s very important minutia or hot gossip becomes an irritant not because the person is loud but rather because only half the conversation or “halfalogue”, can be heard and understood. This rattles the brain coupled with the inability to ignore the chatter.
Apparently even your meditation mantra won’t do the trick. Emberson explained, “Hearing half a conversation is distracting because we are unable to predict the succession of speech. We believe this finding helps reveal how we understand language in conversation: We actively predict what the person is going to say next and this reduces the difficulty of language comprehension.”
“People are often more irritated by nearby cell phone conversations rather than conversations between two people who are physically present. Since halfalogues really are more distracting and you can’t tune them out, this could explain why people are irritated.”
So be kind, text don’t call, or read, take photos, play a game, surf the web, catch-up on emails — there are so many ways to keep you distracted with your smartphone’s applications that you do not need to distract everyone in your vicinity.
Also the results of the Interphone study, a multi-centre international control case study, published their findings in the advance online edition of International Journal of Epidemiology on May 17.
The researchers concluded that there is not enough conclusive research to support that cell phone use causes or doesn’t cause brain cancer — why not err on the side of caution since the participants of the study were not classified as long-term heavy-use mobile phone users. — AFP/Relaxnews

RAFFLESIA BUKAN BUNGA HATI

Rawatan guna Rafflesia sebabkan kegagalan hati, limpa

23/05/2010 5:03pm

KUALA LUMPUR 23 Mei - Ujian klinikal ke atas tikus menunjukkan bahawa perubatan tradisional yang menggunakan bunga Rafflesia boleh menyebabkan kesan serius ke atas hati dan limpa, dakwa seorang pensyarah kanan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
Dr. Nazlina Ibrahim dari pusat pengajian Biosains dan Bioteknologi universiti itu berkata, penyelidikan pelajar sarjana Khairunnadwa Jemon mendapati, organ dalaman tikus putih yang telah melahirkan anak dan diberikan beberapa sebatian tunas Rafflesia selama 14 hari telah menjadi kecil.
Katanya, perubatan tradisional menggunakan bunga itu biasanya diambil oleh wanita yang baru lepas bersalin untuk mengecutkan rahim dan oleh lelaki dikatakan untuk kekuatan seksual.
Dr. Nazlina berkata, dalam satu artikel portal berita universiti itu bahawa penyelidikan oleh Khairunnadwa di bawah penyeliaannya mendapati, limpa itu mampu mendetoksifikasi bahan dari tunas Rafflesia azlanii.
"Tetapi proses ini juga mengecutkan limpa daripada saiz asalnya. Dengan itu ujian itu mengesahkan keupayaan tunas bunga itu. Tetapi risiko yang memberi kesan ke atas organ penting lain juga wujud, iaitu limpa,” katanya.
Beliau berkata, wanita yang mengamalkan meminum air dimasak dengan tunas Rafflesia selepas rawatan kelahiran perlu menimbangkan dengan serius keburukan dan kesan berbahaya ini.
Katanya lagi, kadar ketoksikan dalam kajin ini perlu menjadi amaran kepada orang yang mengambil “jamu” seperti ini memandangkan penggunaan bahagian Rafflesia azlanii sebagai sumber ubatan tradisional adalah tidak selamat. - Bernama
Kenali Bunga Rafflesia ini:

Rafflesia arnoldii is a member of the genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on earth, and a strong odor of decaying flesh - the latter point earning it the nickname of "corpse flower". It occurs only in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo in the Indonesian Archipelago. Although there are some plants with larger flowering organs like the Titan Arum and Talipot palm, those are technically clusters of many flowers.

BIJAK CATUR MUDA

REKREASI

ARKIB : 22/05/2010 Utusan Malaysia Online

Azam, Zainoor bakat muda catur

Oleh AIZAWATI AHMAD

Zainoor (kiri) gemar menggunakan strategi menyerang ketika bermain catur.

SUKAN catur bukan merupakan permainan yang popular di kalangan rakyat negara ini. Namun bagi yang memiliki kemahiran bermain catur, ia merupakan satu permainan yang menarik dan menguji minda pemainnya.
Bijak menyusun strategi sebelum menyerang musuh antara kriteria yang diperlukan dalam diri setiap pemainnya.
Malah setiap pemain memiliki gaya tersendiri kerana ada di kalangan mereka yang lebih cenderung menyusun strategi sebelum menyerang kubu lawan, namun, tidak kurang juga yang gemarkan corak agresif dengan melakukan terus serangan tanpa memberi ruang kepada lawan mereka.
Begitulah uniknya permainan catur jika difahami dengan lebih mendalam. Bagi peminat catur, sukan tersebut ada misteri dan rahsia yang perlu diselongkar oleh pemainnya jika mahu menakluki 'Raja'.
Bagi Muhammad Noor Azam Mohamad Noor, 11 dan juga adiknya, Zainoor Ikmal Maisarah, 8, sukan catur bukan asing bagi mereka kerana permainan itu yang membawa mereka ke merata tempat menyertai pertandingan yang dianjurkan di dalam dan luar negara.
Kedua-dua kanak-kanak itu yang merupakan anak kepada pasangan guru, Mohamad Noor Bakar dan Zainab Misiran adalah tonggak kepada pasukan catur daerah Hulu Selangor.
Malah Azam dan Zainoor yang merupakan pelajar Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Bunga Raya (SKTBR) 1, Rawang bakal berangkat ke Beijing, China untuk menyertai pertandingan catur Asian Challenge pada 3 hingga 13 Julai ini.
Sebelum ke China, Zainoor terlebih dahulu akan menyertai pertandingan Catur Asean yang berlangsung di Filipina pada 4 hingga 13 Jun.
Menyimpan impian mahu menjadi pemain catur sehebat Gary Kasparov dan Judith Polgar, Azam serta Zainoor merupakan anak yang cukup bertuah kerana menerima dorongan daripada kedua ibu bapa mereka untuk bergelar pemain catur handalan dunia satu hari kelak.
Bapa mereka, Mohamad Noor berkata, dia sememangnya menggalakkan kedua-dua anaknya itu bermain catur sejak usia mereka masih kecil lagi kerana sukan tersebut diyakini mampu membentuk minda putera dan puterinya berpemikiran cergas serta tajam.
"Permainan catur ini banyak rahsianya, malah ia turut mengajar kita supaya bijak menyusun strategi. Kalau kita silap langkah, perancangan yang disusun turut akan musnah sama sekali.
Jelas Mohamad Noor, setakat ini, Malaysia masih belum mampu melahirkan pemain-pemain catur yang bertaraf Grand Master (GM) kerana yang paling hebat sekali pun hanya setakat International Master (IM).
"Tahap GM ini adalah tahap yang dicapai oleh seorang juara dunia dan kalau boleh saya mahukan anak-anak saya ini mencapai tahap tersebut dan menjadi anak Malaysia pertama menerima pengiktirafan itu," ujarnya.
Ketika ditanya mengenai kegagalan Malaysia melahirkan pemain catur bertaraf GM, Mohamad Noor memberitahu, kurang sokongan daripada pihak tertentu terhadap sukan catur berbanding sukan teras lain menjadikan acara tersebut kurang mendapat perhatian.
Katanya lagi, masalah tersebut telah menyebabkan pemain-pemain catur di negara ini tidak mendapat dorongan sewajarnya untuk mencapai tahap permainan yang bertaraf dunia.
Mengulas mengenai penglibatan anak-anaknya dalam sukan catur, Mohamad Noor berkata, Azam merupakan pemain yang mengutamakan strategi sebelum dia menyerang lawannya manakala adiknya, Zainoor lebih gemar bermain dengan cara menyerang.
Catur merupakan sukan yang tidak memerlukan perbelanjaan yang tinggi dan sewajarnya acara tersebut tidak berhadapan dengan masalah untuk disuntik modal bagi membangunkan sukan berkenaan.
Tidak salah jika catur turut maju seiring dengan sukan teras yang lain seperti bola sepak, badminton, hoki, skuasy, renang, olahraga, basikal dan gimnastik kerana acara tersebut turut menjulang nama Malaysia di pentas antarabangsa jika ada jaguh dunia yang mampu kita lahirkan satu hari nanti.

Syabas Azam dan Zainoor  semoga anda berdua mendapat kejayaan sebagai GM pertama Malaysia

The SMART Switch

Support The Swith due to its great potential with the mind of chess budding champions, so publish the ad here for all potential masters and Grandmasters.

The Switch SMART Study Skills Program; commencing this June 9, 2010.

This 3Days power-packed workshop will be conducted by professional memory trainers; Lim Teck Hoe (Asia Memory Record Holder) & Nurul Jamilah Joffri (Authorized Brain Coach)
After the program, you will learn to:

• S ystematically Take/Make Notes
• M emorize Effectively
• A ccelerate Your Learning
• R ead Faster & Efficiently
• T hink Creatively & Innovatively

Program Details

Date:         JUNE 9 – JUNE 11, 2010 (AGE 10 TO 12 )

                     JUNE 15 – JUNE 17, 2010 (AGE 13 TO 16)

Time:        10:00am - 5.00pm

Venue:     The Switch HEADquarters
Address:
25-1, 1st Floor Jalan Wangsa Delima 5
KLSC Section 5 Wangsa Maju
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BERITA PERIHATIN CACAT PENGLIHATAN

AXA Affin perkenalkan insurans golongan cacat penglihatan

KUALA LUMPUR 21 Mei - AXA Affin General Insurance Bhd. (AXA Affin) telah memperkenalkan skim insurans SmartAid iaitu skim perlindungan kemalangan peribadi kepada golongan cacat penglihatan dengan bayaran premium serendah RM12.15 setahun.
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Turut hadir Timbalan Ketua Pengarah JKM, Lai Poh Guat dan pemangku Presiden MAB, Datuk S. Kulasegaran.
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Tanya dengan SBM juga untuk keterangan lanjut

ANAND AND HIS DREAM TEAM

Anand in Playchess – the helpers in Sofia
19.05.2010 – The team of World Championship challenger Veselin Topalov reportedly spent a large sum of money to secure a 112 core computer cluster running at mind boggling speed. "How did the reigning champion counter this awesome hardware advantage," we asked. Anand answered this question in a candid and very detailed interview broadcast on Monday Playchess. He used a human cluster!

ANAND THE WORLD CHAMPION

The interview with World Champion Vishy Anand was broadcast on Monday at 17:00h on the chess server Playchess, where premium users could watch it free of charge.

Gustafsson, Friedel talking by phone with Vishy Anand

Frederic Friedel and GM Jan Gustafsson were in the ChessBase studio, Anand was in his home in Spain, and the discussions were conducted by phone. In the first part Friedel quizzed his old friend – Anand mentioned that they have known each other for 23 years – on the help he had received when defending his title against Challenger Veselin Topalov in Sofia. The names that were revealed had been quite naturally kept a close secret before and during the match, so what you are about to read is new and exclusive. A part of the

Frederic Friedel: Vishy, you are back home now, safe and sound, you won the world championship. A first stupid question: how do you feel?

Viswanathan Anand: It’s surreal. Obviously I feel happy, but if you read the news, that the volcano is going off again, that kind of feels bizarre. Other than that I feel fine, I’m even starting to sleep better – a couple of days after the match I’d keep waking up at seven, but now it’s okay.

How’s your wife, by the way. She suffered probably more than you?

Yes, she was trying to keep most of the details from us, during the trip, but of course sitting in the same van with two mobile phones it is almost impossible to do that. By the last day it wasn’t clear who was suffering more, her or me. It’s tough – at least the seconds get to stop seeing me for a while, but when I woke up I was really tense and she could see that and it affected her as well.

I would like to ask you a few things about your seconds and your preparation. Tell us how it worked before the match started. You had the same team as the last time?

Yes, basically the same four players: Kasimdzhanov, Nielsen, Wojtaszek and Ganguly. We did some training camps last year, in September and October, very preliminary stuff, because we did not know when the match would be. Then a bit again in February and March, and then, as you know, it started to get a bit interesting. Some other seconds got in touch…

Before we come to that, do these four seconds have special tasks, for example is one a specialist in certain areas?

The Anand Team in Sofia: standing in the front row are GM Peter Heine Nielsen, Eric van Reem, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Hans Walter Schmitt, Vishy Anand, Aruna Anand, GM Surya Ganguly, GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek. In the second row on the left: Christian Bossert, Mark Lefler. All of the GM seconds worked with Anand in his 2008 match against Vladimir Kramnik.
I think in the beginning we tried all this, before Bonn, to sit and map out everyone’s function and what everyone does best. But now I think that everyone gives every problem to everyone, so that as many eyes go over it as possible. Of course there are things that people tend to do well. Generally Heine’s job is to keep track of everyone else – this was done maybe because I knew he was the only guy who wouldn’t say no, so I dumped that one on him. The others, well every once in a while Rustam – and this is, how should I put it, a task he has taken upon himself – he will decide that he has to wreck the preparation. He’ll say “I don’t like the look of it.” Then he’ll go off for a while and come back and say: “Okay, we have identified some problems, so I feel much better.”´Radek we tease that he can never stop cleaning something. He’ll check something, but to an absurd degree. Surya does a version of that as well, but you can always sort of distract him.

Who is the computer person there?

Well, all of us are. Peter, I guess, does a bit more than the others. His screen just looks like a dashboard or a pilot’s cockpit. But we are all heavily computer dependent.

Okay, these were you usual seconds, the usual suspects. But you had some other people working with you in the phase before the match started.

This is a small section of the interview you can watch and hear on YouTube or this video stream.

Well, by December it was clear that Magnus was going to be number one in the world, and I wasn’t really sure that I should expect his help again – he had already helped me before Bonn and Mexico. I assumed he was not going to get in touch. But then we had this funny situation in India when some journalist asked me who are your seconds. I said that is a secret, but I can tell you one name: it is Nielsen. Of course he published the next day that this one name was Carlsen. I guess he heard “sen” and he heard “second”, he went home and googled *.sen and Carlsen came up. It was funny that Carlsen was outed before he was actually in the team.

World number one Magnus Carlsen, who helped Anand before the match
But sometime in March he got in touch with us, and said that he would be happy to help for a couple of days. We decided he would come after his tournament in Nice. Basically I had him as a sparring partner. We did check some openings together, but the basic idea was that I would get to play a lot with him. Very few people can simulate a real tournament situation like Magnus can. We played a lot of blitz, and I felt good, because I was able to test a lot of areas I was unfamiliar with before. With Magnus you can test almost any position, because he can play almost any position, and play it reasonably well. In that sense his practical skills are very helpful.
I thought the nicest bit was the last day, when we finished, had a nice dinner, and I told him I will take you to the airport tomorrow when you wake up. At some point he started making this very un-Carlsen-like speech, something like “I had a wonderful time, I really enjoyed working with you, I’m sure you will play well, and good luck and everything,” and then he finished with “or shall we skip all this crap.” I said yes, no problem. I thought that was cute. He stayed in touch a little bit – basically he is always in touch with PH. I owe him a bit. As I said he came for a couple of days before Mexico and Bonn. I think if he qualifies for the next final he should come and train me for that as well.

You know it is possible that he will qualify, and then…?

Well, we are in uncharted territory here. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But I thought that farewell was really cute.

That was Magnus. Did you have anyone else?

Another component of Anand's "human cluster": 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov
The next person who got in touch – and the nice thing is that anyone who wants to get in touch calls you, so you can stop looking so surprised there – was Garry. Garry got in touch and said he wanted to help a little bit. I sent him some details about what we were planning to play…

You sent him your preparation?? That shows a lot of trust.

Yes. I sent him some questions and he said he would check them against his own notes and let me know if it was okay. Heine helped me with a list of questions. I can see Jan [Gustafsson] smiling already – Heine immediately came up with five hundred questions, and we had to whittle them down a little bit…

Garry told me it was 21 or 31 questions.

Yes, PH was really disciplined in the end. We sent him a bunch of questions, and a couple of days later we went through it over Skype.

So you were talking to him on Skype?

I was talking to him, indeed. Two years ago if you had told me that one day Garry and me would be exchanging emoticons on Skype I would (laughs). But you tell the young people of today and they won’t believe you…

That's from Monty Python!

So he was sending me smilies and so on, and it was quite cute.

He was also sending them to your wife, who was a little bit scared…

Kasparov with Aruna and Vishy Anand in Zurich last year

Yes, I was bouncing between my wife’s accounts and my account, and so he was sending her smilies as well. But the nice thing about Garry was I could feel him sitting opposite me over a board again. Every time he saw something in my repertoire – I mean he has even learnt to be a bit diplomatic. There were some things where he didn’t know what to say, he looked at some of the positions we had planned and some of the lines to justify it, and he started breathing heavily, you could hear him on the loudspeaker. I could just feel Garry sitting there, huffing and puffing a bit again. But it was very nice. There were many things he confirmed – he for instance said go ahead with the Catalan, things like that. It gives a bit of confidence. And definitely Garry is someone who had good insight into his opponents. That was very helpful.

He was so into this. He would call before every game, after every important move, he’d call and tell me that he had just spoken to you – like the biggest fan you’ve ever had.

Garry did get in touch a couple of times during the match. He was almost in training mode. After game eight he gave me a lecture on opposite coloured bishop endings, and after game nine as well. Very, very sweet of him, and I really appreciate that.

Finally – and I don’t know whether it was my openings which did it, because game two was a Catalan, game three was the Elista ending, game four was a Catalan, he couldn’t contain himself anymore, so Vlady called you, and you put us both in touch…

That was funny. I think it was after game three: Vladimir called me after midnight and started lecturing me, very intensely, what you should be doing, what you shouldn’t be doing, you shouldn’t play this, okay you got away with it once, but don’t do it again, the endgame is terrible. He was dictating stuff to me. So I said why don’t you talk to him? He’s in Baku and you are in Sofia. It’s the wonder of Skype: I just put you guys together. I think we did this two days later, because we decided not to confront you early in the morning just before you played a game. Afterwards you spoke to him a number of times?

Yes. Vlady was actually incredibly helpful. I think he really got into it. The first day he said the only game I didn’t play his openings I was blown away…

That was the first game?

…right, the first game, the Grunfeld, and that should be a lesson to me. I explained it to him, that it was, as most people guessed, simply a lapse of memory, and that Kf7 was supposed to come a move later. Still, probably he has a point. His openings are ridiculously good, so maybe it is good to stick to them.

So he was sharing his knowledge with you?

Very much so. He actually started participating actively. He was also very understanding – he knew I would go to sleep once in a while, so he was happily speaking to the other team members as well, especially Rustam. They started getting in touch with each other and he gave us quite a few heavy-duty ideas, so that was nice. Actually he got in touch consistently over the next few days, and I cannot think of anyone who was more relieved than him when I stopped playing the Elista ending. He said “it’s an awful ending, why do you keep defending it every day?” I said well, when you played it, it looked cast-iron. Maybe that is like all his stuff. Vlady’s humour is the trickiest to explain. He has this dry humour. After one of the white games of which I was particularly proud I came back and found a Skype message from Vlady saying “Ah, so you managed to equalise with white!” Basically you get this kind of dry wit from him. It’s quite uplifting. His help was actually priceless.

Anish Giri on his way to train with Anand in March 2010

That pretty much wraps up the list of seconds.

What about the baby grandmaster?

So you are going to out me on him as well? Okay. Anish also did a couple of days of training with me. It was very similar to what I was doing with Magnus – I got to test a lot of things. There were a lot of areas I had no practical experience with, like the Catalan which I was playing almost the first time, the Elista ending and so on. Anish also sat and went through that.

Do you know, on the evening before the last game he called me and said “I’ve been thinking for ten whole minutes and now I know what he’s going to play: the Queen’s Gambit Declined, Lasker Variation!” Then he squealed on the server when it happened: “I got it right!” So you had a very nice crowd around you?

Yes, my human cluster was actually fairly impressive.

Part two of this interview will appear shortly

---

Watch the full interview on Playchess

Anand and his a fantastic team !! This is the making of champions.  You never walk alone, you need a good backup and support. This is the way to become champions.

Source: ChessBase.com

Connie Talbot - I will always love you LIVE *High Quality*

GULA PERLIS OPEN CHESS CHALLLENGE 2010

tarikh              :              12 Jun 2010 (Sabtu)

Masa              :              8.00 pagi – 5.30 petang (Kawalan masa 25 minit)

Venue              :              Dewan Warisan, Kangar, Perlis.

Hadiah Utama

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Ke-3	RM400+Medal	RM100+Medal	RM100+Medal	RM50+Medal	RM70+Medal
Ke-4	RM300+Medal	RM70+Medal	RM90+Medal	RM40+Medal	RM50+Medal
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Ke-6	RM200+Medal		RM70+Medal
Ke-7	RM150+Medal		RM70+Medal
Ke-8	RM100+Medal		RM60+Medal
Ke-9	RM80+Medal		RM50+Medal
Ke-10	RM60+Medal		RM40+Medal
Ke-11	RM60+Medal		RM40+Medal
Ke-12	RM50+Medal		RM30+Medal
Ke-13	RM50+Medal		RM30+Medal
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