Stupid Joe

Things can be so blatant in Malaysia because the general opinion is that the average Malaysian Joe/Jane is stupid and indeed we seem to be. This was in the Malaysian Insider. By the way...anyone noticed Malaysiakini slanting recently?

Deepak drops suit against Putrajaya, LTAT unit buys out firm

December 28, 2012

Deepak has been unreachable since December 13, after his recent return to the public’s eye. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 ― Deepak Jaikishan has withdrawn his lawsuit against Putrajaya for an alleged breach of agreement over land in Bukit Raja, Selangor on the same day a unit of a government investment company reported it bought an 80 per cent stake in the carpet dealer’s property development firm for RM30 million.

The controversial businessman has made various allegations about the deal that involved Selangor Wanita Umno chief Senator Datuk Raja Ropiaah Abdullah, but has disappeared since December 13.

The Star reported today that a court official confirmed Deepak had, through his lawyer, withdrawn his suit without costs in the case of his company Astacanggih Sdn Bhd, which named the government’s Syarikat Tanah dan Harta Sdn Bhd, Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd and its nominee company, Cebur Megah Development Sdn Bhd, for allegedly breaching the agreement.

Awan Megah defence lawyer Datuk Saseedharan Menon said written submissions had been tendered to the Kuala Lumpur High Court and trial judge Justice Mohd Zabariah Yusof had discussed the matter with both parties in chambers yesterday.

In the statement of claim, Astacanggih alleged that Awan Megah agreed with the company that the government and Syarikat Tanah dan Harta had agreed to transfer the Bukit Raja land to Cebur Megah.

It said the transfer would be implemented within a month after Astacanggih submitted the land bond to the government. But it was never done, said Deepak, who shot to fame for his role in arranging private investigator P. Balasubramaniam’s second sworn statement about the 2006 murder of Mongolian national Altantuyaa Shaariibuu.

In its counter-claim, Awan Megah sought a declaration that Astacanggih had repudiated the letter of agreement.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported that a unit of Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera investment vehicle Boustead Holdings Bhd has acquired an 80 per cent stake in Astacanggih Sdn Bhd for RM30 million.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Boustead said its wholly-owned unit, Bakti Wira Development Sdn Bhd, acquired the shares from Prestige Dimension Sdn Bhd and other minority shareholders of Astacanggih on December 20.

Bakti Wira Development and Astacanggih also signed an agreement with Awan Megah yesterday to acquire 80.94ha of freehold land in Klang, Selangor, for RM130 million.

Boustead said the share purchase and land acquisition would be funded via bank borrowings and internally-generated funds, according to national news agency Bernama.

On the rationale, Boustead said the acquisition would present an opportunity for the group to expand its land bank.

“Moreover, the land was adjacent to 283.28ha of development land held under Jendela Hikmat Sdn Bhd, a company which the group and Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera jointly holds 60 per cent equity interest,” it said.

Boustead said it was optimistic of the land’s prospect considering its strategic location.

“The demand for industrial land in this location has been on the uptrend with the completion of UMW’s latest storage and testing plant in Bukit Raja, Klang,” it said.

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Interlude

Man in the Net...




Tonight...

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Malaysia Boleh...

Saw this in the Caltex station on the ELITE Highway Dengkil R&R. The new generations of Malaysians are generally illiterate? Refreshrooms indeed! Refreshments from the toilet...hmmm...an invitation to eat shit and drink urine?

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Gotcha! You Are On AES!!! All Malaysians must watch this video!!!

Rent Seeking:

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Harapan Bangsa

The Eunuch Ah Khoon speaks:

Malaysia

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Perkasa free to boycott singer Jaclyn Victor, says minister

UPDATED @ 11:29:54 PM 27-10-2012

By Ida Lim

October 27, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — The Malay right-wing group Perkasa is free to boycott popular singer Jaclyn Victor for singing the “Harapan Bangsa” song, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, the minister in the prime minister's department in charge of national unity and integration, said today.

Last Thursday, Perkasa asked Muslims to boycott the award-winning singer, claiming that the Christian lyrics of “Harapan Bangsa” insult Islam and show “insensitivity and disrespect” to those who are not Christians.

“I don't want to comment on that. They can boycott as they like. It's a free country...” Koh, who also oversees the Cabinet's special interfaith panel, told The Malaysian Insider today when asked to comment on Perkasa's move.



Following the attack on Jaclyn(picture) by conservative Muslims for the five-year-old song, government agency Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture have said they will investigate the song's lyrics.

Deputy Education Minister Dr Puad Zarkashi had last week reportedly said that the Information Ministry and the Home Ministry should refer the song to JAKIM to determine if it “really touches on the issue of faith (akidah)”.

Perkasa's attack comes as religious tension continues to be stoked in Malaysia as the 13th general election draws near, with political parties sparring over the issue of hudud laws

and two MPs recently alleging that there is a plot to turn Malaysia into a Christian state.

Jaclyn had last week said the "Harapan Bangsa" song is not for commercial purposes, pointing out that it was recorded many years ago.

“I recorded that song around 2007 specially for the Christians in Sabah and Sarawak and for the churches. It was composed by a pastor with the message of Malaysia's peace. As a Christian, I don't think there's any wrong if I as a Christian sing the song,” she told Malay daily Berita Harian last Thursday.

“I am aware, maybe because the song was sung in the Malay language, (it) caused many to view this as insensitive and think that I am trying to spread Christian teachings. I sung in the Malay language because many Christians in Sabah and Sarawak speak in the Malay language.”

Jaclyn also said the song should not be an issue in Malaysia, where freedom of religion is practised.

Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia’s 28.3 million-strong population, with many of them in east Malaysia using the Malay language and the word “Allah” to refer to their God.

The legal tussle over the use of the word “Allah” remains unresolved, with the Catholic Church stopped from publishing the word in its weekly newspaper despite it being allowed to following a High Court decision on December 31, 2009.

This is due to the Home Ministry’s appeal of the High Court’s decision.

Last year, shipments of the Alkitab, the Malay-language Bible catering to the Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Bumiputera Christians, were blocked or confiscated at ports, before the government finally bowed to pressure.

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Ugly

Why these three frogs are so like that? Must be because they are so physically UGLY to boot.







Now add this:

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World War III Has Been On The Way For Some Time Now...

How will this pan out finally?

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The Haka - Anyone?

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AllBlacks 2011 RWC - The Tries

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Post AllBlacks Rugby Championship Victory In Argentina

See the pariah request at the end...

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Marina Mahathir In The Star

Who says an apple does not fall far from the tree? I am beginning to wonder whether the "mahathir" after her name is that same "mahathir" who is shooting off his racist mouth all over the place.

*******************************************************
Confused over right to choose

We have a far from perfect democracy but then there are no perfect ones anywhere.

People’s right to voice critical opinions is suddenly seen as traitorous. The possibility of alternative administrations is deemed taboo, a word that has connotations beyond the mundanity of voting, rather like talking about sex is considered taboo.

Marina Mahathir, The Star

IN all the past 55 years, we have been proud of being a democracy, minimalist though it may be.

We elect our Parliament like clockwork every five years or so and everyone is aware that that is the first hurdle they have to get over in order to get into power.

Of course, we have a far from perfect democracy but then there are no perfect ones anywhere.

We can do with a more inclusive and representative government and certainly can do with a more vibrant and free media and more space for alternative viewpoints to be heard.

Still, we like to describe our federation with its constitutional monarchy as a democracy – our democracy. So it rather surprises me that of late, there are voices that seem to say that democracy is a bad thing to have.

For some reason, there are people who think that an elected form of government where people have the power to choose who they want to elect is not a good thing.

Perhaps this is because they are unsure that this type of government will put them into power at all. Some are even going so far as to say that democracy is incompatible with our state religion, Islam.

That’s rather odd because I’ve just been at a conference where an Islamic scholar stated that Islam is the most democratic of religions, because everyone has equal access to God. Yet, he added, most Muslims live in undemocratic states.

This sudden turn in attitude towards demo­cracy has had predictable results. Anyone who talks about democracy is suddenly viewed with suspicion, as if they are advocating that the Devil himself should take over the country.

People’s right to voice critical opinions is suddenly seen as traitorous. The possibility of alternative administrations is deemed taboo, a word that has connotations beyond the mundanity of voting, rather like talking about sex is considered taboo.

If the citizens of a country are not allowed to elect whom they want, then they don’t live in a democracy.

So to say that it is taboo to elect anyone other than the present government is to bring the conversation to a realm that is beyond rational argument.

Somehow nowadays, it is a sin to get our people to think democratically, as if democracy is a religion that teaches immorality.

I remember in my childhood being taught about democracy at school. My teachers would talk about how concepts like apartheid or “the colour bar” were undemocratic.

We held mock elections where we would have candidates and campaigns, including “political” rallies, so that we would understand the whole process of how our leaders are elected.

Of great importance were the issues our “candidates” put up; those who had the best solutions to our issues at school were the ones who would get elected.

Today, I hear that schools are not encouraged to have any such thing in case our children get “funny” ideas.

Instead, we are differentiating children by the way they look and dress, rather than treating all of them as equal.

We expose them to possible discrimination, even violence, even though our Federal Constitution says that every citizen has an equal right to education.

Every day, we have new restrictions on our already limited democracy. We can get arrested for comments we never made just because someone made them on our website or Facebook page.

Some of us, in an already limited job market, find ourselves charged with allegedly working against our own religion even though we are not responsible for anything other than doing our jobs.

Even though both our official religion and Constitution give us rights, these rights are now contested. And contested in such a way that those who shout loudest win, even if their numbers are small.

Yet these same folks would be the first to demand their right to speak should anyone object to what they say.

We need to ask ourselves, how did we come to this state where democracy is confused with “total freedom” and “Westernisation”?

Are Westerners the only ones allowed democracy? In that case, why are thousands of people in those autocratic Middle Eastern countries demanding to have a say in how their countries are run?

Are we somehow undeserving of democracy, of the simple right to have a say?

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RIP - Andy Williams

Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012). Also worth listening to... 

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Well Worth Listening To...

Do view this interview of Bahraini intellectual Dhiyaa Al-Musawi in 2006. Following that is something that was circulated in my Tigers eGroup; cannot verify the accuracy of the quoted figures but the results do tend to speak for itself. Malaysia could learn quite a lot from the following:



**************************************************************************

Why are Muslims so powerless?
By: Dr Farrukh Saleem

There are an estimated 1,476,233,470 Muslims on the face of the planet: one billion in Asia, 400 million in Africa, 44 million in Europe and six million in the Americas . Every fifth human being is a Muslim; for every single Hindu there are two Muslims, for every Buddhist there are two Muslims and for every Jew there are one hundred Muslims.

Ever wondered why Muslims are so powerless?

Here is why: There are 57 member-countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), and all of them put together have around 500 universities; one university for every three million Muslims. The United States has 5,758 universities and India has 8,407.

In 2004, Shanghai Jiao Tong University compiled an 'Academic Ranking of World Universities' , and intriguingly, not one university from Muslim-majority states was in the top-500.

As per data collected by the UNDP, literacy in the Christian world stands at nearly 90 per cent and 15 Christian-majority states have a literacy rate of 100 per cent.

A Muslim-majority state, as a sharp contrast, has an average literacy rate of around 40 per cent and there is no Muslim-majority state with a literacy rate of 100 per cent.

Some 98 per cent of the 'literates' in the Christian world had completed primary school, while less than 50 per cent of the 'literates' in the Muslim world did the same.

Around 40 per cent of the 'literates' in the Christian world attended university while no more than two per cent of the 'literates' in the Muslim world did the same.

Muslim-majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims. The US has 4,000 scientists per million and Japan has 5,000 per million.

In the entire Arab world, the total number of full-time researchers is 35,000 and there are only 50 technicians per one million Arabs. (in the Christian world there are up to 1,000 technicians per one million).
Furthermore, the Muslim world spends 0.2 per cent of its GDP on research and development, while the Christian world spends around five per cent of its GDP.

Conclusion: The Muslim world lacks the capacity to produce knowledge!

Daily newspapers per 1,000 people and number of book titles per million are two indicators of whether knowledge is being diffused in a society.

In Pakistan, there are 23 daily newspapers per 1,000 Pakistanis while the same ratio in Singapore is 360. In the UK , the number of book titles per million stands at 2,000 while the same in Egypt is 20.

Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to diffuse knowledge.

Exports of high technology products as a percentage of total exports are an important indicator of knowledge application. Pakistan 's export of high technology products as a percentage of total exports stands at 1%. The same for Saudi Arabia is 0.3 %; Kuwait , Morocco , and Algeria are all at 0.3 %, while Singapore is at 58 %.

Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to apply knowledge.

Why are Muslims powerless?
.....Because we aren't producing knowledge,
.....Because we aren't diffusing knowledge.,
.....Because we aren't applying knowledge.

And, the future belongs to knowledge-based societies.

Interestingly, the combined annual GDP of 57 OIC-countries is under $2 trillion.
America , just by herself, produces goods and services worth $12 trillion;
China $8 trillion,
Japan $3.8 trillion and
Germany $2.4 trillion (purchasing power parity basis).
Oil rich Saudi Arabia , UAE, Kuwait and Qatar collectively produce goods and services (mostly oil) worth $500 billion;
Spain alone produces goods and services worth over $1 trillion,
Catholic Poland $489 billion and
Buddhist Thailand $545 billion.

..... ( Muslim GDP as a percentage of world GDP is fast declining ).

So, why are Muslims so powerless?

Answer: Lack of education.

All we do is shout to “Allah” the whole day ! and blame everyone else for our multiple failures ! We also do not allow those who can educate others to do so due to prejudice & political expediency.


The writer is the Pakistani Executive Director of the Center for Research and Security Studies, a think tank established in 2007, and an Islamabad-based freelance columnist. 

Dr. Farrukh Saleem is a Pakistani journalist and political analyst[1] who is currently also the executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies. Originally a financial professional by occupation, he managed an eight figure equities portfolio invested in the New York Stock Exchange between the years 1988 and 1994.

Saleem has been a columist for The News International, Pakistan's largest English-language daily, for over 5 years. Prior to that, he wrote weekly columns for the Dawn newspaper in 1996. Throughout 1996, he also worked as a correspondent on issues related to Pakistan, India and Iran for the Vancouver Sun, a Canadian newspaper.[2] Farrukh Saleem has additionally been a guest columnist for the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review.[2] He has served in capacity as the CEO of Dominion Stock Funds Limited, a KSE-listed company, and currently lives in Islamabad.

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Winning GE13 Must Surely Be About Creativity...

Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!...

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Wow Vell Paari! Did Your Father OK This?

I am sure we have not seen the last of this as Vell Paari s/o Samy Velu fired this barrage at Mahathir, his father's onetime demi-god. Was this a sanctioned "hit"? Ho hum...it remains largely a spat between Indians.

**************************************************

Dr M’s low blow uncalled for
MIC CWC member S Vell Paari takes the former premier to task for his unpalatable comments regarding the moral values of Americans.



PETALING JAYA: As a Muslim, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has the right to be upset with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton for defending the movie “Innocence of Muslims” on the grounds of freedom of expression.

However, MIC media and publicity chief S Vell Paari said the former premier should not insult the moral values of Americans when Malaysia itself was drowning in social ills.

“As a leader who is touted to be wise, how can he make such a generalisation and insult the people of another country just because of differing opinions.

“Such comments are unbefitting of a statesman,” he told FMT.

Vell Paari was commenting on Mahathir’s latest blog posting, where the latter, among others, said that Americans would not be slighted if labelled as “bastards”.

The reason for this, he had argued, was because “their mothers and fathers sleep around with just anybody.”

Whereas Asians and Muslims, he had added, would kill those who uttered such things about their mothers.

What about Interlok?

However, Vell Paari urged Mahathir to reflect on the contents of the infamous Interlok novel which the government deemed fit for students’ consumption despite the litany of racial insults.

He recalled how the author had even suggested that the Chinese would sell their daughters for economic gratification.

“Isn’t this insulting to parents as well? So if we go by Mahathir’s reasoning, do we kill the national laureate who penned the book?” he asked.

Vell Paari also reminded Mahathir that Malaysia was not exactly a shining example of virtues.

“We have a high number of children born out of wedlock, incest and whatnot.

“The only difference is that in America, sexual issues are discussed in the open but here we do it behind closed doors… and that does not make us saints,” he added.

Vell Paari said Mahathir should confine his criticism to the issue in contention which was the US backing for the controversial movie and not launch unpalatable salvoes.



“It is comments like these which give the impression that BN is still trapped in the dark ages. It is this sort of double standard which makes life difficult for BN,” he added.

The MIC leader said while Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was doing his best to win the hearts and minds of the people, it was unfortunate that the premier’s work was being undermined by those within the ruling coalition itself.

“We have a PM who during MIC’s AGM in 2010 admitted that mistakes have been made in the past and has vowed to correct them. He is now trying to re-build the bridge of unity.

“If you cannot help him build the bridge, that’s fine. But don’t pull out the bricks from the bridge he is trying to construct,” he added.

Vell Paari also noted how Mahathir had wrote that no Asian would be able to stomach being called a bastard.

Similarly, he said, non-Malays here found it difficult to come to terms with being termed as immigrants (pendatang) and pariah by certain quarters like Perkasa.

“We, the non-Malays, feel hurt and disappointed when Mahathir graces Perkasa’s events, so what difference is there between the insensitivity shown by him and Hilary Clinton,” he added.

Vell Paari said Mahathir should use his wisdom and expertise to set the Malaysian house in order first before harping on the mess in the houses of others.

“There is a long list of wrongs which need fixing in Malaysia. Let’s focus on that,” he added.

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Malaysians Live On Trees...

Once upon a time we used to get irritated because some foreigners actually thought we still lived on trees (figure of speech). Recently, some gems (e.g. the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 and Section 114A of the Evidence Act) have come from our leaders that have put us back on the trees. However, the latest "guidelines" supposedly mentioned by Deputy Education Minister, Puad Zarkashi on LGBT takes the cake. Fantastic quality we have in the Cabinet! Do have a view of this "roasting": 

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30th August 2012 - Bersih 3.5?

We were there...

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Since It Is A 911 Anniversary Today...

Al Qaeda The Movie...a NeoCon Production.

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Unfamiliar Surroundings...Prince On Grass

He absolutely refused to move...

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E.T. Phone Home...

Now we know we can get there...next to find the energy source to get back.

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Another Shithead...

Yup, two wrongs do not make a right. The guy who is seen in this Malaysiakini photo mooning the pictures of Najib, Rosmah and the EC Chief in public should be hauled up; for indecent exposure perhaps.

Idiots like this we do not need.

What difference would his act be from this one?

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NOW

It would be interesting to see how "non-partisan" NOW can be.

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Janji Dicapati

Creative juices flowing in our Youth...

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Devilish...

Forget the Angel...stick with the Devil?

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Syabas! Anak Bangsa Malaysia!

Sarawak born diver Pamg Pandelela Rinong clinched a historic Olympic medal for Malaysia on 9th August 2012. It was the first-ever diving and non-badminton medal of Malaysia; the second medal the country grabbed at London Games. This of course does not take into account M. Vasuki's bronze in 1988 when taekwondo was an exhibition sport in the summer Olympics.

Apart from Gold medallist Chen Ruolin of China who was in a master class of her own the competition between the rest of the finalists was very keen for Silver and Bronze. Rather than undervalue Pamg's achievement, I believe this scenario speaks volumes for her competitive spirit and grit. At one stage, Pamg was in 10th position and she never gave up.

Thank you Pamg. Malaysia salutes you for giving us hope.  

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Usain Bolt - 2012 London Olympics

100 meters


200 meters


Men's 4X100 meters relay
...to be posted for sure

Usain Bolt in perspective:

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Lee Chong Wei Apology

Following the previous post on Deepak Chopra's apology comes an apology from Lee Chong Wei for having failed to win the 2012 Olympics Men's Singles Badminton Gold medal for Malaysia. Try as Chong Wei did, Lin Dan was and still is the better player of the two; apologies not needed for having given his all. The stats between the two are obvious enough.

The pressure on Chong Wei to even qualify for the final must have been immense let alone win against Lin Dan. The whole nation was united behind him as we followed his progress through each round but I think our FLOM should have been there from the start instead of rushing to London for the final game. Her intentions may be honorable but I think most Malaysians would have preferred that she stayed home. A BBM or SMS would have been more effective.

Many would have noticed Lin Dan drew inspiration from someone among the spectators. Every time he pulled off a difficult point, he gazed in the same direction. Some of us are fortunate enough to be able to recognize that look he gave the person. Fortunately, the Games cameras were kind enough to show us who it was; his wife. Xie Xingfang was a former badminton World Champion herself.

Don't know about others but I noticed Chong Wei too had a certain gaze at someone in the crowd but it was a gaze of despair every time he lost a difficult rally. The games cameras did not show anything.

However, the cameras did show on one occasion Lin Dan's coach Li Yongbo spur his player on with words that include, "zhong guo ren". I wonder what his complete sentence was, but I am sure this will not be last time we in Malaysia hear reference to Yongbo's words.

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Deepak Chopra Apology

Have always thought Deepak Chopra preyed on Western fixation with Oriental mysticism and esoteric spiritualism using his own interpretations to make money from the kuai lohs.

 

 The apology:

 

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Dawkins vs Cardinal George Pell on Q&A (10-4-2012)

It appears that the Roman Catholic Church needs to evolve...or face extinction.

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Missing You

12th July came and 12th July went. I thought about it before it arrived but remembered it again only after it had passed. It has been 5 years since Jeannie passed away and it is the first time I had overlooked her death anniversary on the day itself. Does this mean I miss her any less? Perhaps so, I don't really know but miss her we still do. But something odd has been happening the last couple of months.

On numerous occasions during that time, I have woken up to find my wedding ring missing from my finger and on the bed (sometimes on the floor!). 

I would have unconsciously (subconsciously?) taken it off during the night and it has happened a few times even when I was in Jakarta where I have had to go rather often recently. Luckily, I have always been conscious quite immediately that the ring was not on my finger and recovered it before some stranger found it. Was I trying to tell myself something or is it Jeannie? I don't think I will ever know the real answer but to be safe, I now keep the ring in a secure place just in case.

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Wither Post Production Studios?

Is the world of social media marketing hastening the twilight of large post production houses by heralding the dawn of a new breed of service providers armed with talent, digital technology and lightweight equipment? The days of charging premium rates and maintaining a stable of full-time audio/video engineers are as numbered as the relevance of those aging engineers who are unable to compete with the adaptability and energy of the new breed of younger counterparts who seem able to do more with less.

Has the death knell for such conventional studios been sounded and the fate of a whole generation of audio/video engineers sealed? Will they soon find that their once cushy jobs have disappeared with the new paradigm and they would be forced to hunt for their own work? 

But how can parasites become hunters when they have made careers out of sucking marrow off the bones of carcasses? The "carcasses" being same old, same old ad agency clientele brought in by self-glorified "account managers" who in turn succeed only by being sycophantic to specific ad agency bosses... till as it has, the gravy train grinds to a halt of course. Time to call a spade a spade and scroungers will always be scroungers. Or is it about coming down from one's high horse? 

Is this,



being replaced by this?

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R.I.P. Paul Ponnudurai

Used to know him when he played at a pub called "Online" in Damansara Kim and as a guest performer at Melawati Club in the 90s with Albert Sirimal and Vijay David. 

A good man and a great talent.

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LGE - CSL Debate (8th July 2012) Part 3

A strategic mistake by CSL to take on LGE at this time. Too much baggage.

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LGE - CSL Debate (8th July 2012) Part 2

With this kind of performance, CSL not even worthy to be on the same stage...not answering the questions directly.

Now it is obvious why the son of CSL is the way he is showing himself to be.

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LGE - CSL Debate (8th July 2012) Part 1

MCA in the hole...

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Vitamin B17

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Irshad Manji on PopTeeVee

Irshad Manji calls out moderate muslims..."in times of moral crisis, moderation is an excuse to do nothing"

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"Stupid Is What Stupid Does", Says Stupid

Kayveas made a statement in the Malaysian Insider about BERSIH 3.0 which is designed to draw flak. A knee jerk by Dr Wong Chin Huat in the same online news media demanding evidence is already playing into Kayveas' hands. Kayveas was surely talking through his rear end and being a lawyer to boot, his 99% figure was obviously not evidence based. So what is he trying to do with this tirade against BERSIH 3.0?

With GE13 not too far away, the usual jostling for seats has begun in BN. UMNO looks prepared to go it alone and claim all Malay majority areas for its own candidates. Even MCA and MIC are being squeezed so what about mosquito component parties like the predominantly Indian PPP.

After years of tantrums in trying to get its political master UMNO to allocate it a seat, Kayveas (PPP) was eventually given a chance by Bodohwi in 2004 and he swept to victory riding on the latter's proposed post-Mahathir reform agenda. His wipe-out in the 2008 GE12 needs no further elaboration.

GE13 will be upon us soon so the running-dogs are barking again. MCA and MIC are being ambivalent and tentative about the BERSIH hot potato that could see them lose all their remaining non-Malay support. Would PPP see this as a slight opening for it to show solidarity with UMNO?

So Kayveas' ludicrous statement about BERSIH must only be replied with SILENCE. Anything more will only serve his end while he is trying to kiss someone else's.

This is what Kayveas was reported to have said in the Malaysian Insider:

Children, paid supporters, made up Bersih 3.0’s crowd, says Kayveas By Clara Chooi June 18, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — Schoolchildren, “blind” anti-Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters and paid participants had marched for Bersih 3.0, Datuk M. Kayveas has said, adding that 99 per cent of the thousands who gathered did not know what they were rallying for on April 28. 

Kayveas, who leads the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), raged that many of the participants were those who have “shut their eyes to BN’s goodness” and were intent on blaming the ruling pact for their own failures in life.

He pointed out that he had come from a very poor family and had lived among squatters for some 25 years but still supports BN for what it has done for the country.

“It was because of what BN has done for the past 50 years that I can be what I am today. But there are those who grew up with me, who are still there... they never moved out of it.

“These people who are now supporting the opposition you see, they are forever making complaints or giving excuses for whatever failure of theirs to change themselves. They want to blame others, or find someone to blame,” he told The Malaysian Insider during a recent interview at his office here.

“But I always say — to be born poor is not a sin but to remain poor is.”

These “blind” supporters, added Kayveas, were the ones willing to spread discord on the streets and break the law as they knew their political leaders would later argue in their defence in Parliament.

The former deputy minister and Taiping MP said these supporters were even willing to “beat up policemen” and “damage police cars”, referring to the violent incidents that occurred during the thick of Bersih 3.0 when police rained down tear gas canisters and chemical-laced water to disperse protesters from the city.

But Kayveas accused the opposition for promoting such blind condemnation of BN and for allegedly instigating their supporters to break the law and to spread falsehoods through the use of social media tools.

“They have created groups to blindly support them with herd mentality, without realising what is the truth and what is not,” he said.

“The opposition teaches you that. Wake up in the morning and run people down on the Internet. If you cannot succeed in running people down, then you run to the streets.

“Ninety-nine per cent of those who marched with Bersih did not know why they were there. Give a yellow T-shirt, a few hundred ringgit and they are there.

“Some schoolchildren were there... when I asked them, they said their parents asked them to go,” he said.

Kayveas also lashed out at the electoral reform movement Bersih 2.0 for deviating from its original and “noble” cause to fight for clean and fair elections, which he said he supports.

“The issue is fair and clean elections. The issue was not about Dataran Merdeka. But you insisted on Dataran Merdeka so it clearly shows that you had diverted from the original, noble, idea into a now opposition-backed, daft, arrogant, stubborn, thinking of defying everything that is right by saying it is wrong,” he said.

Tens of thousands had thronged the city’s streets on April 28 for the Bersih 3.0 rally for free and fair elections, the election watchdog’s third such event since 2007.

The opposition-backed protest had kicked off peacefully but turned chaotic shortly after 3pm when protesters breached the three-tiered barricades surrounding Dataran Merdeka, which had been blocked off to them via a court order obtained by the police.

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Aberration?

This was the PAS Himpunan Hijau in Alor Star a few days ago. The sheer numbers will scare the shit out of some people who are probably hoping "photoshopped". There was heavy rain to boot!

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Apparition or Aberration

A retired senior government official whom I believe to be a no-nonsense guy shared this photo. It was taken by his nephew at their kampung home in Kelantan about 10 days ago. What gives? It appears to be between the fan and the ceiling. Magnification of the image shows consistent pixelation, an indication that the picture is authentic? Anyone who knows how to, please feel free to download and analyse is photo.

My resident spirit expert says they do manifest like this sometimes. Top clear, bottom wispy.

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BlackBerry 9900 Dakota

I was given this phone recently. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth but its kind of silly for a smart phone. The slim and touch-screen Dakota is currently the top range BlackBerry. It is the BlackBerry Messaging (BBM) that is keeping the brand alive as push email can be a pain.

Black

White

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BERSIH 3.0

We were there.

With Krystyn and JJ behind the barricades

But from the beginning it was obvious the whole rally was not going anywhere...at least not physically. Dataran Merdeka was heavily barricaded by the police who showed up in great numbers. 

It did not appear that the government was about to be magnanimous at the last minute and allow the Bersih 3.0 crowd on to Dataran Merdeka at 2.00 pm. I felt this was going to be a problem since the size of the crowd at the intersection of Jalan Tun Perak and Tuanku Abdul Rahman was huge and increasingly being cramped by more arriving from the directions of Masjid Jamek and Sogo. There was no room forward and those in the front were ominously faced with barbed wire (I now know they used razor wire). It was a problem. 

We were part of that crowd for a while and looking at the developing situation we moved towards the Bank Negara side and somehow managed to go behind Federal Reserve Unit lines near the bank Negara roundabout. The FRU looked menacing and ready to advance.

At about 2.45 pm Twitter messages were saying Anwar Ibrahim was approaching with his group from the Masjid Jamek side. Shortly after, police at Dataran Merdeka suddenly started firing tear gas and water cannons.

People were saying after the fact, that over-zealous BERSIH 3.0 supporters had broken down the police barriers. I think it had more to do with frenzied Anwar supporters. As usual the police over-reacted and all hell broke loose. 



How will BERSIH 3.0 go down in Malaysian history? At the moment, the jury is still out. Next up will be the ballot box and Malaysian voters are in a pickle as the EC remains the EC. History as they say, is written by the victors.

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Same Road, New Highway?

Read Malik Imtiaz Sarwar's blogpost below on why the Election Commission Chairman and his deputy must resign. Conflict of interest it seems. But then again, what else is new? Come to think of it, the Election Commission is just as important as the Judiciary in countries where the Executive reigns supreme. Will we ever run out of highways to build? 

Tan Sri Dato' Seri
Abdul Aziz bin Mohd Yusof
CHAIRMAN SPR



Datuk Wira Hj. Wan Ahmad
bin Wan Omar
DEPUTY CHAIRMAN SPR



Tun Zaki Azmi

**************************************************************

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Election Commission: Apparent Bias

The Chairman of the Election Commission and his Deputy must resign immediately. In the wake of accusations by the Opposition that they are members of UMNO, they have admitted the same.

It is self-evident that they can no longer hold their positions as the head and deputy head of the Election Commission, a body established by the Federal Constitution for the sole purpose of ensuring that the general elections of the Federation and States are run in a manner that ensure public confidence. Put another way, as has been consistently emphasized by the Coalition on Free and Fair Elections, the Election Commission must act in a manner that is seen to be impartial.

That the perception of impartiality is of crucial significance is underscored by Article 113 of the Federal Constitution, the provision which establishes the Election Commission. 113(2) provides:

"In appointing members of the Election Commission the Yang di- Pertuan Agong shall have regard to the importance of securing an Election Commission which enjoys public confidence."

It is manifest that a member of a political party that will participate, or which may potentially participate, in any general election cannot be made members of the Election Commission. The fact that they are members of a political party is indicative of their political loyalties being to that party. This creates an obvious conflict of interest. This is reinforced in situations where the party Constitution requires allegiance, as I believe the UMNO constitution does.

In the context of UMNO, this issue takes on added significance. Accusations have been made that the Election Commission has conducted itself in a manner that lend to an impression of bias. Leave aside the question of whether there is actual bias, the fact that there is an apprehension of bias is in itself sufficient for concerns to have been raised. To this it must now be added that the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Election Commission have been revealed to be members of UMNO. This will only fuel further speculation of bias. This in turn will add to an already high degree of resentment amongst voters about the way in which they perceive the electoral process to have been manipulated.

It is no significance that the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman were not active members or had forgotten that they are members. The fact that they are members is in itself sufficient to create the conflict of interest. One wonders whether they would have been endorsed by the Conference of Rulers and appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (as is required under Article 113(1)) if this fact were known.

In the circumstance it appears that there is little choice in the matter. The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman must resign. It cannot end there though. The Government must take steps to convince Malaysians that measures that have been taken thus far with regard the imminent General Election have been consistent with the highest expectations of a clean and fair election. If the Government calls for a General Election under this cloud, then it will reinforce the belief of many Malaysians that the electoral process has been hijacked.

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