Mr Soros is in town!

Is there laughter on someone's face, or was it a frown?
A penny for thy thoughts, Mr Minister
Any after taste following the gracious servings at YTL's crown
Or you were too high recalling that Disaster?

I left an anecdote (15 minutes earlier) at taiko jeffooi's post just now, so I might as well kill two or three birds with one stone/browser ~~

"I'm narrating a fictional account that may have some relation to reality.
It happened on Dr Nose I-land long long time/dime ago.

The VP of the isle, a happy go-lucky chap, was chanced upon by his Boss one Monday morn, and Mr Prez asked of the assistant why he looked so happy.

Smiling, the VP replied: I was thanking the Good Lord for the blessed life I live. Just now on thy entry, I was still savouring the happy memories of all the young maidens i had screwed, all thanks to my superior position!"

The following morn, not mundane being Tuesday, VP entered Boss' carpeted Red House penthouse and, sirprise of surprises, caught Mr Prez in his smiling pose. He was loonking at the map of their I-land.

"Hey, Boss, you look chirpy today, what's UP?"

"Oh, my deputy, just as you entered I was looking at this map, and I was and still am so happy that I am lord of all I survey.

"I am especially happy for all my people that they rem,ain in the dark about how I screwed UP the 'hole country the lust decade!"

PS: Any resemblance to personality dead or alive is merely the reader's pigmentation of his/her elevated mind, NOT mine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
15 minutes later~~~

DESI is conserving fun-ds nowadays in anticipation of another round of price increases to welcome the nu'e year. so I am NOT spending RM1.20 on any print edition since I can access the webbies.

So www.nst.com.my says this is frontpage tyoday, I must take its word on it. Furthermore, it's again mGf (my claim-lah, Okay, for being presumptious!) Wan Hamidi reportinG:


Hatchet buried
16 Dec 2006


KUALA LUMPUR: He was once called a rogue, a moron and an enemy of Malaysia. Yesterday, international currency speculator George Soros was absolved of being the culprit behind the 1997 Asian financial crisis and embraced as a friend by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, his longtime accuser.

The former prime minister said he accepted Soros’ explanation that the billionaire was not personally responsible for the devaluation of the ringgit almost a decade ago.

“The question of forgiveness does not arise. I accepted his explanation. Of course, my view about him (Soros) has changed. That’s why I’m talking to him now,” Dr Mahathir said, adding that he thought Soros had caused the run on

the ringgit based on what he had read in the Press back then.

Malaysia’s former premier and the billionaire held a joint Press conference after their meeting here yesterday.

Soros was here to promote his book, The Age of Fallibility, and to address the alumni of the London School of Economics at their 20th anniversary dinner last night.

Dr Mahathir said he was still concerned about the activities of currency traders, claiming they could destroy many countries.

Soros, however, said speculators should not be held responsible because it was the duty of the financial authorities to manage the functioning of the market.

"I, as a speculator, have acted according to the prevailing rules. Knowing the market, I believe sometimes it is appropriate to impose some restrictions on capital moves," said Soros, adding that Malaysia’s authorities made a mistake in keeping the fixed exchange rate regime for too long.

He, however, conceded that Malaysia’s capital controls helped reduce the country’s economic damage.

Apart from blaming Soros for the financial crisis, Dr Mahathir has on a few occasions implied a Jewish conspiracy for the world’s problems, particularly those involving Muslim countries.

After his heart-to-heart talks with Soros, who is Jewish, Dr Mahathir explained that he was not against Jews.

"Somehow or other, I have been labelled anti-Semitic. I’m not anti-Semitic, not anti-Jew, but I’m very much against what is happening in Palestine where the Israelis have tried to out-terrorise the Palestinians. That’s a wrong way to resolve a problem."

Blaming the Press, Dr Mahathir said he merely stated that the Jews had a lot of influence in the American government, a view he said Soros did not agree with, but that was his stand.

"I have Jewish friends and most of my friends don’t think that I’m anti-Semitic," he added.

Both men told the Press that they did not discuss personal issues during the meeting but were focused on global peace, especially their shared views against the war in Iraq and against many of the international policies of American President George W. Bush.

Soros also managed to convince Dr Mahathir that while he appreciated the former prime minister’s efforts to criminalise war, both of them agreed that in some instances war would be unavoidable.

The billionaire explained that he was in favour of the "responsibility to protect" principle where the international community, and not an individual country, acted against rulers who oppressed their own people.


DESIDERATA: Let's bring out the champaign glasses. HAPPY FEET are dancing again. Welcome 2007 with a tightened belt -- it's a good way to slim.

Many things are matters of Mind Over Matter, rephrasing Mark Twain's saw. If you think saw is the past tense of "see, then yuou need to upgrade thy speculation to Heorge Soros' level. Or bu Desi his usual tehtarik by Furong roadside and he will educate you, for Flee!
Buy, or Bye - the Bursa Malaysia is also dancing.
Take profits when you can, you don't want landing up a dunce, No, you donWANdat.