To dear ER (that's EsteemedReaders hear!:) who are new to Desiderata, I spelt mGf in full today because some1 once commented that I had a garl friend named KimQ, and that was misslREADing, wasn't it, you nit! So I intimate here that DDC is part of my writHing because it entertains this host, sometimes referred as Horst because I neigh, neigh sometimes, especially when BN leaders throw RM in my direction at all BUY-erections and my longing for Toddy overwhelms:( Kaki botol I'm knot, but what the hell, Najib is handing out OUR TAXPAYERS' MONEY, and another mGf Art Harun is screaming mad --http://art-harun.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-i-learned-from-hs-buy-election.html -- full of rumour/humour, and I like madmen and women. -- YL, Desi
The Hulu Selangor by-election debacle: Is it worth it, Najib?
26.04.26
Prime Minister Najib Razak might have won the electoral battle at Hulu Selangor, but he sure has made a giant step of retreat in the defence of Putrajaya against the relentless advance of Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
The orgy of election bribery indulged over those few days leading up to polling day on April 25 would have put any other pseudo democracy to shame when comparing election excesses.
To induce votes, Najib and his colleagues made innumerable on-the-spot grant of cash and promises of goodies (many were conditional upon a Barisan Nasional win) that run easily to hundreds of million of ringgit during that compact campaign period. These include the construction of a university and several schools, an expressway interchange and many other infrastructures, several low cost housing projects, upgrading of mosques and temples, grants to community guilds and associations, cash payments to individuals etc. These election goodies were so many and so large that I doubt Najib and his deputy Muhyiddeen Yassin could keep track of their numbers or total costs.
The single event that impacted most on the electoral outcome was perhaps the occasion of Najib himself handing over RM5 million cash to 100 Felda settlers in a highly trumpeted ceremony 2 days before polling. These settlers were among victims of a failed project committed to a private developer 15 years ago.
The greatest irony was that amidst this election bribery spree, Najib made an impassioned last-minute plea to the electorate through an open letter bearing his signature, asking the electorate to give him another chance to institute ‘change’ in his administration so as to redeem Barisan Nasional’s past mistakes. But was Najib not aware that this endless stream of impromptu election goodies constitute serious offences under our Election Offences Act 1954 (Section 10)? By committing these acts of corruption to such an unprecedented scale while simultaneously articulating his ‘change’ agenda, he was in effect telling the world : “This is what I mean by ‘change’ – I will not hesitate to escalate corrupted activities and damn the laws, if my political interests so demand.”
Reflecting on Najib’s rule since taking effective control of the country in early 2009, this philosophy of ‘the end justifies the means’ as exemplified by his conduct in the Hulu Selangor by-election seems to aptly explain the series of scandals that illustrated the ruling power’s contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law. These include the unconstitutional power grab in Perak, the continuing persecution of Anwar Ibrahim via the universally condemned phony sodomy trial II, the awkward attempt to hide the real culprits in the show trial of Altantuya’s grisly murder, and the tragic death of Teoh Beng Hock under custody of MACC and the subsequent dubious inquest.
In the aftermath of this sordid by-election, Najib and his cohorts have expectedly hailed this disgraceful victory as the nation’s endorsement of Najib’s new policy and the shifting of support to Barisan Nasional (BN). However, removing the thin veneer of this pyrrhic victory, we find that the contrary is true. In fact, a cursory review of this by-election (many prefer to call it ‘buy-election’) has revealed trends and phenomena that should cause BN to get worried, very worried.
First, winning by a majority of 1,700 votes does not necessarily indicate an increase of support. On the contrary, it could mean a substantial drop of support, if we consider the fact that in the last general election in March 2008, BN’s combined majority of the three state constituencies that made up the parliamentary constituency of Hulu Selangor was 6,300 votes.
If UMNO can secure only a marginal victory (24,997 vs 23,272) after such heavy abuses of public funds and politically manipulated institutions, there is not the slightest chance that the same can be repeated in a general election, during which, Hulu Selangor will surely fall back to PR, just as Ijok did previously.
Second, judging from the response of the electorate during the election campaign, Najib’s ‘lMalaysia’ advocacy has failed to take root among BN’s supporters. This was prominently reflected in the respective finale of the two protagonists’ election campaign on the eve of polling. While the BN rally, estimated at 3,000, was attended almost exclusively by Malays, with a sprinkling of Indians; the 15,000 strong PR rally was a colourful display of multi-racialism with a healthy proportion of the three races of Malays, Chinese and Indians. It left one with the unmistakable impression that the coalition that has really succeeded in realizing ‘1Malaysia’ is PR, not BN.
Third, the Chinese support to BN has dwindled to an even smaller minority (less than one third) despite the many carrots dangling in their faces – particularly Najib’s personal promise to grant a RM3 million grant to a Chinese school the very next day of polling, conditioned upon a BN win. This indicates that the Chinese electorate has politically matured to the point that they are relatively immune to BN’s election bribery. For them, nothing short of real reforms would do.
As UMNO is not capable of instituting real reforms, this naturally spells the end of the political life span of the Chinese racial party MCA, and by corollary, that of Gerakan. With the Indian racial party MIC also having lost the support of Indians, the isolation of UMNO in Peninsular Malaysia is complete, since these 3 parties are UMNO’s only major partners in the Peninsula . Considering that they had been the bulwark of support to UMNO in past elections, their present eclipses mean that UMNO’s political wings in Peninsula are clipped.
Hence, UMNO’s final grasp at power is now hinged to its relationship with the BN component parties in Sabah and Sarawak , which unfortunately are not in the best of terms with the UMNO-dominated Federal government.
Known for their strong regionalism and thrust to their king-maker position by the political tsunami of the 2008 general elections, Sabah and Sarawak are now a hive of discontent and resentment against the exploitation and short-changing of their autonomous rights under the authocratic UMNO dominated BN leadership.
With a maimed UMNO in the Peninsula , and a surging Pakatan Rakyat offering a just deal and restoration of autonomy to these two states, the people there for the first time have the real option of clinching the best political deal since the formation of Malaysia almost 5 decades ago.
Since the people in Sabah and Sarawak are less race-conscious than their Peninsular counterparts and in fact rather irritated by the heavy racism practiced by UMNO, for how long can UMNO’s race politics withstand the challenge for influence by the multi-racial Pakatan Rakyat in these two territories, and by extension the political power over the entire country?
The Hulu Selangor by-election has given us a pointer, and it ain’t look good for UMNO.
Kim Quek
Monday, April 26, 2010
CSM: doing a flavour for DON:prayPUKS!
I refer to the Malaysakini report New firm takes over Maika Holdings.
Thank you.
The salient facts about G Gnanalingam's recent offer to buy out all Maika shareholders are as follows:
1. Maika's paid up share capital - RM125 million.
2. Gnanalingam's offer price - RM106 million or RM0.85 per share.
3. Oriental Capital Assurance Bhd's (Ocab) paid up share capital is RM100 million and as at Dec 31, 2008 it's audited NTA was about RM103 million.
4. Maika's investment in Ocab's share capital is 74.165% or 74,174,640 shares, ie, Maika is Ocab's holding company as it has both more than 51% equity shares and control in Ocab. Maika's CEO Vell Paari a/l Samy Velu also sits on the board of directors of Ocab.
5. Prior to Gnanalingam's buyout proposal, there were two other offers to Maika as follows:
a. RM129 million or $1.75 per share by Salcon
b. RM149 million or $ 2.01 per share by Usaha Tegas, the holding company of tycoon Ananda Krishnan.
The Salcon offer was frozen by a court order taken out by Nesa Cooperative, Maika's single largest shareholder who had objected on the grounds that Maika's 74% investment in Ocab had not been independently valued.
Nesa had recommended the investment in Ocab be sold by open tender. Nesa also revealed there were two other parties interested in acquiring Ocab's shares, one from Europe and another from Australia.
As to the RM149 million offer by Usaha Tegas, apparently Maika rejected this offer as it could not accept certain pre-conditions insisted upon by Usaha Tegas. What these pre-conditions were have not been revealed by Maika's directors.
In the light of the above, I demand the board of directors of Maika explain:
1. Why do they think Gnanalingam's offer of RM106 million is suddenly acceptable to them when they unequivocally know there are local market players in the insurance business and foreign parties who are willing to pay more?
2. Why are they unwilling to offer the Maika or Ocab shares for sale by open tender with a reserve price of say, RM150 million, given the Usaga Tegas offer? If as Gnanalingam says, Maika's debts are RM30 million, the net minimum proceeds of RM120 million would be a fair and handsome reward to Maika's shareholders who for some 20 years have received no dividends while there was a period when their CEO was paid a remuneration of RM15,000 per month.
As to Gnanalingam being quoted as saying he's doing 'national service', he contradicts it by saying he will need six months to find another financier which suggests he is looking at flipping the Maika/Ocab shares for a quick gain. So much for national service.
Financiers may do charity work and make sizeable donations from their profits and gains, but their natural predatory instincts mean they will always squeeze out the juicy bits of the best deals for themselves.
It seems clear to me, and for the matter any sane person, that the Maika/Ocab shares are worth a hell of a lot more than Gnanalingam's RM106 million offer.
The RM64,000 question is why Samy Vellu, Vel Paari and the Maika board of directors appear to be not interested in maximising returns to their long-suffering shareholders which include themselves by supporting the lowest offer?
Is there a deal behind the deal?
I would like to add that the minimum premium a buyer should pay for a controlling stake in Maika/Ocab is 50% of Ocab's NTA of RM103 million, ie, the total minimum consideration should be RM150 million as:
1. The potential buyer would be acquiring a controlling stake (74%) in Ocab as opposed to being a mere passive investor relying on dividend income for a return.
2. In Malaysia, you cannot secure a licence for owning/operating an insurance business without Bank Negara's approval, which includes vetting the shareholders and board of directors. Thus, the market is restricted for insurance business start-ups and acquisitions, justifying a higher premium for a new investor.
3. Ocab's Unearned Premium Reserve as at Dec 31, 2008 stood at RM48 million which is quite healthy compared to its paid-up share capital, share premium and reserves of RM103 million. Thus, future earnings are reasonably assured. We do not know what other general provisions are included under Ocab's reserves.
4. Ocab's properties and investments totalling RM316 million are likely to be worth a lot more than their book value.
5. In 2000, Bank Negara's guidelines for bank and financial institutions mergers was for pricing to be in the region of 1.5 - 2 times revalued NTA.
6. Vell Paari, Maika's CEO and a director of Ocab, increased his beneficial interest in Ocab by 111, 250 shares in 2008 as disclosed in Ocab's audited financial statements.
All the above leads to the conclusion that Gnanalingam's offer of RM106 million for a 74% controlling stake in Ocab, a mere 2.91% premium over its NTA of RM103 million is derisory, disingenuous and an attempt to put one over the many ill-informed Maika shareholders.
The timing of Gnanlingam's offer announcement was surely calculated with one eye on the by-election at Hulu Selangor tomorrow.
What is astonishing is that Samy Vellu, his son Vell Paari and the board of directors of Maika, and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as well are all supporting Gnanalingam's offer.
Whose interest should Maika directors be rooting for - its shareholders' or that of Gnanalingam's? And why are they reusing (ERRATA: 'refusing' for reusing ...YL) to go for a sale by open tender?
CORRECTION: I made a beginner's error above in evaluating Gnanalingam's offer to buy out Maika shareholders which effectively would also enable him to take control of Maika's main investment, ie, its 74.165% holding in Oriental Capital Assurance Berhad (Ocab). My sincere apologies to Gnanalingam and to your readers.
Gnanalingam's offer would actually effectively value 100% of Ocab at RM143 million. His offer for 74.165% of Ocab at RM106 million then would result in a premium of 28% over its proportionate book value. This is based on publicly available information and Ocab's last audited accounts (December 2008).
ADDITIONALLY, from donplaypuks.blogspot.com:
(DPP's letter in full to the Editor, Mkini, which was of course edited to suit the online news' policy...YL, Desi)
25/04/10
Dear Sir
I made a beginner's error in evaluating Gnanalingam’s offer to buy out Maika shareholders which effectively would also enable him to take control of Maika’s main investment, i.e. its 74.165% holding in Ocab. My sincere apologies to Gnanalingam and to your readers.
As the table below shows, Gnanalingam’s offer would effectively value 100% of Ocab at RM 143 million. His offer for 74.165% of Ocab at RM106 million then would result in a premium of 28% over its proportionate book value. The table is based on publicly available information and Ocab’s last audited accounts (31/12/2008) posted on the web.
Offer by Gnanalingam Salcon Usaha Tegas
Ocab issued share capital 100 100 100
(million)
RM million RM million RM million
Ocab NTA 103 103 103
74.165% owned by Maika 76 76 76
Offer amount 106 129 149
Premium 30 53 73
Premium % 28% 41% 49%
Effective Ocab valuation 143 174 201
Effective value per share 1.43 1.74 2.01
However, I stand by my earlier opinion that Maika shares can command a better price than that offered by Gnanalingam, particularly in view of:
1. The higher offers and valuations from Salcon and Usaha Tegas.
2. Possible revaluation surpluses from Ocab’s properties and investments, other ‘secret’ reserves as well as write backs of over provisions and estimates for outstanding claims.
3. Possibilities of being listed on its own or being injected into another insurance company or financial institution listed on the KLSE.
4. The restricted and restrictive entry level for anyone wanting to own an insurance business in M’sia vis-a-vis Bank Negara control and oversight.
5. Keen interest shown by foreign parties from Australia and Europe in Ocab. In view of PM Najib’s relaxing of rules for more foreign participation in the financial sector. I would not be surprised at all if potential buyers from Europe and Australian were to offer Maika shareholders an even better return than hitherto imagined!
I maintain that for purposes of transparency and accountability, Samy Velu, Vell Paari and the board of Maika owe a fiduciary duty to its long-suffering shareholders to pursue the route of sale of shares by open tender.
donplaypuks®
MACC, what are you waiting for?
I quote from The Malaysian Insider, a pro-UMNO online newspaper that dares to speak the Truth sometimes,or most of the time, when it's more pro-ex-PM Abdullah Badawi and his SIL UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, or is Desi's vantage point skewed, or screwed? Your choice of POV -- which is point of view -- for YL preaches and practises, when it suits him-lah! DEMOcrazy!:)
"Najib had called the country’s 10th by-election a referendum of his year-long leadership but he took to the campaign in the last three days and promised election goodies, including the RM3 million aid to rebuild the Rasa school.
“If we win this by-election, you can come to Kuala Lumpur the next day to look for me. I will write a personal letter to approve the money and it will be transferred to the school board’s account. If we lose, don’t have to come,” Najib had said.
The prime minister had also promised the Chinese-majority voters in Kampung Hassan that the BN government would build 200 low-cost houses for them if Kamalanathan wins. PR leaders have denounced the promises as election bribes.
DESIDERATA: Earlier at another event addressing FELDA settlers,the PM handed out cheques which he said were the FIRST instalment. If the settlers returned their support in the Hulu Selangor bUy-election, and the next (13th) General Elections, future, and bigger, payments will be made.
Desi's challenge:
So my dear 1Malaysia Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, what are you waiting for?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
CPI's Dr Lim TG Applauds Joshua Wong's principled stand...
Home 
Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
Another blow to media independence and the PM’s credibility
Dr. Lim Teck Ghee Another blow to media independence and the PM’s credibility
| |  |  |
| CPI Writings | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Dr Lim Teck Ghee | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Friday, 23 April 2010 19:11 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Press statement by Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Director CPI
According to Wong, the company Natseven TV Sdn Bhd has now set restrictions for the ‘offensive’ show Editor’s Time which “are not justifiable, threaten(s) the independence of my job as producer…is also a form of self-censorship, (and)… is against the principle of fair and independent reporting. These restrictions have seriously affected the professionalism of the [production] team.” Besides implicating various senior staff of the television station for pressuring him to engage in self-censorship aimed at pleasing the BN and Umno leadership, Wong disclosed that he had learnt that “the First Lady (Rosmah) complained about … Penang roadshow [held on 8 April] – all the way from Washington” and that he “later found that the First Lady had received complaints from other people, and she re-directed the complaint to the top management.” As for the role played by the Prime Minister’s Department, below is the sms complaint that Wong states was conveyed by the PM’s department. CPI translation (for original, see footnote) Extracts:
Who controls the media?
Natseven TV belongs to Media Prima, the country’s most powerful media conglomerate that similarly owns 100 percent equity interest in TV3, 8TV and TV9. It also owns 90% of NSTP. Sitting in Media Prima’s board of directors are, among others, former Utusan editor-in-chief Johan Jaafar, former NST group editor Ahmad A. Talib and prominent businessmen some of whom are associated with Umno. PEMEGANG SAHAM PENGARAH PADA 28 FEBRUARI 2010
* dianggap berkepentingan menerusi kepentingan ekuiti 12.59% dalam Media Prima Berhad |
Friday, April 23, 2010
I utilise carte blanche AP to reprise from RPK's...
Because of a mental block/blog still keping Desi the creative at bay -- except moving BUM2010 ahead -- I have become a sort of C&Pastry expert. Excuse me if you will, and bear wit' Desi if thou willeth knot, but as I reiterate, GOoD writings must be shared a plenty ala-Shakespeare's works or Lao Tze's wisdom, or Gandhiji's peace offerings...Sorry I digress...
Tuesday, 20 April 2010 Super Admin 
Now Anwar is whacked for doing the right thing (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)
Tuesday, 20 April 2010 Super Admin
If people want to merajuk (sulk) and leave PKR and join Umno or Barisan Nasional because they have been ‘ignored’ and ‘are not being recognised as the warlord’ of that particular constituency and are not being ‘rewarded for their loyalty to the party president’ then I have only one thing to say: go to hell.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Ibrahim Ali in Hulu Selangor?
Now, what business does a political hydra have in Hulu Selangor?
If I were the campaign director of UMNO in HS (Hulu Selangor), I will refuse to associate UMNO with the head of Perkasa. UMNO is not a Mafia organisation, which treats an enemy of its enemy is its friend. Ibrahim Ali can't come into HS and say he is campaigning as an independent. Is Ibrahim Ali a political hydra with so many heads? Then there is only one option for UMNO -- lob of his head!
What is the philosophy of Perkasa? According to Ibrahim Ali and the organisation's other leaders, the prime objective is to fight for all Malay interests. Everything first for the Malay. Ibrahim has said this so many times. He has even unsheathed a keris to reinforce this conviction. Now, unless Ibrahim Ali is a congenital liar, we will hold on to this pledge to uphold the Malay and Malay interest at all times.
How do you then reconcile what Ibrahim Ali wants to do in HS with Perkasa's philosophy? Ibrahim Ali is abandoning a Malay in preference to a Malay uncle Amat? Ibrahim has disavowed the most fundamental principle of Perkasa's struggle.
UMNO must reject Ibrahim Ali. It must do so because Ibrahim Ali actually supports a particular type of Malay. The Malay Ibrahim supports is the 30 percenterism-Malay, the Malay who regards privileges as their birthright, the Malay who thinks his deprivation is due to the rapaciousness of non Malays. Ibrahim Ali represents the Malay free loaders. Ibrahim Ali represents privileged class.
And what does PM Najib intend to do? He intends to revise the NEP hacking off the vestiges of patronage and privilege. He wants to bring competition as the driving force of advancement. He represents the interest of all Malays who want to advance in life through the meats and potatoes way- work hard and use the brain way. PM Najib fights for the Malay who regards the crutches, which Ibrahim wants to offer as emblems of shame. Ibrahim Ali is the thorn in UMNO's flesh.
http://sakmongkol.blogspot.com/2010/04/ibrahim-ali-in-hulu-selangor.html
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That was what a pro-Umno Blog said today and I quite agree. What business does Ibrahim Ali have to campaign for an Indian candidate when his perjuangan (struggle) is about Malay domination? Does this not go against his ‘Malay first’ principle? He should instead support Zaid Ibrahim, a ‘fellow Malay’, rather than an Indian from MIC.
It was Ibrahim Ali who said that the non-Malays have robbed the Malays of their rights. Is not MIC an Indian party and therefore one of those he accused of robbing the Malays of their rights?
So you see, Ibrahim Ali has been caught in his own web of deceit. He talks about Malays first. Then he does business with Chinese towkays whom even the Chinese themselves despise. And now he supports an Indian candidate whom many Indians themselves reject.
Ibrahim Ali is demonstrating an extremely confused mind here.
On the other piece by another pro-Umno Blog below, I only have this to say.
Hantu Laut says that Anwar Ibrahim does not care about or value loyalty. Is he talking about loyalty to Anwar personally or loyalty to the cause? Our struggle is not about Anwar. It is about the cause. Who cares about loyalty to Anwar? It is loyalty to the cause that matters.
These people Hantu Laut mentions may have been Anwar loyalists or Anwaristas. So what? Who cares a damn? They can go screw themselves if they are loyal only to Anwar but not to the cause.
In the second paragraph, Hantu Laut says, “Zaid Ibrahim was parachuted in as a candidate for the Hulu Selangor by-election, ignoring and by-passing local leaders in Hulu Selangor that have been with PKR and loyal to him for many years.”
Again, are elections about rewarding those ‘local leaders’ and those ‘loyal to Anwar’? Hantu Laut speaks like Umno. Local leaders and those loyal to the party president is a Barisan Nasional culture. It is a culture that Pakatan Rakyat should not ape.
Actually, everything that Hantu Laut raised is about what Umno would have done. And he is whacking Anwar because the latter is not enough like Umno.
If people want to merajuk (sulk) and leave PKR and join Umno or Barisan Nasional because they have been ‘ignored’ and ‘are not being recognised as the warlord’ of that particular constituency and are not being ‘rewarded for their loyalty to the party president’ then I have only one thing to say: go to hell.
This is not about you. It is not about glorifying what you have done. Is it not about recognising that you are the boss of that area and therefore should be given the top job. It is not about rewarding you. It is about what you can do for those who voted for you.
These people ask what the party can do for them and how they can be rewarded. They don’t talk about what they can do for the rakyat. And that is why they merajuk and leave the party when they feel that they have not been aptly rewarded.
This is Umno and Barisan Nasional culture. It is not the type of culture that we want to see. So why are the Umno Blogs whacking Anwar for not being like Umno and Barisan Nasional?
Podah! Local leaders and loyal konon! If they are true leaders and really loyal (to the cause) they would not merajuk just because they did not get the candy they wanted.
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Anwar's Can Of Worm
Hantu Laut
The exit of Dr Halili Rahmat from PKR to join UMNO shows Anwar Ibrahim doesn't care about or value loyalty. He prefers sycophants, apple polishers, those with fame and fortunes and those likely to serve his personal agenda.
Zaid Ibrahim was parachuted in as candidate for the Hulu Selangor by-election, ignoring and by-passing local leaders in Hulu Selangor that have been with PKR and loyal to him for many years. Those who were sidelined must have felt insulted,unwanted and undeserving. Zaid, has done nothing for PKR, but he has fame and deep pockets. His can bankroll his own campaign trails.
Over the past two years PKR has lost many of its leaders including assemblymen and members of parliament due to disappointment with Anwar's leadership. The ominous dark clouds hanging over the party were results of Anwar's arrogance and dictatorial ways. All he cares about is himself and how to get to Putrajaya, by hook or by crook, it does not matter, anyone in the way would be ridiculed and ostracised. Those who do not see eye to eye with him would be on the chopping board.
Not only has he lost party members, even his so-called close friends and aides have abandoned him.Over the years, there were his dear friend and former PKR Deputy President Chandra Muzaffar, his 30-year old friend and tennis partner Nallakaruppan, his trusted lieutenant Ezam Mohd Nor, Anuar Shaari, Fairus Khairuddin, Zahrain Mohd Hashim, Zulkifli Noordin and many more that would have filled up Anwar's rogues' gallery.
Today, Anwar has taken on a completely different image. He is in serious courtship with the non-Malays and promised them to abolish the NEP if he gets Putrajaya. This heavily baited campaign is well received by the non-Malays and strongly opposed by Perkasa, a champion of Malay rights organisation that wanted the NEP to be retained.
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-post_7829.html
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Of boobs, censorship, and oh, Mama Mia's interferering hands
Yeah, sometimes I plug for news online although they don't pay me nutfhing:(
And also I sometimes stole sume from another although so far they have not sent me a loyar buluk's letter:(:(
After today, I "may" cease and desist! The key word is "may" and that comes around another Miss April, partially clad, half-full or compleatly fooled, leaves the stage.Meanwhile,I saulte Joshua Wong, whoever thou art and may the GOod Lord bless media people such as YOU!
The Malaysian Insider
Thursday April 22 2010
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US networks blasted for shunning plus-sized models
NEW YORK, April 22 — Lane Bryant is up in arms that two networks — Fox and ABC — have resisted airing a sexy lingerie ad featuring busty, plus-sized models in time periods where the networks have broadcast other racy fare.
In a post on LB’s Inside Curve blog, the clothing company complains that “ABC and Fox have made the decision to define beauty for you by denying our new, groundbreaking Cacique commercial from airing freely on their networks.”
The ad, which was initially available on YouTube and at lanebryant.com/sexy, has since been removed.
The post also claims that ABC “restricted our airtime” and refused to air the spot during “Dancing With the Stars,” while Fox “demanded excessive re-edits and rebuffed it three times before relenting to air it during the final 10 minutes of ‘American Idol,’ but only after we threatened to pull the ad buy.”
The post continues: “Yes, these are the same networks that have scantily-clad housewives so desperate they seduce every man on the block — and don’t forget Bart Simpson, who has shown us the moon more often than Nasa — all in what they call ‘family hour.’“
The ad depicts several attractive models in the latest line of Lane Bryant lingerie. Ample cleavage — which Bryant says was a problem for the networks — is on display in the ad.
“The networks exclaimed, ‘She has ... cleavage!’ Gasp!” the blog post states.
“While it’s no secret that Victoria’s Secret ‘The Nakeds’ ads are prancing around on major networks leaving little to the imagination, steaming up TV screens and baring nearly everything but their souls, our sultry siren who shows sophisticated sass is somehow deemed inappropriate ... Does this smack of a double standard? Yep. It does to us, too,” the post continues.
Not surprisingly, comments from readers on the blog support the ad and chide the networks. “I have been advocating for curvy girls for about 20 years now ... and STILL there is bigotry against women of size. We’re deemed inappropriate, unintelligent, and we’re shunned. This happens to us on a daily basis!,” wrote one disgruntled reader.
Reps at the two networks did not immediately respond. — Reuters
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I salute this media guy*** -- full of gumption!~~, YL, Desi
Senior producer at ntv7 ***Joshua Wong has thrown in the towel following what he claimed were “overzealous self-censorship and government interference”.
Wong, who produces popular hour-long talk show 'Editor's Time', said that the “unreasonable restrictions” has been placed on his show, which frequently discusses the socio-political situation in the country.
“The top management at ntv7 have been unreasonable and unjustifiable. This restriction of freedom amounts to a punishment and it affects the professionalism of the team,” he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this morning.
Wong (left) said that the problem started when an SMS complaint was forwarded from the Prime Minister's Office to his bosses a day after the first episode aired on March 18.
The episode was a forum between leaders from BN and Pakatan Rakyat, as well as two political analysts, on the performances of both coalitions since the 2008 general elections.
The complaint had alleged that the show had insulted the BN government's policies, and that the political discussions were becoming “dangerous”.
The SMS also included rants with racial undertones, suggesting that Chinese people are “becoming rude” and that “the Malays should go to war”.
Wong, who have been a journalist for 16 years, also alleged that the SMS was forwarded by none other than the Prime Minister's wife Rosmah Mansor, who received the complaint from someone else.
The top management at ntv7 then demanded a clarification from Wong, as well as programme host Lee Siad Huey.
Ntv7 is one of the four free-to-air television stations owned by Umno-linked Media Prima.
No discussion on Hulu S'gor
Since the complaint, Wong also claimed that his proposals for the show, including bringing in DAP MP Tony Pua have been shot down, with threats to cease production.
Plans to feature the current Hulu Selangor by-election were also bulldozed.
“At the end, there was an effective ban on political discussions, as well as featuring opposition leaders as guest speakers,” he said.
Wong also said that he was disappointed that his superiors did not investigate the complaint or even lodge a police report against the SMS which was seditious in nature.
“If we continue to allow such racial remarks, Malaysia will certainly be a hotbed of racism,” he said.
He also said that he hoped that his resignation will set an example to fellow journalists to stand up for their profession and not the accept interference lying down.
The veteran journalist who has been with ntv7 for seven years before calling it quits, was also flanked by Writers Alliance for Media Independence's Sow Meng Keong, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall chief executive officer Tan Ah Chai and columnist Josh Hong at today's press conference (above).
More than 50 students from New Era College, where Wong occasionally lectures, also showed up in black T-shirts and placards defending him and demanding for “freedom of information”.
Award-winning journalist
Wong, have been a journalist with several Chinese dailies as well as the state-owned news agency RTM, before starting his stint in ntv7.
An investigative journalist, he shook the nation with his expose on a human trafficking ring of Burmese refugees run by Immigration Department officers as well as foreign nationals duped into slavery in a fishing village in Sarawak.
He also won an Anugerah Seri Angkasa in 2005 for his documentary on the urban poor in Kuala Lumpur, which was aired in the Mandarin 'Edisi Siasat'.
The show 'Editor's Time' rakes in an average of 175,000 viewers every week.
I quit after complaints from Rosmah, PM's Dept
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Well writ art by josh hong: What's in a name?
I guess gOod writings should be shared, so this reproduction of a well writ article spied at Mkini is "borrowed" by an unconventional reader -- okay, a thief by any other name like "borrower" is steal a thief; a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is still a sigh...Catch me in Casablanca, will you?
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet." (Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
So, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyi
ddin Yassin (right) reiterated that he is first and foremost a Malay, and offered no apologies. Is it a setback for the '1Malaysia' propaganda?
Hardly. Let's not forget, there is no such thing as a Malaysian nation, at least not yet. The only identity that Malaysians feel safe to fall back on is still our respective ethnic affiliation.
But who is a Malay?
Kadir Jasin, a former group editor-in-chief of the New StraitsTimes, calls on others not to question his desire to be known as a true-blue Malay.
And he drives home the point by saying that "if fate decrees that I should suddenly fall by the wayside, anyone stumbling across my stiff body will know that I'm a Muslim when they see my race recorded (in IC) as Malay."
As Benedict Anderson argues, the significance of ethnicity lies in its salience for group consciousness, and people are willing to die for their collective "nation" on account of the powerful appeal and persistence of ethnic sentiment, something that Umno has successfully planted into the Malay mind over the years.
Yet the question remains: is ethnicity given or ascribed at birth?
Clifford Geertz, a prominent cultural anthropologist, contended that human society has been revolving around blood, speech, culture, religion etc. since time immemorial, and these elements are fixed, permanent and a priori. What Geertz failed to appreciate are the tension and dynamics in the formation of identity.
In refuting primordialism, Jeffrey Ross emphasises that ethnicity is "a group option in which resources are mobilized for the purpose of pressuring the political system to allocate public goods for the benefit of the members of a self-differentiating collectivity".
Azly Rahman, my fellow columnist, articulates his understanding of the Malay ethnicity that is vastly different from that of Kadir Jasin:
From the standpoint of philosophy of culture, or ethno-philosophy, I propose that there is no real ethnic group called 'Malay'. We have hybrids and border-crossers. 'Malay' is a historical construction of an "imagined community.
Ethnic identity
Needless to say, human history is inundated with examples in which regimes and states sought to unify or divide the masses through the construction of ethnic identity.
Meanwhile, cultural similarities do not stop two or more groups from developing an inter-ethnic relationship.
In Taiwan, the cultural elements of the Hakka, the Hoklo (Hokkienese) and the Mainlanders are remarkably close, all having originated in mainland China. Still, distinctive ethnic identities have evolved over the decades and now become a tool for political mobilisation. By contrast, the aboriginal communities in the island state represent a distinct ethnic presence vis à vis the Han Chinese.
The same goes for the Ceylon Tamils and the Hill Country Tamils in Sri Lanka, who despite their cultural and religious affinities remain two separate ethnic communities thanks to colonial rule and differing historical experiences.
The most absurd and grotesque is the attempt by the Chinese Communist Party in recent years to encourage the aborigines in Taiwan to participate in the worship of Confucius and even the Yellow Emperor, all for the sake of the Greater China discourse. The Chinese nation has always been an imagined community.
The Malays in Malaysia are also a people made up of heterogeneous groups, evidenced by many prominent political leaders who are of various ethnic origins, ranging from Javanese, Turkish, Arab, Tamil to Cham in Hainan Island! 
But Kadir Jasin (left) is least interested in how the Malay nation is formed. In stressing ethnic pride, he is conveniently oblivious to the fact that even his name is no longer originally Malay.
If anything, his ethnic identification is a conscious and rational choice when he argues that "I want my Malay identity to be known and acknowledged because I'm a pribumi of Tanah Melayu - belonging to a race from the Malay Archipelago... In the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, Malay and Islam cannot be separated".
Apparently, Kadir Jasin knows full well race is already a discredited idea. There has been too much interbreeding between human populations that a pure race is impossible to find. Even in China, where nationalist sentiment is among the strongest in the world, some have begun to debunk the myth of a pure Han nation.
Little wonder that the instrumentalist/rational option now affords many with a way out to their "ethnic dilemma". Had there been no special status for the Malays under the Federal Constitution, would the part-Indian Mahathir Mohamad and the Chinese Muslim Ridhuan Tee have chosen to be Malay?
Which is perhaps why Azly Rahman warns that the word 'Malay' has become a political tool to destroy economic and social foundation of this nation.
Compared to her father, Marina Mahathir is more honest. In September 2008, she wrote the following on her blog:
I'd like to ask everyone, especially those categorized as 'Malays', to list their family histories. And see how many of us can really go back further than three generations born in this land. I know I can't.
Stronger ethnic affiliation
The non-Malays responded to Malay ethnocracy with stronger ethnic affiliation. Even the peranakan Chinese, who assimilated well into Malay society, have begun to rediscover their "roots" in the face of heightened Malay nationalism and religiosity.
The moment an identity is perceived as being driven into a situation of threat, the tendency for ethnic revitalization becomes inevitable. The arrival of Perkasa at the scene is only expected, as it, too, has to try to make others look 'equally extreme', if not more racist.
Given the complexities in ethnic affiliation, I utterly disapprove of the futile effort by Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng to prioritize one's identity. Living with dual or multiple identities is never a hindrance to social cohesion. However, conflicts are bound to ensue when one seeks to impose a clearly delineated and consciously constructed identity - be it Malay, Chinese, or Malaysian - on others.
When a Malay person is seriously ill, will he/she care whether the doctor is a Chinese or a Malaysian?
When Hadi Awang and Nik Aziz Nik Mat (right) meet, do they see each other as fellow Malaysian Muslims, or political partner/rival?
And how does Nurul Izzah prioritize her multiple identities as a daughter, wife, mother, Malay, Muslim, and an MP?
In our pursuit of a nation of intent, we must also strengthen the discourse by placing greater emphasis on its contents in addition to deconstructing the ethnic myth.
Because of Malaysia's ethnic differences, a cultural nation was always a pie in the sky. So we settled on a political nation. With the issue of an Islamic state lurking in the background, even a secular political nation now seems beyond our grasp.
If a nation called Malaysia is based on the equity, justice, transparency and diversity, Kee Thuan Chye would have no need to name his children after the "major" races just to prove his loyalty to this country. Neither would many have converted to Islam in order to become "Malay" or "mainstream".
It is also in a nation like this that people like Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Muhyiddin and Kadir Jasin would be confident and courageous enough to say: while I am pleased to be Chinese/Malay/Muslim, I will ensure the welfare of all found in this country is taken care of.
And the issue of identity will return to where it is: a personal choice, with no value judgments implicated.
Malaysia, after all, is just a name. It is the substance, rather than the form, that we should set our minds on.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
BUM2010 Programme -- UPDATEd April 17, 2010
BUM2010 Programme
This year’s “Bloggers’ Event of The Year” will take flight on Saturday May 22; yes, again at the Lake View Club, Subang Jaya, now quite a homey nest to Socio-political (SoPo) Bloggers, B2B (4bloggers-to-be) and also, Blog interactors. All are welcome to take flight with a pride of Speakers who have made a mark on the Malaysian landscape, so here’s your chance to meet them in person! Of course, if you have been thinking all along Rockybru is a long-haired bandboy from Bangsar, you are going to be surprised he’s now Datuk Ahirudin Attan, first a Blogger, then a MSM editor, or vice versa; and the bigger surprise that Desiderata is not a sweet-young-thing, but a writHer from Jurassick Park!
Updated Saturday, April 17, 2010
BUM stands for Bloggers Universe Malaysia (BUM). BUM2010 is the fourth in a series of annual gatherings of Malaysian bloggers and bloggers-to-be, and is being organized by a group of mainly Socio-political (SoPo) Bloggers in their individual capacities in association with the Protem Committee of the National Alliance of Bloggers (All-Blogs), and the Centre for Policy Initiatives (cpiasia.net).
1. THEME: Bloggers: Moving Malaysia Forward
Date: Saturday, May 22, 2010
Venue: Lake View Club, Subang Jaya
2. May 22, 2010 at Lake View Club, Reception Counter
10.00 – 10.30am: REGISTRATION of participants:
10.30—11.00am: Welcoming addresses
2. KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
Menteri Besar of Selangor, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim
11.00am –11.20am: Topic on Internet-related issues, to be announced April 19, 2010
11.20 am – 11.45 am: Q and A
3. Bahasa Malaysia Forum
11.45am – 1.30pm:
Topic: The Allah Issue: Various Perspectives
Speakers are:
Haris Ibrahim, People’s Parliament
YB Khalid Samad, MP for Shah Alam
*** Two other speakers
********************** BUFFET LUNCH ************************
4. ***Tentative Media Session:
2.30pm –3.30pm:
Topic: Coverage of Religious Issues by the Mainstream Media (MSM)
*** Three MSM editors expected to be on the panel, to be confirmed by Monday April 19, 2010
5. *** Tentative BUM2010 XXtra:
From 3.30pm – 4.30pm Details to follow on Monday April 19, 2010
************************** HI-TEA *************************
6. Bloggers Forum in English
Topic: Bloggers’ Role in Bridging the Religious Divide
Speakers:
YB Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, MP for Kuala Selangor
Dr Ashraf Majidi Dasuki
YB Teresa Kok, MP for Seputeh
P.Uthayakumar
NOTE: Timing for this evening session is “Tentative” as this depends on the two sessions precedent; but likely from 6.00pm – 7.30pm
********************** BUFFET DINNER from 7.45PM **************
Note from BUM2010 Organisers:
BUM2010 is a non-profit initiative, and any fees received go towards defraying the costs of organizing the one-day “Bloggers Event of The Year” to mark World Press Freedom Day which falls on May 3.
The previous BUMmers outings had seen rising attendance, starting from 150 for BUM2007, to 180 for BUM2008 and to 200 for last year’s BUM2009 (REF: bum2009.wordpress.com).
The Event is open to all comers, even non-Bloggers, on a first-come-first served basis. OFFICIAL REGISTRATION PLUS FEES PAYABLE DETAILS will be announced next Monday April 19, 2010.
April 11, 2010
BUM2010 Organising Committee
Monday, April 12, 2010
Monday, April 05, 2010
Today's word is MY word!:) and ... some current thoughts on being a Malaysian
From Wordsmith.org The Magic of Words
Apr 5, 2010
This week's theme
Miscellaneous words
This week's words
desideratum
Add your two cents'
worth to this week's theme and words. Or, if you wish, use paise, pence, yen, pesos, piasters, etc. Log on at our bulletin board
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
For a change, this week we don't fit words into pigeonholes, we don't put labels on them, we don't assign them to a particular category or arrange them into a theme. We just let them be.
The five words we've selected have nothing in common... well, if you try hard enough, you can probably find something, but enjoy this bouquet of assorted words, or a salmagundi of syllables, if you will.
desideratum
PRONUNCIATION:
(di-sid-uh-RAY-tuhm, -RAA-)
MEANING:
noun: Something considered necessary or desirable.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin desideratum (something desired), from desiderare (to desire).
USAGE:
"The researchers also asked what qualities the two groups [well-off vs street children] of young people would like to see in an 'ideal' Russian president. Twenty-nine percent of both groups said that the ideal president should be kind and tough, with the children of the street slightly more inclined than their better-off counterparts to stress kindness as a desideratum."
Paul Goble; Wealthier Moscow Teenagers More Inclined to View U.S. as Russia's Enemy; The Moscow Times (Russia); Jun 21, 2009.
Explore "desideratum" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
A gun gives you the body, not the bird. - Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862)
*******************************
Since DPM Muhyiddin Yassin pronounced he's "A Malay first, and a Malaysian second...", many Malaysians have spent lots of column cm giving their 3sen's worth -- two sen recapping the second-ranked politician's words, followed by their own one sen's, if original and not quite expected.
Let me say I was gievn a Mandarin name at name more closely reflected by CHOONG REN LOONG, but along the Malaysian bureacratic ways -- idiosyncratic? -- my documents carry two versions, Chong Yen Long (which appeared in my birth cert, thanks to the registration officer mostly likely ranked mere Constabel/Mata-mate in Mambau -- Yes, I came from the ulu. Later in life, I had to rationalise my name with the Dad's citizenship documentation -- otherwise, out right of abode in Malaysia may be in question? -- and I landed now with Choong Yen Loong. Because most buddies know me as Chong, I officially flag myself off as YL Chong the Journalist.
From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, paraphrasing: "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
The creative writer in me maketh me adopt Desiderata in my teenage years as a penname. Yes, I unconsciously was a disciple of The Bard's dictum though that "rosy" connection did not arise.
In my twilight years, I hjope to be able to write a Malaysian novel to rival "The Year of Living Dangerously" -- the seeds of imaginings had long been sowed, but the germination process is a bit/byte slow. So my dear ER, oif a decade from now I'm still stuck at Chapter 4, take a deep breath, and chorus with Desi: "Sei-Loh!" LOL!
To be continued...
See a borrowed Post dated April 18, 2010 -- YL, Desi
Apr 5, 2010
This week's theme
Miscellaneous words
This week's words
desideratum
Add your two cents'
worth to this week's theme and words. Or, if you wish, use paise, pence, yen, pesos, piasters, etc. Log on at our bulletin board
Wordsmith Talk
Discuss
Feedback
RSS/XML Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
For a change, this week we don't fit words into pigeonholes, we don't put labels on them, we don't assign them to a particular category or arrange them into a theme. We just let them be.
The five words we've selected have nothing in common... well, if you try hard enough, you can probably find something, but enjoy this bouquet of assorted words, or a salmagundi of syllables, if you will.
desideratum
PRONUNCIATION:
(di-sid-uh-RAY-tuhm, -RAA-)
MEANING:
noun: Something considered necessary or desirable.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin desideratum (something desired), from desiderare (to desire).
USAGE:
"The researchers also asked what qualities the two groups [well-off vs street children] of young people would like to see in an 'ideal' Russian president. Twenty-nine percent of both groups said that the ideal president should be kind and tough, with the children of the street slightly more inclined than their better-off counterparts to stress kindness as a desideratum."
Paul Goble; Wealthier Moscow Teenagers More Inclined to View U.S. as Russia's Enemy; The Moscow Times (Russia); Jun 21, 2009.
Explore "desideratum" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
A gun gives you the body, not the bird. - Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862)
*******************************
Since DPM Muhyiddin Yassin pronounced he's "A Malay first, and a Malaysian second...", many Malaysians have spent lots of column cm giving their 3sen's worth -- two sen recapping the second-ranked politician's words, followed by their own one sen's, if original and not quite expected.
Let me say I was gievn a Mandarin name at name more closely reflected by CHOONG REN LOONG, but along the Malaysian bureacratic ways -- idiosyncratic? -- my documents carry two versions, Chong Yen Long (which appeared in my birth cert, thanks to the registration officer mostly likely ranked mere Constabel/Mata-mate in Mambau -- Yes, I came from the ulu. Later in life, I had to rationalise my name with the Dad's citizenship documentation -- otherwise, out right of abode in Malaysia may be in question? -- and I landed now with Choong Yen Loong. Because most buddies know me as Chong, I officially flag myself off as YL Chong the Journalist.
From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, paraphrasing: "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
The creative writer in me maketh me adopt Desiderata in my teenage years as a penname. Yes, I unconsciously was a disciple of The Bard's dictum though that "rosy" connection did not arise.
In my twilight years, I hjope to be able to write a Malaysian novel to rival "The Year of Living Dangerously" -- the seeds of imaginings had long been sowed, but the germination process is a bit/byte slow. So my dear ER, oif a decade from now I'm still stuck at Chapter 4, take a deep breath, and chorus with Desi: "Sei-Loh!" LOL!
To be continued...
See a borrowed Post dated April 18, 2010 -- YL, Desi
Friday, April 02, 2010
How once nemesi German enriches the British language! V
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
poltergeist
PRONUNCIATION:
(POHL-tuhr-gyst)
MEANING:
noun: A ghost that reveals its presence by making noises or throwing objects.
ETYMOLOGY:
From German Poltergeist, from poltern (to make noise, rattle) + Geist (ghost, spirit).
USAGE:
"The nearest Liverpool player was at least five yards away, meaning Emerson was trying to convince the referee he'd been tripped by a poltergeist."
Paul Doyle; Liverpool v Lille; The Guardian (London, UK); Mar 18, 2010.
Explore "poltergeist" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
There's never been a true war that wasn't fought between two sets of people who were certain they were in the right. The really dangerous people believe they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And that is what makes them dangerous. -Neil Gaiman, novelist and short story writer (b. 1960)
with Anu Garg
poltergeist
PRONUNCIATION:
(POHL-tuhr-gyst)
MEANING:
noun: A ghost that reveals its presence by making noises or throwing objects.
ETYMOLOGY:
From German Poltergeist, from poltern (to make noise, rattle) + Geist (ghost, spirit).
USAGE:
"The nearest Liverpool player was at least five yards away, meaning Emerson was trying to convince the referee he'd been tripped by a poltergeist."
Paul Doyle; Liverpool v Lille; The Guardian (London, UK); Mar 18, 2010.
Explore "poltergeist" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
There's never been a true war that wasn't fought between two sets of people who were certain they were in the right. The really dangerous people believe they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And that is what makes them dangerous. -Neil Gaiman, novelist and short story writer (b. 1960)
Thursday, April 01, 2010
I dreamt of Miss 1Malaysia lust night...
She's under 18
And I believe I reached 26
She says it's alright
Our future's bright
She's first a Malaysian
Then second a Malayu
I am first a Malaysian
Then second a Chinoserie
And thirdly, we are both human
Of the Homo sapiens species
No, we are not Homo
That's illegal in 1Malaysia
Then this morn I woke up
She said she was not a Malaysian last night
I realised last night was lusty
And Miss 1Malaysia was named April
And I was full of Myself
Thinking I am first a Chinoserie
Would make me any more lovable
Than I was first a Malaysian
Miss April couldn't care less
As long as she gets a Homo
tonight.
(c) First of April, 2 zelo zelo 1
And I believe I reached 26
She says it's alright
Our future's bright
She's first a Malaysian
Then second a Malayu
I am first a Malaysian
Then second a Chinoserie
And thirdly, we are both human
Of the Homo sapiens species
No, we are not Homo
That's illegal in 1Malaysia
Then this morn I woke up
She said she was not a Malaysian last night
I realised last night was lusty
And Miss 1Malaysia was named April
And I was full of Myself
Thinking I am first a Chinoserie
Would make me any more lovable
Than I was first a Malaysian
Miss April couldn't care less
As long as she gets a Homo
tonight.
(c) First of April, 2 zelo zelo 1
How once nemesi German enriches the British language! IV
Apr 1, 2010
This week's theme
Words borrowed from German
This week's words
gotterdammerung
realpolitik
zeitgeist
weltanschauung
Got a website?
Free content for your site
Words, quotations & more
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
weltanschauung
PRONUNCIATION:
(VELT-ahn-shou-oong)
MEANING:
noun: World view; philosophy of life; a framework through which to interpret the world.
ETYMOLOGY:
From German Weltanschauung (world view), from Welt (world) + Anschauung (perception).
NOTES:
When we bring in a word from another language, sometimes we borrow it and at other times make a loan translation. The word weltanschauung appears so useful that English has borrowed the original form and also made a loan translation: world view.
USAGE:
"Gwyneth Paltrow summed up her weltanschauung thus: 'My life is good because I am not passive about it.'"
Richard Dorment; Gwyneth Paltrow Feels Good -- And So Can You; Esquire (New York); Sep 16, 2009.
Explore "weltanschauung" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement, and reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I'll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more solid the evidence will have to be. -Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer (1920-1992)
This week's theme
Words borrowed from German
This week's words
gotterdammerung
realpolitik
zeitgeist
weltanschauung
Got a website?
Free content for your site
Words, quotations & more
Discuss
Feedback
RSS/XML Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
weltanschauung
PRONUNCIATION:
(VELT-ahn-shou-oong)
MEANING:
noun: World view; philosophy of life; a framework through which to interpret the world.
ETYMOLOGY:
From German Weltanschauung (world view), from Welt (world) + Anschauung (perception).
NOTES:
When we bring in a word from another language, sometimes we borrow it and at other times make a loan translation. The word weltanschauung appears so useful that English has borrowed the original form and also made a loan translation: world view.
USAGE:
"Gwyneth Paltrow summed up her weltanschauung thus: 'My life is good because I am not passive about it.'"
Richard Dorment; Gwyneth Paltrow Feels Good -- And So Can You; Esquire (New York); Sep 16, 2009.
Explore "weltanschauung" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement, and reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I'll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more solid the evidence will have to be. -Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer (1920-1992)
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