BUT certain Malaysians when in France continued to do as Malaysians do as if they were at home in Malaysia, when anything and everything tends to go under. Except for submarines...
Malaysia Chronicle's Choon Mei has her periscope aimed at Scorpenes that wouldnot sink except, according to Zunar,under the wieght of cat woman -- oops, fatwoman -- 'osmah 'ansor weighted down by USD, RM and euros.And it's in denominations not religious but followed by eight zeloes (forgift Desi typical chinoserie who can't get his l and r right, fruthermore he's a leftist! -- or nine holes.--Desi
Monday, June 28, 2010
Najib grilled on Scorpene missiles cost, Altantuya tryst in S'pore
Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle
As the D-date nears for an explosive London meeting between the MACC and private investigator P Balasubramaniam, opposition leaders are redoubling efforts to get Prime Minister Najib Razak to come clean on the purchase of two Scorpene submarines and the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, who had acted as a go-between in the exorbitantly-priced deal.
PKR supreme council member Badrul Hisham Shaharin fired the first salvo, calling on Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein to confirm if latest news reports were true the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission would finally send three officers to London to take down a statement from Bala, a private eye hired by Najib's close associate Razak Baginda.
Badrul also accused the prime minister of buckling to pressure from the Singapore government over a multi-billion ringgit railway-land swap that he said disadvantaged Malaysia. Was Najib being 'blackmailed' and Malaysia put to ransom? Badrul urged his colleagues in Parliament to raise the issue.
“Balasubramaniam has said in a sworn statement that Najib was the one who introduced Altanutya as Aminah to Razak Baginda at a diamond show in Singapore. Does this mean that the Singapore authorities have information or photographs that could incriminate Najib? Can this be why our PM is so ready to agree to Singapore’s terms in the railway-land deal,” Badrul told Malaysia Chronicle.
Despite swirling speculation that Altantuya was his mistress before he passed her onto Baginda, Najib has maintained his innocence and sworn on the Quran that he had never met her. Baginda has however admitted a sexual relationship with Altantuya.
Meanwhile, PKR Member of Parliament for Batu Tian Chua sought to table an emergency motion to debate the cost of acquiring two types of missiles for the submarines purchased by Najib when he was defense minister in 2002.
According to Tian, there was a possible inflation of at least 20 percent in the final purchase price for the 40 SM 39 Exocet Block 2 missiles and 30 Black Shark torpedoes. He said Malaysian lawmakers needed to probe the reason for the overpricing and debate if it was a form of kickback and to whom.
A separate amount of 114 million euros was also paid to Perimekar, an obscure firm with links to Baginda, but was booked as fees for co-ordination and support services. Despite public outrage and accusations that this was tantamount to commission, the government has refused to begin any probe for possible corruption.
“The total market price costs of the two types of missiles amounted to 182.8 million euros. But the Malaysian government’s cost of purchase is 219.265 million euros. This means that the government had overpaid 20 per cent or 36.465 million euros compared to the market price,” Tian told Parliament on Monday.
Tian also asked why until now the missiles, which were due to be delivered between 2008 and 2009, have not arrived. “The warranty for the submarines expired in May 2010. After May, there is no warranty but the missiles are not here yet,” he said.
The Altantuya murder and the Scorpenes acquisition are intertwined. The 28-year old Altantuya was murdered in 2006 after she allegedly failed to collect a commission of US$500,000 from Baginda for her role in helping to close the deal.
Balasubramaniam, whom Baginda hired to watch over Altantuya, was on the scene outside Baginda’s home when she was taken away by two former bodyguards of Najib’s and his wife Rosmah Mansor’s. The two bodyguards have been found guilty of her murder and sentenced to hang.
Bala fled the country after revealing sensational information linking Najib, Rosmah and Baginda to Altantuya and the Scorpenes purchase. He resurfaced late last year and offered to help MACC investigators if they agreed to meet in London.
According to online news portal Malaysiakini, Bala's lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu said they were ready to meet the MACC between July 5 and 7.
There is also a separate probe being conducted by French police on the submarines deal. Investigations by Parisian authorities are expected to finish within the next 2 to 3 months before being escalated back to prosecutors to decide if they will take it to court.
The total costs for both submarines excluding annual maintenance came up to 1.34 billion euros or about RM6.7 billion. The sum broke down to 969 million euros for the two submarines, 219 million euros for missiles, 38 million euros for miscellaneous equipment and 114 million euros for coordination and support services.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Bravo to Innovation!
Wishing success to those who dare! Breaking the wall of resistance, reaching new frontiers. Think the impossible and make it attainable!-- Desi
Sex and Muslim women: New Asian mag pushes limits
Share
Sunday, 27 June 2010 21:12
Aquila_Asia01SINGAPORE – Flip through the pages of Aquila Asia magazine and it soon becomes apparent that the publication is different from other glossy women's magazines sold across the region.
Side by side with ads for expensive handbags and luxury cars are fashion spreads featuring professional models in Muslim headscarves -- and articles on topics like virginity and hymen reconstruction.
To be "modest and fabulous" is the motto of the bi-monthly magazine, whose name means "intelligence" in Arabic, said its vivacious founder and publisher Liana Rosnita, a Singaporean Muslim married to a Swiss man.
Aimed at "cosmopolitan Muslim women" in Southeast Asia, the magazine has corporate offices in Singapore and editorial operations in Jakarta, capital of the world's largest Muslim nation Indonesia.
"We don't work for the traditional school of thought," Jakarta-based Liana said in an interview with AFP.
"If people think that Muslims today are backward or traditional or don't have a sex life, or we're not interested in having a great career, then they are very wrong, because that's really not the case."
Describing Aquila Asia as something of a hybrid between US magazine Cosmopolitan and high-society publication Tatler, Liana said other Muslim magazines in Asia focus more on religion rather than its readers' lifestyles.
"For example in Indonesia, we have four different magazines catering for the Muslim market. But all four are very religiously-skewed. You don't see any models," said Brad Harris, Aquila Asia's branding director.
Frank coverage of controversial topics
"They're still very old-school, they're very institutional," he added.
Aquila Asia's frank coverage of controversial topics like hymen reconstruction and the state of virginity among Muslim women helps empower readers around the region, said writer Laila Achmad.
"I do believe that our magazine empowers Muslim women through our articles, because many Muslim women all over the world experience common issues," said Laila, who is herself a Muslim like most of the magazine staff,
"Here in Aquila Asia, we bring up those issues through our articles, so in a way we are voicing out those Muslim women's concerns," added the petite Laila, who, unlike publisher Liana, wears a headscarf.
muslim_womanThe magazine was launched in March and claims a circulation of some 30,000 in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore – where it made its first appearance this month.
It is in talks to expand into conservative Brunei, one of the world's last absolute monarchies.
Besides the magazine, Aquila Asia also has a website carrying the latest news stories and photographs on Muslims worldwide, together with video clips made by the global Muslim community and ads from luxury brands.
The website also conducts online polls on subjects ranging from the serious – such as whether its readers would buy products not produced ethically -- to the cheeky – such as whether they are fans of sexy underwear.
The magazine also has a page on popular social networking site Facebook with more than 1,700 fans so far from all over the world, and operates an account on micro-blogging site Twitter.
The latest May/June issue of Aquila Asia features a commentary on polygamy in the Muslim faith as well as an article on an online shop selling halal sexual wellness products such as moisturiser gels and aphrodisiac capsules.
Halal is a concept within the Islamic faith which designates what is permissible to eat or do.
But even as Aquila Asia pushes boundaries in its coverage, it takes care to conform to basic Muslim values, said creative director Sandy Tjahja.
"We have to appeal to (the readers') standards, but then we need to be careful with the level of their tolerance as well," he said.
Models wear clothes that are fashionable yet respect Muslim values, and sensitive issues are covered in a fair, just and tasteful manner, said Liana.
"We don't make a judgment call saying that this is what you should do, or this is what you shouldn't do... we tell things as how they are," said Liana.
"Our readers actually make their own decisions," she added.
Fresh Singaporean university graduate Junaini Johari, 23, said the magazine offered a refreshing take on issues affecting Muslim women.
"This is definitely very, very modern." Juanini said.
"It's taking a right step forward, because if those things are being talked about in other Muslim magazines, the tone is very different. The tone will be very male-oriented."
However, Junaini said the magazine should be more detailed when covering sensitive topics.
"Its not in-depth enough... the stuff that they talk about here is not something that I do not know."
But Liana emphasised that Aquila Asia is, at its core, a women's magazine.
"Women of other faiths in the world... strive to improve themselves in many aspects of their lives. Aquila Asia addresses these same things, so whether we're Muslim or not, its actually secondary." — AFP, via Malaysian Mirror
Sex and Muslim women: New Asian mag pushes limits
Share
Sunday, 27 June 2010 21:12
Aquila_Asia01SINGAPORE – Flip through the pages of Aquila Asia magazine and it soon becomes apparent that the publication is different from other glossy women's magazines sold across the region.
Side by side with ads for expensive handbags and luxury cars are fashion spreads featuring professional models in Muslim headscarves -- and articles on topics like virginity and hymen reconstruction.
To be "modest and fabulous" is the motto of the bi-monthly magazine, whose name means "intelligence" in Arabic, said its vivacious founder and publisher Liana Rosnita, a Singaporean Muslim married to a Swiss man.
Aimed at "cosmopolitan Muslim women" in Southeast Asia, the magazine has corporate offices in Singapore and editorial operations in Jakarta, capital of the world's largest Muslim nation Indonesia.
"We don't work for the traditional school of thought," Jakarta-based Liana said in an interview with AFP.
"If people think that Muslims today are backward or traditional or don't have a sex life, or we're not interested in having a great career, then they are very wrong, because that's really not the case."
Describing Aquila Asia as something of a hybrid between US magazine Cosmopolitan and high-society publication Tatler, Liana said other Muslim magazines in Asia focus more on religion rather than its readers' lifestyles.
"For example in Indonesia, we have four different magazines catering for the Muslim market. But all four are very religiously-skewed. You don't see any models," said Brad Harris, Aquila Asia's branding director.
Frank coverage of controversial topics
"They're still very old-school, they're very institutional," he added.
Aquila Asia's frank coverage of controversial topics like hymen reconstruction and the state of virginity among Muslim women helps empower readers around the region, said writer Laila Achmad.
"I do believe that our magazine empowers Muslim women through our articles, because many Muslim women all over the world experience common issues," said Laila, who is herself a Muslim like most of the magazine staff,
"Here in Aquila Asia, we bring up those issues through our articles, so in a way we are voicing out those Muslim women's concerns," added the petite Laila, who, unlike publisher Liana, wears a headscarf.
muslim_womanThe magazine was launched in March and claims a circulation of some 30,000 in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore – where it made its first appearance this month.
It is in talks to expand into conservative Brunei, one of the world's last absolute monarchies.
Besides the magazine, Aquila Asia also has a website carrying the latest news stories and photographs on Muslims worldwide, together with video clips made by the global Muslim community and ads from luxury brands.
The website also conducts online polls on subjects ranging from the serious – such as whether its readers would buy products not produced ethically -- to the cheeky – such as whether they are fans of sexy underwear.
The magazine also has a page on popular social networking site Facebook with more than 1,700 fans so far from all over the world, and operates an account on micro-blogging site Twitter.
The latest May/June issue of Aquila Asia features a commentary on polygamy in the Muslim faith as well as an article on an online shop selling halal sexual wellness products such as moisturiser gels and aphrodisiac capsules.
Halal is a concept within the Islamic faith which designates what is permissible to eat or do.
But even as Aquila Asia pushes boundaries in its coverage, it takes care to conform to basic Muslim values, said creative director Sandy Tjahja.
"We have to appeal to (the readers') standards, but then we need to be careful with the level of their tolerance as well," he said.
Models wear clothes that are fashionable yet respect Muslim values, and sensitive issues are covered in a fair, just and tasteful manner, said Liana.
"We don't make a judgment call saying that this is what you should do, or this is what you shouldn't do... we tell things as how they are," said Liana.
"Our readers actually make their own decisions," she added.
Fresh Singaporean university graduate Junaini Johari, 23, said the magazine offered a refreshing take on issues affecting Muslim women.
"This is definitely very, very modern." Juanini said.
"It's taking a right step forward, because if those things are being talked about in other Muslim magazines, the tone is very different. The tone will be very male-oriented."
However, Junaini said the magazine should be more detailed when covering sensitive topics.
"Its not in-depth enough... the stuff that they talk about here is not something that I do not know."
But Liana emphasised that Aquila Asia is, at its core, a women's magazine.
"Women of other faiths in the world... strive to improve themselves in many aspects of their lives. Aquila Asia addresses these same things, so whether we're Muslim or not, its actually secondary." — AFP, via Malaysian Mirror
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Coyly A Jurassick Park hound enters M Chronicle...
and not shyly he announces he would go back, like Oliver, formore. And aMore!:) - Desi
Saturday, June 26, 2010
PKR faces many enemies and its Selangor chief faces a Brutus?
YL Chong, Malaysia Chronicle
In politics, arrows shot by the enemy contain poison, but are expected and can be countered by preventive firing of the first bullets. It’s the enemy from within that any party has to be most watchful, and Parti Keadilan Rakyat can easily sing this clichéd woe. With such friends like departed MPs Zulkifli Noordin and Wee Choo Keong, my citation as examples, who needs enemies?
If one were to believe the mainstream media like the NST and The Star, one would think the Selangor Menteri Besar is truly under near-fatal siege from within, and the Brutus-in-brewing is PKR vice-president Azmin Ali, who resigned as PKNS director last Wednesday.
The NST report yesterday headlined it as “Shah Alam showdown”, citing party insiders as saying that “15 PKR MPs (are) seeking to oust Selangor MB”. Incidentally, being both an MP, and state assemblyman for Bukit Antarabangsa, Azmin is hence the obvious replacement to take over the chief ministership of the most developed state in the country should Khalid be indeed overthrown by an internal coup. In that case, Azmin would then be deemed to be motivated chiefly by self-interest, but I think his ambitions reach out to farther horizons encompassing even the Prime Minister’s throne, not a mere state honcho vista.
The Star reported, quoting an unnamed MP, as saying that “the MPs were also unhappy with Khalid’s inability to make quick decisions, which they felt could threaten Pakatan Rakyat’s position in Selangor.
Khalid’s decision to appoint Faekah Hussin to replace his previous political secretary Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad without first consulting the party’s political bureau and other leaders was the last straw for the group.”
This was scoffed at – the last straw reference by The Star – by PKR insiders, who admit that the party would continue to see differences among the ranks, but this is because the party has opened up public discourse and won’t go the way of Barisan Nasional’s big brother in dictating to its siblings, whether at federal or state levels.
A reliable source told the Malaysia Chronicle that he definitely knows there is no “plot” as far as top leaders in PKR are concerned. He admitted there are indeed “moles” who had penetrated the party to create instability and havoc, helped along by the mainstream media spin that always exaggerates any internal strife within any PR party, be it DAP, PAS or PKR.
He stressed that Khalid as MB had always given encouragement and opportunities to newer, especially the younger members, to serve in key positions within the State administration, and the process of “talent-hunting” would be stepped up.
Party sources said that Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad’s move to PKR headquarters as Communications chief (to replace Jonson Chong) – and the subsequent appointment of Faekah, a party loyalist, as Nik Nazmi’s successor was precisely one of several impending changes taken by the party to improve overall performance. It is the appointment of “outsiders” – including froggie MPs like Wee Choo Keong, ex-MDP, and Tan Chee Beng, ex-Gerakan, as PR candidates in March 2008 – that PKR has now learnt to beware as potential moles wreaking havoc from within.
My take is that Khalid will not allow himself to be pushed into a corner and be stabbed in the back – as fatally as did best friend Brutus plunge his ‘most unkindest cut of all” into Julius Caesar’s chest eon years ago at Da Capitol in Rome, an episode yet so relevantly fresh in any creative and politically-informed writer’s mind.
De-facto party chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (DSAI) is going to be the decision-maker at all important crossroads that the party reaches. The takeover of the federal government depends on the remaining two to three years on how PKR-led Selangor government performs, and Anwar will not allow recalcitrants to derail the Putrajaya horizon now already within the PR’s sight.
Yes, so soon after an open endorsement of Khalid’s performance as MB at the recent PKR Congress in Kota Baru, DSAI is not going to allow 15 parliamentarians, headed by MP for Teluk Kemag Kamarul Bahrin Abbas, to cross the line in what is essentially a State affair, although the ramifications will impact on Pakartan’s road mapping to Putrajaya come the next general elections.
A point to note is that DSAI and Kamarul were roommates at Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Kamarul had joined his ally from schooldays and UMNO, dismissing the talk about Anwar’s sodomy offences as ‘all nonsense”. Knowing the gentleman that Kamarul is, it’s quite unlikely he would be involved in a plot - playing a minor Brutus’ role to the bigger, more ambitious Azmin.
So this begs the question: Would then Azmin turn out to be the real Brutus? My reading is “No”, because DSAI has given his endorsement to Khalid’s leadership last month at the party congress, observing that Khalid is a sincere leader, committed in bringing reform, transparency in his administration, though the party leader did acknowledge that sometimes, there were some quarters unhappy with the MB for moving too slowly on certain matters. So Azmin, well referred to as an Anwar’s protégé, wouldn’t make any move that could antagonize his boss, would he?
The next million-dollar question and it could be quite literally. Is Khalid Ibrahim caught in a similar bind in that some of these “so-called’ – I use a better word “professed” for these who come from a higher-end market - party supporters had sought special favours from MB Khalid but in vain? Favours I heard on the media grapevine like fast-tracking approval for projects,or appointments to lucrative positions to state-owned GLCs as was the rumoured case of former party secretary-general Sallehuddin Hashim?
So among the professed “coup” parliamentarians is Kapar MP S Manickavasagam, who I recall complained that Khalid as MB did not assist him with funds to serve his constituents better; even had the gall to publicly convey the image that the state chief executive officer should find the time for him instead of realizing that the MB’s focus is to the State administration and the Rakyat of Selangor. Of all the pack, he’s the next likely BN-wooed froggie; his antics from the early days were just to up his market value. But forget about anywhere near ex-DAP’s Hee Yit Fong’s RM24million, Manicka! Would you settle for 24Rupiah and stop all these shenanigans and concentrate on building up the alternative federal government instead?
Another key point I will recall here is, to jog Malaysia Chronicle readers’ minds, that it was just a few months ago that DSAI felt he should beef up Khalid’s state administration by accepting the position of Economic Adviser. It is unlikely Anwar would abandon his state CEO for that would mean his decision to move in as Economic Adviser” did not achieve any fruit. So the likelihood as painted by the NST report which insinuated that Azmin indeed gave apparent support to the other rebelling MPs’ “plot” to sack Khalid as MB of Selangor was just a media figment of imagination is more probable than the eventual downfall, prematurely, of Khalid.
My conclusion is that to the slate of minor Brutuses who jumped ship from Pakatan Rakyat component parties, especially from PKR, this writer can only reprise the succinct rebuttal of many fellow Malaysians: Good riddance to bad rubbish!
(This exclusive commentary is by YL Chong, who is a columnist for Malaysia Chronicle. He also blogs at http://www.desiderata2000.blogspot.com/)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
PKR faces many enemies and its Selangor chief faces a Brutus?
YL Chong, Malaysia Chronicle
In politics, arrows shot by the enemy contain poison, but are expected and can be countered by preventive firing of the first bullets. It’s the enemy from within that any party has to be most watchful, and Parti Keadilan Rakyat can easily sing this clichéd woe. With such friends like departed MPs Zulkifli Noordin and Wee Choo Keong, my citation as examples, who needs enemies?
If one were to believe the mainstream media like the NST and The Star, one would think the Selangor Menteri Besar is truly under near-fatal siege from within, and the Brutus-in-brewing is PKR vice-president Azmin Ali, who resigned as PKNS director last Wednesday.
The NST report yesterday headlined it as “Shah Alam showdown”, citing party insiders as saying that “15 PKR MPs (are) seeking to oust Selangor MB”. Incidentally, being both an MP, and state assemblyman for Bukit Antarabangsa, Azmin is hence the obvious replacement to take over the chief ministership of the most developed state in the country should Khalid be indeed overthrown by an internal coup. In that case, Azmin would then be deemed to be motivated chiefly by self-interest, but I think his ambitions reach out to farther horizons encompassing even the Prime Minister’s throne, not a mere state honcho vista.
The Star reported, quoting an unnamed MP, as saying that “the MPs were also unhappy with Khalid’s inability to make quick decisions, which they felt could threaten Pakatan Rakyat’s position in Selangor.
Khalid’s decision to appoint Faekah Hussin to replace his previous political secretary Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad without first consulting the party’s political bureau and other leaders was the last straw for the group.”
This was scoffed at – the last straw reference by The Star – by PKR insiders, who admit that the party would continue to see differences among the ranks, but this is because the party has opened up public discourse and won’t go the way of Barisan Nasional’s big brother in dictating to its siblings, whether at federal or state levels.
A reliable source told the Malaysia Chronicle that he definitely knows there is no “plot” as far as top leaders in PKR are concerned. He admitted there are indeed “moles” who had penetrated the party to create instability and havoc, helped along by the mainstream media spin that always exaggerates any internal strife within any PR party, be it DAP, PAS or PKR.
He stressed that Khalid as MB had always given encouragement and opportunities to newer, especially the younger members, to serve in key positions within the State administration, and the process of “talent-hunting” would be stepped up.
Party sources said that Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad’s move to PKR headquarters as Communications chief (to replace Jonson Chong) – and the subsequent appointment of Faekah, a party loyalist, as Nik Nazmi’s successor was precisely one of several impending changes taken by the party to improve overall performance. It is the appointment of “outsiders” – including froggie MPs like Wee Choo Keong, ex-MDP, and Tan Chee Beng, ex-Gerakan, as PR candidates in March 2008 – that PKR has now learnt to beware as potential moles wreaking havoc from within.
My take is that Khalid will not allow himself to be pushed into a corner and be stabbed in the back – as fatally as did best friend Brutus plunge his ‘most unkindest cut of all” into Julius Caesar’s chest eon years ago at Da Capitol in Rome, an episode yet so relevantly fresh in any creative and politically-informed writer’s mind.
De-facto party chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (DSAI) is going to be the decision-maker at all important crossroads that the party reaches. The takeover of the federal government depends on the remaining two to three years on how PKR-led Selangor government performs, and Anwar will not allow recalcitrants to derail the Putrajaya horizon now already within the PR’s sight.
Yes, so soon after an open endorsement of Khalid’s performance as MB at the recent PKR Congress in Kota Baru, DSAI is not going to allow 15 parliamentarians, headed by MP for Teluk Kemag Kamarul Bahrin Abbas, to cross the line in what is essentially a State affair, although the ramifications will impact on Pakartan’s road mapping to Putrajaya come the next general elections.
A point to note is that DSAI and Kamarul were roommates at Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Kamarul had joined his ally from schooldays and UMNO, dismissing the talk about Anwar’s sodomy offences as ‘all nonsense”. Knowing the gentleman that Kamarul is, it’s quite unlikely he would be involved in a plot - playing a minor Brutus’ role to the bigger, more ambitious Azmin.
So this begs the question: Would then Azmin turn out to be the real Brutus? My reading is “No”, because DSAI has given his endorsement to Khalid’s leadership last month at the party congress, observing that Khalid is a sincere leader, committed in bringing reform, transparency in his administration, though the party leader did acknowledge that sometimes, there were some quarters unhappy with the MB for moving too slowly on certain matters. So Azmin, well referred to as an Anwar’s protégé, wouldn’t make any move that could antagonize his boss, would he?
The next million-dollar question and it could be quite literally. Is Khalid Ibrahim caught in a similar bind in that some of these “so-called’ – I use a better word “professed” for these who come from a higher-end market - party supporters had sought special favours from MB Khalid but in vain? Favours I heard on the media grapevine like fast-tracking approval for projects,or appointments to lucrative positions to state-owned GLCs as was the rumoured case of former party secretary-general Sallehuddin Hashim?
So among the professed “coup” parliamentarians is Kapar MP S Manickavasagam, who I recall complained that Khalid as MB did not assist him with funds to serve his constituents better; even had the gall to publicly convey the image that the state chief executive officer should find the time for him instead of realizing that the MB’s focus is to the State administration and the Rakyat of Selangor. Of all the pack, he’s the next likely BN-wooed froggie; his antics from the early days were just to up his market value. But forget about anywhere near ex-DAP’s Hee Yit Fong’s RM24million, Manicka! Would you settle for 24Rupiah and stop all these shenanigans and concentrate on building up the alternative federal government instead?
Another key point I will recall here is, to jog Malaysia Chronicle readers’ minds, that it was just a few months ago that DSAI felt he should beef up Khalid’s state administration by accepting the position of Economic Adviser. It is unlikely Anwar would abandon his state CEO for that would mean his decision to move in as Economic Adviser” did not achieve any fruit. So the likelihood as painted by the NST report which insinuated that Azmin indeed gave apparent support to the other rebelling MPs’ “plot” to sack Khalid as MB of Selangor was just a media figment of imagination is more probable than the eventual downfall, prematurely, of Khalid.
My conclusion is that to the slate of minor Brutuses who jumped ship from Pakatan Rakyat component parties, especially from PKR, this writer can only reprise the succinct rebuttal of many fellow Malaysians: Good riddance to bad rubbish!
(This exclusive commentary is by YL Chong, who is a columnist for Malaysia Chronicle. He also blogs at http://www.desiderata2000.blogspot.com/)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
CSM: CPI endorses an Internet Declaration...
| 2010 Asia Declaration on Internet Governance |  |  |
| Non Governmental Organisations | ||||||||||||
| Friday, 25 June 2010 19:07 | ||||||||||||
|
2010 Asia Declaration on Internet Governance "[The IGF is] multilateral, multi-stakeholder, democratic, and transparent."- 2005 Tunis Agenda "[We call for] a people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society...full respect and upholding of universal human rights including freedom of opinion and expression; and "The universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms" - 2003 Declaration of Principles of World Summit on Information Society. On the occasion of the first Asia-Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) Roundtable in Hong Kong on June 15-16, 2010, we, civil society representatives from eight Southeast Asian countries, call on the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and its Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) to fully uphold these aforementioned commitments and principles, as mandated by the United Nations Secretary-General. We applaud the work of the first APrIGF towards building multi-stakeholder discussion on internet governance. In this vein of inclusive dialogue, we offer the following perspectives and recommendations to the MAG meeting in Geneva at the Palais des Nations on June 28-29, as well as for the fifth annual IGF meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania on September 14-17, 2010. Key Observations of the APrIGF In response to the first Asia-Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) Roundtable in Hong Kong on June 15-16, 2010, we, netizens, journalists, bloggers, IT practitioners and nongovernmental representatives from across Southeast Asia, offer the following observations from the Roundtable: 1. Critical issues of internet governance in Asia should guide future discussions on internet governance policy: Openness Open access to information is the right of every individual, a right that servers as a fundamental venue for one's knowledge- and capacity-building. Access to information ultimately helps foster creativity and innovation, thus promoting sustainable human and economic development. Openness is key to a democratic and open society. Restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression online, such as state censorship which blocks Internet intermediaries, is one of the threats to open societies. Intimidation and state censorship facilitate self-censorship, a hazardous social phenomenon that further undermines democracy and openness. Access The internet is for everyone; it is a public good. Yet a Digital Divide between those countries and communities with internet access and those without persists, and has not been sufficiently addressed in discussions on internet governance. Proceedings at the APrIGF indicated a higher priority must be placed on addressing not only the global digital divide, but also regional and national ones. While Singapore enjoys high Internet access rates (70% penetration), countries like Burma and Cambodia are at the other end of the spectrum (0.22% and 0.51% penetration, respectively), ranked the lowest of 200 countries studied in the World Bank. Internet access is fundamental for progress. Various factors, such as political, economic and social development, poverty levels, and technological infrastructure affect whether and how often people can access the internet. Internationally coordinated efforts must be made to address domestic policies that contribute to the digital divide in Southeast Asia and find solutions to bridge the gap. Cyber Security Definition of cyber security must include elements that address right to privacy and civil and political freedom. An individual’s right over his/her own privacy, including personal data and information, must not be sacrificed. Information technology, such as IPv6, ZigBee, RFID, when used without transparent and accountable oversight, could pose threats to individual rights. Today's information society connects personal IT devices directly to the outside world, no longer storing personal data on a single server. Given the involvement of the government and businesses (especially state-owned enterprises) in running such technologies, surveillance and identity theft remain a constant threat against Internet users. In this regard, any national security policy must not deviate from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all international human rights covenants to which states are parties. 2. Opportunities exist to continue to improve the IGF Process: Awareness of the IGF in Southeast Asia and at the ASEAN level is presently lacking. Furthermore, Asia-Pacific-wide representation of civil society at the APrIGF Roundtable was incomplete. There exists a need not only to develop awareness about the IGF, but also to provide learning materials to make the IGF accessible to all. Greater access to the IGF would help make it more inclusive with various stakeholders, including those from the least developed nations and marginalized and vulnerable groups in Asia-Pacific. During the APrIGF Roundtable, an open dialogue and two-way exchange of information and ideas was not fully facilitated. Open space to discuss and articulate criticism and suggest solutions must be guaranteed in all IGF events. Such an effort provides practical benefit to Internet users, both present and future, when the outcome of the APrIGF Roundtable is developed into a roadmap. Clarifying and planning the roles of local, national, regional and international multi-stakeholders, will help promote and protect transparent and democratic Internet governance and hence information society in the region. Requests to the IGF The first APrIGF presented a valuable opportunity to analyze both the issues upon which the IGF focuses and the process by which it is governed. With respect to these priority issues and opportunities for improved processes, we therefore recommend the following: 1. Immediately address as an urgent global internet governance issue the increasing implementation of law that suppress and restrict freedom of expression and access to information, especially within developing countries; 2. Fully integrate the universal human rights agenda into IGF program and engage systematically and regularly with the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, in particular the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression and the UN Human Rights Council; 3. Ensure that the IGF policy proposals and recommendations are in line with international human rights principles and standards; 4. Strengthen the IGF's multilateralism and openness in the upcoming fifth annual IGF meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania in September and future national and sub-regional level IGF meetings in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific; 5. Extend the mandate of IGF for another five years; 6. Conduct wider outreach to civil society actors in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific and allocate financial resources to encourage and support their participation in the fifth annual meeting and subsequent global IGFs, and organize national and sub-regional level IGFs; 7. Ensure active remote participation in the annual meeting and subsequent IGFs, utilizing digital technologies such as live-streaming webcast, video conference, twitter and other social media tools; 8. Guarantee that technical discussions during IGFs fully accommodates new constituents and stakeholders and incorporate an assessment of policy implications on the rights of Internet users and society; 9. Develop a plan of action in order to facilitate follow-up and monitoring of IGF outcomes; and 10. Conduct an impact study by an independent organization to assess the effectiveness of IGF, in accordance with the principles set out in the 2005 Tunis Agenda and the 2003 Declaration of Principles of the WSIS. Hereby signed by
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The Centre for Policy Initiatives endorses this declarationThursday, June 24, 2010
CSM: Gerakbudaya invites YOU to a Saturday date!:)
Amnesty International Malaysia and Strategic Information and Research Development Centre (SIRD) are pleased to invite you to the launch of the book, Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock by Alan Shadrake.
From in-depth interviews with Darshan Singh, Singapore’s chief executioner for nearly fifty years, to meticulously researched accounts of numerous high profile cases, Once a Jolly Hangman reveals the cruelty and imprudence of an entire judicial system. At the same time he displays a touching empathy with the anguish of the victims and their families. This important book should be required reading for human rights activists everywhere
Alan Shadrake is a renowned veteran investigative journalist and author whose 50-year career has taken him around the world. His appetite for unearthing the facts and presenting unpalatable truths remains undiminished.
Date: Saturday, 26 June 2010
Time: 11am – 1pm
Venue: KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Jalan Maharajalela.
Programme:
Welcome by Nora Murat (Executive Director Amnesty International Malaysia)
Speakers:
Edmund Bon Tai Soon (Chairperson, Constitutional Law Committee, Bar Council)
M. Ravi (Dedicated abolitionist and Yong Vui Kong’s lawyer in Singapore)
Alan Shadrake (Author)
Time: 11am – 1pm
Venue: KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Jalan Maharajalela.
Programme:
Welcome by Nora Murat (Executive Director Amnesty International Malaysia)
Speakers:
Edmund Bon Tai Soon (Chairperson, Constitutional Law Committee, Bar Council)
M. Ravi (Dedicated abolitionist and Yong Vui Kong’s lawyer in Singapore)
Alan Shadrake (Author)
Discussion
Official Book Launch and Presentation
Book sale and signing
Official Book Launch and Presentation
Book sale and signing
For queries, please contact Hiba 03 7955 2680, Chong Ton Sin 016 379 7231 or Clare 019 227 4473.
Feel free to circulate this invitation to your friends and colleagues.
Regards,
***Chong
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GB Gerakbudaya/SIRD
11 Lorong 11/4E
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
T: +60 (0)3 7957 8343
F: +60 (0)3 7954 9202
W: www.gerakbudaya.com
DESIDERATA: *** This Chong is not Desi, but we are more than being blood related -- we are both Socialist diehards/dieheARTS,both dead and alive:):) I'mnot sure if 'twas Gerakbudaya or My Blue H'aven that was put on fire&rain sale at 20Million; the mart peeps areknot back yet wit' the bids from eBoy!:(
GB Gerakbudaya/SIRD
11 Lorong 11/4E
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
T: +60 (0)3 7957 8343
F: +60 (0)3 7954 9202
W: www.gerakbudaya.com
DESIDERATA: *** This Chong is not Desi, but we are more than being blood related -- we are both Socialist diehards/dieheARTS,both dead and alive:):) I'mnot sure if 'twas Gerakbudaya or My Blue H'aven that was put on fire&rain sale at 20Million; the mart peeps areknot back yet wit' the bids from eBoy!:(
Seeking ShangriLa
As a blardy writer recently encountering some mental blocks, Desi seeks your forbearance that I left many posts "hamgimg", which means "incomplete", like sentences that convey half thoughts, or a lover hardly able to deliver to the partner the ladder to climax because her body was there but her spirit was elsewhere. If my metaphor is rude to some readers, just don't mind me, a SH LAWRENCE gonvert at 13.
IF "hanging" preceding had an "m" instead of "n" because I am labouriously desiphering the half-worn our or compleatly wiped out lettering at the cheapest I cafe in Furong at midnight, charging only RM1 per hour; nearest rival just 100meters away in Lobak charges RM3! Methinks one boss is socilist of Desi's bent:) -- which is +++gOod -- while the Other is Capitalish, of thy bend!:( --w hihch is GOoDER said in sarcastic way.
+++ I had just explained to newfound friend I was tutoring DDC to in Blogspeak that if thou art what good means, you have the GOD in thee! "Caught it, you nit!?"
Ans the Q is rhetoric, which means I ask the Q and only I'm allowed --not you! -- to answer it, yes, you twit!
I wil seek out ShangriLa so-ON, which is a combo word in DDC, implying in it is some time in the future, and whether I deliver the baby or knot depends the midwifery training I'm undertaling; pray hard that there is no miscarriage, OK! OR WE AWE LAND UP IN MONGRELa, which can mean Desi ends up in the tummy of an animal vicoius, not virtuous like Thee, my most esteemed Reader:)
May be you feel as I once felt thus:
I REST
I rest
as
I
wait.
Time passes restlessly
as
I wait.
You make me wait
endlessly
in vain.
You're
no
friend.
My case
I
rest.
*****************************
NOW repeat after Desi:
IF "hanging" preceding had an "m" instead of "n" because I am labouriously desiphering the half-worn our or compleatly wiped out lettering at the cheapest I cafe in Furong at midnight, charging only RM1 per hour; nearest rival just 100meters away in Lobak charges RM3! Methinks one boss is socilist of Desi's bent:) -- which is +++gOod -- while the Other is Capitalish, of thy bend!:( --w hihch is GOoDER said in sarcastic way.
+++ I had just explained to newfound friend I was tutoring DDC to in Blogspeak that if thou art what good means, you have the GOD in thee! "Caught it, you nit!?"
Ans the Q is rhetoric, which means I ask the Q and only I'm allowed --not you! -- to answer it, yes, you twit!
I wil seek out ShangriLa so-ON, which is a combo word in DDC, implying in it is some time in the future, and whether I deliver the baby or knot depends the midwifery training I'm undertaling; pray hard that there is no miscarriage, OK! OR WE AWE LAND UP IN MONGRELa, which can mean Desi ends up in the tummy of an animal vicoius, not virtuous like Thee, my most esteemed Reader:)
May be you feel as I once felt thus:
I REST
I rest
as
I
wait.
Time passes restlessly
as
I wait.
You make me wait
endlessly
in vain.
You're
no
friend.
My case
I
rest.
*****************************
NOW repeat after Desi:
-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --
Not "Found in Old St. Paul's Church"! -- see below
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
OR CLICK on Audrey Hepburn's MOON RIVER, whatever that fancies thee aMORE!:)
Monday, June 21, 2010
I often TEAse my tehtarik kaki I'm a/an chinoserie...
Does that mean I am branded Made in China? Am I any less patriotic a Malaysian than Abu Saman or S Fullat Vellu?
SINGAPORE, June 21 — After
Features
‘Brand China’ takes aim at global electronics giants
June 21, 2010
Visitors walk past booths of Chinese companies participating during CommunicAsia 2010 conference and exhibtion show in Singapore. - AFP pic
While foreign giants such as Apple, Dell and Nokia have taken advantage of China’s vast pool of cheap labour to manufacture or assemble their products, the country’s own electronics firms are now looking to make their presence felt in the global marketplace.
Chinese firms led by heavyweights Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation flew the Asian giant’s flag proudly at the massive annual CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia trade fairs in Singapore, signalling the rise of a new power in the industry.
They were the top foreign exhibitors with 257 booths displaying everything from sleek tablet computers to slim mobile phones with Chinese branding, proof that the country is not just a cheap production centre for Western firms.
Once dominated by European and North American brands, the global telecoms industry is now more fragmented, and Chinese companies have joined the Japanese and South Koreans on the front lines of the battle for Asian and global market share.
Finland’s Nokia is still the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturer, followed by Samsung and LG Electronics, the twin giants of South Korea’s high-tech industry.
One of the most popular Chinese brands is Huawei Technologies, which had a massive booth at CommunicAsia displaying its mobile phones and tablets.
And beyond consumer devices, Chinese firms are also supplying digital encoders and receivers to the telecoms industry.
Technology consultancy IDC said the global telecom industry is now worth 1.5 trillion dollars a year, with the mobile sector accounting for than half of the total.
“More and more Chinese companies are paying more attention to the exhibitions overseas,” said Tina Feng, who is in charge of international sales with Chengdu Dexin Digital Technology, a wireless equipment maker.
“You know, China has developed very fast so they can supply high-quality stuff now, and they want to show it through their products,” she told AFP, beaming with obvious national pride.
She said her company, just a visitor to the show in 2008, decided to exhibit for the first time this year after spotting plenty of opportunities to reach out to new markets.
“There are many customers from Asia so our company hope to enlarge this market,” Feng said.
“It’s been rather busy for us at the show. We should be back next year again,” she smiled.
Chinese participation at this year’s show, which ended Friday, jumped 21 per cent from 2009 and the interest is not only coming from the major players, according to organiser Singapore Exhibition Services (SES).
“It is not just the Huawei or the ZTE that you are talking about but you see a lot more group participation, and you also see a lot more of the medium-sized enterprises taking part,” said Victor Wong, SES project director for communications events.
They were also the largest foreign exhibitor last year, but only by a small margin, said Wong.
Prior to that, the United States had the biggest number of foreign booths in 2008, but American firms were a distant second at this year’s show with 179 exhibitors.
“I think one of the reasons for them to come out is they want to export, they find that it is really worthwhile for them to do so because if you continue to do stay in China, you can only compete on price,” he said.
“I think we have confidence that the Chinese participation will continue to grow,” Wong added.
Alan Yin, a regional sales director with Chinese electronics company Konka Group, is convinced his country has what it takes to produce the world’s next Samsung, Sony or Motorola.
“In the past years, we have learnt technology from the Western countries but now a lot of Chinese companies have invested a lot in research and development in the high-tech area.
“I am sure in the next 10 or 20 years later, Chinese companies will be stronger,” Yin said. — afprelaxnews.com
Ah, this sounds familiar and deja vu too for Desi!
Monday, June 21, 2010
The second killing of Eli Wong and the Salehuddin saboteurs
It must have been déjà vu for Bukit Lanjan assemblywoman Elizabeth Wong when news reports started to suddenly resurface about her so-called sex scandal a week ago.
According to PKR insiders, this time around, the people stirring up the bad vibes were not former Selangor MB Khir Toyo – at least not visibly – but her former PKR colleagues led by ex-secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim.
“I think it is quite clear by now Salehuddin was working both sides of the fence when he was with PKR. At that time of the Eli scandal, his faction tried to take advantage of the situation and put one of John Soh’s ex-MCA men into the Selangor exco,” a PKR source told Malaysia Chronicle.
“That was more than a year ago. Then Salehuddin was still a PKR guy and Khir Toyo was not as disgraced as he is now and still overseeing the toppling of the Selangor Pakatan state government. But they can’t really touch Eli anymore because she has done a fine job. What they are trying to do is to slash down Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s credibility through her and to rile up the conservative Muslims against Pakatan.”
Indeed, many political watchers were surprised when Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Hashim suddenly reprised the Eli episode. Zahrain quit PKR earlier this year to form an independent bloc with other recalcitrant colleagues including sacked Kulim Bandar Baharu’s Zulkifli Noordin, Wangsamaju’s Wee Choo Keong, Nibong Tebal’s Tan Tee Beng and Bagan Serai’s Fadzli Samsuri.
Calling themselves Konsensus Bebas, they are widely seen to be a thinly-veiled mouthpiece for Umno. And it is believed that Salehuddin - who appeared at the various press conferences announcing their quit-PKR decisions – had brokered their switch in allegiance.
Salehuddin's close ally in PKR was John Soh, a tycoon who also has strong links to MCA. It is unclear if Soh is still a PKR member as even Umno blogger Rocky’s Bru has noted that Soh’s online news portal FreeMalaysiaToday was pro-BN.
“It has been reported that Umno set up a RM50 million defection fund. Prime Minister Najib Razak paid through his nose to get these guys to cross over so that he could discredit PKR and Anwar in particular,” the source said.
“But what Najib paid for was rubbish. So to keep Umno grassroots from grumbling and the tempo going, the group has rehashed the Eli issue and just over the weekend, you can see Utusan obediently picking up the thread and accusing Anwar of being an unfit Muslim leader."
Arousing Muslim sentiment against Eli
In February 2009, Eli, the Selangor executive councilor for tourism, environment and consumer affairs, went public with a threat aimed at blackmailing her through the distribution of photos taken while she was in a sleeping pose and clad in a sarong.
The insinuation was clear – resign or face greater humiliation by having a purported sex video tape and more intimate photos splashed all over the media. But the plucky Eli refused to hide. Although she tendered her resignation, she exposed the scam and lodged police reports.
“As a PKR member, she had to explain to Anwar and Wan Azizah what happened. They were the ones who stood by her and told her not to resign on the spur of the moment but to go on leave and let the police find out who were the culprits,” said the source.
Two months later, Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim – supported by Anwar and PKR president Wan Azizah – rejected Eli’s resignation and asked her to remain in the Selangor executive council. Police investigations had found that only two photos of her taken with a cell-phone had been distributed, while the other pictures that appeared in cyberspace and other magazines were ‘doctored’.
There was also no sign of any sex video tape and the incident faded despite heated attempts by Khir Toyo to fan Muslim sentiment against her and jeer Pakatan’s Islamist-based partner PAS into taking action against her.
Afraid of what Anwar may reveal
Nevertheless, that has not stopped Zahrain from alleging that Anwar had at that time told PKR leaders that he wanted Eli out of the party and that he would soon expose a video tape of her.
“I remember how he lied to us on the sex scandal involving YB Elizabeth Wong from Bukit Lanjan.When the scandal was at its peak, he called us for a meeting telling us that Elizabeth Wong must resign as executive councilor and assemblywoman," Zahrain told the press last week.
Not only has Eli slammed Zahrain for resorting to “gutter politics” to get back at Anwar, other Pakatan leaders have also taken him and his cohorts to task.
“I think it is very clear that Zahrain and his Konsensus Bebas are afraid because Anwar has said he will soon expose their misdeeds to the public. They are scared and this is how they retaliate. It s a reflection of their mindset and low mentality. I think it was a real blessing for PKR when they left because Pakatan doesn’t need this sort trash,” PAS vice president Mahfuz Omar told Malaysia Chronicle.
DESIDERATA: Some of the events touched Desi at close hand, some were remote, some were subtle, and some vicious. YES, the enemies within are more dangerous from outside. PKR leaders had better watch out for the party has been well penetrated. I will ***tell my story from tomorrow, God willing/InsyaAllah!:) OR :(
DESIDERATA2: My apologies that I cannot ***"tell my story" as yet; be patient eh as Ms Patient is also Ms, Mr Virtuous:)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Some free education IF ONLY YOU'd open up
thy mind:)
Wordsmith.org
The Magic of Words
Jun 18, 2010This week's themeWords related to weather This week's wordsaeolianvirgaEl Ninopluvialnimbus
Buddha with nimbus, 1st-2nd century CE
Sculpture: Tokyo National Museum
Discuss Feedback RSS/XML
A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg
nimbus
PRONUNCIATION:(NIM-buhs) plural: nimbi or nimbuses
MEANING:noun:1. A rain cloud.2. A halo or aura around the head of a person depicted in a piece of art.
ETYMOLOGY:From Latin nimbus (cloud). Ultimately from the Indo-European root nebh- (cloud) that is also the source of nebula, nephometer (a device used in measuring the amount of cloud cover), and Sanskrit nabh (sky).
USAGE:"The works take their cue from the perspective view one might see out an airplane window but become a curious exercise in painterly flatness, the white nimbuses butting up along the faint horizon."Eric Banks; Georgia O'Keeffe: Abstraction; The Washington Post; Feb 20, 2010."He saw that at once; he took that also as the meed due his oil wells and his Yale nimbus, since three years at New Haven, leading no classes and winning no football games, had done nothing to dispossess him of the belief that he was the natural prey of all mothers of daughters."William Faulkner; Collected Stories of William Faulkner; Vintage Books; 1995. Explore "nimbus" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this last one but I give myself to it. -Rainer Maria Rilke, poet and novelist (1875-1926)
Wordsmith.org
The Magic of Words
Jun 18, 2010This week's themeWords related to weather This week's wordsaeolianvirgaEl Ninopluvialnimbus
Buddha with nimbus, 1st-2nd century CE
Sculpture: Tokyo National Museum
Discuss Feedback RSS/XML
A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg
nimbus
PRONUNCIATION:(NIM-buhs) plural: nimbi or nimbuses
MEANING:noun:1. A rain cloud.2. A halo or aura around the head of a person depicted in a piece of art.
ETYMOLOGY:From Latin nimbus (cloud). Ultimately from the Indo-European root nebh- (cloud) that is also the source of nebula, nephometer (a device used in measuring the amount of cloud cover), and Sanskrit nabh (sky).
USAGE:"The works take their cue from the perspective view one might see out an airplane window but become a curious exercise in painterly flatness, the white nimbuses butting up along the faint horizon."Eric Banks; Georgia O'Keeffe: Abstraction; The Washington Post; Feb 20, 2010."He saw that at once; he took that also as the meed due his oil wells and his Yale nimbus, since three years at New Haven, leading no classes and winning no football games, had done nothing to dispossess him of the belief that he was the natural prey of all mothers of daughters."William Faulkner; Collected Stories of William Faulkner; Vintage Books; 1995. Explore "nimbus" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this last one but I give myself to it. -Rainer Maria Rilke, poet and novelist (1875-1926)
***********************************************
AND IF DESI'd only follow his own advice, he would attend the following, CHOW2!:):)
Jemputan Ke Majlis
“Apa Khabar Orang Kampung” : Pertemuan dan Perbincangan dengan kawan-kawan dari Kampung Perdamian Sukhrin, Selatan Thailand
Tarikh : 20hb Jun 2010Masa : 7.30 P.M - 10.00 P.M
Tempat : Perkarangan pejabat Gerakbudaya/Sird, 11, Lorong 11/4E, 46200 Petaling Jaya, SelangorHidangan : Nasi lemak nusantara
Majlis “Apa Khabar Orang Kampung” ini dianjurkan oleh Gerakbudaya/SIRD.
Gerakbudaya/SIRD telah menjemput kawan-kawan dari Kampung Sukhrin iaitu saudara Indra Jaya Abdullah (Anas), naib ketua kampung saudara Sanya Bonked (Abdi)** dan saudara Hassan Salleh (Waiming) kader veteran Rejimen Ke-10. Mereka akan bersama-sama dengan kita semua untuk membicarakan tentang pelbagai isu serta membawakan khabar dari kampung. Di samping itu mereka juga ingin mengetahui khabar orang -orang kotaraya.
Oleh yang demikian, marilah kita sama-sama bersembang, bertukar-tukar fikiran dan bergembira sambil menikmati hidangan nasi lemak nusantara. Kami dengan rasa besar hati menjemput semua golongan tua dan muda bersama-sama hadir bagi memeriahkan lagi majlis ini di samping berkongsi pandangan serta pendapat masing-masing. Majlis ini akan diadakan di perkarangan Pejabat Gerakbudaya Enterprise/SIRD di Petaling Jaya Selangor.
Untuk maklumat lanjut, sila hubungi Pak Chong : No Tel: 016-3797231
**Sanya Bonked adalah berbangsa Thai dan beragama Islam
Wordsmith.org
The Magic of Words
Jun 18, 2010This week's themeWords related to weather This week's wordsaeolianvirgaEl Ninopluvialnimbus
Buddha with nimbus, 1st-2nd century CE
Sculpture: Tokyo National Museum
Discuss Feedback RSS/XML
A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg
nimbus
PRONUNCIATION:(NIM-buhs) plural: nimbi or nimbuses
MEANING:noun:1. A rain cloud.2. A halo or aura around the head of a person depicted in a piece of art.
ETYMOLOGY:From Latin nimbus (cloud). Ultimately from the Indo-European root nebh- (cloud) that is also the source of nebula, nephometer (a device used in measuring the amount of cloud cover), and Sanskrit nabh (sky).
USAGE:"The works take their cue from the perspective view one might see out an airplane window but become a curious exercise in painterly flatness, the white nimbuses butting up along the faint horizon."Eric Banks; Georgia O'Keeffe: Abstraction; The Washington Post; Feb 20, 2010."He saw that at once; he took that also as the meed due his oil wells and his Yale nimbus, since three years at New Haven, leading no classes and winning no football games, had done nothing to dispossess him of the belief that he was the natural prey of all mothers of daughters."William Faulkner; Collected Stories of William Faulkner; Vintage Books; 1995. Explore "nimbus" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this last one but I give myself to it. -Rainer Maria Rilke, poet and novelist (1875-1926)
Wordsmith.org
The Magic of Words
Jun 18, 2010This week's themeWords related to weather This week's wordsaeolianvirgaEl Ninopluvialnimbus
Buddha with nimbus, 1st-2nd century CE
Sculpture: Tokyo National Museum
Discuss Feedback RSS/XML
A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg
nimbus
PRONUNCIATION:(NIM-buhs) plural: nimbi or nimbuses
MEANING:noun:1. A rain cloud.2. A halo or aura around the head of a person depicted in a piece of art.
ETYMOLOGY:From Latin nimbus (cloud). Ultimately from the Indo-European root nebh- (cloud) that is also the source of nebula, nephometer (a device used in measuring the amount of cloud cover), and Sanskrit nabh (sky).
USAGE:"The works take their cue from the perspective view one might see out an airplane window but become a curious exercise in painterly flatness, the white nimbuses butting up along the faint horizon."Eric Banks; Georgia O'Keeffe: Abstraction; The Washington Post; Feb 20, 2010."He saw that at once; he took that also as the meed due his oil wells and his Yale nimbus, since three years at New Haven, leading no classes and winning no football games, had done nothing to dispossess him of the belief that he was the natural prey of all mothers of daughters."William Faulkner; Collected Stories of William Faulkner; Vintage Books; 1995. Explore "nimbus" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this last one but I give myself to it. -Rainer Maria Rilke, poet and novelist (1875-1926)
***********************************************
AND IF DESI'd only follow his own advice, he would attend the following, CHOW2!:):)
Jemputan Ke Majlis
“Apa Khabar Orang Kampung” : Pertemuan dan Perbincangan dengan kawan-kawan dari Kampung Perdamian Sukhrin, Selatan Thailand
Tarikh : 20hb Jun 2010Masa : 7.30 P.M - 10.00 P.M
Tempat : Perkarangan pejabat Gerakbudaya/Sird, 11, Lorong 11/4E, 46200 Petaling Jaya, SelangorHidangan : Nasi lemak nusantara
Majlis “Apa Khabar Orang Kampung” ini dianjurkan oleh Gerakbudaya/SIRD.
Gerakbudaya/SIRD telah menjemput kawan-kawan dari Kampung Sukhrin iaitu saudara Indra Jaya Abdullah (Anas), naib ketua kampung saudara Sanya Bonked (Abdi)** dan saudara Hassan Salleh (Waiming) kader veteran Rejimen Ke-10. Mereka akan bersama-sama dengan kita semua untuk membicarakan tentang pelbagai isu serta membawakan khabar dari kampung. Di samping itu mereka juga ingin mengetahui khabar orang -orang kotaraya.
Oleh yang demikian, marilah kita sama-sama bersembang, bertukar-tukar fikiran dan bergembira sambil menikmati hidangan nasi lemak nusantara. Kami dengan rasa besar hati menjemput semua golongan tua dan muda bersama-sama hadir bagi memeriahkan lagi majlis ini di samping berkongsi pandangan serta pendapat masing-masing. Majlis ini akan diadakan di perkarangan Pejabat Gerakbudaya Enterprise/SIRD di Petaling Jaya Selangor.
Untuk maklumat lanjut, sila hubungi Pak Chong : No Tel: 016-3797231
**Sanya Bonked adalah berbangsa Thai dan beragama Islam
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Sabah should consider "breaking away"...
A commenter to Ronnie Klassen's post I reproduced here yesterday titled "
Quicksilver ***************************************** I guess "it" refers to the dilemma that Sabahans face -- being Beggars in their own land" as Ronnie has concluded...
Well, from the perspective of a Peninsular Malaysian, I have always been of the view that Sabahans and Sarawakians have been poorly represented by their State leaders since joining, along with Singapore, the rest of peninsular states in forming Malaysia on September 16, 1963. Central to this mistreatment of the East Malaysian states was, is, has been and will be the dominance of UMNO in the 14- or 13-strong-component Barisan Nasional federal government. Singapore was unceremoniously "kicked out" a few years later of the young nation named "Malaysia", which really set a precedent for the options being opened to Sabah and/or Sarawak to "opt" out too if they feel strongly about not being treated as "equal" partners to other states making up "Malaysia".
To be continued because I am frustrated with some "deletion" of two paragraphs I had composed, and now I am labouring like a woman in labour, so I take a rest, Can I quicksilver?
InsyaAllah, I come back to resume this free wheeling thought-sharing before midnight and a new day breaks, and then this country called Malaysia can suddenly surprise Desi with its
"bolehness", even with a dream possibility a peninsular newsman like me can easly get to work in eith Sabah or Sarawak"freely" without any immigration barriers. As it is, I feel I am a stranger in my own land called NegaraKu as far as working in these two states is concerned, And why, I don't know... Similarly I believe many Sabahans and Sarawakians feel like "strangers" in their own NegaraKu, but for quite a differenet set of reasons that hurt theirpsyche much,mush more than mine, IMHO.
Be that as it may, YL Chong the newsdog is me says March 8, 2008 was a turning point in "Malaysian" politics, in tat FIVE peninsular states fell to the Pakatan Rakyat yet-to-be-registered alternatove coalition government comprising PKR, DAP and PAS. Will/ Would /Should Sabahans and Sarawakians "seize the moment" (carpe diem,) my fellow Malaysians, to take that leap forward and Vote for Change when the next State/Federal elections take place, very soon for Sarawak?
That's a RM64million question I would strive to answer next.
Meanwhile, I hope my commenters from the previous post, including quicksilver, dave, boY and paguin, will further their debate on this continuing Post.:)
From PKR leader in Sabah...
Sabahans Have Become Beggars In Their Own Land?
had asked me this question: "What do you think about it then, ylchong?
By Quicksilver ***************************************** I guess "it" refers to the dilemma that Sabahans face -- being Beggars in their own land" as Ronnie has concluded...Well, from the perspective of a Peninsular Malaysian, I have always been of the view that Sabahans and Sarawakians have been poorly represented by their State leaders since joining, along with Singapore, the rest of peninsular states in forming Malaysia on September 16, 1963. Central to this mistreatment of the East Malaysian states was, is, has been and will be the dominance of UMNO in the 14- or 13-strong-component Barisan Nasional federal government. Singapore was unceremoniously "kicked out" a few years later of the young nation named "Malaysia", which really set a precedent for the options being opened to Sabah and/or Sarawak to "opt" out too if they feel strongly about not being treated as "equal" partners to other states making up "Malaysia".
To be continued because I am frustrated with some "deletion" of two paragraphs I had composed, and now I am labouring like a woman in labour, so I take a rest, Can I quicksilver?
InsyaAllah, I come back to resume this free wheeling thought-sharing before midnight and a new day breaks, and then this country called Malaysia can suddenly surprise Desi with its
"bolehness", even with a dream possibility a peninsular newsman like me can easly get to work in eith Sabah or Sarawak"freely" without any immigration barriers. As it is, I feel I am a stranger in my own land called NegaraKu as far as working in these two states is concerned, And why, I don't know... Similarly I believe many Sabahans and Sarawakians feel like "strangers" in their own NegaraKu, but for quite a differenet set of reasons that hurt theirpsyche much,mush more than mine, IMHO.
Be that as it may, YL Chong the newsdog is me says March 8, 2008 was a turning point in "Malaysian" politics, in tat FIVE peninsular states fell to the Pakatan Rakyat yet-to-be-registered alternatove coalition government comprising PKR, DAP and PAS. Will/ Would /Should Sabahans and Sarawakians "seize the moment" (carpe diem,) my fellow Malaysians, to take that leap forward and Vote for Change when the next State/Federal elections take place, very soon for Sarawak?
That's a RM64million question I would strive to answer next.
Meanwhile, I hope my commenters from the previous post, including quicksilver, dave, boY and paguin, will further their debate on this continuing Post.:)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
From PKR leader in Sabah...
Sabahans Have Become Beggars In Their Own Land?
malaysia-today.net picks up an interesting Blogpost by a PKR leader RONNIE KLASSEN, and Desi's happy playing the role of despatcher:)
Tuesday, 15 June 2010 admin-s
Where has all the wealth gone to? As one of the largest oil producing state in the country, Sabah should be the most developed state in Malaysia, yet Musa Aman alongside his UMNO/BN comrades are talking about the Federal Government's generosity to Sabah.
By mala
Sabah's Chief Minister Musa Aman exalts Prime Minister Najib's concern for Sabah in the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) as displayed through the Federal Government's generosity to the state.He is not the first Chief Minister to 'shoe polish the testicles" of a Prime Minister and surely will not be the last.
What irks Sabahans the most is,we've been hearing all this glorifying statements about development for the last 47 years and we're still hearing the same song over and over again. What's equally baffling is their call for an effective and sustainable Bumiputra economic participation,special attention will be given to bumiputras in Sabah,the question is which bumiputra's is UMNO/BN referring to - The Dayaks, Kadazans, Eurasians or just plain Malay Bumiputra's or worse the recent migrants or 'maggie-mee' bumis who get instant citizenship and bumi status?
Anyone with a clear conscience will attest that it is mind boggling,for a state rich in oil, timber, oil palm and tourism to be currently the second poorest state in the country. Where has all the wealth gone to? As one of the largest oil producing state in the country, Sabah should be the most developed state in Malaysia, yet Musa Aman alongside his UMNO/BN comrades are talking about the Federal Government's generosity to Sabah.
The Federal Government should be thanking Sabah, Sarawak,Terengganu and Kelantan for it's generosity in developing Malaysia to what it is today. Musa Aman and his entire bandwagon of infidels in UMNO/BN Sabah should immediately admit themselves into the nearest mental hospital or better yet, dissolve the state legislative assembly.Let us see if they still have the support of the people.
Is Sabah BEGGING for development? It surely appears so.Sabahans have become beggers in their own land.
Read more at: http://advocateviews.blogspot.com/2010/06/sabahans-have-become-beggars-in-their.html
About
- Ronnie Klassen
- A Statesman is a Politician who places himself at the service of the nation.A Politician is a Statesman who places the nation at his service. Share your thoughts and ideas with me in the hope we could together make that change.All emails to me are strictly confidential. info.ronnieklassen@gmail.com
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