Breaking my HI-atus second time, Cos the times-they-are-a-Changing!

And with once-mighty Blogger has changed so much in the past year, and even earlier, thatmany fellow bloggers could not recognise him at all. This blogger with royal blood who many Reformasi followers admired once-upon-a-time, has let many of us down. I termed it that "RPK has SOUL'D OUT!"

I had emnaged in a long-running FACE-OFF with this fellow -- he aided by many u7nthinking fans who dared not use their real IDs like hawkeye, whisperer -- horse or backside, I dunno and I don't care! etec, ad nauseum -- and I expect them to surface again like dirty flotsam after muddying with baffaloes and cows -- from Wanita UMNO thief Sharrizat and family's NFC? --after TOMORROW.

My year-end plan was I wanted to use a post from wfauzdin.blogspot.com after I spent time translating it from BM to English, but today's NST frontpage blurb made Desi NOT TO LINGER but take action immediately to anticipate what the blogger-in-luxurious-exile in the UK plans to do on behalf of the scheming UMNO mainstream media ...But times-they-are-a-Changing -- and RPK the changer is about to strike again against the RAKYAT who are now campaigning intensely for ABU in the leadup to GE13 -- Anyone But UMNO/Asalkan Bukan UMNO!

The NST blurb reads:

Raja Petra on
Anwar and the
future of the
opposition

Read the exclusive interview
in the New Sunday Times

Khamis, 29 Disember 2011

MENJELANG PRU 13 - HATI-HATI DENGAN RAJA PETRA

Oleh: WFAUZDIN NS

RAJA Petra Kamarudin, Pengendali Malaysia-Today sebelum ini banyak mengulas isu dalaman parti di dalam Pakatan Rakyat. Beliau ada mengulas isu Dr Hassan Ali, kemudiannya mendakwa Parti Keadilan kini dicengkam oleh Anwar - Azmin dan terbaru beliau mengulas isu Nurul Izzah yang ingin mengenepikan Azmin untuk kembali membawa Zaid Ibrahim ke dalam parti. Baca di SINI.

Hati-hati dengan orang ini...

Kita mengenali Raja Petra sebelum ini kononnya beliau berfikiran sehaluan dengan Pakatan Rakyat, tetapi kita jangan lupa Raja Petra pernah muncul di kaca TV memburukkan DS Anwar. Kali ini, apa agenda Raja Petra? Di saat rakyat sedang menyaksikan Umno bertungkus lumus dan bersilang tangan menepis berbagai dakwaan rasuah dan penyelewengan di kalangan pemimpin mereka, Raja Petra sibuk dengan membicarakan isu dalaman parti di dalam Pakatan Rakyat. Jika dakwaan beliau itu benar atau setidak-tidaknya masuk akal boleh juga diterima, malangnya segala yang di utarakan oleh Raja Petra umpama cerita dongeng yang baru siap dikarang.

Zaid tiada tempat dalam Keadilan lagi....

Kembali kita berfikir, apakah Raja Petra akan berperanan untuk melemahkan Pakatan Rakyat melalui persepsi ciptaan beliau itu? Ada lojiknya kerana sejak kebelakangan ini beliau begitu ghairah menulis tentang Azmin Ali. Dakwaan bahawa Nurul Izzah akan menggunakan pengaruhnya sebagai Naib Presiden juga anak kepada DS Anwar untuk membawa kembali Zaid Ibrahim ke dalam parti adalah `Bidaah' paling melucukan. Terlalu bodoh Nurul Izzah jika berbuat demikian kerana beliau sedar Zaid Ibrahim telah `kencing' kepala bapanya DS Anwar Ibrahim.

Nurul Izzah disokong bukan kerana beliau anak Anwar

Seandainya benar sekali pun, ahli-ahli Keadilan tidak akan sanggup menerima pengkhianat parti seperti Zaid Ibrahim yang keluar parti hanya kerana tidak mendapat sokongan di dalam jawatan yang diidamkannya. Keadilan akan menempah maut jika membawa masuk Zaid Ibrahim kerana kemasukan Zaid ke dalam parti akan menjadikan Keadilan nanti seperti Parti KITA yang kini beliau pimpin. Majoriti ahli parti akan menolak Nurul Izzah dari jawatannya sekarang jika beliau mempunyai angan-angan untuk membawa Zaid Ibrahim.

Mengapa Raja Petra `Anti-Azmin' ?

Menolak Zaid Ibrahim bukan bererti kita menyokong Azmin atau membenci Nurul Izzah, tetapi jelas, terang dan terbukti Zaid Ibrahim telah `kencing' kita semua. Apa yang perlu difikirkan sekarang adalah `Apakah Motif Raja Petra?" ./wfauzdin.blogspot.com

Dicatat oleh WFAUZDIN NS

DESIDERATA:

I eagerly await RPK's interview tomorrow, but based on precedent interview with TV3 some time ago (before the Sarawak State Elections if I recall correctly...), this ertswhile socalled fighter-for-change in government in Putrajaya will now "gostan" again and throw bricks and stones and all sorts of rubbish at the Oppoistion front in Pakatan Rakyat, and especially Opposition Leader DS Anwar Ibrahim -- who likely faces imprisonment on January 9, 2012 -- without any shame and his famous fictional stories and flipflop stances since helming the socalled MCLM and wanting to nominate candidates to stand on PR component parties' tickets. A on-yearold-infant wanting to play fatherly role to 50-plus years DAP and PAS and slightly more than a decade-old Parti Keadilan Rakyat. The Chinese has a saying: "I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice!" into RPK's face, his lietenant Haris Ibrahim's too. The English equivalent is "RPK (and Haris2), Don't teach your grandpa to suck eggs!"

PS: I will pick up an earlier post on what I think of the famous/cowardly/lying/notorious blogger....Patience OK!

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

I reprise one of my Face-Off with RPK posts at this blog from almost a year-ago:-

Monday, January 31, 2011

YL Chong says: 'RPK, You are a liar and a coward'

To put into CONTEXT the subject at hand, I recap, from my own "relevant" posts here (including TYPOS and all) as follows, with only the relevant extracts I wish to focus on:

(Post 1)

Thursday, December 30, 2010
FOR THE RECORD wrt to RPK's highly inaccurate acusations of Desi

I had sent off an email just past midnight to raja petra kamarudin and/or web admin of malaysia-today.net to straighten out "totally false and inaccurate" points about my role by RPK in his latest column. I don't look for fights with anyone -- I believe in civil engagement with fellow writers and readers/commenters whether here or at certain, very selective websites I read.

Following is the official email I sent FOR THE RECORD:

_______________________________________________

Below is what YL Chong wrote about me. It appears like he is going out of his way to try to bring me down for whatever reason only he knows. I don’t know what I did to him to make him so full of vile. Anyway, if it is a fight he wants then it is a fight he is going to get.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Maybe YL Chong has forgotten that when he got his hands on those Official Secrets Act documents from the MACC regarding the investigation of Khir Toyo and other matters his portal, Malaysia Chronicle, was too scared to run the story.

Chong then contacted me and I agreed for Malaysia Today to run it while assuring him I would protect the source of the documents -- which was Malaysia Chronicle and himself.

Anyhow, now he and Malaysia Chronicle have declared war on me and have decided to fight dirty and take no prisoners. In that case, since they have decided on the rules of engagement, I am only too happy to take them on...


_______________________________

I'm reprising only the above paragraphs, and if I need to comment further on other parts of your post, I reserve the right to, and I will keep malaysia-today.net posted CC malaysia chroniclesince you have made allegations that I had acted on behalf of malaysia chronicle.

My reply FOR THE RECORD:

WRT: "Maybe YL Chong has forgotten that when he got his hands on those Official Secrets Act documents from the MACC regarding the investigation of Khir Toyo and other matters his portal, Malaysia Chronicle, was too scared to run the story."

How can I forget something that I never did with respect to your reported OSA incident?

WRT: "Chong then contacted me and I agreed for Malaysia Today to run it while assuring him I would protect the source of the documents -- which was Malaysia Chronicle and himself."

WHEN HAD I EVER CONTACTED YOU regarding following up on "documents" -- I had never received any documents I had to refer to you RPK!


WRT: "Anyhow, now he and Malaysia Chronicle have declared war on me and have decided to fight dirty and take no prisoners. .."
I thought we bloggers read each other's writings and have the right to exchange views based on the principle of "Let's be agreeable in our disagreement."

Signing off: YL Chong, Desi






(Post 2)

Monday, January 03, 2011
FOR THE RECORD 2: I have just sent RPK an email demanding a retraction of an offending article he published ...

PLUS A PUBLIC APOLOGY WITHIN THE NEXT TWO DAYS.

____________________________________


Dear Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK), and webadmin of malaysia-today.net:

I further refer to your posting of my response to RPK's FALSE ALLEGATIONS against me (relating my personal role and also my role on behalf of malaysia-chronicle.com...), the article of which was subsequently also published by the New Straits Times (NST).

I waited a few days to see if you would retract these false allegations against me and to tender a PUBLIC APOLOGY to me, but thus far,I did not sight any.

From now about 2.40PM Monday January 3, 2011, I am giving you notice to RETRACT THE SAID OFFENDNG ARTICLE and TENDER A PUBLIC APOLOGY TO ME, in both your web portal, as well as in the NST, WITHIN THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

Your failure to abide by my request may see legal action being taken against you -- and/or other parties lending weight to spreading such allegations flowing from your offending article against me.

YL Chong, Desi



posted by desiderata

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

MY CURRENT VIEWS FOLLOW NOW:

My dear readers, NOTE THAT THE HIGHLIGHTED PORTIONS ARE MY REBUTTALS TO RPK'S FALSE ALLEGATIONS WHICH HE HAD TODATE NEVER RESPONDED TO!


After a few days of waiting for a response from RPK, and there was none that I know of, I posted up the DEMAND for a RETRACTION of said allegations against me by RPK accompanied by a PUBLIC APOLOGY from him in my post dated January 3, 2011.


I am hence calling Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) a "liar" because of the "false allegations" he made against me which I rebutted as HIGHLIGHTED above in my blogpost dated December 30, 2010 and his failure to provide evidence to his allegations means these allegations had been deliberately "manufactured" by RPK, and I believe, for sinister reasons, including getting me into trouble with the government authorities.

He's a "coward" for not being brave enough to admit "wrong" to making "false allegations" against a fellow Blogger who once held him in high esteem from his days as Director of "FreeAnwarCampaign"(FAC) going back more than a decade.Just by the way mention, in the early days of Reformasi, starting early Jan 2000, I was then News Editor at malaysiakini.com for a year, and hence followed writings at FAC regularly. (This esteem of RPK as an iconic blogger began to wane from mid-2010 after I noticed a "change of character" in him,highlighted in my article published by "Malaysia Chronicle" titled "Why is RPK acting so out of character?" dated October 14, 2010, also reprised at my blog on the same day.)

Back to the current issue: since the deadline for RPK to withdraw his false allegatons and tender a public apology has long passed, today I place on record that my opinion of him is that he has lost all credibility as a blogger, once hailed by many as a key fighter for a Better Malaysia.

I would like to now refresh RPK's mind that the last time I interacted with him was in Seremban at a candle-light vigil held to protest against the Internal Security Act at Dataran Seremban (which I am proud to state for the record I helped to co-organise for three consecutive Saturday evenings...) as recorded in my post Saturday, November 08, 2008 titled: "JUBILATION at Seremban Vigil Last Night!"

Soon after, RPK self-exiled himself to the United Kingdom -- enjoying the benefits of a writer living the high life, on donations from diehard fans? -- writing with lots of consistencies and contradictions (as contrasted with RPK's lieutenant in Malaysia, Haris Ibrahim's, at People's Parliament, on the MCLM for instance...) and in the past year, many readers including my own reading, RPK's no more championing the cause of a change in government at Putrajaya which he advocated for a long time, evidenced by his constant attacks on Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) the better part of 2010! Yes, now I deem him a coward for running away from NegaraKu -- for a real Malaysian fighter would return to the homeland to carry on the fight for a BetterMalaysia, not "and like many other Malaysians including an MCA Minister holding Australian PR, playing safe by having one foot here and another foot there!" I don't know IF a Chines saying is apt here: Having one leg in two boats?

So RPK's allegations against me could not hold water as the "alleged actions" by me were supposedly very recent i.e. in the course of last year (2010) and were in association with malaysia-chronicle.com which was only started by its founder-editor, Ms Wong Choon Mei, on June 1, 2010. And I was not, am not, a shareholder or staff at the online web portal.

What worries YL Chong more is also what some readers have commented about, is that malaysia-today.net editor had breached the ethics of secrecy by "exposing" whistle-blowers' identities, like mine just because we differed on several current issues. Worse yet, how can anyone trust RPK anymore when he's capable of cooking stories up and he had indeed threatened to do so to those who had passed on "classified government documents" to him in good faith but now stand the risk of being exposed just because of differences of opinion on issues that cropped up later. (In my case, the sin of RPK is compounded because the allegations against me were unfounded and false, and yet he "threatened" my safety with his unfounded allegations. I believe that bearing false witness against a fellowman is a "great sin" for Muslims, and I trust Raja Petra remains a follower of the Islamic faith, yes?)



Last, but not least, I was heartened to read from an anonymous reader at malaysia-chronicle.com who posted a comment on my "Demand for retraction of allegations and tender an apology from RPK", as many of his sentiments struck a chord with me, a freelance writer who has been a member of PKR since January 2005, and my writings are focused on committing my fight for the birth of a two party/coalition system. I will continue my quest to ensure Pakatan Rakyat's efforts to replace the 54-year-old Barisan Nasional government, undeterred by RPK's false stories about me.

I close by reproducing the said Commenter's views in full:

* Comment Link AN Monday, 03 January 2011 19:38 posted by AN

RPK is a ruthless liar. Many time what he wrote is absolutely rubbish lies. At one time he wrote about this Sarawakian Yb for Ngemah who got many wives and that he is running out of money so he jump back to BN. This are all lies as I'm a personal friend of the YB's family.
RPK, with the setting up of this MCLM shows he is a opportunist. He desperate wants attention after making the wrong move of going into exile to run away from all the false allegations he made against some top umnp guys.
RPK was at his best when he went to ISA and everyone treat him as their idol. But not now as he have shown his true colors by taking on PR to show that he is the kingmaker.He can't be what he think he want to be. He is just like you and me except that he have a Petra in his name.
RPK must not try to be the people's leader. We have Anwar and he is the true champion for all the people of malaysia. If RPK wants to steal that title with the help of Zaid, Jeffery or anyone else then he is absolute wrong. He will only earn the hatred of the people in Malaysia.
RPK must repent and come back to show he can contribute to the change of gov't and to make the road to Putrajaya smoother, not rougher.
RPK 's MT was a MUST read blog in those days when he was hot after the Altantuya's murder. All malaysian follow his posting 7/24.He make us all cry when he posted Anwar's daughter speech at UN, makes us all us when he posted 'Dear Pete', makes us all hate umno when he posted all the corruption in umno,particularly Khir Toyo broad daylight robbery of Selangor coffer.He was indeed my icon if not yours. But today I seldom visited his blog and to be honest I don't care much whether he survive or not.I have practically lost all interest in this man . I hope he just fade into sunset.
When he was in Kamunting I also help to keep his blog alive and entertaning by writing hilarious posting about Altantuya's murderer. I was so glue to MT that I could have die for MT.Even after the police raided my house and took away all my computers, I still adored RPK. I even took a doctored photo from Zorro's blog showing RPK been handcuffed and escorted by former IGP Musa Hassan, Najib and Badawi.That photo was placed right infront of my computer to act as a rallying point for me to blast umno/BN. The police took that best doctored photo away but I made another one.
But after the RPK fire die down, I'm back to earth and seeing my former idol belittling PR and using MCLM to open up another front, I lost all hopes in this man,RPK.
This will be my last criticism of RPK and I shall kept my hate in my heart and my mouth shut."


DESIDERATA: I updated the post with some slight amendments @9.39AM 31 Jan 2011

"V"4VENDETTA New Year's Eve Do has Desi's support...

So I'm making a speial "break" in my se7en-day HI-ATUS from Dec 25-Jan1 because I think this is worth supporting, and I'm running this as A NEW YEAR'S DAY COMMUNITY SERVICE MESSAGE FOR THE ORGANISERS...~~ YL, Desi

To mark the end of 2011 and the inception of the 2012 New Year, we are calling ALL to Occupy Dataran Merdeka with us on December 31st, 2011, at 11pm. This will be a participatory MASS FLASHMOB, symbolically expressing our common indignation against the many injustices and anti-democratic events that happened in Malaysia in 2011, in contrast to the positive significance of 2011 for the rest of the world. We want to collectively say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH; TIME FOR REAL DEMOCRACY NOW, in 2012!

'V' masks at Dataran Merdeka symbolize resistance against authoritarianism

2011 will go down in history as the Year of Peaceful, Non-Violent Revolutions. It began in Tunisia, culminating in Tahrir Square, Egypt, now undeniably THE iconic image and symbol of human freedom and liberation of the 21st Century. We also saw the uprising of the Indignados (The Indignant movement), occupying Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Spain, giving inspiration to the Occupy Wall Street movement, that began on September 17th. This democratic wave, driven by ordinary peoples on the street, as opposed to leadership by elites the world over, is destined to become the Revolution that will OCCUPY the hearts and minds of the 7 billion persons on earth today, for generations to come.

Occupy Dataran, inspired by these events, began to occupy Dataran Merdeka, on a weekly basis, since July 30th 2011. We have been committed to this ideal of embodying the kind of change we want to see in wider Malaysian society, to practice and model a new form of grassroots, non-partisan, non-hierarchical, participatory form of direct democracy, right here in Malaysia. Our Assemblies, meeting every Saturday at Dataran Merdeka, is the concrete actualization of Direct Democracy and Open Participation by Anyone and Everyone, without regard for race, creed or wealth.

As the year 2011 draws to a close, dark clouds still hang over the Malaysian sky, no different from the previous years. Undemocratic repression of human rights continue unabated. Malaysians suffer these abuses in different forms and at different levels. It is often hard for the ordinary Malaysian to articulate and give voice to their suffering and plight. Occupy Dataran wants to provide that space and platform for all to channel their outrage and indignation in constructive and meaningful ways. We want every person to find his or her own voice, formulating his or her own demands. Some of these demands may spring from this year’s chronology of injustices: the repression of street protests (eg. Bersih 2.0), the passing of the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, the Lynas debacle, the continuous land-grab of Orang Asli & indigenous land in Sabah & Sarawak, corruption in government, exploitation and repression of local and migrant workers’ welfare & rights, deaths in the MACC, the suppression of academic and student freedoms by the UUCA, etc.

To mark the end of 2011 and the inception of the 2012 New Year, we are calling ALL to Occupy Dataran Merdeka with us on December 31st, 2011, at 11pm. We call on ALL to come wearing the mask of V, re-enacting the final dramatic scene from the movie, V for Vendetta. The V mask represents resistance against authoritarianism all over world. This will be a participatory MASS FLASHMOB, symbolically expressing our common indignation against the many injustices and anti-democratic events that happened in Malaysia in 2011, in contrast to the positive significance of 2011 for the rest of the world. We want to collectively say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH; TIME FOR REAL DEMOCRACY NOW, in 2012!

Our objectives for this CALL TO ACTION ON DECEMBER 31st are:

1) To reclaim our public spaces and reclaim Dataran Merdeka as an open and democratic space for all peoples to assemble freely and peacefully;

2) To defend and reclaim the fundamental right to assemble peacefully, protest and to occupy our public spaces;

3) To protest against the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011;

4) To show solidarity with all those who have suffered injustices and violation of their basic rights in 2011;

5) To show our resolve in making 2012 the year of real democratic changes in Malaysia, in all aspects, political, social and economic.

We CALL ON ALL to join us on 31st December 2011 and make our DEMANDS loud and clear at Dataran Merdeka.

JOM OCCUPY!

#OccupyDataran Media Working Group

Note: The Organizers will be releasing the specific details of the 31st December Flashmob soon, via the OcuppyDataran Facebook page,

http://www.facebook.com/occupydataran

AP ap Ap Seasons GreAtings...Have a GreAt Nu'e Year

"MERRY CHRISTMAS" and
SEASONS GREETINGS

to all my readers and friends, be thou of Christian or other faiths, it matters not to Desi

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

Have a HAPPY & PROGRESSIVE NEW YEAR

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

(HI-atus not Hi Tea in Haiti, K! ~~ Desi will take a one-week breAk to ponder the meaning of Salvation, Karma and the calamities that seemed to hit so many countries this year. I hope 2012 will be badder -- Yes, knotty Desi is resorting to DDC again, as the word "bettter" in Hey Jude's chorus always sounds better when you replace the "t" with the "d". If you have to ask WHY, go listen to the BEATLES:) Or joi Desi at K ra la OK at Butterfry Varrey next to Temiang Corner, Furong:)

This Is a Truly Rumination Piece

This piece is supposed to APpear tomorrow which I commit mostly to reflection on Sundays -- it's not right for this writer to work on Christmas day an article that jars the soul when it should be a reflection on peace and gOodwill, yes?

No DDC. So that my readers, esteemed or steamed, hear me right.

A lot is going wrong with NegaraKu.
The NST frontpage today leads with header MACC raids NFC office.

I won't go into details, just one general thought thinking aloud/allowed:

After the Auditor-General's 2101 annual report came out describing the RM250million National Deedlot Corporation's cattle-rearing project as "in a mess", and after many paries -- Desi alone wrote NOT LESS THAN SIX COMMENTARRIES on this subject -- the anti-corruption agency or renamed MACC finally got into the act. ((The PDRM earlier was reported to have commented that its initial findings, released just before the UMNO general assembly, said it had questioned more than 70 witnesses in conjunction with the NFC scandal, and it decided there was no hint of any criminal offence involved. Hey, after it had been admitted finally by the NFC boss that RM19.8miilion had been diverted to buy two units of condominium in Bangsar, and his wife UMNO Wanita chief-cum-Minister Sharizat Jalil stressed again and again the project had nothing to do with her; both were even "arrogant" in counter-attacking their critics, especially the Opposition. (An ASIDE can? In chinoserie there is a saying: Erk Ren sian kau zhang, rougly translated as "The aggresssor is first to report wrong done to him". Minta maaf if Desi got it wrong Okay! My Pasar mateys often tease with as being half a MatSalleh as I was schooled all along in English medium, and I confess I know more about American history than China's.)

Today I just read another report that in gist quoted Sharizat as challenging her party leaders with, I quote in Bahasa Malaysia: (from batuvsbatu.blogspot.com using a Malaysia Chronicle report...) "“Beritahu saya, pemimpin UMNO yang mana tiada masalah?” " merupakan jawapan pantas Shahrizat apabila diminta memberi komen mengenai sama ada beliau akan bertindakbalas terhadap seruan untuk meletak jawatan seperti yang di laporkan oleh suratkahabr Sin Chew beberapa hari lepas.

Please read the full post at the original blog via link: http://batuvskayu.blogspot.com/2011/12/shahrizat-beritahu-saya-pemimpin-umno.html...

I quote the first para:

"Disebalik tanda bahawa UMNO sedang berantakan disebabkan skandal rasuah dan pertelingkahan dalaman dikalangan pemimpin tingginya, Suruhanjaya Pencegah Rasuah telah mengumumkan bahawa satu pasukan khas akan dibentuk untuk menyiasat dakwaan bahawa keluarga Menteri UMNO Shahrizat Jalil telah menyalahgunakan dana awam berjumlah RM250 juta yang diperuntukkan bagi projek ternakan lembu NFC untuk kegunaan peribadi dan juga harta mewah."

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

I also recall the previous Wania UMNO chief Rafidah Aziz was reported to have admitted in Parliament, in gist, yes, her son-in-law did receive APs (Approved Permits for vehicle imports) oversighted by her ministry. But in mitigating defence perhaps, she also revealed that a family member of her boss then -- nothing less than then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad -- a;so received such APs.

It seems the logic of UMNO ministers -- past, present ( and in future too? God forbid!) -- truly believe that if fellow UMNO leaders were also doing similar acts of misusing their powers, or worse, engaging in corrupt acts, then it's acceptable. I believe such statements come when the proptagonist is clutching at straws when he/she feels her days in politics (or on earth?) are numbered -- or Heavn forbid, they truly believe their own statements, which made often enough, become rock solid rationale?

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?

The Rakyat, especially the VOTERS, who term-after-term elected the BN led by UMNO into majority control of Parliament, I just would say: Hey, you ask for it! IF I were to use Da Desi Code, it would have read: Hey, you aRsEk for it! Then I would have humoured myself, not all except for a handul, of my esteemed readers.

I should end with the usual Vote "ABU" in the impending General Elections (GE13), but I refrain. BUT YOU KNOW WHY? Because some smartaleck here would ask Desi: Please explain to me what ABU stands for? And my blood pressure would hit the roof, and I could be admitted to the Seremban General one last time, but I have no such death wish...

"God please bless me and my friends with a life well lived and long." Amen.


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

From alditta.blogspot.com cometh another piece worth pondering over:)

24 December 2011

Shampoo theft jailed 2 years,while Corruption jailed 1 year.....

The Star in 25 May 2011 reports...

Jobless man jailed two years for shampoo theft

JOHOR BARU: An unemployed man was jailed two years for stealing six boxes of shampoo worth RM107.40 at a supermarket.
Nor Azmi Mohd Amin admitted to committing the offence at the supermarket in Taman Kota Masai at noon on May 20.

DPP Tan Poh Vun prosecuted before magistrate Mazana Sinin while the accused was not represented.

The Star in 23 Dec 2011 reports...

Khir Toyo jailed 12 months for corruption

Former Selangor Mentri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo was found guilty by the High Court here Friday of knowingly purchasing two pieces of land and a bungalow in Section 7 at a much lower price than its original value from Ditamas Sdn Bhd director Shamsuddin Hayroni in 2007.

He was sentenced to one year in jail from Friday and Justice Mohtarudin Baki ordered his land and bungalow be forfeited.

However, the judge granted him him a stay of execution of jail time and forfeiture of the properties pending an appeal after his lawyer M. Athimulan made the request. The lawyer said the appeal would be filed Friday evening.

The properties involved were purchased at RM3.5mil although Ditamas had bought it for RM6.5mil on Dec 23, 2004. The court found that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt in the case.

source: theStar

cheers.

Posted by ali allah ditta

Should yoiu forget Desi -- 4mGf Sweets, Wherever Thou Art...

Becos it rains at 3PM in Furong -- as has been a habit with the heavens these few weeks, the day of light seems to welcome the dark of night earlier arrival

And in such hour of in between dark nurse and a white knight,

Desi is fond of writHing as the Heart leads

Influenced by a fab lady I have not met in person

But I think I know her well enough

To not want to forget

So dear ER, be an obedient lad or lass, NOW GO FORTH:)

Google madonna and pablo neruda

Madonna recites Pablo's poem beautifully

I also remember some1 special beautiful

Pablo paints his heartbeats in lovely lines

So that readers like Desi won't forget

Beautiful women, songs and wines

Yes, I wont forget to write my poems

so that the end-of-line words rhyme

Because I follow in the footsteps of masters

Because I also compose, they also become mine

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

E-n-J-o-Y!

Uploaded by livluv4giv3 on Jan 15, 2011

VIA this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZtXJP8zBPg&context=C36c651bADOEgsToPDskIWcM323xMk2hkKHck4rYoH

Poem: If You Forget Me- Pablo Neruda read by Madonna
Music: Violin and Piano- Secret Garden

I want you to know
one thing.

You know how this is :
If I look
at the crystal moon,
at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
If I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
Everything carries me to you,
As if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now.
If little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you.
Little by little.

If suddenly you forget me,
Do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
Remember,
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.

But ...
If each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
If each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
Ah my love,
Ah my own,
In me all that fire is repeated,
In me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
My love feeds on your love,
beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine ...


Ένα
θέλω να ξέρεις.

Ξέρεις πώς είν'αυτό :
Εάν κοιτάξω
το κρυστάλλινο φεγγάρι,
το κόκκινο κλαδί
του αργού φθινοπώρου στο παράθυρό μου,
Εάν αγγίξω
πλάι στη φωτιά
την ατάραχη στάχτη
ή το ρυτιδωμένο σώμα του ξύλου,
Όλα με φέρνουν σε σένα.
Λες και ό,τι υπάρχει,
αρώματα, φως, μέταλλα,
ήταν μικρά πλεούμενα που ταξιδεύουν
προς εκείνα τα νησιά σου που με περιμένουν.

Ωστόσο,
Αν λίγο λίγο πάψεις πια να μ' αγαπάς
θα πάψω κι εγώ να σ' αγαπώ,
Λίγο λίγο.

Κι αν ξαφνικά
με ξεχάσεις
μην ψάξεις για μένα,
γιατί θα σ' έχω ήδη λησμονήσει.

Αν θεωρήσεις ότι κρατάει πολύ κι είναι τρελός
ο άνεμος από σημαίες
που περνάει απ' τη ζωή μου,
κι αποφασίσεις
να με αφήσεις στην όχθη
της καρδιάς που έχω ρίζες,
Θυμήσου
πως εκείνη τη μέρα,
την ώρα εκείνη
θα σηκώσω τα χέρια
και θα βγουν οι ρίζες μου
για ν' αναζητήσουν άλλη γη.

Όμως ...
Αν κάθε μέρα,
κάθε ώρα,
νιώθεις προορισμένη για μένα
με γλυκύτητα αψεγάδιαστη,
Αν κάθε μέρα ανεβαίνει
ένα λουλούδι στα χείλη σου για να με βρει,
Αχ αγάπη μου,
Αχ δικιά μου,
Μέσα μου όλη τούτη η φωτιά θα επαναλαμβάνεται,
Μέσα μου τίποτα δε θα σβήσει ούτε θα ξεχαστεί,
Η αγάπη μου τρέφεται από την αγάπη σου, αγαπημένη,
Κι όσο θα ζεις θα είναι μες στην αγκαλιά σου
χωρίς απ'τη δική μου να φύγει ...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Pablo Neruda
• If You Forget Me
• poem
• poet
• poetry
• Madonna
• recite
• reciting
• love
• arms
• Samuel Barber
• Adagio for Strings
• Πάμπλο Νερούδα
• Αν Με Ξεχάσεις
• ποίημα
• ποιητής
• Μαντόνα
• απαγγέλλω
• απαγγελία
• αγάπη
• αγκαλιά

License:

Standard YouTube License

• 
  

Hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com has good summary of UMNO's ills

So the electortate must perform drastic surgery -- as with cancer in its fourth (sei-loh, says the Cantonis chinoserie...) stage, just remove the blot. AND MALAYSIA WILL HAVE A NEW LEASE OF LIFE! ~~ YL, Desi

Hornbill Unleashed

December 22, 2011

Who to hold torch for Pakatan if Anwar jailed: will Umno be annihilated ?

Filed under: Human rights,Politics,PRU 13 Election — Hornbill Unleashed @ 12:00 AM
Tags: Anak Sarawak Bangsa Malaysia, Malaysia Politics, Save Sarawak

Moaz Nair

Malaysians have taken in that the Pakatan Pact has grown larger than Anwar’s image. With or without Anwar’s physical presence, Pakatan is on the road to make a big impact in the next general election, expected to be held in early 2012. Conviction of Anwar will assist the Opposition make deeper inroads into the voters’ psyche. If this is properly strategized, Pakatan can win big in the next general election.

January 9, 2012 will determine Anwar’s fate in the court of law. Guilty or not guilty, Anwar’s fervour and charm will keep haunting Barisan Nasional. If Anwar is convicted, the Pakatan torch – according to many political observers – will be passed on to astute Nurul Izzah, his daughter. To UMNO and BN this will be nightmarish. The sympathy for Anwar is then going to help the Opposition more and Nurul will gradually measure up to be made the political icon for Pakatan. The young generation, in particular, is bound to give unparalleled support to Nurul.

“Imprisonment of Anwar will enrage the masses, but a guilty or acquittal verdict will not yield political benefits for BN. If the strategy is to remove him it is not a wise idea. This will incur the wrath of the people.” said a fence sitter in Penang.

Either way, it will not be pleasant for Najib. UMNO stalwarts and their soul mates in BN will not be happy with an acquittal verdict. Najib’s survival is somewhat beholden to them. UMNO’s fear factor for Anwar has made party stalwarts zoom on the latter like a hawk to end his political career, as they are aware that Pakatan under the headship of Anwar is capable of denying them power in the next general election. Be that as it may, in the people’s court of opinion the Sodomy II trial has already boomeranged on UMNO.

Will haunt Barisan Nasional

The political jousting leading to the next general election is going to be more interesting with or without Anwar around. The Opposition’s offensive against politicians in the ruling coalition relating to many issues such as the recent ‘beef valley’ scandal, the mystery surrounding Altantuya’s death, the loss of her immigration records, Bala and his SDs, expensive wife, commission and corruption, selective prosecution, high crime rates, racial and religious bigotry, the sliding economy, lack of accountability of taxpayers’ money and many other social and economic milieus in country are not going to ebb. They would only spiral more. The judiciary has been perceived to have lost the confidence and trust of the people. Until today, over 95 percent of Malaysians believe that this whole sordid sodomy episode is merely a plot to harm Anwar. All these symptoms will haunt UMNO-BN and impedes its chance of retaining power.

”The verdict of Anwar’s sex trial, scheduled for January 9, would indicate the transparency of the country’s judiciary,” said a university law lecturer.

Be it as it may, Anwar’s legacy will remain in the heart of Malaysians as a charismatic leader who single-handedly helped establish a two-party system for the country. This had been successful after almost 51 years’ of power monopoly by UMNO-dominated coalition when the Opposition won an unprecedented number of seats in the 2008 general election. The people are now cognizant of the fact that a long ruling party or government is not congenial for a nation as it breeds corruption and arrogance. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The voters are now clamouring for a change. A splintered opposition of DAP, PAS and PKR who many thought would fade away like the morning dew and perceived by their archenemies as insignificant political entities in the country, astoundingly came up to form a formidable group due to Anwar’s ingenuity.

“There were no doubt some minor hiccups leading to the climax of this historical event though but soon after, the dust began to settle and seemingly the parties closed ranks,” said a PAS lawmaker from Kedah.

Maverick Anwar Ibrahim has helped the country by neutralising PAS and DAP. Today many Malays are able to accept DAP and also many non-Malays are able to accept PAS. It is Anwar’s captivating personality and magic that have brought these two parties to work together.

“This is an achievement indeed and it bodes well for the country. We hope that the people of Malaysia are able to live in peace with a lot more understanding and tolerance for each other. We should see to it that each race is willing to help another race to strive in the country,” said a DAP lawmaker from Penang.

More popular than Najib

The Pakatan Pact and Anwar were unscathed after saling on many choppy political waves but emerged more appealing and stronger than before after the 2008 general election. This relatively young multi-racial political party has since its existence been unremittingly goaded on by Anwar. In 2008 general election the Pakatan Pact captured five states and some political observers predict that the Pakatan coalition could form the next federal government with a simple majority.

Whether the philosophy of PKR, DAP and PAS is truly democratic and founded on universal justice remains to be seen, but their gaining strength is vital for the country’s democratisation process. They have, however, proven to the people what good governance is in the states they had won in the 2008 general election. This itself is testimony to Pakatan’s credentials.

Irrefutably, Anwar’s allure as a political leader has made a great impact on the Malaysian political landscape. The masses have acknowledged him as an accomplished leader. Anwar is without doubt more popular than Najib in the international scene.

Anwar, on the whole, can be considered a ‘freak’ with astuteness and political skills not many politicians are able to match. He has emerged more popular than ever after he was dismissed as the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1998 by the Grand Old Man of Malaysia. Despite all the political bashing and the disparaging remarks made thereafter against him by his enemies, news media doing the required blitzkrieg for the BN and the pro-government blogs, he has surfaced much bolder and sturdier.

UMNO has been decaying as a party

The strategy to remove Anwar from the political scene has not been a wise one. In fact, no amount of character assassination and insinuations will bring down a seasoned politician like Anwar. Even if he is jailed his spirits will linger to haunt UMNO and BN. The spirit of a captive is more dangerous that a free man. The icons Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi are testimony to this phenomenon. They all turned out to be more popular while being detained as political prisoners.

“I’ll fight on even if I go to jail,” said Anwar to a group of reporters after his defence team closed its case.

Anwar, in particular, has been exposed to continuous character assassination by his adversaries, but ironically the more this has seemed to have fortified his fame and political trail. When he stood as a candidate in Permatang Pauh on August 28, 2008 against a BN candidate the pro-government media exhausted all their dirty tricks and avenues to shame and pin him down. Anwar was unscathed by those salvoes and won the contest hands down to be back in Parliament. Anwar just appears to have gained more sympathy and popularity despite the relentless onslaught against him after Pakatan won five states in the March 2008 general election and later as the Opposition leader in Parliament. The fear and trepidation among UMNO leaders now is the likelihood of Pakatan taking over Putrajaya in the next general election.

The threats to democracy and good governance would in fact remain if the country does not have a two-party system Pinning dirt on Anwar is not helping UMNO. Neither would witch-hunting to divert the people’s focus from the real issues at hand is going to help tear down the Opposition Pact. It would only backfire on UMNO.

UMNO has been decaying as a party. The people’s perception is endemic corruption and abuse of power have not receded in the country. It is beyond a shadow of a doubt that the people fed up with bad governance would vote for a change in the coming general election. With a more enlightened population, proven track record of states under Pakatan rule and a strong desire for change, the chances for a smooth and effective opposition takeover of Putrajaya are compelling with or without Anwar.

“ Even if Anwar is convicted and jailed, Nurul will be able to resurrect his spirit in Pakatan. Nurul will optimistically pave the way for the Opposition’s victory, as she is a leader to be reckoned with,” said a university student.

Anti-BN sentiment is high

The people’s seething anger and resentment are too strong and too conspicuous to ignore. In the people’s court of opinion the Sodomy II trial has backfired. The outcome of the trial will be difficult to reconcile – UMNO has put itself in a no-win situation with this trial. The people are perplexed as to why the court testimony and the first medical report by a doctor from Puspawari Hospital were tangential. They are baffled as to why the sperm cells were never isolated from the seminal mix and that the DNA obtained was not specific to the spermatozoa. They are mystified as to why it took an unprecedented long hours for the specimen to be sent to the chemistry department for analysis.

In the laymen’s court of opinion many aspects of the trial are just not savoury but insulting to their senses. But again this can happen in this country. A foreign citizen was murdered and her immigration department entry records were not found. The world is still wondering as to how and why this should happen when Malaysia is an Islamic state. They can never forget the event that shook the nation when it was found that pregnant Altantuya was put to rest on our soil and this gory news flashed throughout the world. They are aware that her desolated father is still seeking justice for her daughter’s death. They sense that her innocent children are still asking, ‘when will mum come home.’

Expensive wives are not favoured by Malaysian either. They will incur a lot of expenses and make homes go bankrupt. ‘Bribing’ school children and the rakyat with pittance will not make the people overcome the high cost of living. Corruption and abuse of loans are rampant and all misdeeds apparently swept under the carpet will not help save face of wrongdoers. Selfish leaders are making the country slip deeper into oppression, racial and religious bigotry. Government institutions – from the police to the judiciary – are perceptively deplored. Corruption and abuse of taxpayers’ money are not seriously tackled for fear of reprisals from party insiders.

Nurul will provide the moral spark

Thus, anti-BN sentiment is soaring. The people are venting their frustrations against the injustices of BN policies and their blasé attitude. The people are not buying the cosmetic reforms of BN. It has now come to the extent that any other party other than UMNO would be all right for the people.

“The Sodomy II verdict will not affect or derail the people’s mind from the more serious issues affecting the country,” commented a senior government servant.

But Anwar is not the solitary opposition to UMNO-BN. The enlightened Malaysians are. There will always be other Opposition leaders who can pick up the torch of dignity if Anwar is jailed to provide the much needed moral spark.

Anwar who does not have an expensive wife is not a liability to the nation’s chest. Their simple lifestyle has endeared them to the rakyat. Anwar’s spirit and fortitude will surely be riding on a huge wave of people’s anger towards BN if he goes to prison. Political observers foresee that Pakatan will turn into a stronger challenge for BN. The people will be up and about that ‘people power’ prevails.

“If Anwar is jailed, then a lot of fence sitters will vote for Pakatan Rakyat. Anwar’s wife and daughter will be turned into the knights in shining armour. They will be another Benazir,” said an UMNO leader from Jitra.

The impasse for UMNO now is Anwar in jail or free, both will cost BN votes. Hence, intimidation or devious tactics to stifle Anwar is not going to dishearten Pakatan. It is not going to end Pakatan, as the coalition has already grown into a full-bloomed political entity in the nation’s political milieu. In any case, the fate of a party cannot be decided by a single man. Anwar is not the only person in Pakatan who can depose the incumbent government. Nurul and many other party stalwarts are ready to take over with the blessing of the masses. A guilty verdict on Anwar would thus set another wave of reformasi in the ballot box. Despising Anwar non-stop has hurt the masses most. It has also severely hurt the country’s repute internationally.

“It would further tarnish Malaysia’s reputation. It will also terribly cost BN votes at the next general election.” said a political observer from a local university.

Victory to Pakatan

It’s an irrefutable fact that Anwar has an insuppressibly sanguine personality. No matter how Anwar is perceived by his friends and political foes, he is definitely not a foregone conclusion in Malaysian politics. He still has the appeal and is capable of drawing and mesmerizing huge crowds as a good orator. He still has a sizeable following in the country and is well accepted by friends and leaders abroad. If truth be told, Anwar cannot be easily erased from the local political scene.

Anwar – jailed or not – is still a well reckoned leader. Despite all the criticisms and legal tussles against this 64 year-old former deputy prime minister the people are still for him to lead them. His charisma, intelligence, patience have won the hearts of the majority of Malaysians. His appearance in any forums overseas have earned him accolades. His appearance in any local events have won the hearts of the urban and rural population. His charm is certainly an asset to the political parties allied to him.

If he goes to jail, his heir would be non other than his charismatic daughter, Nurul who has the support of the masses. In the absence of Anwar, Nurul will bring victory to Pakatan in the next general election.

“Whatever the outcome of the trial, the dye is cast – Najib’s credibility has slided. UMNO will make Anwar a martyr a second time.” jibed a veteran UMNO political observer.

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Let’s just VOTE “ABU” cometh GE13 — Yes, VOTE “ANYONE BUT UMNO”!

Comment by YL Chong


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

UPDATEd @12.16PM becos Desi pampers his ER, lazy BUMmers awe:(~~

from malaysianmirror.com/BERNAMA:

中文版

Khairy Fails To Strike Out Anwar's Suit Share Wednesday, 21 December 2011 17:16 KUALA LUMPUR -- The High Court today rejected Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar's application to strike out Anwar Ibrahim's RM100 million defamation suit. High Court Judge Hue Siew Kheng made the ruling in chambers in the presence of Khairy's counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, and Sulaiman Abdullah and J. Leela who appeared for the opposition leader. Speaking to reporters later, Muhammad Shafee said the judge rejected Khairy's application on the grounds that the case was not a clearest case to be struck out. He said the judge also ordered his client (Khairy) to pay RM7,000 as costs to Anwar. He said with the ruling, the suit would go by way of a full trial. On Feb 21, this year, Khairy filed the application, saying that the suit was frivolous, vexatious and an abuse of the court process. On March 7, 2008, Anwar, 64, filed the suit against Khairy, claiming that the latter, as then Umno Youth deputy chief, had uttered defamatory words and caused the posting on websites, including Malaysiakini.com, a video clip entitled, 'Anwar and kin no threat'. Anwar claimed that the video clip on Malaysiakini.com contained defamatory words spoken by Khairy at a ceramah in Lembah Pantai here on or about Feb 20, 2008. He said the defamatory words, among others, meant he was involved in activities contradictory to Islam, did not have good character and was unfit to hold political or other positions. He is seeking RM100 million in aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as other relief deemed fit by the court. Khairy, in his statement of defence filed on Oct 8, last year, said he relied on the defence of justification and qualified privilege. He said, as Umno Youth deputy chief, he had legal, moral and social responsibilities to the public and the Malay community, and the public had valid interest which was equivalent in acceptance of information on matters during discussion which had impact on social, economic and political welfare. 　 (Bernama)

DESIDERATA: To the UMNO Youth, Wanita UMNO --or past MCA Youth who has a booster of chief also-son-of-TRansport-miniSTER who became youngest billionaire at age 27! -- what is RM10million-lah? In Chinoserie, they say: "Sap-sap-sui!"

Najib Melindungi Blogger Upahan UMNO...

Dari greenboc.blogspot.com, Pengarah Biro Kommunikasi PKR Nik Nazmi mombongkar skema Najib Razak melindungi Blogger Upahan UMNO~~~~

RM10 Juta Untuk Blogger Upahan UMNO Untuk Serang PR

Share

Umno bayar blogger upahan RM10 juta, SKMM diarah tidak ganggu

KUALA LUMPUR 19 Dis: Umno didedahkan membayar RM10 juta kepada sekumpulan blogger sebagai kempen perang saraf menjelang Pilihan Raya Umum akan datang, kata Pengarah Komunikasi KEADILAN, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

Beliau berkata, pentadbiran Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yang juga presiden Umno, turut mengarahkan Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia (SKMM) ‘tidak menggangu’ blogger berkenaan.

Berdasarkan maklumat diperolehnya, kata Nik Nazmi, kumpulan itu ditugaskan untuk menarik undi kaum Cina bagi menyokong Barisan Nasional, meskipun dengan cara memainkan sentimen perkauman.

“Datuk Najib kian terdesak untuk meraih undi kaum Cina dan ini terbukti apabila beliau memperuntuk sekurang-kurangnya RM10 juta kepada sekumpulan wartawan dari media arus perdana untuk menyerang pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat menjelang Pilihan Raya Umum akan datang,”

“Malah, SKMM juga sudah diberi amaran agar jangan mengganggu blogger upahan ini walaupun tulisan mereka menimbulkan api perkauman dan agama,” katanya kepada Keadilandaily.com.

Beliau difahamkan, kumpulan blogger itu diketuai Setiausaha Media Najib, Tengku Sarifuddin dan bekas wartawan kanan The New Straits Times, Ahiruddin Atan atau lebih dikenali sebagai Rockybru.

Menurutnya, peruntukan itu juga akan ditambah dari semasa ke semasa dengan bloggers upahan ini akan mengeluarkan artikel bertujuan menaikkan imej Najib sebagai tokoh yang patut diundi bukan Melayu terutamanya kaum Cina.

Beliau bagaimanapun yakin, taktik kotor itu akan gagal malah memburukkan lagi imej Najib.

“Rakyat bijak dalam menilainya dan masyarakat Cina saya yakin tidak terpengaruh dengan taktik kotor ini,” katanya. -KD

aMore on Lara's Theme, Connie Francis and Dr Zhivago

Just to pamper my esteemedleaders (Chinoserie speakers like Desi sometimes mix up their "r" and "l", so lazy BUMmer Readers transform into loaded Leaders, see? If you don't, you have eyes like UMNO readers, who can't see that NFC breaches many laws, at least on CBT and ethics.

I thank the video-maker johnetty73 for the lluuvvliest version of Lara's theme uproaded above -- xie xie, thank you, TERIMA KASIH, translated as Receive My Love...-- YL, Desi, knottyaSsusual

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

Uploaded by johnetty73 on Nov 26, 2011

The History of Revolution in Russia:
Doctor Zhivago (Russian: До́ктор Жива́го) is a 1965 epic drama-romance-war film directed by David Lean and loosely based on the famous novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak. It has remained popular for decades, and as of 2010 is the eighth highest grossing film of all time in the United States, adjusted for inflation..

Somewhere My Love ~ (Lara's Theme) became an instant success and gained fame throughout the world. By special request of Connie Francis, Paul Francis Webster later took the theme and added lyrics to it to create "Somewhere My Love". Francis, however, retired from the project when the lyrics were presented to her because she thought of them as too "corny". A few weeks later, Francis reconsidered her position and recorded the song nonetheless, but by then Ray Conniff had also recorded a version of his own, reaching on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966. Conniff's version of the song also topped the "Easy listening" chart in the U.S. for four weeks. Despite Conniff's success, Francis also had her version released as a single, and although it failed to chart in the US, it became one of her biggest successes internationally, becoming one of the "Top 5" in territories such as Scandinavia and Asia. In Italy, her Italian version of the song, "Dove non so", became her last success.

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

Doctor Zhivago

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Doctor Zhivago (disambiguation).

This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (August 2009)

Doctor Zhivago
First edition cover
Author(s)	Boris Pasternak
Original title	Доктор Живаго (in Russian)'
Country	Italy
Language	Russian
Genre(s)	Historical, Romantic novel
Publisher	Feltrinelli (first edition), Pantheon Books
Publication date	1957
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	592 (Pantheon)
ISBN	NA (Feltrinelli) & ISBN 0-679-77438-6 (Pantheon)

Doctor Zhivago (Russian: До́ктор Жива́го, Doktor Zhivago Russian pronunciation: [ˈdoktər ʐɪˈvaɡə]) is a 20th century novel by Boris Pasternak, first published in 1957. The novel is named after its protagonist, Yuri Zhivago, a physician and poet. It tells the story of Zhivago's life and how it is affected by the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent Russian Civil War.

The book was made into a film by David Lean in 1965, and since then has twice been adapted for television, most recently as a miniseries for Russian TV in 2006.^[1]

Contents [hide] 1 Background 2 Plot summary 3 Themes 3.1 Loneliness 3.2 Individuality 3.3 Corrupted and Misdirected Revolution 4 Names and places 5 Adaptations 5.1 Film and Stage Adaptations 5.2 Translations into English 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Background

First Italian edition cover

Although it contains passages written in the 1910s and 1920s, Doctor Zhivago was not completed until 1956. The novel was submitted to the literary journal Novy Mir ("Новый Мир"). However, the editors rejected Pasternak's novel because of its implicit rejection of socialist realism.^[2] The author, like Zhivago, showed more concern for the welfare of individuals than for the welfare of society. Soviet censors construed some passages as anti-communist. They were also enraged by Pasternak's subtle criticisms of Stalinism and his references to the GULAG.

In 1957, multi-billionaire Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli arranged for the novel to be smuggled out of the Soviet Union by Isaiah Berlin. Upon handing his manuscript over, Pasternak quipped, "You are hereby invited to watch me face the firing squad."

Despite desperate efforts by the Union of Soviet Writers to prevent its publication, Feltrinelli simultaneously published editions in both Russian and an Italian translation. So great was the demand for Doctor Zhivago that Feltrinelli was able to license translation right into eighteen different languages well in advance of the novel's publication. The Communist Party of Italy expelled Feltrinelli from their membership in retaliation for his role in the publication of a novel they felt was critical of communism.

Meanwhile, as the novel topped international bestseller lists, the British MI6 and the American CIA commenced an operation to ensure that Doctor Zhivago was correctly submitted to the Nobel Committee. This was done because it was known that a Nobel Prize for Boris Pasternak would seriously harm the international credibility of the Soviet Union. As a result, British and American operatives intercepted and photographed a manuscript of the novel and secretly printed a small number of books in the Russian language. These were submitted to the Nobel Committee's surprised judges just ahead of the deadline.^[3][4]

Meanwhile, Pasternak wrote to Renate Schweitzer,

"Some people believe the Nobel Prize may be awarded to me this year. I am firmly convinced that I shall be passed over and that it will go to Alberto Moravia. You cannot imagine all the difficulties, torments, and anxieties which arise to confront me at the mere prospect, however unlikely, of such a possibility... One step out of place -- and the people closest to you will be condemned to suffer from all the jealousy, resentment, wounded pride and disappointment of others, and old scars on the heart will be reopened..."^[5]

On 23 October 1958, Boris Pasternak was announced as the winner of the 1958 Nobel Prize for Literature. The citation credited Pasternak's contribution to Russian lyric poetry and for his role in, "continuing the great Russian epic tradition." On 25 October, Pasternak sent a telegram to the Swedish Academy:

"Infinitely grateful, touched, proud, surprised, overwhelmed."^[6]

On October 26, the Literary Gazette ran an article by David Zaslavski entitled, Reactionary Propaganda Uproar over a Literary Weed.^[7]

Acting on direct orders from the Politburo, the KGB surrounded Pasternak's dacha in Peredelkino. Pasternak was not only threatened with arrest, but the KGB also vowed to send his mistress Olga Ivinskaya back to the GULAG, where she had been imprisoned under Stalin. It was further hinted that, if Pasternak traveled to Stockholm to collect his Nobel Medal, he would be refused re-entry to the Soviet Union.

As a result, Pasternak sent a second telegram to the Nobel Committee:

"In view of the meaning given the award by the society in which I live, I must renounce this undeserved distinction which has been conferred on me. Please do not take my voluntary renunciation amiss."^[8]

The Swedish Academy announced:

This refusal, of course, in no way alters the validity of the award. There remains only for the Academy, however, to announce with regret that the presentation of the Prize cannot take place.^[9]

Despite his decision to decline the award, the Soviet Union of Writers continued to denounce Pasternak in the Soviet press. Furthermore, he was threatened at the very least with formal exile to the West. In response, Pasternak wrote directly to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, "Leaving the motherland will equal death for me. I am tied to Russia by birth, by life and work."^[10][11]

As a result of this and the intercession of Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Pasternak was not expelled from his homeland.

I won the Nobel Prize for literature. What was your crime?

Ultimately, Bill Mauldin produced a political cartoon lampooning the Soviet State's campaign against Boris Pasternak. The cartoon depicts Pasternak and another convict splitting trees in the snow. In the caption, Pasternak says, "I won the Nobel Prize for literature. What was your crime?" The cartoon won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1959.^[12]

Pasternak died of lung cancer in his dacha in Peredelkino on the evening of 30 May 1960. He first summoned his sons, and in their presence said, "Who will suffer most because of my death? Who will suffer most? Only Oliusha will, and I haven't had time to do anything for her. The worst thing is that she will suffer."^[13] Pasternak's last words were, "I can't hear very well. And there's a mist in front of my eyes. But it will go away, won't it? Don't forget to open the window tomorrow."^[13]

Shortly before his death, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church had given Pasternak the last rites. Later, in the strictest secrecy, an Orthodox funeral liturgy, or Panikhida, was offered in the family's dacha.

Despite only a small notice appearing in the Literary Gazette,^[13] handwritten notices carrying the date and time of the funeral were posted throughout the Moscow subway system.^[13] As a result, thousands of admirers traveled from Moscow to Pasternak's civil funeral in Peredelkino. According to Jon Stallworthy, "Volunteers carried his open coffin to his burial place and those who were present (including the poet Andrey Voznesensky) recited from memory the banned poem 'Hamlet'."^[11]

One of the dissident speakers at the graveside service said, "God marks the path of the elect with thorns, and Pasternak was picked out and marked by God. He believed in eternity and he will belong to it... We excommunicated Tolstoy, we disowned Dostoyevsky, and now we disown Pasternak. Everything that brings us glory we try to banish to the West... But we cannot allow this. We love Pasternak and we revere him as a poet... Glory to Pasternak!"^[14]

Until the 1980s, Pasternak's poetry was only published in heavily censored form. Furthermore, his reputation continued to be pilloried in State propaganda until Mikhail Gorbachev proclaimed Perestroika.

In 1988, after decades of circulating in samizdat, Doctor Zhivago was finally serialized in the pages of Novy Mir, which had changed to a more anti-communist position than in Pasternak's lifetime. The following year, Yevgeny Borisovich Pasternak was at last permitted to travel to Stockholm to collect his father's Nobel Medal. At the ceremony, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed a Bach composition in honor of his fellow Soviet dissident.

[edit] Plot summary

Yuri Zhivago is sensitive and poetic nearly to the point of mysticism. Zhivago's idealism and principles stand in contrast to the brutality and horror of World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the subsequent Russian Civil War. A major theme of the novel is how mysticism and idealism are destroyed by both the Bolsheviks and the White Army alike, as both sides commit horrible atrocities.

Other major characters include Tonya Gromeko, Yuri Zhivago's wife, and her parents Alexander and Anna, with whom Zhivago lived after he lost his parents as a child. Later, he marries Tonya, and they have son Alexander together. Yevgraf Andreievich Zhivago, Yuri's half-brother (the illegitimate son of his father), is an Old Bolshevik who gains a General's post in the Soviet secret police. In this capacity, Yevgraf helps his brother evade arrest throughout the course of the novel.

Zhivago's great love is Lara, whose full name is Larissa Feodorovna Guishar. Born the daughter of a Belgian factory owner, Lara's family, like Zhivago's, has fallen upon hard times. She ultimately becomes engaged to Pavel "Pasha" Antipov, an idealistic student who sympathises with Lenin's Bolsheviks. Lara simultaneously has a discreet affair with her mother's lover, Viktor Komarovsky. A deeply corrupt lawyer, Komarovsky's connections extend to senior figures in both the Tsarist State and its revolutionary opponents. Despite her intense resentment of Komarovsky, Lara becomes very adept at using her sensuality to manipulate her besotted lover. Suspecting the worst, Lara's mother, Amalia Guishar, attempts suicide. Zhivago, along with his fellow medical student Misha Gordon, visit with a doctor and successfully save Amalia's life.

Obsessed with freeing herself from Komarovsky, Lara spends three years working as a governess for the children of Lavrenti Kologrivov, a wealthy industrialist with Marxist sympathies. Then, Lara's brother Rodion Guishar begs her to ask Komarovsky to lend him 700 rubles which he has stolen and gambled away. Infuriated, Lara instead obtains the money from Kologrivov and severs ties to her brother. However, when the children graduate, Lara resents that the Kologrivovs allow her to stay on out of charity. Blaming Komarovsky, whom she believes has ruined her life, she attends a party and shoots at him with a revolver. However, Lara insteads wounds a senior Tsarist prosecutor. Komarovsky secretly uses his political connections to shield her from prosecution.^[15]

Ultimately, Pasha Antipov is declared missing in action during World War I, but is captured by the Austro-Hungarian Army. After escaping from a POW camp, Antipov joins the new Red Army. He becomes notorious as General Strelnikov ("The Hangman"), a fearsome commander who summarily executes both captured Whites and many civilians. Meanwhile, Lara becomes a battlefield nurse in order to search for her husband.

Following the February Revolution, Lara and Yuri serve together in a makeshift field hospital and fall in love. Neither, however, is willing to admit their feelings for the other. As he prepares to return to his wife and children in Moscow, Yuri expresses dismay to Lara that, "the roof has been ripped off," the nation he loves.

Following the October Revolution and the subsequent Russian Civil War, Yuri and his family flee by train to their estate at Varykino, in the Ural Mountains. During the journey, he meets with General Strelnikov, who informs him that Lara has returned to their daughter in the village of Yuriatin. Soon after, Lara and Yuri meet and consummate their relationship.

While returning from an encounter with Lara, Yuri is abducted by Liberius, commander of the "Forest Brotherhood", the Bolshevik guerilla band. Liberius is a dedicated Old Bolshevik and highly effective leader of his men. However, Liberius is also a cocaine addict, loud-mouthed and Narcissistic. He repeatedly bores Yuri with his longwinded lectures about the glories of socialism and the inevitability of its victory.

After Yuri deserts and returns to Lara, Komarovsky reappears. Having used his influence within the CPSU, Komarovsky has been appointed Minister of Justice of the Far Eastern Republic, a Soviet puppet state in Siberia. He offers to smuggle Yuri and Lara outside Soviet soil. They initially refuse, but Komarovsky states that Pasha Antipov is dead, having fallen from favor with the Party. Stating that this will place Lara in the CHEKA's crosshairs, he persuades Yuri that it is in her best interests to leave for the West. Yuri convinces Lara to go with Komarovsky, telling her that he will follow her shortly.

Meanwhile, the hunted General Strelnikov returns for Lara. Lara, however, has already left with Komarovsky. After having a lengthy conversation with Yuri, Antipov commits suicide. Yuri finds his body the following morning.

After returning to Moscow, Zhivago's health declines; he cohabitates with another woman and fathers two children with her. He also plans numerous writing projects which he never finishes. Meanwhile, Lara returns to Russia for Yuri Zhivago's funeral. She persuades General Yevgraf Zhivago to assist her search for her daughter by Yuri. Ultimately, however, Lara is arrested during Joseph Stalin's Great Purge and dies in the GULAG.

During World War II, Zhivago's old friends Nika Dudorov and Misha Gordon meet up. One of their discussions revolves around a local laundress named Tanya, a bezprizornaya or Civil War orphan, and her resemblance to both Yuri and Lara. Much later, they meet over the first edition of Yuri Zhivago's poems.

[edit] Themes

[edit] Loneliness

In the shadow of all this grand political change we see that everything is governed by the basic human longing for companionship. Zhivago and Pasha, in love with the same woman, both traverse Russia in these volatile times in search of such stability. They are both involved on nearly every level of the tumultuous times that Russia faced in the first half of the 20th century, yet the common theme and the motivating force behind all their movement is a want of a steady home life. When we first meet Zhivago he is being torn away from everything he knows. He is sobbing and standing on the grave of his mother. We bear witness to the moment all stability is destroyed in his life and the rest of the novel is his attempts to recreate the security stolen from him at such a young age. After the loss of his mother, Zhivago develops a longing for what Freud called the "maternal object," (feminine love and affection) in his later romantic relationships with women.^[16] His first marriage, to Tonia, is not one born of passion but from friendship. In a way, Tonia takes on the role of the mother-figure that Zhivago always sought but lacked. This, however, was not a romantic tie; and while he feels loyal to her throughout his life, he never could find true happiness with her, for their relationship lacks the fervor that was integral to his relationship to Lara.^[17]

[edit] Individuality

The Russian Revolution was at its core an ideological struggle, forcing young and old alike to align themselves or risk extermination. Its uncompromising nature put great strain on the ideals of individual thought and choice, represented in Yuri Zhivago's constant attempts to come to terms with the Revolution. Yuri is the ultimate individual, expressing himself through poetry and recognizing beauty in all aspects of life. He is frequently overcome by emotion, and is deeply introspective. His affair with Lara was primarily fueled by passion and romanticism. However, he gradually realizes that his commitment to his own unique philosophy is rapidly becoming untenable in the face of a crystallizing Soviet ideology. His attempts to exert control over his own individual self end in futility: in one pivotal scene, he wounds and possibly kills several White soldiers despite his best efforts to avoid doing so. The taking of lives is a betrayal of his personal core beliefs, and Yuri is horrified and demoralized by the incident. Ultimately, the revolution's refusal to acknowledge the fundamental nature of the individual ensured that regardless of which faction Yuri sided with, he would not be able to survive in the new Soviet era as a true individual.

[edit] Corrupted and Misdirected Revolution

When he was younger, Zhivago enjoyed having political discussions with educated people, like his uncle Nicholai. Zhivago's views were relatively neutral—though not a revolutionary zealot, he recognized that Russia needed serious reform. As the story progresses, however, Zhivago realizes that many political activists simply parrot the ideas they have heard, reciting their memorized lines in order to seem intellectual. Still others actively seek power for themselves, taking advantage of the people's thirst for betterment by promising more than they intended to deliver. Pasternak shows what he thought went wrong in the revolution: that initially, revolutionary leaders had good ideas, but because of human failings these ideas were warped or even forgotten as the revolution progressed. Pasternak's strategy to convey this point is to introduce seemingly obvious villains into the plot, but show that in the context of the entire novel, the results of their bad behavior pale in comparison to the harm caused by the corrupted revolutionary effort. Komarovsky and Strelnikov are both antagonists in the sense that they cause harm to other characters in the book, but Pasternak cleverly uses them to show that their damage was temporary and relatively minor, whereas the trauma and suffering caused by the misled train wreck of the revolution was more permanent, often fatal, and certainly more devastating to Russian society