Pavements are non-existent near my current house and we have to watch out for cars and motorbikes as our gate opens up to a busy main road. Where there are pavements, they are full of obstacles - utility poles, uneven and cracked paving and some wise guy has even planted trees right in the middle of the paths at the side of his house. There is no way I am going to allow my kids to cycle around the neighbourhood with their friends like they did back in the UK.
However, this is a very old locality and I expected the new developments to be better planned considering the growing ageing population, moving towards a developed nation status, etc. but was left disappointed after looking at some of the new property developments in Malaysia. Apart from a few upmarket projects, most seem to have done away with pavements (or sidewalks as the Americans call it) - forget about cycling paths. So I guess these developers expect people to walk on the roads or not walk at all - only use cars and vehicles. What about cyclists, elderly and handicapped people on wheelchairs?
Putrajaya and Cyberjaya are probably the only places in Malaysia which have taken these issues into account. Recently the Government has been talking about healthy lifestyles - about the need to encourage people to walk more and cycle but these new developments indicate otherwise. I seriously think that the Government needs to put in some kind of regulation in place that new developments need to have pavements and pedestrian friendly housing areas. Any thoughts?
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
24 December 2014
13 July 2014
Israel and Palestine
Though, it sounds great, a democratic Israel where Palestinians and Jews live peacefully is not going to happen. Personally, I feel that the only solution is the two state option. Palestinians have to recognise and accept Israel and stop the rocket attacks. Israel has to pull back from the occupied territories and help the Palestinians build the infrastructure, help build their own country. Stop the blockades, release the prisoners and stop the collective punishments.
All this tit-for-tat revenge will never end and we have younger generations who hate each other. Israel needs to recognise that World opinion is going against them. Making peace with the neighbours and the Palestinians would be their only way to survive in the long run. I know it is easier said than done and the eagles on both sides would try their best to prevent this from happening.
Peace.
04 September 2012
Boos for George Osborne
Chancellor George Osborne was greeted with loud boos during the medal distribution ceremony. Is that an uncomfortable smile from the Marketing Director of BMW UK?
10 November 2011
UK Protests : What's the point?
Since the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with the Conservatives, there have been so many protests in the UK. Discussing them with some of my friends, we wondered whether there was any point in these protests since they didn't change anything and in several cases, actually resulted in violence, disorder and looting.
Among the major ones were:
2010 UK student protests - 10, 24 and 30 November and 9 December. Peaceful protest that turned violent.
Pension reform protests. Violence breaks out again.
2011 Student tuition fees protests – 9 November. Relatively peaceful this time as compared to last year.
And of course we can't forget the recent riots between 6 and 10 August 2011, which started off as a peaceful march on 6 August 2011 related to the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by the Metropolitan Police on 4 August 2011 and ended in widespread looting and the death of Five people.
The Occupy London protests are still going on: with tents set up one outside St Paul's Cathedral in Central London and the other in Finsbury Square just to the north.
And it looks like more protests and strikes are on the way - Public sector workers have also decided to go on strike on 30 November over the government’s public sector pension changes.
The question is whether any of these protests had any positive impact.
Whatever sympathy that people had for the students mostly dried up after seeing the images of violence on TV and in the newspapers. The student fees still went up. Mark Duggan is all but forgotten and most people were not even aware that people were protesting outside St Paul's Cathedral until the chancellor followed by the dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London resigned.
My friend tells me that these incidents show that democracy is well and alive in the UK but what's the point if these protests didn't actually achieve anything.
Among the major ones were:
2010 UK student protests - 10, 24 and 30 November and 9 December. Peaceful protest that turned violent.
Pension reform protests. Violence breaks out again.
2011 Student tuition fees protests – 9 November. Relatively peaceful this time as compared to last year.
And of course we can't forget the recent riots between 6 and 10 August 2011, which started off as a peaceful march on 6 August 2011 related to the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by the Metropolitan Police on 4 August 2011 and ended in widespread looting and the death of Five people.
The Occupy London protests are still going on: with tents set up one outside St Paul's Cathedral in Central London and the other in Finsbury Square just to the north.
And it looks like more protests and strikes are on the way - Public sector workers have also decided to go on strike on 30 November over the government’s public sector pension changes.
The question is whether any of these protests had any positive impact.
Whatever sympathy that people had for the students mostly dried up after seeing the images of violence on TV and in the newspapers. The student fees still went up. Mark Duggan is all but forgotten and most people were not even aware that people were protesting outside St Paul's Cathedral until the chancellor followed by the dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London resigned.
My friend tells me that these incidents show that democracy is well and alive in the UK but what's the point if these protests didn't actually achieve anything.
24 July 2011
Tragedy in Norway
Was really shocked when I heard about the twin attacks in Norway yesterday. This follows the three separate explosions in Mumbai just last week and the first thought that came to mind was "Muslim terrorists!" Even the BBC reports speculated that extremist "Jihadis" were responsible for the attacks. "Bloody F£$%^&g, B£$%^&ds" I cursed.
Not surprisingly comments on most online news sites including the Telegraph, Sun and the Daily Mail were filled with anti-Muslim and anti-immigration sentiment. Many were so blatantly islamophobic and some actually were incitement to violence.
Today it emerged that the man at the centre of the attack has been identified as Anders Breivik, 32, a Norwegian with links with to right-wing extremists and a neo-Nazi. He is also said to have anti-Muslim feelings and against a multi-culturarism. Few reports describe him as a conservative Christian.
I could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from Muslims all over the World.
I was really interested to see how the readers of the newspapers responded to the latest news. A lot of people were offended about the description of the killer as "conservative" and as a "Christian". Some guys correctly pointed out that when similar incidents involving a Muslim happens around the World, news reports promptly put "Islamic terrorist" or "Jihadi" tag, whereas in this case the guy was simply a "mad man" or simply "the Oslo gunman".
Larry Keffer of the Biblical Research Center in Norway warned that "that people should not think that just because Breivik says he is a Christian that he actually is one."
The best comment was by a Mohammed kamran on the Daily Mail .
He points out that
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this tragedy in Norway.
Updated: Various pictures also show him wearing the ceremonial robes of the Freemasons. I wonder what is his link with this very secretive group.
Not surprisingly comments on most online news sites including the Telegraph, Sun and the Daily Mail were filled with anti-Muslim and anti-immigration sentiment. Many were so blatantly islamophobic and some actually were incitement to violence.
Today it emerged that the man at the centre of the attack has been identified as Anders Breivik, 32, a Norwegian with links with to right-wing extremists and a neo-Nazi. He is also said to have anti-Muslim feelings and against a multi-culturarism. Few reports describe him as a conservative Christian.
I could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from Muslims all over the World.
I was really interested to see how the readers of the newspapers responded to the latest news. A lot of people were offended about the description of the killer as "conservative" and as a "Christian". Some guys correctly pointed out that when similar incidents involving a Muslim happens around the World, news reports promptly put "Islamic terrorist" or "Jihadi" tag, whereas in this case the guy was simply a "mad man" or simply "the Oslo gunman".
Larry Keffer of the Biblical Research Center in Norway warned that "that people should not think that just because Breivik says he is a Christian that he actually is one."
The best comment was by a Mohammed kamran on the Daily Mail .
He points out that
"Terrorists use religion to get the moral high ground and give themselves a cause. My religion has been hijacked by terrorist s*** but Muslims reading this know he is NOT a Christian. We know what it's like when someone claims to be of your religion and causes an outrage like this. My thoughts and prayers are with Norway. God bless you."I do wonder whether the anti-Muslim and anti-immigration rhetoric sweeping all over Europe may have had a part in this tragedy.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this tragedy in Norway.
Updated: Various pictures also show him wearing the ceremonial robes of the Freemasons. I wonder what is his link with this very secretive group.
03 May 2010
St George was Palestinian
23 April was St. George's day and my daughter came home with loads of pictures of crosses and questions about St. George. I only told her what I knew - the legend of him killing a dragon and rescuing a princess. I also know that he is the patron Saint of England and that his emblem, a red cross on a white background, is the flag of England but nothing more than that. Being curious, I went over to the best source of information on the web - Wikipedia.
The racist BNP extensively uses the St George's Cross in it's campaigns and I actually thought that it was their symbol. It's not.
Boris Johnson, the mayor of London recently called for Londoners to reclaim the "St George flag from the BNP". I do realise that a lot of BNP supporters display the flag in their cars and windows.
Anyway, I was quite surprised to learn that according to historians, the real St. George was actually born in Lydda, Palestine (now Lod in Israel) and he never actually came to the British Isles. Wonder how many people know about the actual origins of St. George?
The racist BNP extensively uses the St George's Cross in it's campaigns and I actually thought that it was their symbol. It's not.
Boris Johnson, the mayor of London recently called for Londoners to reclaim the "St George flag from the BNP". I do realise that a lot of BNP supporters display the flag in their cars and windows.
Anyway, I was quite surprised to learn that according to historians, the real St. George was actually born in Lydda, Palestine (now Lod in Israel) and he never actually came to the British Isles. Wonder how many people know about the actual origins of St. George?
25 April 2010
The demographic segment that politicians in the UK forgot
Had a few reactions to my previous post "Blame the foreigners" but mostly offline. Some agreed with me while others felt that as foreigners, it was not our concern. I have to disagree because as long as we stay here, whatever decisions the Government makes, does affect us.
Some new regulations introduced since we first arrived has already had an impact. Among the new regulations that affect us directly, includes the stricter requirements for visa renewals along with the required minimum amount of money in our bank accounts for each family member when we renew our visas even though we are in our final stages of our study, the introductions of identity cards and the new points system.
As I pay tax on what little I earn, I feel that I have the right to decide how that money will be put to use. More so considering the fact that we are not eligible to receive any benefits from the council.
Also a lot of people (including some politicians I think) are not aware that since 1949, citizens of Commonwealth countries are eligible to vote in the UK . We are the demographic segment that everyone forgot about but with the potential to make a huge difference.
In Coventry alone there are a few hundred potential voters but have been largely ignored by all political parties. And as we know elections can be won or lost by a single vote.
Some new regulations introduced since we first arrived has already had an impact. Among the new regulations that affect us directly, includes the stricter requirements for visa renewals along with the required minimum amount of money in our bank accounts for each family member when we renew our visas even though we are in our final stages of our study, the introductions of identity cards and the new points system.
As I pay tax on what little I earn, I feel that I have the right to decide how that money will be put to use. More so considering the fact that we are not eligible to receive any benefits from the council.
Also a lot of people (including some politicians I think) are not aware that since 1949, citizens of Commonwealth countries are eligible to vote in the UK . We are the demographic segment that everyone forgot about but with the potential to make a huge difference.
In Coventry alone there are a few hundred potential voters but have been largely ignored by all political parties. And as we know elections can be won or lost by a single vote.
21 April 2010
Blame the foreigners
If you examine recent history, you will notice that whenever there's some crisis in any country, the foreigners are inevitably used as the boogeyman most often than not. I guess they are easiest and most convinient target to place the blame on. This has happened in India, in Malaysia and now in the UK as well.
It has probably been shimmering below the surface for some time but it has just come out into the open now. Or should I say forced into the open after the BNP made immigration THE issue (they always have) and suddenly they got an audience. Now the Conservatives and Labour both acknowledges that it is an issue of concern in the UK as well. Now foreigners are blamed for almost every problem ranging from unemployment, crowded school places, housing issues, NHS problems, crime and maybe the banking and financial crisis as well. It sounds ridiculous until you realise that a large number of people do really believe that foreigners are the cause of all these problems in the UK.
Who are the foreigners?
I am not really sure what people mean by "foreigners". I assume they mean everyone from outside the UK but talking to people and reading comments on articles, realise that there is a wide range of views. Officially, the term refers to people from outside the EU. They also lump those who are here legally and illegally along with the asylum seekers.
Moreover, reading comments on any article on immigration, you can see that a lot of people actually mean "South Asian and African". Though a lot of people don't admit it but clearly colour of skin and country of origin, is an issue. Hardly anyone talks about Americans, Eastern Europeans, Australians, etc. And if you read all the comments you will find at least one or two comments talking about the rise of Muslim population in the UK.
From time to time, the authorities do try to correct the picture but they are not really doing a good job.There is a need to clear some of the misconceptions.
So are foreigners really taking away the jobs of locals (read EU)?
I seriously doubt it. I know personally how tough it is to get a job here in the UK. You won't get a job unless you are really good and there's no local to fill the job. Of course there are those unscrupulous employers who employ foreigners because they can get away with paying minimum wages (sometimes less) and a lot more. Citizens from other EU countries can travel and work freely here in the UK without the need for any visa and vise-versa of course.
Many foreigners are students
A large proportion of the non-EU foreigners entering the UK legally are actually students. They pay almost three times as much as the students from the EU countries and I do believe that the education Industry is one of the largest foreign exchange earners for the country regardless of economic climate. Like the US, British universities have been able to attract the brightest brains from all around the World (some countries like India and Malaysia is trying to reverse this brain drain to varying levels of success).
Students are allowed to work part time for a few hours every week (one of the attractions of working in the UK) but the jobs include waiting staff, translators, cleaners and the like if you get what I mean. I was fortunate to get a job as a web developer and later as a part time teacher in the University of Warwick but as I mentioned earlier, depends on your capability and if there's no local around to fill the post. Some students do eventually settle down here and contribute to the intellectual capital and economy of the country (I mean most end up paying taxes and not on the dole). But it getting much tougher after the Government introduced the points system (copied from the Australians?)
Foreigners protecting local jobs
Actually foreigners have created jobs by rescuing or taking over failing British businesses. Talking about failing British companies, they are the main cause of unemployment not foreigners but many don't see it that way. I guess they need to blame someone and the global economy is too vague to blame. Thank God for the welfare state here or there would have been serious problems. The economy is improving but the country is not really fully out of it yet. Hopefully people would be less negative once businesses start thriving and unemployment starts falling.
Anyway, I recall that a number of people here were unhappy when Malaysian car company Proton took over Lotus but I hope they now realise that Proton actually rescued Lotus and saved British jobs in Norfolk. They have recently brought back the British marque back into the Formula 1 with a little help from the Malaysian Govt. There were a lot of snide remarks as well when Tata of India took over Jaguar and Land Rover. With minimum job cuts, they actually made a profit - something Ford had been unable to do in the past. Jaguar Land Rover announced a net profit of £55m (US$140.7 million) end of last year. There are more examples.
Some unsolved issues
I am not saying that there is no immigration issue because there is. The hundreds of illegal immigrants waiting in France to cross over across the channel is an indicator of the problem. For every one caught I am sure a few get through and they are here somewhere. Another issue is that of the asylum seekers. I recently read an article about how many of them (several with families) were left in limbo for several years, unable to work and no certainty about the future. The Govt. definitely needs to look at these issues.
What I hope is that people here would realise that foreigners are not really the source of the problems.
It has probably been shimmering below the surface for some time but it has just come out into the open now. Or should I say forced into the open after the BNP made immigration THE issue (they always have) and suddenly they got an audience. Now the Conservatives and Labour both acknowledges that it is an issue of concern in the UK as well. Now foreigners are blamed for almost every problem ranging from unemployment, crowded school places, housing issues, NHS problems, crime and maybe the banking and financial crisis as well. It sounds ridiculous until you realise that a large number of people do really believe that foreigners are the cause of all these problems in the UK.
Who are the foreigners?
I am not really sure what people mean by "foreigners". I assume they mean everyone from outside the UK but talking to people and reading comments on articles, realise that there is a wide range of views. Officially, the term refers to people from outside the EU. They also lump those who are here legally and illegally along with the asylum seekers.
Moreover, reading comments on any article on immigration, you can see that a lot of people actually mean "South Asian and African". Though a lot of people don't admit it but clearly colour of skin and country of origin, is an issue. Hardly anyone talks about Americans, Eastern Europeans, Australians, etc. And if you read all the comments you will find at least one or two comments talking about the rise of Muslim population in the UK.
From time to time, the authorities do try to correct the picture but they are not really doing a good job.There is a need to clear some of the misconceptions.
So are foreigners really taking away the jobs of locals (read EU)?
I seriously doubt it. I know personally how tough it is to get a job here in the UK. You won't get a job unless you are really good and there's no local to fill the job. Of course there are those unscrupulous employers who employ foreigners because they can get away with paying minimum wages (sometimes less) and a lot more. Citizens from other EU countries can travel and work freely here in the UK without the need for any visa and vise-versa of course.
Many foreigners are students
A large proportion of the non-EU foreigners entering the UK legally are actually students. They pay almost three times as much as the students from the EU countries and I do believe that the education Industry is one of the largest foreign exchange earners for the country regardless of economic climate. Like the US, British universities have been able to attract the brightest brains from all around the World (some countries like India and Malaysia is trying to reverse this brain drain to varying levels of success).
Students are allowed to work part time for a few hours every week (one of the attractions of working in the UK) but the jobs include waiting staff, translators, cleaners and the like if you get what I mean. I was fortunate to get a job as a web developer and later as a part time teacher in the University of Warwick but as I mentioned earlier, depends on your capability and if there's no local around to fill the post. Some students do eventually settle down here and contribute to the intellectual capital and economy of the country (I mean most end up paying taxes and not on the dole). But it getting much tougher after the Government introduced the points system (copied from the Australians?)
Foreigners protecting local jobs
Actually foreigners have created jobs by rescuing or taking over failing British businesses. Talking about failing British companies, they are the main cause of unemployment not foreigners but many don't see it that way. I guess they need to blame someone and the global economy is too vague to blame. Thank God for the welfare state here or there would have been serious problems. The economy is improving but the country is not really fully out of it yet. Hopefully people would be less negative once businesses start thriving and unemployment starts falling.
Anyway, I recall that a number of people here were unhappy when Malaysian car company Proton took over Lotus but I hope they now realise that Proton actually rescued Lotus and saved British jobs in Norfolk. They have recently brought back the British marque back into the Formula 1 with a little help from the Malaysian Govt. There were a lot of snide remarks as well when Tata of India took over Jaguar and Land Rover. With minimum job cuts, they actually made a profit - something Ford had been unable to do in the past. Jaguar Land Rover announced a net profit of £55m (US$140.7 million) end of last year. There are more examples.
Some unsolved issues
I am not saying that there is no immigration issue because there is. The hundreds of illegal immigrants waiting in France to cross over across the channel is an indicator of the problem. For every one caught I am sure a few get through and they are here somewhere. Another issue is that of the asylum seekers. I recently read an article about how many of them (several with families) were left in limbo for several years, unable to work and no certainty about the future. The Govt. definitely needs to look at these issues.
What I hope is that people here would realise that foreigners are not really the source of the problems.
15 April 2009
In defence of Pak Lah
Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi stepped down as Prime Minister of Malaysia two weeks ago and people already seem to have forgotten him. I am quite disappointed that nobody seems to have anything nice to say about this man.
Nearing the end of his tenure, it seemed like almost everyone was after him. I heard a number of Malays complaining that he had weakened the position of the Malays. On the other hand, the Chinese and the Indians were unsatisfied with him as well.
I guess the problem was that when he was made the Prime Minister, Malaysians expected great - almost impossible things from him. They expected him to wipe out corruption from the country, increase transparency, improve human rights, freedom of the press, etc. etc.
The fact is that he did. The press in Malaysia has never been this freer. He also initiated several campaigns to reduce corruption including the "Saya Anti-Rasuah" campaign. Whether these were successful or not is debatable.
Almost anyone who had to deal with Government agencies will tell you that the level of service quality had improved tremendously as compared to the previous Mahathir era. Of course certain departments have a long way to go before they achieve Bersih, Cekap, Amanah dan Toleransi (Clean, Efficient, Trustworthy and Tolerant).
One of the main reasons I have a soft spot was because I once was in huge trouble and I wrote to him directly as a last resort when all my efforts to solve it were in vain. I was really amazed when he (or his secretary) actually directed the Government officials involved to solve my problem with a letter copied to me as well. All this happened within two weeks. I had actually sent letters to other officials as well but no reply till date.
So what went wrong?
People suddenly realised that they could voice out what they felt and I guess the blogosphere had a role in this. This is illustrated by the fact that a few prominent bloggers were elected to the Malaysian Parliament. It suddenly seemed like Malaysia was filled with corruption and scandals. While the fact is that these had been happening from before, only that these were just rumours that went around via word-of-mouth and rarely read and analysed by so many people - common citizens. So opening up the media might have done him a lot of harm and he couldn't put a lid on it after people had tasted the fruits of freedom of speech.
Another thing that really hurt Pak Lah was the strained relations with the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. There are several reasons and I wouldn't want to go into it. Tun Mahathir has a lot of admirers in Malaysia and even outside (including myself) and you can imagine the impact of every word against his successor.
Most people also blame Pak Lah's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin for pulling him down. I have not seen any proof that Khairy was ever involved in any wrong doing but I guess a lot of the older politicians were wary of his rapid rise in influence.
Last of all, I blame his PR people for failing him. They totally ignored the blogosphere as well. Pak Lah certainly had a image problem. I am sure everyone has received a forwarded email with a picture of him falling asleep at some event or the other. In the end, everyone got the impression of a PM that didn't care. I wonder why his people never did anything about this. I know of a couple of brilliant old professors who have the same problem and used to fall asleep at all the academic meetings. All the people around knew their problem but just ignored it because they were aware how brilliant they were. However, it's different in the case of a politician, more so the Prime Minister of the country. For them, image is everything.
I guess I could go on and on but I am sure there are a lot of others like me who are sad to see Pak Lah go.
Nearing the end of his tenure, it seemed like almost everyone was after him. I heard a number of Malays complaining that he had weakened the position of the Malays. On the other hand, the Chinese and the Indians were unsatisfied with him as well.
I guess the problem was that when he was made the Prime Minister, Malaysians expected great - almost impossible things from him. They expected him to wipe out corruption from the country, increase transparency, improve human rights, freedom of the press, etc. etc.
The fact is that he did. The press in Malaysia has never been this freer. He also initiated several campaigns to reduce corruption including the "Saya Anti-Rasuah" campaign. Whether these were successful or not is debatable.
Almost anyone who had to deal with Government agencies will tell you that the level of service quality had improved tremendously as compared to the previous Mahathir era. Of course certain departments have a long way to go before they achieve Bersih, Cekap, Amanah dan Toleransi (Clean, Efficient, Trustworthy and Tolerant).
One of the main reasons I have a soft spot was because I once was in huge trouble and I wrote to him directly as a last resort when all my efforts to solve it were in vain. I was really amazed when he (or his secretary) actually directed the Government officials involved to solve my problem with a letter copied to me as well. All this happened within two weeks. I had actually sent letters to other officials as well but no reply till date.
So what went wrong?
People suddenly realised that they could voice out what they felt and I guess the blogosphere had a role in this. This is illustrated by the fact that a few prominent bloggers were elected to the Malaysian Parliament. It suddenly seemed like Malaysia was filled with corruption and scandals. While the fact is that these had been happening from before, only that these were just rumours that went around via word-of-mouth and rarely read and analysed by so many people - common citizens. So opening up the media might have done him a lot of harm and he couldn't put a lid on it after people had tasted the fruits of freedom of speech.
Another thing that really hurt Pak Lah was the strained relations with the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. There are several reasons and I wouldn't want to go into it. Tun Mahathir has a lot of admirers in Malaysia and even outside (including myself) and you can imagine the impact of every word against his successor.
Most people also blame Pak Lah's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin for pulling him down. I have not seen any proof that Khairy was ever involved in any wrong doing but I guess a lot of the older politicians were wary of his rapid rise in influence.
Last of all, I blame his PR people for failing him. They totally ignored the blogosphere as well. Pak Lah certainly had a image problem. I am sure everyone has received a forwarded email with a picture of him falling asleep at some event or the other. In the end, everyone got the impression of a PM that didn't care. I wonder why his people never did anything about this. I know of a couple of brilliant old professors who have the same problem and used to fall asleep at all the academic meetings. All the people around knew their problem but just ignored it because they were aware how brilliant they were. However, it's different in the case of a politician, more so the Prime Minister of the country. For them, image is everything.
I guess I could go on and on but I am sure there are a lot of others like me who are sad to see Pak Lah go.
15 February 2009
Facebook for birds
I came across this really interesting article on the BBC website, whereby males of a bird species called long-tailed manakins collaborate to make a particular mating spot "hot" to the female birds. One bird graciously bows out to the alpha bird but with the condition that they "inherit the mating site and become the alpha himself".
The article mentions the "Granita pact" also known as the Blair-Brown deal. Apparently, the birds in Costa Rica also have similar agreements.
It was quite funny when the way Dr McDonald of Wyoming University, describes the way Alpha males are selected. He calls it "Facebook for birds".
Read the article "Dance duet helps male birds mate".
The article mentions the "Granita pact" also known as the Blair-Brown deal. Apparently, the birds in Costa Rica also have similar agreements.
It was quite funny when the way Dr McDonald of Wyoming University, describes the way Alpha males are selected. He calls it "Facebook for birds".
Read the article "Dance duet helps male birds mate".
07 November 2008
President Barak Obama
As we all know Obama, the son of a black father from Kenya and white mother from Kansas, will be sworn in as the 44th US president on January 20, 2009.
Is it possible that the UK might have a black, mixed race or even an Asian as the Prime Minister.
How about Malaysia? Will we ever see a Chinese or Indian Prime Minister?
I guess that might take a little more time.
BTW, I am sure you have heard or read about his Indonesian connection but do you know the Malaysian connection.
Well Obama's Half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng is married to Konrad Ng, a Canadian of Malaysian Chinese descent. His parents are from Kudat and Sandakan,Sabah, Malaysia.
Anyway, the two best things that ever happened to Obama were probably the controversy that his Pastor started (read Obama's Pastor: God Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11) and when John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Regarding the pastor, many who were NOT going to vote for Obama because they thought he was a Muslim, suddenly thought: "Wait a minute! He's got a Pastor, which means he goes to Church and therefore, he's not a Muslim".
As for Sarah Palin, read Palin 'Said Africa Was A Country'.
Watch Obama in Chicago:
Is it possible that the UK might have a black, mixed race or even an Asian as the Prime Minister.
How about Malaysia? Will we ever see a Chinese or Indian Prime Minister?
I guess that might take a little more time.
BTW, I am sure you have heard or read about his Indonesian connection but do you know the Malaysian connection.
Well Obama's Half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng is married to Konrad Ng, a Canadian of Malaysian Chinese descent. His parents are from Kudat and Sandakan,Sabah, Malaysia.
Anyway, the two best things that ever happened to Obama were probably the controversy that his Pastor started (read Obama's Pastor: God Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11) and when John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Regarding the pastor, many who were NOT going to vote for Obama because they thought he was a Muslim, suddenly thought: "Wait a minute! He's got a Pastor, which means he goes to Church and therefore, he's not a Muslim".
As for Sarah Palin, read Palin 'Said Africa Was A Country'.
Watch Obama in Chicago:
12 April 2008
Where a million dollars does not mean anything
I was reading about the really sad affairs in Zimbabwe in an article on the BBC site and I recall an old National Geographic magazine that I once read. That issue was full of optimism about the country that had just gained independence and had taken on the new name of Zimbabwe (1980) and it's great leader, Robert Mugabe.
Now the country seems to have gone down the drain like so many other African countries. It's amazing that a cup of tea and two glasses of water can cost 204 million Zimbabwe dollars.
One guy can do this to a country.
Read the article: Mugabe's stranglehold on Zimbabwe
Now the country seems to have gone down the drain like so many other African countries. It's amazing that a cup of tea and two glasses of water can cost 204 million Zimbabwe dollars.
One guy can do this to a country.
Read the article: Mugabe's stranglehold on Zimbabwe
12 March 2008
Malaysian election results - my comments
Quite a number of people have asked me why I haven't blogged about the recently concluded general elections in Malaysia. This may not be entirely true as I did blog about Jeff Ooi getting elected. Even though I blog about issues I am not happy with from time to time, I prefer to keep politics out of my blog.
That is also the reason I am among the few Malaysian bloggers who you will not see jumping around with joy with the recent results. As I mentioned before, I am really interested to see how it will all work out.
Will the DAP and PAS, two parties with almost totally opposite agendas, get along within the opposition coalition?
How will UMNO and other BN component parties respond to this?
What role is Anwar Ibrahim going to play in this whole drama?
I would definitely like to see the opposition parties fulfilling the promises they made - namely that of eliminating corruption, nepotism and cronysm in the states they control. They have to. Everyone is looking up to them now.
However, I am not sure they can actually do anything about the inflation and rising prices of goods, one of the reasons why a number of people voted for the opposition. This is a Worldwide phenomenon and people here in the UK are complaining about it as well. The already high fuel prices are set to increase even further.
So, I am adopting the "wait and see" policy.
That is also the reason I am among the few Malaysian bloggers who you will not see jumping around with joy with the recent results. As I mentioned before, I am really interested to see how it will all work out.
Will the DAP and PAS, two parties with almost totally opposite agendas, get along within the opposition coalition?
How will UMNO and other BN component parties respond to this?
What role is Anwar Ibrahim going to play in this whole drama?
I would definitely like to see the opposition parties fulfilling the promises they made - namely that of eliminating corruption, nepotism and cronysm in the states they control. They have to. Everyone is looking up to them now.
However, I am not sure they can actually do anything about the inflation and rising prices of goods, one of the reasons why a number of people voted for the opposition. This is a Worldwide phenomenon and people here in the UK are complaining about it as well. The already high fuel prices are set to increase even further.
So, I am adopting the "wait and see" policy.
09 March 2008
Blogger enters Malaysian parliament
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/9914840/
Jeff Ooi, Malayasia's most famous political blogger was voted into parliament in the recently concluded Malaysian general elections.
Standing under the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP), Jeff Ooi won the Jelutong parliamentary seat with a 16,246 majority beating two other candidates.
One of the indications of the growing political clout of bloggers. I may be mistaken but I think he's the first blogger to get elected to a parliament in any country.
04 July 2007
Alan Johnston released
Put on the TV this morning to hear some wonderful news. BBC correspondent Alan Johnston has finally been released after being held in captivity in the Gaza strip for 114 days.
It is ironic but the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas was key in securing his release. 45 years old Johnston was the only remaining Western journalist in the Gaza strip and he was abducted on 12 March by the Army of Islam a militant group there.
Hamas took control in Gaza by force last month and they slowly closed down on the group. There was relief that Alan was released without any military action and he was unharmed.
I am happy that I can finally take down the button on my side bar calling for his release.
Related links:
- Johnston free after 'appalling' ordeal
- Hamas role in Johnston's release
Tags: alan johnston bbc gaza hamas palestinian
It is ironic but the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas was key in securing his release. 45 years old Johnston was the only remaining Western journalist in the Gaza strip and he was abducted on 12 March by the Army of Islam a militant group there.
Hamas took control in Gaza by force last month and they slowly closed down on the group. There was relief that Alan was released without any military action and he was unharmed.
I am happy that I can finally take down the button on my side bar calling for his release.
Related links:
- Johnston free after 'appalling' ordeal
- Hamas role in Johnston's release
Tags: alan johnston bbc gaza hamas palestinian
27 June 2007
Blair steps down
Just watched on TV, Tony Blair step down as UK prime minister after a decade. When he became the Prime Minister in 1997, he was the youngest prime minister in nearly 200 years. He won an unprecedented three elections in a row for the Labour party.
He was instrumental in ending the conflict in Northern Ireland and getting the opposing sides to sign a peace treaty. He also helped end the genocide in the Balkans. Domestically, he is attributed with bringing the crime rate down. However, in the end he spoilt it all by supporting Bush's decision to invade Iraq.
Though he offered condolences to the families of fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was not apologetic about his actions:
However, Military Families Against the War said:
Blair will now take over in his new role as envoy to the Mideast peace mediators.
The former Chancellor and Gordon Brown has now moved into 10 Downing Street. As soon as he arrived there he announced:
He was instrumental in ending the conflict in Northern Ireland and getting the opposing sides to sign a peace treaty. He also helped end the genocide in the Balkans. Domestically, he is attributed with bringing the crime rate down. However, in the end he spoilt it all by supporting Bush's decision to invade Iraq.
Though he offered condolences to the families of fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was not apologetic about his actions:
I know some may think that they face these dangers in vain; I don't and I never will. I believe they are fighting for the security of this country and the wider world against people who would destroy our way of life.
However, Military Families Against the War said:
He will not be allowed to forget the suffering he has caused
Blair - you are a failure!
Blair will now take over in his new role as envoy to the Mideast peace mediators.
The former Chancellor and Gordon Brown has now moved into 10 Downing Street. As soon as he arrived there he announced:
This will be a new government with new priorities, meeting the concerns and aspirations of the whole country. Let the work of change begin
20 April 2007
The Virginia Tech shootings
I was really shocked when I heard about the Virginia Tech shootings on the radio while driving back from the clinic on Tuesday evening.
Going through various blogs which posted about the tragedy, everybody seems to be asking "what drove the gunmen, Cho Seung-hui do it?"
Of course some are also asking why these shootings at educational institutions are so common in the US? It does not happen in any other country.
A lot of people are pointing their fingers at the lax gun control laws in the US and it's various states.
I am sure a lot of Americans who believe in the right to bear arms will disagree and say that " It's not guns that kill; its people who kill". This blog says that, "Once guns are banned, crime will explode". I totally disagree. You just need to look at the violent crime rate in countries that control guns and ones that don't. Just guess, which ones have lower rates.
The fact is that the US has the most heavily armed people and also the highest gun related deaths in the World. According to a Reuter's report, "there's an estimated 250 million privately owned guns in the United States, which has a population of about 300 million". In fact someone was telling me that a lot of Americans have automatic assault rifles in their homes. If that's for self-defense, that's really crazy.
To me, guns should be restricted to the armed forces, security forces and for certain purposes, namely hunting or for sports.
My sincere condolences to those who lost their lives in the tragedy.
Tags: Cho Seung-hui Guns Gun control Virginia Tech
Going through various blogs which posted about the tragedy, everybody seems to be asking "what drove the gunmen, Cho Seung-hui do it?"
Of course some are also asking why these shootings at educational institutions are so common in the US? It does not happen in any other country.
A lot of people are pointing their fingers at the lax gun control laws in the US and it's various states.
I am sure a lot of Americans who believe in the right to bear arms will disagree and say that " It's not guns that kill; its people who kill". This blog says that, "Once guns are banned, crime will explode". I totally disagree. You just need to look at the violent crime rate in countries that control guns and ones that don't. Just guess, which ones have lower rates.
The fact is that the US has the most heavily armed people and also the highest gun related deaths in the World. According to a Reuter's report, "there's an estimated 250 million privately owned guns in the United States, which has a population of about 300 million". In fact someone was telling me that a lot of Americans have automatic assault rifles in their homes. If that's for self-defense, that's really crazy.
To me, guns should be restricted to the armed forces, security forces and for certain purposes, namely hunting or for sports.
My sincere condolences to those who lost their lives in the tragedy.
Tags: Cho Seung-hui Guns Gun control Virginia Tech
03 April 2007
Manipur, a forgotten hotspot
Read this interesting article in the Economist online, titled "A safe house for dangerous men", about Manipur, a small state in the North-East corner of India.
This article is part of a "Correspondent’s Diary", but I am not sure who the correspondent is.
Wracked by insurgency and a AIDS hot spot, Manipur certainly doesn't sound like it is the "Jewel of India".
Tags: Manipur Insurgency India
This article is part of a "Correspondent’s Diary", but I am not sure who the correspondent is.
Wracked by insurgency and a AIDS hot spot, Manipur certainly doesn't sound like it is the "Jewel of India".
Tags: Manipur Insurgency India
26 March 2007
Latest video from Iraq
Saddam is gone but the violence hasn't ended.
Bombs are still going off.
And the country is worse off than before.
Bombs are still going off.
And the country is worse off than before.
04 February 2007
News from Muslim World
Just learnt from the BBC that 130 people have been killed in Baghdad.
Meanwhile, rival Palestinian factions from the Hamas and Fatah, are killing each other in the Gaza Strip. According to this report, they have agreed on an immediate ceasefire - again. Hope they keep it this time.
Things have cooled down a bit in Lebanon after last weeks fighting and the clerics are trying their best to keep peace.
Fighting still continues in Afghanistan with the Taliban taking over a town.
Over here in the UK, police are still holding nine Birmingham men arrested over an alleged kidnapping plot, in a Coventry police station. They were alleged to have plotted to kidnap and kill a Muslim soldier and then post up videos on the net.The names of some of the guys have come out.
Meanwhile, rival Palestinian factions from the Hamas and Fatah, are killing each other in the Gaza Strip. According to this report, they have agreed on an immediate ceasefire - again. Hope they keep it this time.
Things have cooled down a bit in Lebanon after last weeks fighting and the clerics are trying their best to keep peace.
Fighting still continues in Afghanistan with the Taliban taking over a town.
Over here in the UK, police are still holding nine Birmingham men arrested over an alleged kidnapping plot, in a Coventry police station. They were alleged to have plotted to kidnap and kill a Muslim soldier and then post up videos on the net.The names of some of the guys have come out.
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