Screenshots

The next general election in the UK will likely fight many battles online. The countdown starts with a widget galore.

The widget on top is from a non-profit, while The Tory dispenses its own, at the bottom.

Tory said yesterday, June 13:

David Cameron has repeatedly called on Gordon Brown to dissolve Parliament and hold a General Election immediately. But even if he doesn’t have the courage to call an election now, Mr. Brown can’t put it off forever.

He has to hold one before June 3rd next year - and we’ve built a widget that counts down the days until the people of Britain finally get their say.

Worth watching!

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hours after the screenshot of the Ong Tee Keat poll (Titled: Should MCA leave BN?) was featured in Screenshots, the webmaster decided to take it down along with all other polls running on his website.

That's quite a courage for change, leaving a jarring hole in Tee Keat's record.

See Bernama story, timelined: 17:18hr, June 12.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 05:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A study by Harvard Business School researchers concluded that 10% of Twitter members account for 90% of tweets.

As micro-blogging is so popular, are we seeing the effect of Long Tail theory for Twitter, which finds a niche strategy that helps it sell a large number of social networkers, each in relatively small quantities of 140 characters max?

Interestingly, another research by web analytics firm HubSpot discovered that nearly 55% of 4.5 million Twitter members monitored have never "tweeted" -- meaning they signed up for Twitter service but never fired off any "Twitter" message to share, people like Ah Hai.

Interesting still, HubSpot said more than half of Twitter members have no followers, and about 55% of them aren't following anyone else's micro-messages,

See "State of the Twittersphere" report by HubSpot in PDF.

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It's a recession, and crude oil rose to US$72.00 per barrel.

Watch it... Wall (fragile) Street, then the rest of the world!

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

More than six years after the Bush Administration invaded Iraq, Dick Cheney now says he doesn’t think Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks.

Yes, Cheney has the gore to tell his countrymen in the face -- after civilian Iraqis were shocked and awed, 4,310 Americans died in Iraq probably more than Pearl Harbour, and with U.S. troops possibly stuck there for years to come.

I was listening to emails sent to Jack Cafferty after his blog went up on CNN.

Nauseous, that US was cursed with such a deputy president for eight long years.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Had Jay Leno had a Malaysian audience, many a Syed Hamid Albar (to arrest Tan Hoon Cheng under ISA is to protect her safety) would have been his favourite butt of jokes.

On US airwaves last Friday, Leno hosted the last episode of “The Tonight Show”, his 3,775th, after 17 years at the helm. It's the night spot that David Letterman dreamed of, but never got.

His final couch guest was Conan O’Brien, who is to take over from him as host.

According to New York Times, the ratings during Leno’s final week as the host of “The Tonight Show" were up each night by about 21% on average over his ratings this year.

I don't know if I had missed Leno's finale on our TV. We all love his Jaywalking, don't we?

"How many commandments are there?"
"Ten!"
"Can you name any of them?
"Freedom of speech!"

"How many stars are on that flag?" (Jay points at a Star-Spangled Banner up a flagpole)
"It's moving too much to tell"

Jay Leno is not retiring, though. He will return to NBC with "The Jay Leno Show" that will premiere September 14, hopefully US economy will still be holding up by then.

"We're coming back at 10pm, primetime, in September. It's a gamble, I must admit, it's a gamble - we don't know if NBC's even going to be around in three months time…" Leno said in his finale.

(drum roll, cymbal crash)

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Reported US$82.3 billion in assets but US$172.8 billion in debt. General Motors did the inevitable: File for bankruptcy under Chapter 11.

The news was confirmed just about the same time an Air France A330-200 dropped off the radar screen in turbulent weather. Times Online calls it a no-hope incident.

With awkward immediacy, Obama went on air to declare US government's commitment to invest US$30 billion in the failed company.

He said the plan is viable and achievable.

But Washington and Wall Street must quickly realise that it is huge lesson for the whole US economy.

China and vast parts of the world had been bankrolling and financing Uncle Sam, whose job had been issuing bonds and printing paper money. Do we still owe them a living in this changed, flat world?

Meanwhile, Telegraph UK says it is extremely rare for turbulence to be so bad that it causes a large passenger airline to crash.

Got the drift, Mr Fritz Henderson?

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I am looking forward to listening live a keynote address by the Australian PM, Kevin Rudd, in Singapore tonight. His successful campaign in unseating John Howard in late 2007 heralded the Pakatan win in Malaysia last year.

I just dropped into Singapore this morning to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue 2009 as a guest of UK-based International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS).

Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi heads the government delegates from Malaysia.

He is accompanied by Chief of Arm Forces, General Abdul Aziz Haji Zainal; Vice Chancellor National Defence University Malaysia. Lieutenant; -General Zulkifli Zainal Abidin; Secretary General of Defence Ministry, Abu Bakar Haji Abdullah; Director of Strategic Planning, Security and Counter-Terrorism at the PM's Department, Adenan Abdul Rahman; Under Secretary (Policy Division) Ministry of Defence, Dr Hj Ismail Hj Ahmad; Malaysia's High-Comm to Singapore, Md Hussin Nayan; and Principal Assistant Secretary (Policy Division), Ministry of Defence, D Rajayah.

Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (PAS-Kuala Selangor) and Yusmadi Yusoff (PKR-Balik Pulau), two other of my fellow colleagues from Pakatan Rakyat, made up the 3-member parliamentary delegates from Malaysia.

Though his name wasn't on the official delegates' list, Musa Hassan the IGP was on seat 1C in the business class in the flight I travelled on coach.

Regional Security

The conference has an encompassing agenda, focussing on traditional and non-traditional challenges to regional security in Asia-Pacific.

I presume myriad thoughts will be spent on the inevitable rise of China as a super military power to rival the US, and the recently-erupted tension due nuclear tests conducted by North Korea. Besides, with teh recent arrest of Singapore fugitive Mas Selamat in Malaysia may pave for move regional cooperation in winning the counter-insurgency campaigns.

I, for one, am particularly interested in the session that discusses ideas towards enhancing energy and food security.

UPDATES: This afternoon, I heard an inspiring speech from ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan at another function: the launching of MacArthur Asia Security Initiative. More on this later.

I have to thank my host, the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) of the Nanyang Technology University (NTU), Singapore, for extending me the invitation.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 05:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Twitter’s the rage but let’s connect for real, so says Ewe Jin, a former Jelutong.

It's deja vu for this former court reporter who is now deputy executive editor at The Star.

There had been a sea-change in news flows these days, with Twitter beating SMS news alerts flat on speed and "detailed" summaries. Ewe Jin says:

When the Court of Appeal sat to deliver its judgment on the case of the two Mentri Besar in Perak last Friday, I got the news instantly by monitoring a blogger’s Twitter.

The SMS news alert via my handphone came much later.

Malaysia isn't the earliest to adopt Tweets to aid news-flow.

The November 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai was chronicled ahead of CNN and Al-Jazeera by eye-witnesses on the ground, Tweet by Tweet.

Wikipedia records that an estimated 80 tweets every five seconds were sent out as the Mumbai tragedy unfolded. Those 140-character-per-max-Tweet also helped send out vital information, pointing people to emergency phone numbers and the location of hospitals that needed blood donations.

Your views, tweet-talkers out there? Will theSun also Tweet?

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Is our Suhakam Act compliant with United Nation's Paris Principles?

That has been challenged by the UNHCHR (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights), and Malaysia was given a 28-day ultimatum to respond to the observations of the Accreditation Sub-Committee of the International Coordinating Commit­tee of National Institutions for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (ICC).

The deadline ended yesterday, May 3. Malaysia failed to respond in due course, despite seeing Suhakam chairman Abu Talib Othman sound the alarm bells on April 29.

As a consequence, Malaysia may lose the A-Status as a country committed to protecting, upholding and promoting human rights. Suhakam will be downgraded to equate that of yet another government bureaucracy.

As it is, the Suhakam (Amendment) Bill 2009 was bulldozed through the Dewan Rakyat during its first sitting 2009, seen apparently as a BN Government’s attempt to make the Suhakam Act compliant with the Paris Principles, which were institutionalised in 1991.

For context, Malaysians need to know that the Suhakam (Amendment) Bill 2009 was passed by the BN-dominated Dewan Rakyat the day before Suhakam’s review in Geneva that took place on March 26.

Now, the UN had challenged and questioned Suhakam as being non-compliant to the Principes de Paris.

Earlier, the ICC issued a notice to Malaysia last April, threatening of a possible downgrade if improvements were not made by March 26.

Malaysia was given an extension of 28 days when it did not reply by March 26, the day the notice expired.

As a Member of Parliament, I was given a briefing on this in April when the Dewan Rakyat was in session.

However, I have heard nothing more thereafter.

BY THE WAY... The Paris Principles list 5 key areas of responsibilities for national institutions like Suhakam, namely:

1. The institution shall monitor any situation of violation of human rights, which it decides to take up.
   
2. The institution shall be able to advise the Government, the Parliament and any other competent body on specific violations, on issues related to legislation and its compliance with international human rights instruments, and on the implementation of these instruments.
   
3. The institution shall relate to regional and international organizations.
   
4. The institution shall have a mandate to educate and inform in the field of human rights.
   
5. Some of these nationally-sponsored institutions may be given a quasi-judicial competence.

The ICC had challenged Malaysia on these principles based on the provisions of the newly passed Suhakam (Amendment) Bill 2009, particularly on the parts relating to the promotion and protection of human rights.

It wanted Suhakam’s independence to be strengthened by a clear and transparent appointment and dismissal process in the Suhakam Act. It also human rights commissioners to serve longer than two years and for them to represent different segments of society.

Apparently, the Government’s Bill on Suhakam (March 2009), in response to the ICC's demands, still fell short of the Paris Principles. A Malaysia NGO described the amendments on the Suhakam Act as "superficial and irrelevant".

Again, for context, Malaysia's track records in the eyes of UNHCHR can be found this special online location.

An “A” status accreditation means that Suhakam, originally designed as a national human rights institution (NHRI), complies with the Paris Principles and is able to participate directly in all meetings of the UN Human Rights Council.

A “B” means it is not fully compliant and has observer status only. A “C” means total non-compliance, an international pariah.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

YouTube is up. A star is born.

The name is Bo Obama, the First Dog for the First Family of USA.

This is what President Barrack Obama said of the Portuguese water dog: "He's a star; he's got star quality. He's a rock star."

I had wished life is that simple, bankruptcy protection of GM aside.

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Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.

Small towns in the US are now printing their own currencies to beat recession, says Telegraph UK.

It's an idea borrowed from the Depression Era of the 1930's when the currencies were known as "scrip". It is designed to boost local spending and keep money circulating within the community by bypassing the dollar. The net effect is to help both consumers and businesses struggling in the recession.

Under US law, small communities can produce their own currency so long as it does not include coins and does not resemble federally-issued money.

The mechanism allows a group of businesses to print a new currency which shoppers can then buy at a discount – typically one dollar will cost 90 to 95 cents – and spend at full value with participating companies.

According to some estimates, Telegraph says, there are now more than 75 local currency systems across the US, stretching from upstate New York to the less vibrant North Carolina.

Bank-issued shopping vouchers

Meanwhile, banks in Singapore are helping in the issuance of shopping vouchers to help themselves with fee-based income codenamed "Incentive Fees", Singapore Straits Times reports.

For example, retail fund CapitaMall Trust (CMT) will pay fees to DBS Bank and JP Morgan for issuing CapitaVouchers worth a few hundred thousand dollars.

The shopping vouchers can be redeemed at all the 12 malls owned by CMT, which include Plaza Singapura, Bugis Junction, Junction 8, Raffles City Shopping Centre, Funan DigitaLife Mall, Tampines Mall and IMM.

Besides, CapitaVouchers can also be redeemed at Clarke Quay, which is owned by CMT's parent, property giant CapitaLand.

Any creative copycat in Malaysia for all of the above? Capitaland is already in KL and Penang.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Politicians and ministers, even Prime Ministers, come and go. But the bureaucrats and the Little Napoleons among civil servants get to stay. That's the reality in a Westminster-modelled government.

Of late, I have watching again-and-again the old BBC series, Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister. One must learn how to out-smart the civil servants and it's tough, especially in Pakatan Rakyat-run states.

It's even tougher for a federal minister when he has to dress down a senior civil servant, someone like the Secretary-General of a ministry that deals with information machinery, like one Datuk K, or when to catch another with conflict of interests at work and at play.

I particularly like the lines in Episode Four, Second Season of Yes Prime Minister (1987-1988), titled: A Conflict of Interest. I'd like to ask you how much you know about the Malaysian press?

Hacker: Don't tell me about the press. I know exactly who reads the papers:

• The Daily Mirror is read by people who think they run the country;
  
• The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country;
  
• The Times is read by the people who actually do run the country;
  
• The Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country;
  
• The Financial Times is read by people who own the country;
  
• The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country;
  
• And The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is.

Sir Humphrey: Prime Minister, what about the people who read The Sun?

Bernard: Sun readers don't care who runs the country, as long as she's got big tits.

If I may, please help me to replace the British newspapers with Malaysian ones. Could we have a list?

BY THE WAY... Do you know the source of inspiration to Donald Rumsfeld's The Unknown? Try this, from Episode Eight, Season Two of Yes Prime Minister:

Hacker professes inculpability, on the grounds that he never knew.

Bernard: The fact that you needed to know was not known at the time that the now known need to know was known, and therefore those that needed to advise and inform the Home Secretary perhaps felt that the information that he needed as to whether to inform the highest authority of the known information was not yet known, and therefore there was no authority for the authority to be informed because the need to know was not, at that time, known or needed.

Them civil servants!

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MCA president Ong Tee Keat leads a delegation to Beijing to make a political party-to-party call on China, his first after taking over the helm of the ever-fueding race-based organisation.

He postures that Malaysia can learn from China on how the world’s most populous country copes with the present global economic crisis.

Positioned as an MCA outing, but among Ong's delegation members are two Umnoputras, former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin and tycoon Syed Mokhtar Shah Syed Nor Al-Bukhary.

Image lifted from Guangming Daily

Ong's oriental hope came at a time when China’s economy may have expanded at the slowest pace in seven years in Q4 last year as exports collapsed, adding to pressure for more stimulus measures and undermining growth across Asia.

According to Bloomberg yesterday, China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 6.8% from a year earlier, based on the median estimate of 12 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News -- down from 9% in the previous three months.

Someone must tell Ong to wait for Bloomberg's data on China that is due to be released this week.

Just hours ago, Associated Press filed a story saying that, due to a major slowdown in global demand, jobless migrants have started to flood back to China's villages, "where wrinkled grandparents and ruddy-faced schoolchildren are the only residents for most of the year:

China has an estimated 150 million such rural migrants lynching on its socio-economic grids.

It's crisis time in China. In November, when I was visiting South China, Premier Wen Jiabao has to launch a 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) package to boost domestic consumption. More is in the offing.

In times like this, let's hope China has time for Ong, Daim and Syed Mokhtar and the likes. Judging from past records, the two Umnoputras are historically two super money wizards that Malaysia can't live without. I am sure they ain't there for the China Dolls nor the bells-and-whistles of a high-roller's junket. I would expect them to help plug any Black Holes that this round of economic crisis has induced. And, perhaps, make some bucks for weekend spending for themselves.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Travel section of New York Times has been running an interactive online poll for The 44 Places To Go In 2009, voted by its readers.

Penang seems to be the only destination in South East Asia, alongside Phuket, that gets included in the Top 44.

The ranking is still like shifting sand as the poll is still dynamically on.

At the time I blogged this, Penang was ranked 22nd and Phuket at 12th, respectively.

Penang was ranked 3rd yesterday evening, while it remains in the Top 12 Destinations for frugal travel segment. Here's a tribute:

... refined dishes like Char Koey Teow rarely cost more than US$2.

In contrast, Phuket is currently ranked as the Top Choice for luxury travel segment.

Will you give your vote to place Penang high on the world map? Click here.

Readers' comments are available here.

Featured blogs are Penangfoods.com and PJ-based Fried Chillies.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Just hold on for one second before you Auld Lang Syne this year.

When the world's atomic clock tick-tocks at 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, this Wednesday, the U.S. Naval Observatory, keeper of the Pentagon's master clock, will do the same by adding an extra second, coordinating at the precise moment at 6:59:59 p.m. EST (23:59:59 GMT).

This will be the 24th one-second to be added to UTC since 1972, when the practice began.

Happy tick-tocking.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

UPDATED VERSION, with random pictures. Life had been like a treadmill since September 2007 for me since I made up my mind to participate in the political struggle as a Malaysian. There seemed to be no starting and ending point with the daily mind work and manoeuvres at the grassroot networking level. In short, life has been really tough for myself and my family as we don't see each other as much as before.

December is the time to reflect on the year past, withdraw oneself from the daily hustle-bustle, and to refresh and recharge. So I thought.

In the end, I chose to make a two-week tour of three Unesco World Heritage sites in Australia, two of which I had visited before, in the 1990s during my post-grad days, and two of which are essentially eco-tourism marvels I had failed to discover beyond their visible beings. Hopefully, I can share the real-life experiences in immersing oneself in a World Heritage setting to contribute a detached perspective to Penang's George Town that has now been so cluttered with opinions dispensed by so many I-know-bests in town.

With the help of my friends at Gem Travels & Tours Sdn Bhd, I was showered with hospitality of various kinds. Tourism New South Wales, through its Singapore and Sydney offices, had been kind to host me in Sydney, and the inside of the Sydney Opera House (listed in 2007), and the Blue Mountains (listed in 2000). I also decided to self-pay for an extension to Tasmania to savour the beauty of Bruny Island, a haven for eco-tourism, and the Tasmanian Wilderness (listed in 1982 and 1989).

Here's a calm-before-the-storm image of the Kettering Jetty, overlooking Bruny Island backdropped against the unpredictable four-seasons-in-a-day weather in Tasmania.

Kettering Jetty, Tasmania | Jeff Ooi

To be kind to my family, we assembled at Queensland after I had completed my version of world heritage and eco tours. There were lessons for all of us to immerse in the culture of conservation of endangered animals as we enjoyed the presentation among by-standers in the crowds paying tribute to the late Steve 'Crikey' Irwin.

Seaworld, Gold Coast, Queensland | Jeff Ooi

Seaworld, Gold Coast, Queensland | Jeff Ooi

Australian Zoo, Beerwah, Queensland | Jeff Ooi

Australian Zoo, Beerwah, Queensland | Jeff Ooi

Australian Zoo, Beerwah, Queensland | Jeff Ooi

Seaworld, Gold Coast, Queensland | Jeff Ooi

Australian Zoo, Beerwah, Queensland | Jeff Ooi

And this time, I am travelling without the aid of a notebook computer and Internet. (The itch in me is that I needed to rent a 60-minute slot to upload this blog entry, just to inform you of my online absence.)

Real World Issues

On the mundane side, I had the opportunity to study several issues currently haunting the Kevin Rudd administration, notably about Australia's attempt to filter the Internet, retreating from an election rhetoric in setting targets to reduce carbon emission that caused global warming, Australia's controversial tender process in building a national broadband network that excludes dominant incumbent Telstra, and private/public-run higher education centres whose revenues are no plagued by slowing economy.

I also found some time to take a look at the high definition TV (HDTV) currently available on four free-to-air stations.

The gadgets that kept me in company on this trip is the brand new 8mp smart phone LG Renoir (LC910), courtesy LG Malaysia; Blackberry Bold, which I have been reviewing fro the last three months, courtesy Celcom; and Garmin nüvi® 770 GPS unit, an upgraded version of the one I used in Jelutong some ten months ago during the GE2008.

Railway, Scenic World, Blue Mountains NSW | Selena Ooi

There are lots of pictures -- though I am severely crippled because sluggish Nikon Malaysia couldn't service my D3 in time before I left, and I was restricted to the single body of D300 and changing lenses is such a nuisance. Besides the travelogue pictures, the endearing moments had been meeting up old friends (AK Chan, Allan Francis in Melbourne, all Malaysia's Brain-drains) and new ones (Ong, Shubul and Kaarina in Tasmania) and Shaina in Leura.

In Tasmania, I was showered with the first-time-in-my-life opportunity to capture a full, double-layer rainbow on camera. It was about 10km after Swansea, a serene fishing town nestling on the Great Oyster Bay, heading towards Hobart. I didn't have time to dry the lens as the rain kept dropping and the rainbow in the setting sun disappeared in a quick two-minute. (Been there done that, I am looking forward to the promised bowl of gold in 2009 ;-)

Ten kilometres from Swansea, on the way to Hobart | Jeff Ooi

I deeply regret that, due to time constraints, I had to come back for the Unesco-listed Tasmanian Wilderness some other time. The steam-engine train is still chucking away with puffing smokes, waiting for me there in Strahan.

Oh yes, there is a George Town in Tasmania, off Launceston. I made it a point to go there because there is a 1833 lighthouse standing at the cape of Low Head, and I had always been infatuated with historical lighthouses (see here and here). Can't miss!

George Town, Tamar River Valley, Tasmania | Jeff Ooi

Low Head lighthouse, George Town, Tasmania | Jeff Ooi

Be that as it may, there were most enriching moments throughout the tour as it enabled me to stop building bubble castles about what to do with a World Heritage listing, like Penang's George Town (listed in 2008) that tends to give you mixed feelings when opinions about its future cluttered the present.

We gotta go out there, see how the rest of world goes round. And get real.

See you in 2009.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Bail-out is not a unique and "truly Asia" phenomenon. USA hawks it now.

Several hours ago, ahead of the opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange, news broke that the U.S. government has bailed out Citigroup Inc. by agreeing to shoulder most of the potential losses on US$306 billion of high risk assets, besides injecting US$20 billion of new capital, and thus making the biggest rescue of a bank yet.

The rescue of the Citigroup also signifies the latest government effort to contain a widening financial meltdown that has earlier caused the bankruptcies of companies including Bear Stearns Cos, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc and Washington Mutual Inc.

Vikram Punditry aside, analysts told Financial Times that the Citigroup crisis has been brewing for 10 years!

Read BBC News on "The rise and fall of Citigroup", and the (early) quotation of the day:

"With these transactions, the U.S. government is taking the actions necessary to strengthen the financial system and protect U.S. taxpayers and the U.S. economy."

Not forgetting the recent rescue of the AIG, where the government takes stake-holding in private concerns, the rescue of Citigroup remarkably further signifies Capitalist America has effectively embraced socialism.

Cantonese says Keng!

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

CHANGE WE CAN, Obama said throughout his campaign.

America, in their lifetime, responded well and put in the first non-White president into the White House -- significantly after trolling to cross the racial divide for 232 gruelling years since Independence.

Frontpage November 5, 2008, The Bakersfield Californian

It has been a long, gruel race to the White House. Crisis helped Obama. Can Obama help solve crisis?

Having survived eight years of Bushism, are we now seeing a new president, but the same problems?

I hope the euphoria will die down soon.

More than half the world is financing the US economy, and in a way, life-supporting the greenback as countries use the US$ for their forex benchmark and national reserves. Structurally, in finance and economy, this is dicey business of a global scale.

Obama must now manage US economy well so that all US$-reliant economies which are owed trillions in off-balanced trade will not be made the contagion victims of domestic economic turmoil in his homeland.

Chicago Sun-Times, November 6, 2008.

For Malaysia which eulogises "anyone from a minority group can be a nation’s leader", let's make sure it starts from home.

America has changed. Can we, Malaysia -- even in 232 years?

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

China is prosperous and capitalist rich. Vietnam is next China. And Cambodia is next Vietnam. True?

I believe Cambodia still has some ten years to catch up with Vietnam, and Vietnam has some five years to chase after China. Just my personal perception, I may be wrong.

As far as I can see, after decades of civil war (1970-1975), genocide (1975-1979), and Vietnamese "colonialisation" (1979-1989), and a long road towards democracy (post 1989) peppered with political instability and proleterate-royalty tussle on the political front (1989-2003), Cambodia is only now making baby steps towards capitalism... and prosperity.

For a start, the functional international airports at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap/Angkor are private-run. Bigger and better things are set to come.

Nevertheless, judging from the infrastructure and public amenities that they have, the majority of people in the capital city of Phnom Peng are living a hard life. Pretty tough life.

New housing projects and villas are mushrooming but we never know how many of the common folks will get the bite of the sweet cherries.

There's one commodity, though, that most people could now enjoy to own. The mobile phones.

(Though two of my tuk-tuk drivers don't own one.)

These street shots depict how addicted mobile-phoning can be. They talk on the steering. They talk as the pillion rider. Cute!

LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

I rose early this morning, and I had a merry-go-round of the city in 90 minutes on a tuk-tuk. Single digital body with two lenses.

That's the happy Phnom Penh that I saw at a glance. More pictures are being uploaded on my travelogue.

(And I haven't had time to review the UAE collections!)

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Today, as I leave Cambodia, a verdict is expected in the trial of five former Khmer Rouge cadres accused of the 1996 kidnapping and killing of British mine-remover Christopher Howes and his Cambodian interpreter Houn Hourth.

I truly hope the ruling will bring to an end one of Cambodia's most anticipated legal proceedings, which was preceded with a decade-long investigation that only resulted in a series of arrests last year.

UPDATES: Four ex-members of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge have been jailed for their part in the murder of Christopher Howes and his Cambodian interpreter Houn Hourth.

Three were jailed for 20 years and a fourth for 10 years, while a fifth man was acquitted by the Phnom Penh court. [ See BBC Report ]

In 1996, Howes was in Cambodia leading a team of miner-removers with the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) -- a British-based Non-profit-making Non-political Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) -- when they were seized by the Khmer Rouge near Siem Reap. He was given the chance to leave in exchange for a ransom. But Howes chose to secure his team's freedom and stayed on. Howes and Houn Hourth were later driven to the Khmer Rouge stronghold of Anlong Veng.

According to testimony from the trial heard on October 3, Howes was shot in the chest while eating fruit. Whereas, in the case of Houn Hourth, few details of his killing have emerged.

Khmer Rogue Tribunal

However, this is just a small tip of the iceberg of the atrocities perpetrated by Khmer Rouge, which ruled Cambodia and wrecked havoc from 1975 through 1979, soon after the 5-year civil war. During the Khmer Rogue's reign of terror, at least 200,000 people were believed to have been executed through genocide.

More deaths resulted from Khmer Rouge's policies, and deaths related to disease, torture and starvation were estimated to reach the range of 1.4 to 2.2 million -- for a small country with a population of around 7 million. That's why today Cambodia is characterised by a generation of relative youths, who are akin to phoenix that rose for fires.

Sadly too, despite the defeat in the hands of the new Vietnam-aided regime, during the period of The People's Republic of Kampuchea (1979-1989), cadres of Khmer Rogue were still striking a reign of terror post-1979. It was a return to further destruction. Gun-smoke did not cease until the Vietnamese departed in 1989, and with the help of the United Nations, the Kingdom of Cambodia was restored, and it has since been a slow and long journey towards economic rehabilitation, and the rebuilding of a nationhood.

Killers of the Killing Fileds... At the entrance of the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum.

The Khmer Rouge tyrants are kept at the backhouse of ECCC, barricaded... LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

Of the Khmer Rogue tyrants, Ta Mok and Pol Pot are now dead. Their cahoots, Kaing Guek Eav aka Duch, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sar and Khieu Samphan -- all ageing towards the last phase of their lives, have been caught and place under provisional detention at the backhouse of ECCC, located along National Road 4, Chaom Chau Commune, Dangkao District, Phnom Penh.

It needs strong emphasis to highlight that it costs hundreds of millions of US dollars to conduct the tribunal though justice must be done, and must be seen to be done. Scroll through the list of donor-countries, and you see the names of Japan, France, Japan occupying the Top Three of the register. On the other hand, the US donated zilt except for a small contribution from Microsoft.

The public gallery, backdropped against the bullet-proof trial chamber purpose-built for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal procedings... LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

The Trial proper is scheduled for early 2009. For now, the process involved the October 17 pre-trial reading of decision of appeal by Ieng Sary against provisional detention. It will be followed by the December 5 pre-trial reading of decision of appeal by Co-Prosecutors against Closing Order on Kaing Guek Eav alias Duch.

Tribute to Dith Pran

Though my main aim of visiting Cambodia was not because of the Killing Fields -- it was for something else related to the wellbeing of Malaysia -- I did spend time taking some pictures of the relics of a period of genocide.

In a way a tormenting tribute to journalist Dith Pran, I haven't the heart to visit the actual killing fields of Choeung Ek, some 14.5 kilometers from Phnom Penh.

It suffices that I visited only the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum for a smaller scale of trauma, and the pre-trial settings of the Extraordinary Chamber in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), or simply the Khmer Rogue Tribunal.

Here are some of the shots using a 50mm lens on a full-frame digital body.

The Toul Sleng Genocide Museum is a tourist attraction, entrance fee US$2 per person

The courtyard of tombs

Remnants of the torture chambers... LensaPress photos by Jeff Ooi

The following are shots of the various picture galleries showcasing those perished under genocide, 1975-1979.

LensaPress photos by Jeff Ooi

If you'd like to higher-resolution pictures, they are in my travelogue photo-site. More pictures would be added there.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

My first meal in Phnom Penh was at the FCC, or The 'F' in the lingo of the locals.

I wonder if FCC still stands for Foreign Correspondents' Club ala FCA of Singapore, where journalists congregate and food is great. Except for the small collection of photos capturing war-torn and rustic Cambodia, and merchandising items ala Hard Rock Cafe, this place doesn't tell much about its link to the Press until you hit the ABOUT US button, where a 1993 entrepreneurial outing now looms big.

The local curry I had (US$9.50, Angkor Twist US$3.50) was certainly great, punctuated with the presence of expatriates who thronged this colonial remnant of French tastes, overlooking Tonle Sap, greeting intense tropical heat with open verendah. I, for one, just made up the statistics who co-helped fund the tut tut driver's daily intake.

Parliamentarian's role

Tomorrow, I am going to play the role of a parliamentarian and attend a workshop on defence procurement in Southeast Asia. It's an event organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Security Sector Governance (IPF-SSG) in various countries, including Malaysia (read: Sokhoi aircraft and Scorpene cubmarines). This is a new area I'll try to understand and learn more about.

On October 13, I will have the opportunity to take a look at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, or the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).

You see, the Khmer Rouge regime took power in Cambodia on April 17, 1975 and was overthrown on January 7, 1979. By the time this period of 3 years, 8 months and 20 days of madness was up, about three million people were believed to have perished in vain as victims of brutalities. Unfortunately, the end of Khmer Rouge era was followed by a civil war which finally ended in 1998, when the Khmer Rouge political and military structures were dismantled but none of the brutal perpetrators of the Killing Fields were brought to a war crime tribunal to be tried.

In 1997, the government requested the United Nations (UN) to assist in establishing a trial to prosecute the senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge. In 2001, the Cambodian National Assembly passed a law to create a court to try serious crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge regime 1975-1979. This court is called the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampuchea (Extraordinary Chambers or ECCC).

However, the government of Cambodia insisted that, for the sake of the Cambodian people, the trial must be held in Cambodia using Cambodian staff and judges together with foreign personnel. In order to fulfil international standards of justice, Cambodia later invited international participation due to the weakness of the Cambodian legal system and the international nature of the crimes.

An agreement with the UN was ultimately reached in June 2003 detailing how the international community will assist and participate in the Extraordinary Chambers. But, at this juncture, I am not sure when the trial will begin. For the record, though this special new court was created by the Cambodian government and the UN, it is neither dependent on them.

My participation in the whole process is hosted by Germany-based Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), a non-profit organisation that was founded in 1925 as a political legacy of Germany’s first democratically elected president, Friedrich Ebert.

UPDATES: There's a fine place for French cuisine called Van's. No website, it's located next to the post office along Street 102, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Kwan Daun Penh. Set dinner at US$9.00, house wine US$6 per glass.

Internet in my hotel (it's a former detention during Khmer Rouge's time), delivered via high speed WiFi, is US$20 (RM70.00) for 8 hours! The system here works like a prepaid mobile-phone card, the value perishes as you use and the US$20 block is valid for one month, you can log in-and-out anytime.

Photography... Getting tired of the weight of full gear whenever I travel, I am making the first attempt in fixing a full-frame Nikon D3 with a 50mm F/1.8 for street shots, non-flash. Hopefully something nice comes out of it.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 01:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A NOTE OF PROTEST. I faced severe difficulty in uploading this blog entry. Both Maxis and Celcom's HSDPA wireless broadband (?) are connecting at GPRS speed in George Town, Penang as I was at it at 10:10pm, October 9. High time Celcom -- self-claimed the Fastest, the Widest dah dah dah -- looked for someone else beyond Maxis to manage its networks. HSDPA is for voice, definitely not for data. Jeff Ooi.

I am really swept off my feet reading the daily broadsheets in the UAE.

Visually, the print quality is superb as peer pressure has ensured that no newsprint is used in all the dailies except for the pullouts for classified ads and property listing. The main sections are printed on low grammage art paper that you read on TIME and Newsweek. You don't get inked fingers after reading the papers to proceed with your breakfast of bread and jam.

Cosmetics aside, the gem lies in the high quality English displayed throughout the pages, from news to the Op-Ed, Sports and Business sections (though some are glaringly pontificating the ruling class and their real estate projects), the UAE English Press rival the standard set by the mainstream media in India as far as I can see.

In the few short days' stay here, I am pretty impressed with several titles, in the exact sequence of personal preference for news perspective and context, and consistent layout quality, namely:

1 ) The National
2 ) Gulf News
3 ) The Khaleej Times.

The National, a young newspaper entering its 150th day of publication on October 8, is both staid and breezy. Despite its youth, the newspaper is punchy, opinionated, and it does give ample rooms for context and perspective on diversified issues. It also has a free e-Newspaper version, or what it calls the digital edition.

Most broadsheets retail at 3 dirhams (Arab Emirates Dollars), roughly RM2.80, on newsstands.

There is a business tabloid whose name reflects the time and tides of the day: Emirates Business 24|7, with a copy price of 2 dirhams (roughly RM1.85). This is the only English title under the Arab Media Group which publishes Arabic dailies and runs radio stations.

Entering its 305th day of publication on October 8, the width and depth of E-24|7's content may need longer days to improve though, I reckon.

However, I was shocked to see that a copy of TIME magazine at the Emirates Mall in Dubai was priced 23 dirhams, which is roughly RM20.00 a copy!

All in all, the English press in the UAE has really overshadowed those found in the dominantly English-speaking Australian cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. I wonder the English press in UAE are edited by imports from the west and India?

One thing to improve further for the UAE English press, if I may suggest, is certainly the strong lack of competent picture editors. In my mind, the best are only found in UK.

Newspapermen must have ink in their veins

Last night, at the airport lounge, I happened to pick up a copy of The Australian to read an opinion piece by Michael Gawenda, former editor of The Age, Australia. He was speaking at the A.N. Smith Lecture in Journalism, University of Melbourne tonight, making clarion calls for newspapers to return to their core business -- news reporting. Quote:

GEORGE Orwell, perhaps the greatest English language reporter of the 20th century, taught us that language matters. During the seven years that I edited The Age, journalism became content, reporters became content providers, the newspaper became a content platform and editors were invariably referred to as managers.

Continue reading "English Press in UAE... and then some" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The road to Cityscape Dubai was totally paralysed with motorised traffic yesterday.

A day earlier, when I first landed, Dubai Financial Market dropped by 6.86% to close on 3,844.27 points, its lowest finish in about 18 months, vaporising some 75 billion dirhams over one week in the process. It has already dropped 35.2% this year.

Today, capital markets in the Gulf states continue to plunge. Generally, investors here doubt the US$700 billion (Dh2.5 trillion) bailout of the ailing United States banking sector can avert a worldwide recession.

However, despite concerns triggered by the international credit crisis, Cityscape 2008 showcased numerous real estate propositions worth a gross development value (GDV) of US$1 trillion that saw brisk sales. Furthermore, Nakheel Group is touting the 1-kilometre tall building to capture the pinnacle of the world's tallest tower.

Adding to the glitterrati were Michael Schumacher and Shah Rukh Khan who lent their names to celebrity-themed properties in MS World Champion Tower and SRK Boulevard, respectively.

Here are some candid shots I took at the property show.

Staircase to the Moraas Group's pavilion

LensaPress photos by Jeff Ooi

International City & Cleanliness

Tomorrow, October 8, will see the Dubai city kick off a month-long campaign, titled ‘Say Yes to a Clean Naif’, aimed at creating awareness about the unhealthy practices of spitting in public places, littering and drying of clothes in the balconies of buildings.

Apparently, many people chew betel leaves and tobacco products and are prone to spitting recklessly in public. The sale of betel and any of its derivatives is now prohibited and those caught selling such products risk fines up to Dh5,000 (roughly RM4,800.00).

On the other hand, there is no penalty or fine for hanging clothes in the open for now, but municipality rules do stipulate a fine of Dh500 (about RM480.00) for spitting and littering in public.

Do buy Dubai as an international city!

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 09:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Most private cars on Abu Dhabi roads are of high octane and are high-powered. The roads are three-lane each side. The Police, a majority imported from neighbouring countries, are prompt and strict.

I sat on one sturdy, brand new Chevrolet 4x4 around midnight, and I swear I had never done 170-180km/hr in all my life.

Oh, I wasn't the driver. The chauffeur was celebrating his birthday before he gets married by the end of this year. He did 310km/hr on a Porsche before 35. We still owe him a Starbucks coffee.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 05:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Abu Dhabi within the UAE is an Islamic country, yes?

Abu Dhabi is at the seat of influence among members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), yes?

I had a rude culture shock this morning when I turned up for breakfast at the Beach Rotana hotel. The first food counter I walked past was labelled P O R K. It was situated alongside other food counters serving an array of international and regional guests.

A culture shock because, even back home, the most liberally progressive and the most modern of Kuala Lumpur hotels don't do what Abu Dhabi hotels are doing. (My local friends told me Le Meridien Riyadh is no different in handling pork station at its F&B outlets. Open and non-discriminatory, just prominent labelling.)

Suddenly, just like the zen experience of catharsis ( Κάθαρσις ) and satori ( 悟 ), I realised how much I had been brain-washed all along by political Islam back home.

Last night, on board the Etihad flight, I was served 2003 chiraz red wine with a good selection of French cheese and Swedish crispy biscuits.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (40) | TrackBacks (0)

Something extremely important is going on today, September 10, in a giant tunnel beneath the Swiss countryside.

Practically, half the world's particle physicists will attempt to trigger a machine called a Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to "drive two beams of particles in opposite directions around this 27km ring at 99.9999991% of the speed of light, steering the beams at four points during their circuit into head-on collisions with enough energy to recreate in miniature the cosmic circumstances that existed one trillionth of a second after the big bang".

A mouthful? Read Guardian if you are into Higgs bosons, quarks, supersymmetric particles and miniature black holes.

BY THE WAY, the project is conducted by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research -- parked under a French acronym, CERN -- titled LHC 2008, which may carry Nobel expectations for new physics.

The Large Hadron Collider is the largest and most complex scientific instrument ever built and the highest energy particle accelerator in the world. The accelerator is located 100m underground and runs through both French and Swiss territory.

Year 2008 marks the culmination of 20 years of work by physicists, engineers, technicians and support staff from over 80 different countries in this CERN project.

Perhaps due to too much of sci-fi, these had been my pet subjects for years.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday, all four petrol companies in Singapore - Shell, Exxon-Mobil, Caltex and Singapore Petroleum Company - reduced their pump prices by 4 cents a liter for petrol. Diesel price remained unchanged at S$2.033/litre.

The new pump prices, without discounts, are S$2.213/liter for the 92-octane unleaded petrol, S$2.246/liter for the 95- octane unleaded, and S$2.32/litre for the 98-octane grade petrol.

Currently, Malaysia retails petrol at RM2.70/litre and diesel at RM2.50/litre.

Last Saturday, petrol companies in Singapore had just increased pump prices for both petrol and diesel by 5 cents a liter.

Incidentally, oil prices have fallen by about 7% since hitting a record high last Thursday. Oil prices fell to US$136 per barrel on Tuesday. (See Crude Oil price chart on the top right hand corner of this blog)

Will Malaysia defy the law of gravity, that what goes up must come down, and reduce the fuel burden on Joe Public?

Someone said we won't be that elastic and flexible as we are no longer the leading rubber producer a long, long time ago.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Big Question.

Twenty-four hours after releasing his SD with a lawyer in attendance, private investigator P. Subramaniam showed up at a hotel -- with a new lawyer -- and a new statutory declaration.

The PI said he wished "to retract the entire contents of my statutory declaration dated July 1 2008. I was compelled to affirm the said statutory declaration under duress".

Interestingly, his new lawyer said his client – the PI who was hired by Razak in October 2006 to help him deal with Altantuya – was summoned by the police a few hours after he released the first statutory declaration.

Big Question: Did the police intervention have any influence on his retraction?

Which of the two SDs filed by the PI will be used by the Police to investigate for now, and for truth to prevail? Blogger-lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar tells you why Balasubramaniam's first declaration is still significant.

Do we have the institution of trust in this country?

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

See MarketWatch, updated 06:46:42hr June 30 (US ET), or 6.46pm Malaysia Time.

Your Our Abdullah Badawi and Nor Mohamed Yakcop promised no increase in fuel price for the rest of the year.

Electrifying bill

In a few hours, from tomorrow July 1, electricity tariff will go up substantially.

Households whose monthly usage does not exceed 200 kilowatt hour (kWh) will still be eligible for the existing tariff of 21.8 sen/kWh. Once you exceed this, you will get the electrical shock on the wallet, like this:

^ Usage between 201 kWh and 400 kWh, pay 34.5 sen per kWh unit.
^ Subsequently, pay 30 sen for 401-500 kWh
^ Subsequently, pay 39 sen for 501-600 kWh
^ Subsequently, pay 40 sen for 601-700 kWh
^ Subsequently, pay 41 sen for 701-800 kWh
^ Subsequently, pay 43 sen for 801-900 kWh, and
^ Finally, pay a maximum rate of 46 sen for each kWh for usage exceeding 901 kWh

What if 50% of households in the country use over 200 kWh electricity monthly? I think I am being conservative.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

The impact is multi-regional, observes blogger Remgold, a regional journo himself.

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More images from Ho Chi Minh City... in huge contrast of class, very much like what you see in Malaysia.

Au Pare Restaurant... This place near the Notre-Dame Church serves fine French and Mediterannean cuisines... LensaPix by Jeff Ooi

MORE!

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UPDATED VERSION. Everybody is saying Vietnam's economy is booming and may surpass Malaysia's in no time if we are not careful in planning ahead. You can't mess around with a country of over 85 million people, with over 60% of them clustered among the young and productive -- median age being 26.9 years.

Even India is now a strategic partner to Vietnam. It was announced recently that two-way trade between the two countries is expected to reach US$2 billion this year, two years ahead of goals set in the joint statement issued nearly one year ago when the strategic partnership was forged. Major categories of goods exported from Vietnam to India, which has been increasing at a steady 20% growth over the past few years with the trade balance in favour of India, include pepper, rubber, computer hardware and electronics products, cinnamon bark and spice, and garment and textile products.

In July 2007, India decided to invest US$527 million to set up a steel factory in Ba Ria Vung Tau Province, and a further US$600 million oil exploration and exploitation project. Besides, India's Tata Group has decided to pump in more than US$4 billion to set up two steel mills in Ha Tinh Province.

What's more, business registration processes had been expedited even in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai -- investment licenses can now be issued within six days!

There must be some magic in Vietnam that helped pump-prime the country's economy. So I decided to give it a closer look and landed on Ho Chi Minh City on Vietnam's Liberation/Reunification Day (April 30 evening), and witnessed the celebration of Workers' Day (May 1).

Doubtlessly, HCM City plays an important role in the country’s socio-economic development, accounting for 22% of GDP, one-third of the State’s budget and 40% of the country’s export turnover.

Yesterday, teamed with a group of Malaysian investors, I toured the Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) and Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP), and the Phu My Hung area in Saigon South.

The SHTP is where the new Intel mega-site is being developed, with US$1 billion investment for the company's digital ASEAN (d-ASEAN) programme. Key tenants now are Jabil from USA and Allied Group from Singapore. It will need another five years or so to mature but most of the outsource services have virtually set up camps in Saigon to capitalise on Intel's supply chain. Capturing Intel into Ho Chi Minh is a coup for Vietnam, and a severe threat to Penang as a base for the Electrical and Electronics industry.

The VSIP, near Song Be area, is about 14 years old, set up in March 1994 during the time when Vo Van Kiet and Goh Chok Tong were both Prime Ministers of the respective countries. It now houses full occupancy of tenants with manufacturing as a strong base. I could see earthwork for Phase II being carried out. It has the signature of Singapore-conceived facilities, clean, systematic and natural vegetation-friendly.

Phu My Hung is basically a Taiwanese investment when Kuomintang ran the economy before Chen Shui-Bian came around. Having endured the Asian Financial Crisis, the far-sightedness of the Taiwanese investors had finally paid off, and Phu My Hung, a former swampy area that needed massive earth-fills, is the jewel of the crown for Saigon South. Land prices now fetch US$4,500 per square-metre! Hip names in retail sector are now located here, including the sleek HQ for Unilever.

What amazed me is that the thoroughfare leading from District 4 to Phu My Hung is linked with a 12-lane highway, and the structural plan is mammoth by any benchmark. Is it any surprise that, after barely six months the new international arrival terminal was commissioned for Saigon's Tan Son Nhat International Airport, a brand new airport that rivals KLIA is now being crafted on the drawing-board?

Vietnam's home brand, Highlands Coffee, is located at Broadway D in the neighbourhood of Unilever HQ and opposite the soon-to-be-completed Saigon Paragon... LensaMalaysia pix by Jeff Ooi

Thanks to friends in HCM City, I was brought around to view the on-going mixed development project at Asia Phu My (APM) in Saigon South. It is targetting realty investors who are comfortable with the US$1,500 ~ US$2,500 per square-metre bracket.

I am also delighted to see that my university, RMIT of Melbourne, has set up a reasonable-sized branch campus in Saigon South. It has been running for a number of years.

VIETNAM'S ECONOMY IN CRISIS? Despite the glittering outlook, some of the old hands among Malaysian expatriates I met up with expressed their concern that Vietnam's economy may be headed for a bubble burst by August. That's the date when the financial sector's monetary credit squeeze policy comes into full effect and speculators in the real estate industry may be the first to burn their fingers, and domino effect see in.

According to media reports, State-owned corporations, which had invested 37% (US$8 billion) of their capital into real estate, banking and the stock market, are now trying hard to maintain solvency.

At last month’s meeting with officials from the national government, Viet Nam News said representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) told State-owned corporations and groups need to focus on their major businesses, and warned that the local financial market is being hurt by small banks.

It is said that State-owned corporations active in the coal, electricity and petroleum industries have made huge profits in telecommunications, finance and banking, but are facing sharp reductions in their own productivity. This could have major repercussions for the national economy and security.

According to estimates, the average corporation makes a profit of 15 to 18% annually. but the modest profits would not be enough to compensate for losses from over-investments in non-core businesses.

To head off a potential disaster that could affect the national economy, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked all State-owned corporations and groups to cap their outside investments at under 30%. Concurrently, banking groups are also forbidden to allocate more than 15% of their capital elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has switched on the 'damage control' mode to fight a s,liding stock market. Last week, the Ministry allowed the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) invest in the Vietnamese stock market has immediately brought a halt to the relentless decline in the VN-Index. In addition, the ministry will review investments for all State-owned corporations and groups later this month.

On the other hand, inflation is getting more heightened while trade deficit is worsening, a double whammy of sorts.

Recently, Dr Nguyen Tri Thanh from the Central Insitute for Economic Management said consumption growth rates had increased significantly compared with the country’s GDP growth rate in the past few years. Significantly, the country’s trade deficit now amounts to 17% of the GDP.

He said the increase in consumption, especially spending on imported goods, is one of the causes affecting the trade imbalance. He added that Vietnam’s trade deficit would increase from US$7.4 billion in the first quarter to US$19 billion for the entire year.

According to the World Bank, Vietnam’s population can be divided into five groups, and the 20% in the richest group accounts for 43.3% of the country’s consumption, compared with 7.2% of the poorest group. Purchase of luxury imports by the upper echelon has been blamed as the main culprit to trade deficits.

LEARN AND RE-LEARN. Whatever that's said and done in Vietnam's econiomy in recent months, it is a live chapter for me to climb the learning curve.

Admittedly, I am mentally and physically exhausted after surviving the gruelling GE2008 campaign. Saigon seems to be the ideal place to recuperate the tardy anatomy as well as to rejuvenate the mind.

What I can gather is that Vietnam has put wars and politics behind them. The whole nation is hungry for economic progress. We should be seeing their back as they zoom past us soon, real soon.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 03:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night, over reunion dinner in Penang, we did a video-conferencing with my Da Jiu in Chaozhou city, Guangdung. Technology shrinks the world as we overcome the geographical distance to exchange New Year greetings free of charge.

This is the second year in a roll we had video-link with Da Jiu's family during Chun Jie. The only difference is that our equipments got more sophisticated while China's data connection quality far exceeded ours.

Da Jiu says he saw the rare snow in Hua Nan (South China), less than a score in a hundred years.

Last week, I used a KL-Penang video link-up to hold an off-site press conference. This Saturday, the Chaozhou City TV crew will visit my family in Penang to do another Chun Jie video link-up for TV broadcast in China.

Using technology to the max... Right now, a team is helping me set up a GPS-based application to track profiles of my constituency. Thanks to Garmin, Google Earth, Nokia N95, Mobile Broadband, and a plain notebook with a database, efficiency in resource use is greatly enhanced. Trails can now be plotted to focussed on grey areas that need additional attention.

And thanks to the U.S. Department of Defense for turning off the SA (Selective Availability) in May 2000. The accuracy of civilian GPS receivers is now significantly improved.

The neo-speak is this: Maps are so old-school.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Today is the 60th anniversary of the death of India's freedom icon, Mahatma Gandhi.

The last urn of his ashes will be scattered across the Arabian Sea this morning by the Mahatma's great granddaughter, Nilamben Parikh.

Gandhi was assassinated by a fanatic Hindu on January 30, 1948.

WALK WITH US, that's how I had remembered the Mahatma in this blog.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 09:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

From our friends at RSF

.

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BENAZIR BHUTTO IS DEAD. Assassinated.

She died the world's first Muslim woman democratically elected (twice) to lead a Muslim country, once upon a time.

The Telegraph, India, December 28, 2007

Le Figaro, Fance, December 28, 2007

The Province, Canada, December 28, 2007

Toronto Star, Canada, December 28, 2007

Daily News, New York USA, December 28, 2007

Kompas, Indonesia, December 28, 2007

Courier-Mail, Brisbane, Australia, December 29/30, 2007

The Guardian, UK, December 29, 2007

Pakistan's real nightmare will rise after Bhutto is buried.

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Evidently, TIME magazine senior editors went rusty on history and cock-ed up on some chronological facts about their Person of the Year 2007, Vladimir Putin, dubbed Tsar of The New Russia.

According to Rory O'Connor of Global Vision, there was a serious discrepancy between the "FULL" and "COMPLETE" versions of the TIME transcript of its interview with Putin for "Person of the Year".

O'Connor claimed that a glaring factual error was edited out of the transcript in an attempt to spare top executives embarrassment over an exchange at the beginning of the chat between the Russian leader and Time Inc. Editor-in-Chief John Huey, managing editor Richard Stengel and deputy managing editor Adi Ignatius.

The official version of the transcript, as it appears on TIME's web site, is prominently labeled "Putin Q&A: Full Transcript". It begins like this:

TIME: Despite the cold war, Russia and the United States have found themselves aligned in many of history's big conflicts: World War I, World War II and now, thanks in large part to your response to 9/11, there seems to be some alignment in the war against Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. With that history in mind, how do you envision the relationship between Russia and the U.S. going forward?

PUTIN: Indeed, Russia and the U.S. were allies during the two tragic conflicts of the Second and the First World Wars, which allows us to think there's something objectively bringing us together in difficult times, and I think?I believe?it has to do with geopolitical interests and also has a moral component. Of course, the cold war marked a tragedy in relations between our two countries, and I wouldn't want to see the vestiges of those relations prevailing in the future?

However, an earlier and more "full and complete" transcript of the interview, posted last week on MediaChannel.org -- a part of GlobalVision -- but which originated on the New Zealand site Scoop.co.nz, has an entirely different beginning, one that may make Time's senior executives look bad and, perhaps, incredibly obsequious:

QUESTION: Mr. President! First of all, I would like to thank you on behalf of all my colleagues for your hospitality today. Second, we consider that it is a great honour for us to be able to conduct this interview. Your cooperation with Time magazine means a lot to us. Its result will be a serious material, and quite broad in nature and scope.

I want to start with the first question. You were born in 1946 - I was born in 1948. We belong to the same generation. We grew up in countries that lived with the unavoidable presence of the enemy. But historically, and in most major conflicts - World War One, World War Two - Russia and the United States have been allies. And now, in large part thanks to your role, Russia is cooperating in the struggle against Islamic terrorism.

In view of our history, how would you predict the development of relations between Russia and the United States as they resolve global problems in the future? How would our generation assess their future prospects for cooperation?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: If you will allow me, I will correct you a little bit on certain dates. I could not have been born in 1946 because at that time my father was suffering from the wartime wounds and my mother survived the Leningrad blockade. After they had lost two children and their health it was unlikely that they could have thought of having another child right away. And I think it is for that reason that I was born a little later, in 1952. But this does not change the essence of the problems and the issues you raised - this is absolutely correct.

The crux of the discrepancy, as O'Connor argued, was that TIME, 'America's leading putative newsweekly', couldn't even get the most basic fact about Putin right -- namely his date of birth -- something Mr. Google could get done in 'just 3.2 seconds' (O'Connor had timed it)!

"Admittedly, being off a mere six years about a world leader's age isn't, well, the end of the world. But Time's embarrassing inability to get even this very basic fact correct certainly leads one to question its trustworthiness in other, far larger matters of fact and substance," O'Connor said.

"Moreover, its apparent attempt to cover up the error - and to mislead the public by posting an incomplete transcript and billing it as complete - is even more egregious," he added.

We were told that O'Connor contacted TIME for an explanation, but to no avail.

"By the time I called Time for reaction, John Huey was unavailable, having already left for the holidays," he said.

"Managing Editor Richard Stengel was still around, but failed to return several phone calls seeking a "full and complete" explanation of Transcriptgate," he added.

O'Connor can be contacted at Roc @globalvision.org or Tel: 212-246-0202 Ex. 3009.

BACKGROUNDER. MediaChannel.org is a nonprofit, public interest Web site dedicated to global media issues. MediaChannel offers news, reports and commentary from its international network of media-issues organizations and publications, as well as original features from contributors and staff.

MediaChannel is concerned with the political, cultural and social impacts of the media, large and small. It exists to provide information and diverse perspectives and inspire debate, collaboration, action and citizen engagement.

Screenshots has been collaborating with MediaChannel as a monitoring post for the region.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Throw peanuts and you get monkeys?

Via Bloomberg:

Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore will increase the salary of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other senior Cabinet officials by as much as 21 percent from January, after an earlier adjustment in April.

Lee, 55, will be paid S$3.76 million ($2.6 million) a year, up from S$3.1 million previously, the public service division said in a statement on its Web site. Cabinet ministers will receive S$1.94 million, an increase from S$1.6 million.

The pay adjustments follow other ministerial salary increases announced in April this year, the government said.

Is this the reason why Singapore ever scores higher than us in corruption index?

When can we hope to make similar bold statement to beat the Little Red Dot?

Or is it because the economic cake keeps expanding across the Causeway that ministers can be well-fed and they don't have to cheat under the watchful eyes of law?

CORRUPTION LAGI. Today, a businessman was charged with receiving bribes on behalf of a deputy minister, his senior private secretary and two others. But the deputy minister, who reports to Abdullah Badawi in the Internal Security Ministry, denies any knowledge of the matter.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a dispatch datelined Chennai from The Hindu, a major daily in India, stating that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi yesterday wrote to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to take immediate and appropriate action to end the “sufferings and bad treatment” of Tamils in Malaysia.

Karunanidhi was quoted by The Hindu as saying that the people of Tamil Nadu were disturbed over the happenings in our country and he had conveyed "their concern over the treatment being meted out to the Tamils living in Malaysia for a very long period of time".

In Times of India, Karunanidhi demanded that the Union government take immediate steps to "end the suffering" of Malaysian Tamils.

"I am very much pained at the way in which Tamils in Kuala Lumpur were treated by the police of the Malaysian government on Sunday," he said.

ALSO READ:
- Hindustan Times: Protect Tamils in Malaysia, Karunanidhi urges PM
- CNN-IBN: Karunanidhi urges PM to protect Tamils in Malaysia
- Zee News: Karunanidhi urges PM to save Tamils in Malaysia
- News Today: Protect Tamils in Malaysia: MK to PM
- TamilCanadian: Tamil Disobedience in Malaysia
- The Tribune: Plight of Malaysian Tamils: Karuna seeks PM’s help

Obviously, there are glocal Tamils in this world that many are oblivious to. Let see how the Indian diaspora reacts to this.

Kin Woon breaks ranks and dissents

Meanwhile, the retiring Penang state exco Dr Toh Kin Woon (picture below) issued a hard-hitting letter to Malaysiakin, saying that instead of condemning public rallies, the Abdullah Administration should look into the people's grievances.

He declared that he "disagreed with the country's leaders" on the issue.

Toh is currently Penang state executive councillor for economic planning, education, and human resources development, science, technology and innovation. To date, he is the highest-ranking BN politician to diseent from the ruling coalition's official stance on the rally. Quote:

In a letter to Malaysiakini, Toh said the country had witnessed a series of protests over the past few months, the latest being the one organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

"These marches drew flak and condemnation from almost all BN leaders. Their criticisms centred on their illegality, potential threat to peace, the possible destablisation of the economy including frightening away foreign investors. I disagree with the views of our country’s leaders.

"Instead of condemning, one would have thought and hoped that they should have been more concerned over the grievances, frustrations and disappointments that have brought so many thousands to the streets in the first place and to seek fair and just solutions to them," he noted.

Commenting further on the Hindraf rally, Toh said the government must look into the grievances, frustrations and unhappiness of the lower strata of the Indian community and other communities pertaining to housing, education, health, jobs, equity and religious freedom.

"Until and unless these and many more issues concerning our country's judicial and electoral systems as well as social justice for the poor are looked into seriously and satisfactory solutions found, the discontent that brought thousands to the streets over several months will remain.

"To me, it is this discontent and unhappiness that will be a greater threat to our country’s peace and stability, rather than marches, pickets and demonstrations," he added.

AK rules

On the other hand, at a press conference held at the Parliament today, M Kulasegaran, the parliamentarian for Ipoh Barat, said the Indian community only controls 1.2% of equity compared to over 20% by the Malays and nearly 40% by the Chinese.

Of the Indian share, he said, one percent is controlled by tycoon Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan. This leaves nearly two million Indians owning less than 0.2% equity in the country.

The MP proposed that a revolving fund of RM1 billion be set up to uplift the economic well being of the Indian Malaysian community.

He suggested that the fund must be administered by a special agency of the government under the purview of a full-time minister in charge of minority issues.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 04:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

Australians write a new page in Australian history. The centre-left Opposition has taken over the government in Australia.

There has been a 4.5% national swing against John Howard's coalition -- coming from New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

SOURCE: The Australian Nov 25, 2007

SOURCE: The Age Nov 24, 2007

After 11-and-a-half-years in office, Howard lost the government, the premiership, and probably his own Bennelong parliamentary constituency which he has won in 13 straight elections since 1974.

Should Howard lose, his slayer would be former journalist Maxine McKew.

Watch the video of Howard's speech conceding a defeat.

When the Parliament convenes to elect the new prime minister, it will be Opposition leader, former diplomat Kevin Rudd, of the Labour party (ALP).

Already, Rudd promised changes in environmental, education and workplace policies as Australia's new prime minister. Watch the AP video on CNN. Quote:

"I will be a prime minister for all Australians," he told the cheering crowd. "Let us be the generation that seizes the opportunity of today to invest in the Australia of tomorrow. That's the mission statement we have as the next government of this country."

He added, "I want to do it with all of us working together."

Australia may also get its first female deputy Prime Minister in Julia Gillard, 46.

Read how Labour Party crawls back to power after 11 long years in the doldrum.

Too much arrogance, a little too much self-satisfaction

In an early analysis, The Age suggests that when an increasing number of voters looked at John Howard and his senior colleagues during their fourth term, they saw too much arrogance and a little too much self-satisfaction.

Significantly, many of Howard's ministers have lost their seats.

SOURCE; Australian Financial Review, Nov 24-25

Food for thought for Malaysia. It's more than Dubya losing his sheriff.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Crude oil prices rose above a record $99 per barrel Wednesday as worries about inadequate winter supplies in the Northern Hemisphere and news of refinery problems stoked bullish sentiment. Via Associated Press 9 hours ago as I blogged this.

On the other hand, US crude oil futures were lower in late trading, weighed down by a large increase in supplies at the NYMEX-oil traded delivery point in Oklahoma, and despite an overall decline in domestic crude stocks.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, January crude last traded down $US.43 at $US96.60, says The Age, Australia, some two hours ago at the time I blogged this

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

UPDATES: Morituri te salutamus ("We who are about to die salute you").

CNN is talking about the Ghost of Black Monday (that) haunts markets.

ORIGINAL POSTING

Double double-whammy!

Crude oil reached US$90 a barrel in New York for the first time yesterday as the dollar traded near a record low against the Euro, enhancing the appeal of commodities as an investment.

According to Associated Press, oil has obviously become a magnet for "hot money" from hedge funds and other momentum investors betting that the trend for higher prices is still strong. The dollar's decline, which makes dollar-denominated oil futures a bargain to overseas investors, also has played a role in the recent runup.

Crude oil prices had been on the rise backdropped against continuing geopolitical tensions between Turkey and Iraqi Kurds in the crude oil-rich northern Iraq -- and as the dollar remained weak.

According to Bloomberg, crude oil for November delivery rose 9 cents to $90.07 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest since trading began in 1983.

Brent crude oil for December settlement traded at $84.66 barrel, up 7 cents.

This may have triggered sell-off in the region's stock markets, heightening a broad-based slump driven by risk aversion among equity investors.

Immediately, the Bush administration voiced its dismay at record-high crude oil prices. However, the US has no plans to suspend oil shipments to the nation's strategic stockpile despite lawmakers' warnings that the action is cutting into supplies.

Energy researchers are also saying the weak dollar is pushing the oil price higher.

Malaysia to go big in biofuel?

The rising prices in crude oil have triggered the escalating prices of crude palm oil (CPO), including that produced by Malaysia -- and we have declared we will start mass production of a palm oil-based biodiesel next year.

CPO futures traded on the derivatives exchange of Bursa Malaysia hit a fresh record yesterday after global crude oil prices breached the US$90 per barrel mark for the first time.

The CPO futures contract for January delivery jumped RM33 to RM2,768 per metric ton, off an intraday high of RM2,795.

CPO prices have been closely tracking movements in the oil markets since the beginning of this year because of our claims to venture big time into palm oil-based biodiesel.

However, there had also been reports that say palm oil-based fuels, substitutes for gasoline and diesel, may not turn out to be cheaper and cleaner energy sources.

According to a Thomson Financial report datelined Kuala Lumpur, biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel have been widely viewed as the answer to reducing greenhouse gas emissions but critics warn that a reliance on them could lead to higher food prices, deforestation and ultimately, do more damage to the environment than the fossil fuels they are supposed to replace.

'The use of food as a source of fuel may have serious implications for the demand for food if the expansion of biofuels continues,' the International Monetary Fund said Thursday.

Holes in the pocket

For the layman, escalating crude oil prices would only mean one thing: Get prepared for higher fuel prices and energy costs in 2008.

This is despite the fact that Malaysia is an oil-exporting country.

Expect AirAsia to raise the fuel surcharges that will be passed on to the passengers wholesale, if not substantially.

Also expect dearer food and goods that have to be transported great distances via sea-land-air freights.

The pinch has started in New Zealand overnight.

Petrol prices are on the brink of another hike after BP yesterday increased prices by 3 cents a litre, raising their price for 91-octane petrol to NZ$163.9 a litre NZ$1.639 a litre. Mobil and Caltex are expected to follow suit.

Interestingly, others are seeing the escalating crude oil prices as an opportunity to force China to revalue its yuan.

To others still, it's the plain logic of managing demand-supply balances as developing economies like China turn into big monster hungry for carbon.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

What made Singapore, and not its neighbouring countries, the hub of global business?

Addressing some 3,500 lawyers and participants at the International Bar Association Conference, Harry Lee – a lawyer by training – listed some key attributes we Malaysia had talked about so incessantly but didn't seem to make it work: ( 1 ) Good governance; ( 2 ) a sound judicial system; and ( 3 ) the rule of law for investors and for economic growth.
.
At the conference, Lee again touched on some themes that were dwelt upon with university students recently: The country's leaders had to create a Singapore that was different from its neighbours – a country that was cleaner, more efficient, more secure, with quality infrastructure, and good living conditions. Quote:
"Important for investors and economic growth is the rule of law, implemented through an independent judiciary, an honest and efficient police force, and effective law enforcement agencies.

"Had we not differentiated Singapore in this way, it would have languished and perished as a shrinking trading centre instead of becoming the thriving business hub it is today.

Lee, who recently spooked Malaysian leaders by stating that Singapore will one day rejoin Malaysia with a big IF AND ONLY IF, also cited three factors which enabled the Republic to escape the poverty that had plagued the region. Quote:

"First, clean and efficient government; second, the character and capabilities of the leadership in charge; third, an industrious people, eager and quick to learn to be productive and gainfully employed.

"Political leaders in Singapore take action against opponents who make statements against them that impute dishonesty and lack of integrity. Situated in a region where 'money politics' is part of the political culture and an accepted way of life, any allegation of corruption in Singapore must be taken seriously.

"It leads to an investigation by the CPIB (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) and an action for defamation against the person making the allegation to clear any doubts on the integrity of the government. As a result, people in Singapore do not equate their political leaders with second-hand car salesmen."

However, Lee reared his Web1.0 head by emphasising that he would only measure Singapore's successes by his own yardstick, and not those "of Amnesty International or Freedom House or Reporters Without Frontiers".

People have been accusing Lee for taking away human rights in return for the economic growth. Lee must have heard it, but denied:

"There is nothing which you want to read that you cannot read in Singapore. Everybody is on the Internet, everybody has got broadband, you have got cable television, access to all the information, you can blog, you can do anything you like."

We do not know how well the younger generation of Singapore agrees with Lee. At a recent (over a year ago) Talkingcock.com event, this song was sung at the old Parliament House -- We The Citizen by Hossan Leong.

It was part of the Mr Brown Show. Remember?

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 04:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Today, October 15, is Blog Action Day! Bloggers all over the net are uniting to bring forth one important issue this year, the environment.

Do check out the Earth Journalism Network (EJN) website for more information about these environmental efforts. EJN works to establish networks of environmental journalist in countries where they don’t exist to, and build their capacity where they do.

EJN's latest e-newsletter also provides stories about how effective journalism and reporting can impact the environment. You will find it below in this email thread.

Information about the organiser5s of Blog Action Day 2007 is available here, and additional materials are available at www.internews.org.

My wish is to have the contractors who were tasked to clean up our rivers to return all the money, and let us do all over again -- correctly this time.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My friend David Sasaki is in town. This is his third trip to Malaysia.

As the head of Rising Voices, an offshoot of Global Voices, David has travelled in troubled timezones like Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Kenya, Bangladesh, Thailand and recently, Cambodia.

ALL-BLOGS had invited him to tell us how governments around the world are engaging blogs and bloggers.

'The world is talking; Are you listening?'

I was thralled to learn from him that, when Cambodian bloggers got together to host a blogger conference in August, the national ISP (Internet Service Provider owned by the government) sponsored the event and underwrote some of the costs. Apparently, Hun Sen is pleased with having bloggers as a symbol of the emerging middle-class in Cambodia, though Internet bandwidth is substandard by Streamyx's standard.

Let me shock you further, folks. Guess who's the most famous blogger in Cambodia? Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the former king!

David also told me that Indonesian bloggers will host their Pesta Blogger Indonesia 2007 on October 27. The key sponsors are Nokia and Microsoft, while Malaysian bloggers will, at the very least, be represented by Unspun. But the most exciting news is that the conference will be opened by the Indonesian ICT minister!

Impressively, two South East Asian bloggers I nominated as representatives for the GVO Summit in 2005 are now man of their own. ThaRum is now the livewire for the Cambodian blogosphere, while Enda Nasution is now regarded as the Grandfather of Blogs in Indonesia.

MEET DAVID IN PERSON

David will speak at the ALL-BLOGS Forum this October 3, themed: "Blogs & Digital Democracy".

I understand that ALL-BLOGS president Ahirudin Attan (Rocky) is still trying to convince ZAM through the ministerial aides to attend the event. The last I check Rocky is still trying, and trying hard.

Seats are being snapped up. Those few who have yet to RSVP please respond by 5.30pm today or we will release them to those on the wait list.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here's a summary from USGS as at 08:00hr today:

The Kepulauan Mentawi region monitored (magnitude 5+) once came within 135km from Padang, 160km away from Bengkulu, while the Southern Sumatra region monitored (magnitude 6.2) was close to within 110km from Bengkulu.

Let's pray calamity befalls not on our Indonesian neighbours.

Malaysia is 8 hours ahead of coordinated universal time (UTC), formerly known as Greenwich mean time (GMT).

2004 tsunami... the aftermath

Meanwhile, Malaysia still not through with the plight of 2004 tsunami victims:.

1 ) Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon.said the 2004 tsunami victims should be allowed to move into their new homes in Tanjung Bungah pending the settlement of the dispute over the price of the units.

2 ) RM5.5 million in excess funds collected from Malaysians and given to aid agencies to help victims have yet to be returned to the Treasury.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tested successful yesterday. It's a lethal new air-delivered bomb, the world's most powerful yet non-nuclear weapon. It evaporates life.

Russia has it.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

An aftermath of NBC-Apple cancelling each other, tit-for-tat? To prevent Apple domination, NBC and News Corp.'s Fox are rolling out online-video site Hulu.com this October, which will stream content from both media companies.

Signs are that it will eventually move into downloads, taking the fight directly to Apple. But Hulu is probably more useful as a negotiating tactic with Apple than a means of dominating the video-downloading business, says breakingviews.com.

iTune viewers, please stand-by.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's peak season again. A return flight to Bali on MAS or SIA would range around RM1,650, RM1,950 and RM2,100 depending on the pricing belts, and that was for booking some 45 days prior. Flexibility in changing flights was practically nil. The plane was so full that I got upgraded to business class on my way home yesterday. (Don't ask me, but four of us from the Malaysian delegation refused to fly AirAsia.)

From what I can gather, and despite new travel warnings that Islamic militants might strike again, or that all Indonesian airlines including national carrier Garuda are banned from the European Union, tourists still flock to Bali these days.

The terrorist bombing of a Bali nightclub in Kuta in October 2002, which killed 202 people, now seems a distant history. Tourism is bouncing back, though it's still not anywhere near its prime before the blast.

LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

According to William J. Furney, managing editor of The Bali Times, the only English newspaper published in the island, budget guesthouses popular with surfers, backpackers and domestic tourists, have been fully booked in recent weeks, and mid-range hotels have also been busy.

In fact, statistics from the Bali Tourism Office show increased tourist arrivals for the first half of 2007. There were 745,949 tourist arrivals in Bali between January and June, compared to 552,573 during the same period last year.

Figures record 145,174 arrivals in June alone, and hoteliers in Kuta, the epic-centre of the 2002 terrorist bombing, say that bookings for July were also high.

Ramada Bintang Resort located in the Kuta area, 5 minutes from the airport

I heard that several international conferences are being scheduled to take place from now till October, and hotel resorts in Nusa Dua, the only place that have MICE facilities to house large delegation of over 200 pax, would certainly benefit from it

It's a huge contrast to the moment I landed in KLIA to pick up the luggage. The trolleys in Malaysia are but snapped up by tourists in full black, some only seen with anatomy slit in the eyes.

RAMAYANA... A dinner version in micro-glimpses of the Hindu epic

Clearly, it's the Balinese people that made the difference for the tourism trade there. Tourists the world over are simply wowed by the benevolence of the Balinese, who largely practise Hinduism, for their compassion, laid-back attitude and love of peace and harmony.

Hi-5 Bali on Wi-fi

Meanwhile, Bali is also catching fast on pervasive wi-fi hotspots for the visitors, including backpackers.

The Kuta Cyber Beach programme, which was launched in July, has been providing wireless internet access for 2,007 meters along Kuta Beach, stretching from the Bali Dynasty Hotel on Jalan Kartika Plaza to the Sahid Raya Hotel at Jalan Pantai.

There are currently 30 access points covering the beach, with each spot having a radius of 150 meters.

This means you can access the Internet while sitting on the steps leading to the spanking new Discovery Mall before you end up at Hard Rock Cafe.

Over the one week I was there, state telecoms company Telkom announced that the free trial period of the Kuta Cyber Beach hotspot program will be extended until August 17, in conjunction with the 62nd anniversary of Indonesia’s independence.

After the free trial period, the service will be accessible using a prepaid card called I-VAS, available at cellular phone counters for Rp10,000 to Rp50,000.

The slack is the speed. You can only get 128 kbps while upgrades are being planned to increase it up to 512 kbps. So, the idea is just to let you check emails while holidaying, but be sure to enjoy the sun and sand, and not get hooked to cyber-patrolling.

Rent-a-Villa

Another new trend is emerging in Bali.

For those with money to burn, and a discerning taste to dispense in life, the hip place is no longer the Nusa Dua resorts zone where the Grand Mirage is located.

The in-thing nowadays is stretched home-stays in luxury villas in upscale Seminyak area, which is fast developing into one of Bali’s most fashionable and desirable locales manicured in luscious greens.

One of such luxury villas is Club151 (or the C151 brand) developed by PT. Hanno Bali, a leading foreign-owned developer in Bali, which also developed the 11 private Islands near Singapore around Bintan, fit for the rich and famous.

With the platinum card, you can either rent or buy a C151 villa and add that posh Seminyak address in your collection. (Is Kee Hua Chee up here for the lifestyle review already?)

A C151 villa can be had from US$500++ per villa per night. It comes with 3 suites, a 12-metre private pool in private garden, 3 private bathrooms with jacuzzi, 8 large-screen LCD TVs, and music speakers throughout the villa, including garden and pool. Wireless broadband and satellite channels are an understatement. Mau?

(BTW, "Bali. Mau?" is the latest ad slogan this season.) Must check the Gini coefficient for Bali. I find it disturbing as a traditional masseure of two-year experience, working a maximum of three clients per day on good days, earns about US$150 per month and her rent for a spartan room in Denpasar eats up Rp250,000 (US$26) per month.

Peace and serenity

While attending an intensive course, I managed to steal time to click the shutter though the gloomy weather and overcast weren't kind to a photographer.

TANAH LOT SUNSET... I would have preferred a much stronger sun to beam on the calm seas for more defined hue and contrast

The Sound of Calm in two parts

More high-resolution pictures are available on LensaMalaysia.

I had to make do with the bad lighting conditions and come home with a series on the Balinese serenity. Oṃ śānti śānti śānti.

FOOTNOTE: If you are a free-and easy traveller to Bali and need local transport, contact Mr Putu Suastika at mobile: 08123834146. Good English, a thirty-something, he works hard to raise money to educate his two kids.

Putu ferried us to Tanah Lot for the sunset shots, and brought us to Kedonganan beach (near Jimbaran) for dinner. We shared engaging conversation as I tried to put in a rich pinch of Indonesia accent chatting in Bahasa. On the way back to the hotel, he proudly told me that he has been booked to fetch a group of new arrivals at 1.00am. He would drop us at the hotel, put the kids to sleep, have shower and a short rest, and will dash to the airport for his pick-up. His enthusiasm in sharing me the trivias of his work life, motivated by his urge to educate the children. saya ngak bisa libur biar luang masa, harus kerja kuat, anak harus diberi education sebaik mungkin. Simple words and single-mindedness. They warmed my heart.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

May 17, AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes was quoted in the international press as saying that his airline's new long-haul offshoot — AirAsiaX — planned to be the first budget carrier to operate between Australia and Malaysia.

According to media hype then, services was to begin on September 8, either to Avalon Airport or Adelaide.

A new round of hot air has just blown today.

RM88 gross, KL-Sydney one way

Jetstar, a budget airline fully-owned by Australian national carrier Qantas Airways, will commence three times a week direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sydney from September 9.

Jetstar's special one-way web fare for the economy class on the Kuala Lumpur-Sydney route is RM88, exclusive of surcharges, fees and taxes which will add at least RM409.50 per passenger.

The flight will initially operate using the 303-seater Airbus A330-200s offering two classes of service including StarClass, Jetstar's business class, before transitioning to a fleet of 15 new Boeing 787 Dreamliners from August 2008, said Jetstar general manager for marketing David May today.

Jetstar's call centre is at: 1800-813-090.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Malaysia made its way into America's headline news, again, for illegal arms sale.

July 19, US time, Jilani Humayun, 59, a New York-based Pakistani, was charged for11 counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act, which regulates the export of "defense articles and services" to an unidentified Malaysian company, ABC News reported.

Humayun, who operates through Vash International Inc., is also charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and launder money.

The charges carry up to 150 years in prison upon conviction.

Prosecution papers alleged that Humayun's company exported F-5 and F-14 fighter jet and Chinook helicopter components to the Malaysian company 11 times during the current Abdullah Administration, from January 2004 and May 2006. Quote:

"The details of the crime with which Jilani Humayun is charged are particularly disturbing, as he is alleged to have knowingly shipped technology as dangerous as F-5 and F-14 parts to Malaysia without any regard for the ultimate destination," said U.S. attorney Michael J. Garcia of the Southern District of New York.

"As is well-documented in public reports, the sole customer of F-14 parts is the Iranian air force."

According to Reuters which quoted US authorities, Humayun also acknowledged during an interview that the (Malaysian) company is Vash International's largest customer, and that Humayun did not know who the 'end users' are of the items that were shipped".

US Federal agents that questioned Humayun said he admitted that he purposely undervalued the parts in customs paperwork to avoid paying Malaysian customs duties.

They also say the Malaysian company wired US$357,085 to Vash International.

Malaysia declines to comment

Meanwhile, DPM cum Defence Minister Najib Razak, declined comments citing lack of knowledge of the breaking news.

He, however, stated that Malaysia does not possess F-14 though it had been deploying the F-5 a long time ago

The last time Malaysia was implicated in the international illegal arms sale, also involving a Pakistani, was in 2004.

Then, Malaysia was questioned for its role in the nuclear black market used by Pakistan’s top nuclear atomic scientist A.Q.Khan to sell nuclear technology, including a Japan-originated order for centrifuge components, to Iran, Libya and North Korea

Meanwhile, the director of the criminal investigative service in the U.S. Department of Defense, Charles W. Beardall, called the illegal export of U.S. military technology and weapons "one of the most significant and growing threats to our national security."

The U.S. Department of Justice has since issued a press release on the case.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

The Geneva-based World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) has issued an urgent appeal globally after having listed blogger Nathanial Tan's arrest under the Official Secret Act (OSA) as Case MYS 130707. Here's the global appeal message:

SUBJECT: Malaysia: Arbitrary arrest, forced disappearance and risk to personal integrity of Mr. Nathaniel Tan

Case MYS 130707

Arbitrary arrest/ Forced disappearance / Risk to personal integrity

The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Malaysia.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by SUARAM, a member of the SOS-Torture Network, of the arbitrary arrest, forced disappearance and risk to personal integrity of Mr. Nathaniel Tan in Kuala Lumpur on 13 July 2007.

According to the information received, at about 4:45 pm on 13 July 2007, Mr. Nathaniel Tan, an employee of the Peoples' Justice Party (PKR - Parti KeADILan Rakyat) information bureau, was taken for questioning by three plainclothes police officers. They were believed to be from the Special Branch and have reportedly asked M. Nathaniel Tan to follow them for questioning in the Bukit Aman police headquarters without providing any reasons why he had to do so.

The police also allegedly requested that Mr. Nathaniel Tan brings his notebook computer with him for questions that are believed to be related to postings on the Internet. According to the same information, the whereabouts of Mr. Nathaniel Tan remain unknown since his arrest and the police have reportedly denied that Mr. Nathaniel Tan is detained in Bukit Aman police headquarters.

The International Secretariat of OMCT is therefore gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Nathaniel Tan. OMCT calls on the Malaysian Government to guarantee his integrity at all times, locate his whereabouts and release him in the absence of valid legal charges that are consistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist, bring him before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times. Moreover, as an elected member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Malaysia should guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.

Action requested

Please write to the authorities in Malaysia urging them to:

Continue reading "Nat's arrest : Listed by Anti-Torture Group as "Case MYS 130707"" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a Bill Moyers essay on Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal, originally aired over PBS June 29, 2007.

Earlier in January 2007, Moyers delivered a keynote, themed: What's Wrong with Big Media at the National Conference on Media Reform in Memphis Tennessee. The conference featured people who work in the media world, politicians and FCC Commissioners.

Famous last words: Shipwreck of journalism... How media owners write the script, and the public? Be damned.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Details here, but debates are sizzling at Global Voices Online (GVO).

One GVO author is getting skeptic about Google hegemony in the social web. "My question is what will be the social web if all those brillant projects (flickr, youtube, feedburner, etc.) will be a division of a large public corporation like Yahoo and Google? and what if tomorrow Google decide to filter feedburner RSS - in China- which is being used by ppl as a proxyfing tool?" he asks.

Another answers:

Any of these large sites are doing extensive user tracking. If you don't like it, you can access them through Tor, or use accounts that keep your real name separate from your online identity.

One problem is that when you start an innovative web2.0 company, there are really only a few possible outcomes:
- You fail
- You suceed and get bought by Google/Yahoo/Rupert Murdoch
- You succeed and grow as large as Google/Yahoo/Rupert Murdoch.

There are very few companies out there willing to do what Craigslist did and reject huge sums of money for the company... and even they've taken a 25% investment from Ebay, another huge company...

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. StarTrek said that in its legacy over the 40 years past.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Launched Friday (US time), has anyone from Malaysia got it already? It's US$499 for the 4GB model, and US$599 for an 8GB.

If you are shipping in from the US, remember iPhone is a locked-down phone -- not only can you not swap out the AT&T SIM card for one from another network operator, you can't even swap it out for another AT&T SIM card! (Oh yes, all over US reports that AT&T comes with the activation headache.)

Also, iPhone is stuck with EDGE technology, not 3G and above.

Since I started counting it last January, I think I could afford to wait till next January.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

It has been a rocky week for Internet and related technologies. I spotted five points tat prompted me to read.

1 ) PowerPoint turns 20

Snappy presenters who wow their audience with jazzy slideshows may not realise it. PowerPoint is 20 years old!

And, perhaps, not many realise that when Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin invented PowerPoint 1.0 in 1987, they meant it for for Macs. Frankly, I only came to know about it when I read it on WSJ supplied to my hotel room.

However, it took three more years users got to see the Windows version of PowerPoint. Back then, graphics-oriented computers were still early days, and even venture capitalists insisted that text-based DOS machines would never go away.

Gaskin, however, foresaw that there was a huge but invisible market for business slides with GUI-centric computers. His PowerPoint was bought over -- lock, stock, barrel -- by Microsoft in late 1987 for US$14 million. But PC users had had to wait until 1990 when Microsoft finally released a Windows version of PowerPoint.

Both Gaskin and Austin left Microsoft in the 1990s to pursue personal projects. Ironically, they are less famous than the product they both created.

Read this article, and tell us if PowerPoint will ever become less important for you when you hold the rostrum next.

2 ) France government bans Blackberry

It's the leakage of economic and sovereign intelligence, not the technology.

Continue reading "Tech-bits June 19" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Karen Armstrong (Stanford University picture, below), a religious historian whose books some Malaysians feared to read, will be in Kuala Lumpur to deliver a public lecture this weekend.

Armstrong was in the spotlight recently when her 2000 book, The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam (ISBN 0-00-255523-9) was banned by the Malaysian government July last year.

However, it needed to be told that Armstrong's lecture in Malaysia is part of her efforts in promoting peace and better understanding between Islam and the West. She is renowned for having debunked some of the most virulent stereotypes against Islam in the past.

In 1991, for example, she published Muhammad: A Western Attempt to Understand Islam. This was her response, she says, to the bigotry against Islam that arose after the infamous Salman Rushdie fatwa.

This will be her first visit to this region, and here is a summary of the activities:

1 ) She will speak at a conference organised by the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Islam and the West.

She will also deliver a public lecture. Details are as below:

Title: The Role of Religion in the 21st Century
Date: 16 June, 2007
Time: 10.00am
Venue: Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

2 ) In addition, Armstrong will speak at the Inter-Civilizational Youth Engagement Programme (IYEP), a dialogue that will be attended by 50 young people from all over the world. The dialogue is arranged by five non-governmental organisations. Event details are as below:

Date: June 17-June 20
Venue: Residence Hotel, Kajang, Selangor

3 ) There will also be a Press Conference held by the International Movement For a Just World (JUST) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar who will introduce Armstrong to the Malaysian media.

Date: 17 June, 2007
Time: 11am
Venue: Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

For more information on the public lecture, dialogue and press conference, please contact: Maria Yan or Ghazali at 03-79603207.

Armstrong, a former Roman Catholic nun and one of the English-speaking world's foremost commentators on religion, is also a broadcaster, columnist and a best-selling author. Several of her books have been translated into over 40 languages.

Continue reading "Karen Armstrong to speak in Malaysia" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

The frontpage last night...

David Marquand writes in the Guardian: "He will always be defined by the war he started, not the conflict he ended."

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I am not bragging, but Malaysia could have suffered far worse press freedom ranking if not for the existence of blogs like Screenshots and the late MGG Pillai, online media like Malaysiakini, and media watchdogs like Aliran and CIJ.

This is an excerpt from Freedom House, a non-profit advocate of democracy founded in 1941 and now HQ-ed in Washington DC

Highly critical blogs by Malaysian standards, such as Screenshots and Sangkancil, online news sites like Malaysiakini, and media watchdogs such as Aliran and the Center for Independent Journalism have been able to operate since Abdullah took over as prime minister in 2003, although they are subject to repeated instances of harassment at the hands of authorities.

In the ‘Global Survey of Media Independence' 2006, Freedom House gave Malaysia a score of 68 points out of 100 -- where the higher points denote a worse threat to Press Freedom -- putting us in the basket of Not Free (NF) vis-a-vis freedom of the press.

The aggregate was derived from an analysis of the legal, political, and economic environment surrounding and influencing the media.

Among the 194 countries surveyed, Malaysia ranked 141st, putting us the same league as obscure democracies like Angola, Bhutan, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Moldova and United Arab Emirates.

For the ranking among the Asia-Pacific countries, Malaysia is 28th out of 40 countries, trailing behind Cambodia and Pakistan.

In 2005, Malaysia ranked 152nd globally, 33rd regionally, or three notches better than China.

In other words, we are getting worse. In the region, Malaysia trailed behind Cambodia and Pakistan (global ranking 128), Indonesia and Sri Lanka (121), Thailand (107), The Philippines (89), East Timor (85), Samoa and Papua New Guinea (65).

At this rate we go, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi may be justified for his Mission 2057 in seeing Malaysia as a First-Class country.

Finland and Iceland shared the top ranking for having the freest press. North Korea occupied the last placing at 194th.

Continue reading "Press Freedom: Screenshots & Others help save Malaysia's world ranking" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

For those who missed last night's segment of 101 East over Al-Jazeera, which features bloggers in dilemma, here's a chance to catch it on YouTube.

It features the various issues arising from the defamation suits against Malaysian bloggers. Star Editor Bunn Nagara, Blogger Patrick Teoh and law professor Shad Saleem Faruqi guest.

Thanks Fat Bidin for the hard labour.

Rocky files 'conditional defence'

Meanwhile, blogger Rocky yesterday filed a conditional defence with the KL High Court, claiming that he could not defend his case properly because the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP) and the four others did not specify the alleged libellous parts in the suit against him, reports The Star.

On the other hand, Malaysiakini reported that, in his defence, Rocky has disclosed further evidence in support of his fair comment made when he allegedly called one of the plaintiffs a plagiarist.

The October 30 article in The NST, titled ‘How dearly we miss June 6', was mentioned in the defence as allegedly resembling Detroit Free Press journalist Mitch Albom’s ‘Remembering the day before the day’ (September 10, 2006).

The defence proceeded to disclose two more of the plaintiff's ‘consistent pattern for plagiarism’, suggesting that the former NST editor had allegedly plagiarised articles from CNN and National Geographic magazine in his article ‘Life played out on football pitch’ published in NST on July 3, 2006.

See the comparison chart that Malaysiakini published, below:

SOURCE: Malaysiakini, May 4, 2007

The defence also outlined the globally accepted parameters that define plagiarism, and stated that expert witness, if any, will be called to testify in the hearing. Quote from The Star:

“The standard of reporting by the media must be executed at the highest level because the media is the first draft of history.

“Journalistic integrity is the core principle in writing or reporting so as to secure truthful publications,” he (Rocky) said.

'Fair comment on Weekend Mail'

In addition, Rocky also pleaded in the defence that he had made a fair comment in saying NSTP CEO Syed Faisal was responsible for the indefinite suspension of the Weekend Mail.

National leaders, no less the DPM Najib Abdul Razak, and the Internal Security Ministry had faulted the management of Weekend mail for focussing its Nov 4-5 issue that on sex and sexual issues was

For the record, after the indefinite suspension of the publishing permit of Weekend Mail, was announced, Syed Faisal Albar had apologised unreservedly to the paper's readers for any distress caused by the publication of the articles.

Syed Faisal admitted that the articles and photographs were “offensive and distasteful”, Malaysiakini reported.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

To find out who sits at the empty seat in this picture, I suggest you tune in to National Geographic (ASTRO Channel 52) at 9pm tonight.

LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

The man is Dr Wade Davis, Harvard-trained anthropologist, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and celebrated author.

Wade Davis, LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

Davis is best known for his groundbreaking research on cultures and the use of plants, language and myth. He has also written several books, including The Serpent and the Rainbow, Passage of Darkness, and One River based on his exploration and discovery in Haiti and the Amazon rainforest.

Davis was in Kuala Lumpur last week to open the Photo Exhibition in conjunction with the premiere of the 4-part documentary, Light at The Edge of the World, produced by National Geographic.

The 4-part epic documentary will debut tonight, and continues at 9.00pm every subsequent Monday, on ASTRO exclusively for the Malaysian viewers, thanks to special arrangements by the Nat Geo Channel and DHL, the global express and logistics company that was involved in the production of the series.

The series is aimed at raising the awareness of indigenous cultures around the world.

The exhibition features a special selection of photographs from Davis's vast collection taken over his exploration in the last 25 years. It captures Davis's spiritual trek through the Himalayas of Nepal to the thrilling polar bear hunt expedition by the Inuit in Canada. It also includes glimpses of the art of Wayfinding, an ancient Polynesian navigation technique using wave 'fingerprints' and the stars, and highlights of a Peruvian village which took to a mystical mountain for a high-altitude festival.

The photo exhibition is open to the public at 1 Utama Shopping Centre (New Wing) till May 4. Admission is free of charge.

As part of of education outreach programmes in his Asian Tour, Davis also presented a forum, also titled Light at the The Edge of the World, at a lecture jointly organised with the Asia Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya, on April 25.

4-part epic documentary

The epic TV documentary series is based on the book by Davis that treks his travels from the foothills of the Himalayas to the desolate tundra of the Northern Arctic, as he explores how indigenous cultures are adapting to preserve their unique heritage.

"The epic documentary is a celebration of the wonder of humanity's greatest legacy, an ethnosphere of brilliance and genius that gives form to all thoughts and brains, ideas and myths, institutions and inspiration, brought by the human imagination," said Davis at the press conference which Screenshots attended.

"Technology and development have changed the fabrics of our lives," he said. "We then have to decide, what kind of world do we want to live in?"

I have previewed all four episodes in the comfort of my home. You have my strong recommendation for all of them.

Episode Guide:

1 ) The Wayfinders -- Apr 30 (9.00pm) | May 28 (6.00pm)
2 ) Sacred Geography -- May 7 (9.00pm) | May 14 (3pm) | May 29 (6pm)
3 ) Hunters of the Northern Ice -- May 14 (9pm) | May 21 (3.00pm) | May 30 (6.00pm)
4 ) Science of the Mind -- May 21 (9.00pm) | May 28 (3.00pm) | May 31 (6.00pm)

Further information on the Wade Davis epic documentary is available at www.ngcasia.com.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY (US$10,000)

Awarded to Oded Balilty of The Associated Press for his powerful photograph of a lone Jewish woman defying Israeli security forces as they remove illegal settlers in the West Bank.

http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2007/breaking-news-photography/works

FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY (US$10,000)

Awarded to Renée C. Byer of The Sacramento Bee for her intimate portrayal of a single mother and her young son as he loses his battle with cancer.

http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2007/feature-photography/works

EDITORIAL CARTOONING (US$10,000)

Awarded to Walt Handelsman of Newsday, Long Island, N.Y., for his stark, sophisticated cartoons and his impressive use of zany animation.

http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2007/editorial-cartooning/works

Full list here.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Age of YouTube Politics. Yesterday, April 7, British Prime Minister Tony Blair launched LabourVision, Labour Party's YouTube channel, to reach out to the constituencies on "what we are about, what we have done, what we hope to do in the future... unmediated by the media".

His welcome message was viewed more than 400 times in the first 24 hours. URL: www.youtube.com/labourvision.

Tory leader David Cameron had launched his personal blog and video podcast September last year. URL: www.webcameron.org.uk.

This is how Cameron tackles questions from his constituencies in the Ask David and David Response segments -- unmediated by the mainstream media, that is:

Compared with our former colonial masters, here in Malaysia, we are feudally colonised by BlogosFear.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Weekend Mail, without a full-time Editor-in-Chief and now helmed by two deputies (Yushaimi Maulud Yahaya and Saiful Azhar Abdullah), will be distributing 10,000 copies of missing-boy Yin's posters in the Klang Valley this weekend.

Lee Hwa Beng (picture below), the state assemblyman for the larger part of my Subang Jaya neighbourhood, will be sponsoring Weekend Mail for free distribution in his constituency today, to help in the publicity to find Yin. He hoped the missing boy would be reunited with his family without further delay.

LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

Five-year-old Muhamad Nazrin Shamsul Ghazali, or Yin, has been missing since last Saturday. On a CCTV video recording, he was seen taking the escalator down from the second floor of the Sogo complex in KL alone before exiting the shopping centre. He wandered towards Jalan Raja Laut and disappeared.

The boy's parents had put up a reward for information on Yin. They can be contacted at 012-5090451 (En. Shamsul), 012-3749647 (Puan Nor Amizah). Or The Malay Mail at 019-2803131 or 03-2822-8588.

Other blogs have more information about the missing boy and Weekend Mail's caring spirit: Shanghai Fish, Rocky's Bru, 3540 Jalan Sudin. Perhaps more.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

April 4, Thailand’s military-appointed government blocked access to YouTube and several other Internet sites in a crackdown on online content that denigrates the country’s monarch, including a video clip that showed feet over King Bhumibol Adulyadej's head.

Thai government blamed YouTube for being 'heartless and insensitive' to the King.

YouTube owner, Google Inc., initially refused to remove the video. However,the clip was pulled out by the sender soon after Thailand blocked access to the video-sharing site that publishes user-generated content.

However, the government's action may have triggered a Round Two, according to Bangkok Recorder.

A second video slideshow attacking His Majesty the King suggests that the Thai government's ban on YouTube may be escalating into an online fight for free speech.

As YouTube and Google deleted the last images of the original offensive video, a subscriber using the name "Thaifreespeech" placed an new video attacking His Majesty on YouTube.

The video was viewed more than 7,000 times in one hour, attracting 160 comments, most of them strongly criticising the video clip and its maker.

The likelihood of more copycat inflammatory clips on YouTube and its rival video services suggest that Thailand could soon see further online blocks.

Meanwhile, an AP dispatch picked up by MSNBC quoted Thai minister of information and technology, Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, as saying that YouTube and the Thai government are discussing ways to end the impasse.

However, WIRED Blog Network's 27B Stroke6 reported that YouTube has agreed to create technical measures to help Thailand's military government block access to videos that insult the king.

April 5, Reporters Without Borders said that the Thai government's decision to block access to the entire YouTube site was made on 'shaky ground from a legal perspective'.

"The Thai government claims that it censors only pornographic Web sites or those that 'insult' the monarchy, but in fact it also blocks online publications that criticize last September's coup and Web sites linked to southern Thailand's separatist groups.

We wonder about the legal basis for this censorship, initiated by the government and implemented with diligence by the police. The closure or blockage of an online publication is a serious decision that should require a court order," the group stated.

April 6, Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom told Reuters that YouTube will help Thailand block access to pages that contain clips offensive to its revered monarch instead of blacking out the whole site.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

April 5, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi declared to the world...

This battle of Right against Might. The context, 77 years ago then, was the non-violent, 400km Salt March, a protest against British monopoly on salt trade.

It was a protest against monopoly the Satyagraha way.

Seventy-seven years on, ain't we living in a world of surging monopoly over the opinion space. Constructive criticisms are gross dissent. And that, you should only buy one version of truth that is news-slanted by the politically-cowed mainstream media dictated by the editorial mullahs?

In January 2006, as if blogging was long foreseen as the modern day long-haul Salt March from the cyberworld to reality, I remembered Gandhi's devotion to Satyagraha -- the resistance of tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa (total non-violence).

We are no mahātmā. But that stops us not from seeking solace in mahātmā's wisdom and spirit.

Among many other things, Gandhi once said:"You should be the change that you want to see in the world."

WALK WITH US bloggers... fellow Malaysians!

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

WiMAX may lose out if it is slow in rolling out, and industry players said December is an overly ambitious deadline!

The new pitch is iBurst, said to have transformed wireless broadband in Africa. The buzz will be in KL next Thursday: MoBif and Kyocera are bringing iBurst International Forum 2007 to town.

Not assigned IEEE802.20 standard until December 2006, iBurst is said to require only 5MHz of licensed spectrum to deliver "faster data rates with portability up to 60 mph, IP end-to-end, robust base-station handover, heavy-duty security".

Read it in my CNet Asia blog -- Lemak Lemang.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last Wednesday (March 28). Google teamed up with LG Electronics to offer enhanced mobile experience: Using Google-LG mobile to allow users access Google Maps™, Gmail™ and blogs hosted on Blogger™.

* * *

TAKE IT EASY. Here's an April 1 satire on Google, which also a pulled a fast one on the online world: In a direct response to Yahoo Mail's 10th anniversary gift -- Infinity -- announced last week, Google increased Gmail storage to Infinity Plus One.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Google, Google, Google, Google...

Google.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

It happened in New Zealand. Via NZ Herald, March 26:

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the maker of Ribena, has been fined NZ $217,500 after admitting it has misled customers about the vitamin C content of the blackcurrant drink. View video clip on NZ TV ONE here.

The company appeared in Auckland District Court to face charges alleging 15 breaches of the Fair Trading Act. It admitted that its cartoned Ready To Drink Ribena, which it claimed had 7mg of Vitamin C per 100ml, in fact had no detectable Vitamin C content.

The company also admitted it may have misled customers in advertisements saying the blackcurrants in Ribena syrup had four times the Vitamin C of oranges.

Besides the fine, Judge Phil Gittos also ordered GlaxoSmithKline to place half-page corrective advertisements in the Herald, Dominion Post, the Press and Otago Daily Times.

Debunked by 17-year-olds

Incredibly, the Ribena bluff was exposed by 17-year-old Pakuranga College students, Anna Devathasan and Jenny Suo, who investigated into the vitamin C levels of the popular drink for a school project three years ago -- using college lab facilities. View video here.

NZ's TV ONE described it as the students' "thirst for knowledge that leads to court".

When the girls discovered that the level of Vitamin C for Ribena seemed too low compared to what was advertised, they took their observations to GSK.

In the letter emailed to GSK, the girls described GSK's advertising as "intentionally misleading and quite inappropriate". They got no reply.

The girls then telephoned the company, but again, they received no reply.

Undeterred, the girls contacted the Advertising Standards Authority, and Brandpower, a brand advertising service company. Again, the girls didn't receive convincing response, said NZ Herald.

It was then that the television consumer affairs show, Fair Go on TV ONE in October 2004, picked up the story and suggested the girls take their findings to the Commerce Commission, which turned it into a court case.

View video of the Commerce Commission spokesperson's take on the case, and hear the keyword: Misleading conduct.

The Ribena drink has sales of about $8 million a year in NZ, and a worldwide turnover of more than NZ$61 billion, second only to drug giant Pfizer.

GSK Malaysia also advertised its Ribena drink as having 4 times more vitamin C than oranges, on its Malaysian website here. Scientific fact aside, we need to know Malaysia's stock of Ribena really contains 4 times more vitamin C than the regular orange.

GSK needs to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, its ownership of that creative license about blackcurrant.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

A beautiful movie, supported by the British High Commission of Kenya, based on a novel by John le Carré. Background: Human testing of beta pharmaceutical drugs in Africa.

Staring Ralph Fiennes. Tagline: Love. At any cost.

John le Carré authored another of my favourite: The Tailor of Panama.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Broadcasters are faced with one real-world challenge thriving in the cyberworld: How do you deal with YouTube where 100 million videos are viewed each day?

It can be both a threat and an opportunity, agreed participants of the 13th Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Copyright Committee Seminar held in Tokyo last week.

After DailyMotion, I will be beta-testing Joost (formerly The Venice Project™), soon.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I was cursing myself why we had to keep on making retirees-to-be run our major cities as mayors, the datuk bandar. The feeling just got more intense as our appointment with the Seoul mayor approached by the seconds.

We all knew that Seoul just had a new, young mayor last July. But when he walked into the conference room, there were still audible sighs of awe, followed by enthralled silence.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon... LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

Oh Se-hoon is young and looks young. He was born in 1961. But Korea believes he is fit to run the capital city, Seoul, which is the sixth largest in the world, with a population close to 11 million.

Being a city with a 600-year history, Seoul has all the trappings of a century-old city that has developed into a congested cosmopolitan -- high population density within a small land area, huge demand for housing and amenities and astronomical cost for urban re-development, perennial traffic jams and escalating cost of living that put its global competitiveness to steep test. New threads are the worsening air pollution from neighbouring countries up north.

NOTE: A group of 70-odd business and IT journalists comprising 11 countries from Africa, Middle East, the Indian Sub-continent and South-east Asia were hosted to a media trip to Seoul last week by LG Electronics Inc. I understand that I was the only blogger invited to the media tour which incorporated a visit to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and LG plants and facilities.

Snow-capture at Seoul City Hall... Photo courtesy Media-in.co.kr

More photographs chronicling glimpses of Seoul are available at LensaMalaysia.com.

READ ON...

Continue reading "Seoul 2010... U-City" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 03:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

November 20, the California Supreme Court ruled that websites that publish inflammatory information written by other parties cannot be sued for libel as the Communications Decency Act of 1996 provides broad immunity from defamation lawsuits for people who publish information on the Internet that was gathered from another source.

February 23, US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (Federal Court) reaffirmed the immunity of bloggers from legal suits brought against commenters in their blogs.

The February 23 verdict is available as PDF on USCourts.gov.

Continue reading "Bloggers' immunity: US Federal Court reaffirms Supreme Court ruling" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

UPDATED VERSION. When China sneezes, the world gets the cold.

MSNBC.com: Bulls insist pullback is temporary; bears fear more trouble ahead

.

Continue reading "Markets tumble. Correction phase?... ( 2 )" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 05:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

UPDATED VERSION. According to emerging media reports, Tony Blair will soon announce a new timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, with 1,500 to return home in several weeks, and with a total of about 3,000 by the end of 2007.

The BBC said Blair is not expected to say when the rest of Britain's forces will leave Iraq. Currently, Britain has about 7,100 soldiers there.

Meanwhile, Denmark is also expected to announce plans to begin withdrawing its 460-troop contingent from Iraq.

In contrast, the US Congress is now caught in a new quagmire over Bush's planned deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops to Iraq.

Three days ago, the Republicans foiled a Democratic bid to repudiate Bush's new deployment plan. The Senate narrowly rejected -- 56 vs 34 -- a renewed effort to force debate on a resolution opposing President Bush’s troop buildup in Iraq.

So, will Bush change his mind now that Blair is calling it quits before Britons quit supporting Labour Party? "Bush has ignored everybody in the past, so what makes Blair so special that he shouldn't be ignored?: so said US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, or something to that effect.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is noted for signing a decree strictly banning privatisation of the press in any form. But on Friday, he hosted the country's highest-level online chat, answering questions about everything from corruption to his personal life.

Associated Press described it as a clear break from old-style communism in the rapidly changing country.

Continue reading "Vietnam: PM hosts online chat with frank Q&A" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Should Doomsday come, at least a seed bank will be there to preserve the agricultural lifeline for mankind.

Over the weekend, the Norwegian government began to reveal the final design for a "doomsday" vault that will house seeds from all known varieties of food crops.

Named the Svalbard International Seed Vault, it will be built into a mountainside on a remote island near the North Pole. Construction begins in March, and the seed bank is scheduled to open in 2008.

Continue reading "Norway hosts 'Doomsday Vault'" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week, the New York Times ran a story about our oil palm plantations being an environmental threat. Quote:

But last year, when scientists studied practices at palm plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia, this green fairy tale began to look more like an environmental nightmare.

Rising demand for palm oil in Europe brought about the clearing of huge tracts of Southeast Asian rainforest and the overuse of chemical fertilizer there.

Worse still, the scientists said, space for the expanding palm plantations was often created by draining and burning peatland, which sent huge amounts of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

A free alert for Minister Peter Chin. Previous counter bad PR efforts are
available here - www.palmoiltruthfoundation.com.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday, while summing the 3-day PGPO Expose War Crimes: Criminalise War conference, Dr Mahathir said the situation in Iraq today should make the US understand that "no one should hegemonise this world, dictate, change regime, or do what they like”.

He reminded the US president that sending more troops to Iraq will only end up in more American soldiers going home in corpse bags.

An exhibit depicting the collatoral damage in wars... LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

He also "congratulated" the Iraqi resistence forces fighting the US-led military occupation of Iraq, urging them to "make sure the Americans pay a very high price for their adventure".

His remarks were met by resounding applause.

It came at the end of the preliminary proceedings of the War Crime Commission, and the Tribunal, that the conference has set-up to try and punish ‘warmongering’ leaders and governments of aggressor nations guilty of war crimes.

Commander-in-Chief in absentia

In his closing speech, Mahathir also said he supported war only if they were conducted as in the past when commanders-in-chiefs, unlike US president George W Bush, who declared war on other nations were at the forefront of the battle. Quote Malaysiakini:

"If Bush is willing to lead his army from the front, by all means, let’s all go to war," said Mahathir, deriding "commander-in-chiefs" who give battle orders "5,000 miles away".

Later at a press conference, Mahathir said there was no contradiction between his call for the Iraqi resistence to continue killing US servicemen and his statements that "war is never an option for the settlement of disputes."

"If it is a defensive war, then it is justified. The Iraqis are fighting to defend their own country," said Mahathir.

"If Iraqis invaded the US, I would support the US," he added.

LensaMalaysia photographers have some interesting pictures -- some may require readers' discretion - of the Criminalise War exhibition currently being held at 4th Floor PWTC till this Sunday. Click here.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Boosting Malaysia's international image? No, I am not talking about the Prime Minister speaking alongside Thomas Friedman.

This week, Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan will address the 'Who’s who' of the global media industry at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

He is among 100 ‘most influential and respected media leaders in the world’ picked to join the WEF’s inaugural International Media Council (IMC). Quote:

“It’s a rare honour to be selected as a member of the council,” said Gan.

“Given that the media plays a pivotal role in shaping global events, it’s also a great responsibility. I take this as a unique opportunity for me to discuss issues of great importance with some of the most powerful men and women in the world.”

The IMC is a new body set up by the organisers of the WEF. Over 3,000 journalists around the world were asked to suggest potential members and 900 nominations were received.

The final list was chosen by a special committee of experts. Gan is the only Southeast Asian selected and one of nine Asians.

Other prominent IMC members include New York Times Publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr, Washington Post’s Bob Woodward of Watergate fame, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and Google CEO, Eric Schmidt.

I am glad Malaysia is represented by the online media, as Steven will be among those speaking at the opening session themed ‘Old Questions, New Answers’ which will examine the challenges facing the old and new media.

He will also be on a panel session entitled 'Journalism is Dead - Long Live the Journalist' which explores the meaning of journalism in the new media world.

Steven will also participate in a number of informal meetings, including a breakfast meeting hosted by Microsoft's Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, and a lunch meeting with philanthropist George Soros

The world is flat? Or flatter now?

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Malaysian professionals who hold an MBA from any of 50 British-approved institutions will be given preference above all others to work in Britain.

According to Choi Tuck Wo, The Star's bureau chief in London, the qualified MBA-holders will automatically get 75 points – the minimum qualifying mark under the point-based system in the Highly-Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP), which came into force on December 5.

The provision for this MBA-skewed policy was made during the 2004 Budget, where graduates of the top 50 business schools are allowed to work in the UK for up to 12 months on completing their MBA.

The move affects mostly doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers and entrepreneurs, who must score at least 75 points to cross the HSMP hurdle.

Apart from the MBA provision, applicants will also score points based on other qualifications, previous earnings and age However, younger professionals -- especially those 27 years and below -- will chalk up more points, The Star reports.
.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

The popular Wikipedia revolutionized the internet with community generated content. In a way, it is one of the forerunners of Web 2.0.

Now, Wikileaks.org extends it into transparency and good governance. It's a site for whistle-blowers!

Look at the preamble:

Wikileaks is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Our primary interests are oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to those in the west who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their own governments and corporations. We aim for maximum political impact; this means our interface is identical to Wikipedia and usable by non-technical people. We have received over 1.1 million documents so far from dissident communities and anonymous sources.

We believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies. Many governments would benefit from increased scrutiny by the world community, as well as their own people. We believe this scrutiny requires information. Historically that information has been costly - in terms of human life and human rights. Wikileaks will facilitate safety in the ethical leaking movement.

Wikileaks opens leaked documents up to a much more exacting scrutiny than any media organization or intelligence agency could provide. Wikileaks will provide a forum for the entire global community to examine any document for credibility, plausibility, veracity and falsifiability. They will be able to interpret documents and explain their relevance to the public. [...]

We believe that it is not only the people of one country that keep their government honest, but also the people of other countries who are watching that government. That is why the time has come for an anonymous global avenue for disseminating documents the public should see.

Is Wikileaks concerned about any legal consequences? The promotor says:

Our roots are in dissident communities and our focus is on non-western authoritarian regimes. Consequently we believe a politically motivated legal attack on us would be seen as a grave error in western administrations.

However, we are prepared, structurally and technically, to deal with all legal attacks. We design the software, and promote its human rights agenda, but the servers are run by anonymous volunteers. Because we have no commercial interest in the software, there is no need to restrict its distribution. In the very unlikely event that we were to face coercion to make the software censorship friendly, there are many others who will continue the work in other jurisdictions.

Thanks reader Jee Ming for the heads-up. Font highlights are mine.

Wikileaks needs volunteers. Here's the FAQ. You decide whether Wikileaks is relevant to and applicable in Malaysia.

Or whether it will trounce the Official Secret Act (OSA).

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

Trademark violation, so says Cisco Systems.

Infinite Loop: Nine things wrong with the iPhone, and why it WON'T be Apple's killer app.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

It's here. So, no iTV? Or renamed?

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

January 1, The Star 'scooped' with a story that says Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin group, Sir Stelios Haji-loannou of EasyGroup, the parent of EasyJet, and Not-Yet-Sir Tony Fernandes of AirAsia are teaming up to start a long-haul budget airline company based in Malaysia that will offer airfares as low as RM100 for flights between China and Malaysia.

There are now at least 98 stories indexed by Google News that carry Easyjet and Virgin's collective denial.

Go slow, Sai Wan. You have to easy-jet with virgin or else it's only hotair over Asia..

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

An excellent piece on the implications of the swift execution of Saddam Hussein within four days after his failed appeal. No taint of emotions. Just bare facts.

1 ) Why Iraqi court and not The Haque

BEFORE the United States and Iraq could recover from the flaws in Saddam Hussein’s trial, the swift execution erased any remaining credibility the occupation could hope to claim.

Critics preferred the World Court at the Hague for a fairer trial, as Saddam’s transgressions were also international. But it was argued that the former dictator had to be tried by Iraqis to ensure a new democratic Iraq, even when legal infrastructure and expertise were lacking. An international trial might also have exposed the key US and British roles in Saddam’s atrocities.

2 ) Another Saladin

In fast-moving Iraq, Saddam had been removed from power a long time ago. At trial he defended his status as Iraqi president, given the illegitimate invasion and his subsequent displacement. At his execution, he appeared calm and dignified. All of these images may endure longer than anything from Anfal, Dujail or Halabja.

When the executioners created another controversy, it brought the once “yesterday’s man” into the present and future. As a result Saddam Hussein might not even need to be a Gamal Nasser II or another Saladin, which he had tried in vain to be, to have a greater influence in death than he might have had from a prison cell.

The mention of the late Egyptian president Gamal Nasser II (1918-1970), and Kurdish legend Saladin, is significant in the context.

Saladin or Salah ad-Din, or Salahuddin Ayyubi (circa 1138 - March 4, 1193), was a 12th century Kurdish Muslim general and warrior from Tikrit, in present day northern Iraq. Interestingly, Saddam Hussein (full name: Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti) was also born in the town of Al-Awja, near present day Tikrit in the Sunni Triangle.

Saladin founded the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt, Syria, Yemen (except for the Northern Mountains), Iraq, Mecca Hejaz and Diyar Bakr. Saladin is renowned in both the Muslim and Christian worlds for leadership and military prowess, tempered by his chivalry and merciful nature during his war against the Crusaders. (See wikipedia) And MDeC's Creative Mulitimedia Cluster is currently pumping big money to make a Hollywood-grade animated film about him.

By the way, the article is by our own Bunn Nagara in his new column Mid Week: Saddam may have had to die just to have revenge. Don't miss it.

Bunn, who took over from Wong Sulong's inexperienced 'blue-eyed boy' to edit the now better-looking World News in The Star, has a regular Sunday column, Behind the Headlines, which I seldom miss.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

Like computers, a high-flyer diplomat must have good RAM (Random Access Memory) to prevent his brain from stalling.

UN's new Sec-Gen, Ban Ki-moon, went on his first day of work without a working RAM. Big Gaffe.

Commenting on the execution of Saddam Hussein, Moon said capital punishment should be a decision for individual member states.

His aides had to quickly swing into damage control to clarify that the UN is opposed to the death penalty -- many many moons ago. Pun intended.

The fact is: Global efforts towards abolishing the death penalty are being regulated by the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).

'Would have done it differently'

Meanwhile, reacting to criticism of the hanging that has embarrassed U.S. officials, moderate Shi'ites and ethnic Kurds, U.S. military spokesman Major General William Caldwell said U.S. forces would have handled it differently -- if they had a say.

"Saddam ... was dignified, as always, he was courteous as he always had been to his U.S. military police guards. He thanked them for the way he had been treated and said goodbye to them," Caldwell was quoted by Reuters as saying in a news conference in Baghdad.

That's the benefits of hindsight after a video of Iraqi officials taunting Saddam on the gallows sparked outrage among Sunni Arabs.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

First the ferry. Now it's Adam Air on the first day of 2007?

UPDATES: It's confirmed an air-crash, casualties unknown at this point in time. Adam Air released the passenger manifest at 01:48hr local time this morning. The list doesn't seem to carry any Malaysian-sounding names.

MTSAT Imagery: The weather on 01.01.2007 captured Dec 31 23:00hr UTC (07:00hr Malaysia Time)

Some bad track records, narrated by professional pilots, that frequent air commuter should take note of.

1 ) Last year, one of its jetliners lost all communication and navigation systems for four hours during a flight between the Indonesian capital Jakarta and Makassar on Sulawesi Island, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing.

2 ) Another had to resort to raw muscle power as Fatmawati Tower (Bengkulu airport) has no pushback truck to assist an Adam Air that has lost its HYD Air-pressure, resulting in no nosewheel steering (see chronicle and pictures in Airliners.net).

Vigilantes monitoring Indonesia's civil aviation reflects that Adam Air's crisis management over today's Flight DHI (KI) 574 (Surabaya-Manado) is plain shocking. According to PK-KAR on Pprune.net:

Relatives in Manado were told flight was cancelled and gave no further details, so they went home.

Relatives in Surabaya went to the airport to check what they saw in the news, and they were told it was delayed, and went home.

IF YOU FLY INDONESIA FREQUENTLY... Here's the history of the ill-fated Adam Air aircraft:

Delivery Date | Operator | Registration | Remark
26/01/1989 Dan-Air London G-BNNL lsd ILFC
07/11/1992 British Airways G-BNNL
19/03/1995 GB Airways G-BNNL lsd ILFC
06/04/2001 National Jets Italy G-BNNL
26/02/2002 WFBN N112TR
04/03/2002 Air One EI-CXH
11/12/2002 JAT YU-AOO ret to ILFC 10/2005
01/12/2005 AdamAir PK-KKW

Here's a rating by pilots, take note if you are flying domestic in Indonesia frequently:

- Safe: Garuda, Merpati (Jet), Sriwijaya, Express, Batavia (A319 only)
- Safe-ish: Mandala, Indonesia Air Asia, Kartika
- Mild Risk: Merpati (prop), Batavia (A319 excluded), Lion Air (MD90 and 734)
- Big Risk: Adam Air, Wings Air, Lion Air (non 734)

And there is a blog about Adam Air's boss, and pictures of the crash-linked press conference on Indoflyer.net.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

December 30, George Bush said: "Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself."

December 31, the number of US servicemen who perished in Iraq reached the somber milestone of at least 3,000 deaths since the March 2003 invasion.

In comparison, there were 2,973 deaths during the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, and there were American casualties of 2,395 deaths during Pearl Harbour 1941.

Going by history, America's first humiliating defeat was during the Vietnam War (1959 - 1975). Even today, the number of Americans killed, military and civilian, is open to debate and uncertainty. The numbers range between 57,605 to 58,159.

Milestone? Give Bush two more years for his (conditions-based) victory strategy!

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Bad news for South-east Asian Internet users on the first day of 2007.

The schedule for the repair of submarine cables hit by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake off Taiwan December 27 is further delayed because of a "major fault" to one of the ships sent to fix the cables, Hong Kong's Office of the Telecommunications Authority was quoted as saying by Bloomberg today.

Bad weather is also hampering repairs, but sorry, no elaboration.

"The first of six cables damaged in the earthquake would not be restored until Jan. 16, and work on the remaining cables would not be completed until the end of the month," screams a story in The IHT.

It simply means: Brace yourself for at least 2 more weeks of Internet disruption.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Got this, bloggers?

Microsoft claims that getting its PR agency Edelman to send top of the range notebooks powered by AMD Turion 64×2 dual-core processors and loaded with Windows Vista Ultimate to selected bloggers comes with no strings attached.

New York Times narrates an issue of ethics involved: "Costly Gift From Microsoft Is an Invitation to Blog".

Kuch kuch hota hai over here, Mr Edelman?

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 01:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

A press release from Reporters Without Borders at the year comes to an end, and the report card doesn't look good:

- 81 journalists and 32 media assistants were killed
- at least 871 were arrested
- 1,472 physically attacked or threatened
- 56 kidnapped
- 912 media outlets censored

Compare the casualties with 2005:
- 63 journalists and 5 media assistants were killed
- at least 807 were arrested
- 1,308 physically attacked or threatened
- 1,006 media outlets censored

RSF says this year has been the deadliest year since 1994.

And the Internet is not spared -- it was tightly controlled in some countries. Reporters Without Borders issued a list in November of 13 "enemies of the Internet" (Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam).

Bloggers and cyber-dissidents in these countries were regularly thrown into prison for expressing their opinions online. Websites were closed down, made inaccessible or filtered and discussion forums had especially critical messages deleted.

About 30 bloggers were arrested during the year and held for several weeks, notably in China, Iran and Syria. Egypt appeared for the first time on the "enemies of the Internet" list for its growing crackdown on bloggers who criticised Islam or President Hosni Mubarak.

Read the details here.

One consolation is that, on Christmas Eve this year, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1738 to protect journalists operating in conflict areas.

Reporters Without Borders had collaborated with the French Foreign ministry and the effort has resulted in the quick adoption of the resolution. Read details here.

RSF's Press Freedom Index 2006 is located here. Malaysia ranks 92 out of 168 countries on monitor, slightly worse than Angola, but is definitely better than Singapore (146th).

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Try 10millionResolutions.com and some fun facts.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lain padang, lain belalang.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)

UPDATED VERSION. Wikiasari?

That's the Internet search engine that wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Amazon.com wanted to launch to rival Google, Yahoo and MSN.

Wikiasari is a combination of a Hawaiian word wiki (fast) and a Japanese word asari (rummaging search). It will use the same user-based technology that Wikipedia uses.

Currently, Google, Yahoo and MSN command some 82% of the Internet search traffic in the US, according to a November 2006 rating released December 19 by Nielsen/NetRatings.

Read Wales' special interview with The Times. I am not sure if this 'exclusive screenshot' is not a spoof.

UPDATES: Jimmy Wales has announced on the Wikia mainpage that:
1 ) Amazon, or Amazon's A9, has nothing to do with the Wikiasari project.
2 ) The screenshot on TechCrunch is also wrong and it's not related to Wikiasari, or even Wikipedia.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

The political-lingo that says "there's no permanent friends and there's no permanent enemies" speaks true for Mahathir Mohamad and George Soros.

With one having retired from mainstream politics, and the other retired from speculative monetary markets, the decade-long enmity between the duo has given way to a blooming friendship.

In a historical meet in Kuala Lumpur which lasted over an hour this morning, Soros acknowledged Mahathir's declaration that he isn't anti-Semitic; while Mahathir accepted Soros' explanation that he wasn't involved in the currency attacks that Malaysia suffered during the 1997/98 Asian Financial Crisis.

Mahathir said the ringgit crash was a result of speculations by other currency traders.

Hence stopped the trans-oceanic volley-exchanges of calling each other moron and menace. They are now declared friends, and even found a common ground to take their ties a step further... for global peace.

Both of them expressed their concerns over the Palestine and Iraqi issues, and agreed that Bush's policy of waging wars cannot bring peace to the world.

Soros underscored the matter by saying that the American people have rejected Bush's unilaterialism policy as evidenced in the outcome of the recent mid-term Congressional election.

Capital control

Asked to comment on Malaysia's current monetary policy, Soros declined by saying that he is no longer a player in monetary speculation. However, he commented that Malaysia has suffered many missed opportunities by retaining the US dollar peg and capital control for far too long.

"But I am not saying that Mahathir is responsible for over-sustaining it (the US dollar peg and capital control)," Soros added. "Mahathir did the right thing in pegging the ringgit as it had helped stabilise the situation."

Defending the act of currency speculators, Soros said it's the authority (of every trading country) and not the speculators who should be held responsible.

"Speculators trade in accordance to the prevailing rules of the country and the respective authority should make sure that its (monetary) market functions," Soros said.

Soros is in town to promote his latest book, 'The Age of Fallibility: Consequence of the War on Terror'. Mahathir looks healthy and alert though he is recuperating from a mild heart attack.

Though President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made time to meet up when Soros was visiting Indonesia, little birds say our Abdullah Badawi refused to see him.

More photos in LensaMalaysia.

* * *

SPECIAL BRANCH. I have not seen hotel staff dressed as SB. Neither have I seen SB dressed as hotel staff. I think I saw both today.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 02:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

Find out what Salon.com writer is looking at as the Next Big Thing for Malaysia.

Perhaps the best way to reach the head is through the stomach.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

France24 has an attitude towards presenting news that it has attempted to portray in these series of ads, which I find eye-capturing and thought-provoking for Internet people on the rush.

Graphics exclusive to global bloggers courtesy France24

France24 website is now activated. This is the RSS.

It has 6 journalists blogging on a variety of knowledge domains. Watch out on Ali Laïdi for his takes on economic intelligence and the Webvolution section with Stanislas Léridon, France24's Internet and New Media Director, transforming himself into a born-again blogger December 2, alongside many others.

Léridon tells us that Internet is at the heart of France 24’s strategy, and he has this burning desire to organise a worldwide network of Blogger correspondents.

France24 is trying to invent a media model with "one multimedia, multichannel (TV, Internet, Mobile…) interactive and of course international journalistic team", he says in his blog entry. Let's learn from him.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

France24 will be launched on the Internet tonight, Paris time.

Leveraging Internet interactivity in their strategy, will be running a show called the ”Talk of Paris” anchored by famous French journalist, Ulysse Gosset.

Bloggers and the global audience will have the opportunity to interview world leaders and opinion makers by asking them all the questions they want. The method is nothing more simple than a webcam.

All you need to do is to upload a video of your question and post it on the Dailymotion group dedicated to the show. Relevant video clips might be aired on the “Talk of Paris” show.

The first guest will be José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, December 8 at 7 pm.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One apartment and six drummers?

09:29 minutes, broadband preferred. Originally available here.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This is the second animated short-film produced by French advertising agency, Marcel, in the countdown to the Internet launch of France24, a new trilingual 24/7 international news channel.

There's a strong story behind the sweat shop.

France24 is financed by the French government.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Stanislas Leridon, Internet and New Media Director of France24, has informed me that the channel will be launched exclusively on the Internet, via streaming video, on December 6. It's a strategy to "abolish the frontiers" that separate Internet and TV broadcast.

Here's the third trailer I have just received. It's produced by Marcel, a renowned French advertising agency within the Publicis Group.

In the face of gradual roll-out through satellite transmission, an economic and financial reality issue for global broadcasters, Internet will play a critical role for France 24 in ensuring an instant worldwide distribution of the channel's content. It will deploy trilingual website (French, English and Arabic), and all its 170 journalists will be working equally for the TV channel and for the website.

The content will also be made available on selected portals and partner community sites.

One thing unique about France 24 is that it targets opinion leaders, and in particular, "the opinion leaders that bloggers present".

Screenshots is part of this alliance, and I will tell you more in the days to come.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

October, former DPM Anwar Ibrahim told a standing-room-only crowd in Bechtel Conference Center, Stanford University, that the New Economic Policy is no longer relevant and applicable in Malaysia.

Multimedia show produced by Poh Si Teng, photography by Hanna Christa Matthews

A team of critical thinking students have put up a multimedia showcase of Anwar's talk, and it's now available on thecicak.com.

The full MP3 of Anwar's address is available here on Stanford website.

By the way, Anwar just told Bloomberg that he will run for Parliament in 2008. He says he plans to push for greater democracy, more press freedom and an easing of affirmative action laws that he argues have enriched "cronies and family members of the cabinet and the leaders of the ruling party".

And by the way again, Anwar is 59.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (52) | TrackBacks (0)

After Al-Jazeera International, France24 will debut December as a 24/7 global satellite channel to present news from the French perspective.

This blogger has been invited to participate in the launch. The media kit says French24, to be broadcast in English, will be "characterized by respect for diversity and attention to political and cultural differences and identities". It will offer "in-depth analysis of current events, aiming to uncover what lies beneath the surface and reveal what the public is not used to seeing, knowing or understanding".

France24 is targeting an audience of opinion leaders. Initially, it is broadcast in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the cities of New York and Washington D.C. Until its coverage is ultimately extended worldwide, viewers can access its programming via all media platforms like satellite, cable, DSL, Internet and mobile.

In terms of content generation, France24 produces about a third of its pictures using its own resources. It relies on its own network of correspondents, resources of its partners (AFP, RFO, AITV), and pictures from overseas bureaus of France Télévisions (France’s public television broadcaster) and TF1.

France24 will also have access to Eurovision, EBU’s news exchanges, and those of the big international agencies like the Associated Press and Reuters.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

UPDATED VERSION. The first few minutes of AJI when it went on air today...

The long-awaited news channel in English, Al-Jazeera International (AJI), is slated to debut today, beaming 24/7 from Doha, London and Kuala Lumpur.

ASTRO carries Al-Jazeera on Channel 92. What's the time-slot for KL's programming? Looking forward to seeing Sir David Frost and hearing his Queen's English.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Associated Press reports that the Senate seat for Virginia goes to The Dems, giving them a 51-49 lead over Dubya's GOP.

In other words, The Dems now control the Capitol Hill -- the House and Senate --and will dominate all committee deliberations.

The President made fatal mistakes -- even the well-timed Saddam Hussein's death sentence didn't help him much -- and his party paid the price.

I must say I am quite pleased with the results and hopefully the US will adopt a new direction in its foreign policy. Have the Neo-Cons received the message?

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

Indonesia's plantation workers are back at work after Hari Raya. Singapore, again, is shrouded in thick haze today.

A hazy Sentosa Island seen from Skypark at Vivo City (pictures below) this afternoon (November 6,2006)...

LensaPress photos by Jeff Ooi

Both Singapore Straits Times and TODAY run the haze story as frontpage headlines today.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said international help is needed to tackle severe haze from burning Indonesian forests blanketing South-East Asian countries,

"To tackle this at its roots, that means before it starts burning, to prevent the fires from being started, we will need resources and we need enforcement," Lee was quoted in The Straits Times as saying.

While meteorologists forecast the worst is over for this year, they have warned Indonesia's dry spell could be prolonged by four months in 2007 if the El Nino weather effect returns.

Apparently seeing Indonesia doing nothing serious about it after the Asean Ministers'meet last month, Singapore decided to raise the issue before the General Assembly on October 20.

That made Indonesia very unhappy. Via TODAY Online:

Continue reading "Haze: Balls on UN table, Indonesia upset" »

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

A press release from Reporters Wiithout Borders:

REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS URGES INTERNET USERS
TO JOIN IN 24-HOUR ONLINE DEMO AGAINST INTERNET CENSORSHIP
Where: www.rsf.org
When : 11 A.M. on 7 November to 11 A.M. on 8 November (Paris time)

No one should ever be prevented from posting news online or writing a blog, but they are in the 13 countries singled out by Reporters Without Borders for a 24-hour online protest against Internet censorship.

The defence of online free expression and the fate of bloggers in repressive countries concern everyone. So Reporters Without Borders is offering Internet users tools to campaign against Internet predators and is calling on them to participate in an INTERNATIONAL CYBER-DEMO.

Everyone is invited to support this struggle by connecting to the Reporters Without Borders website (www.rsf.org) between 11 a.m. (Paris time) on Tuesday, 7 November, and 11 a.m. on Wednesday, 8 November.

Protests will also be staged by Reporters Without Borders bureaux around the world to condemn Internet censorship and ethical misconduct of the Internet giants when operating in one of these countries.

Reporters Without Borders will publish the list of the 13 Internet enemies on 7 November and at the same time will launch its blog platform, rsfblog, and an Arabic-language version of its press freedom website.

The agency Saatchi & Saatchi has created an Internet ad calling on the entire Internet community to take part in the 24-hour campaign. All media, websites and blogs that want to support this large-scale protest are invited to get in touch with Cédric Gervet at +33 1 4483-8474.

See full text here.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mainstream press editors at The Star and The Edge/Option who carried news on art collector/critique Dr Jolly Koh had better work harder to reference their articles.

Koh, 65, a Singapore-born former Malaysian who takes advantage of Malaysia's My-Second-Home offers and now resides in Kota Kamuning, Shah Alam, has come back to make a scene out of the art world in his former home-country, Malaysia. He used words like ‘Third World’, ' shoddy kitsch', ‘feudalistic’ and ‘impoverished cultural environment’ when he talked about Malaysian cultural life in his interviews with the local mainstream press.

And Sunday Star (here and here) and The Edge/Option were too willing to print them. This draws a strong reaction from local multimedia artist Victor Chin.

Chin raised the issue of an anthropological crime, and asked whether Malaysia is a place for xenophobia seen from the eyes of an Australian.

Screenshots was made to understand that Chin's letter to StarMag was canned, while his second one to The Edge/Option is pending.

Read Chin's blog -- Mixblood - at vicchin.wordpress.com.

By the way, a web search on Australian painter John Olsen provides interesting readings on Olsen's artshop, which was once many a budding painter's nestling place.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

September 24, Pew Internet released a survey of internet leaders, activists, and analysts that shows a majority agreement with predictions that by 2020:

• A low-cost global network will be thriving and creating new opportunities in a “flattening” world.


• Virtual reality will be compelling enough to enhance worker productivity and also spawn new addiction problems.


• Tech “refuseniks” will emerge as a cultural group characterized by their choice to live off the network. Some will do this as a benign way to limit information overload, while others will commit acts of violence and terror against technology-inspired change.


• People will wittingly and unwittingly disclose more about themselves, gaining some benefits in the process even as they lose some privacy.


• English will be a universal language of global communications, but other languages will not be displaced. Indeed, many felt other languages such as Mandarin, would grow in prominence.

Next question: Will humans remain in charge of technology, even as more activity is automated and “smart agents” proliferate?

According to the Pew survey, a significant 42% of survey respondents were pessimistic about humans’ ability to control the technology in the future.

This significant majority agreed that dangers and dependencies will grow beyond our ability to stay in charge of technology.

Pew says this was one of the major surprises in the survey.

The full text in PDF is available here. Thanks Dr John Postill for the heads-up.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

Over a fortnight after the tragic day September 4...

I may be among the late ones who watched the Discovery/Animal Planet special memorial to Steven Irwin (1962-2006) over ASTRO Channel 51 (September 24, 6pm-7pm), but it was equally heart-wrenching when his daughter read the ode of "My Daddy Is My Hero" showered in standing ovation.

The Australians, and probably the world over, sang "True Blue" on his last journey. Try to catch the programme if you can.

We'll miss you, mate.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Thailand, the Land of the Free, has a relatively freer Press compared to manyparts of Southeast Asia. With the military junta taking over the constitutional monarchy via a bloddless coup d'etat, I was rather concerned over the state of affairs regarding the freedom of expression under military rule.

I raised it twice in this blog in the last one week, September 19 and September 22. I asked will the Press and Internet be gagged?

I got some updates from my friend Roby Alampay, executive director of South East Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA) who is based in Bangkok:

As you are already aware, the Thai military has taken over the government of Thailand. Many Thais welcome the ouster of Thaksin, to be sure, and most people in Bangkok do seem genuinely thankful for the military action.

But the media environment has been especially vulnerable, unstable, and unpredictale the past week.

We are all OK, but would appreciate your helping us in getting the word out about the need to impress upon the military council the importance of keeping Thailand's media free and independent in these abnormal times.

For updates on the situation, please visit the SEAPA blog at www.seapa.wordpress.com. Thge latest entry reflects the Press community's sentiments that Thai junta's 'reaction' to negative foreign coverage has the International media on edge.

Yesterday, a SEAPA op-ed managed to get printed in The Nation. Here is the URL:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/23/opinion/opinion_30014428.php

It says the litmus test for Thailand's ruling military council is to leave the press alone.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Thaksin admirers will be doomed if coup leader, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, keeps to his words by installing a caretaker PM in two weeks, and returning to constitutional monarchy in one year.

Meanwhile, we should condemn coup d'etat. It's anti-democracy.

As we know it, satellite operations have been siezed and media clampdown has started. I raised this question earlier. SEAPA (Southeast Asia Press Alliance) has issued an alert.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

September 19, Zaid Ibrahim met Laura Bush in New York City in his capacity as the Head of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Burma Caucus during a roundtable discussion at the United Nations about the humanitarian crisis facing Burma.

The US First Lady made her remarks on this renegade ASEAN member-nation that has put Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 recipient of Nobel Peace Prize, under house arrest since 1989. Read it in Whitehouse.gov.

Thanks Richard Yeoh for the heads-up.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Slow international links to the Internet cloud?

It was revealed last Friday that, as far as TM Net network is concerned, a minority of 13% Internet users are sucking up 73% of bandwidth which now totals 17Gbps.

Find out who the culprit is, in my CNet blog, Lemak Lemang.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 01:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (32) | TrackBacks (0)

Via The Star:

Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra may be bound for Singapore where his wife arrived late last night. [...]

However, Singapore media dismissed the idea of Thaksin staying on as most of his assets are said to be in the United States and Britain. Several attempts to contact the Thai Embassy in Singapore failed.

Let's have tomyam koong tonight.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Every September 21 is observed as International Day of Peace.

In the Declaration of the International Day of Peace, the United Nations announced that today "is meant to be a day of global cease fire, when all countries and all people stop hostilities for the entire day".

Dr Mahathir Mohamad of the Perdana Global Peace Forum has an observation:

Read the full text of his press statement here (PDF).

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 05:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Susan Loone: http://www.sloone.wordpress.com

Bangkok Pundit: http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com/2006/09/state-of-emergency-in-bangkok-coup.html

Lynn Kiang Soontra: http://lynnkiangsoontra.blogspot.com/2006/09/blast-to-past.html

Thai-blogs.com.

Gnarly Kitty: http://gnarlykitty.blogspot.com

Will the military shut down Internet there? Will investor sentiments be dampened and spillover into Asean neighbours? How would be re-align our economic strategies to leverage the new political situation in the region?

What Wisma Putra says will be less important than what say the MoF and MITI.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

What has Thaksin induced while he's out of the country, in New York? Is there coup and counter-coup? Will Internet news channels be gagged?

Follow BBC and CNN for breaking news.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (23) | TrackBacks (0)

Those who have been following this blog would know that Terry Fox, a Canadian, was 18 years old when he was diagnosed with bone cancer. His right leg was amputated above the knee. Whilst in hospital, Terry was moved by the suffering of cancer patients, particularly children. So much so that he resolved to run across Canada (a distance of 8,500 kilometers) to raise money for cancer research. He called his journey the “Marathon of Hope”.

Despite losing one leg to cancer, Terry ran a marathon (42 kilometers) a day for 143 consecutive days - a total distance of 5,373 kilometers. Donations from passers-by and onlookers came pouring in by the dollar notes of tens and twenties. However, at that stage in 1980, Terry was forced to abandon his run as the cancer spread to his lungs. Terry Fox died at the tender age of 22. Before he died, he knew that a fund-raising event, associated with the Terry Fox Foundation, would be held each year, with the same objectives as the Marathon of Hope - to help find a cure for cancer.

A spokesman of the Terry Fox Run Malaysia told me that the Run has been on going in this country for the last 15 years, but this year's crowd hit a new record of over 9,000 people, with over 10,000 T-shirts sold. In comparison, it was only some 400 participants last year.

I noticed the expatriate community had turned up in full force, involving bus-loads of students from the various international schools around KL. The was a group of 8 Canadian travellers who purposefully delayed their departure home just to participate in the KL Terry Fox Run. We should appreciate their gesture of goodwill as all their donations will go towards cancer research in Malaysia and NOT their home countries.

On the other hand, Malaysians, especially those English-speaking ones, were also there in immense numbers. The Lake Gardens were a sea of people who put on acommon T-shirt, all for a good cause.

Till the last mile

I am very touched with the last words shared with the world by Terry Fox. Those words are printed on the front of the Terry Fox Run T-shirt.

"The running I can do, even if I have to crawl every last mile."

So, I chose a spot at about 105~200mm focal length to shoot at the messages donned on the kids, and their elders -- and they are most adorable -- when they popped into a zone lit by natural sunlight and within my sniper's scope.

I hope the pictures we took will tell us the Spirit of Terry Fox vividly. I hope it will linger in our mind for a long time, until we meet in the Run again, next year.

Just some random shots in low resolution...

LensaPress photos by Jeff Ooi

More pictures are available at LensaMalaysia Web Forum.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Can opposition politician Chee Soon Juan be regarded as Singapore’s ‘Martyr’?

Anyway, the dynasty sues again. The latest victim is FEER; and its editor, Hugo Restall.

As World Bankleaders gather for meet in Singapore, the much talked-about protest area reserved for activists -- Singapore's only concession to its ban on demonstrations in the city -- measures about 8 by 8 metres (26 by 26 feet), says Reuters.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

While President George W. Bush finally admitted to the existence of clandestine CIA jails around the world, it was also revealed that two Malaysians have made it to the Guantanamo prison built for 'high-value' terrorism suspects - including the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

In an Associated Press report, the two Malaysians napped among 14 'high-value' terror suspects are named simply as Lillie and Zubair, respectively.

However, intelligence archive shows Lillie could Mohammed Nazir Lep, Zubair refers to Mohd Farik Amin.

Indonesia's Hambali, mastermind of the Bali Bombing, keeps them company in the same prison.

Bush also talked about the "small number” of detainees that have been kept in CIA custody, and they include people responsible for the bombing of the warship USS Cole in 2000 in Yemen and the 1998 attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in addition to the 2001 attacks.

Thanks reader Hasnol for the heads-up.

Washington Post has a database for Guantanamo inmates related to global terrorism, compiled from 2002 through 2006 from unofficial sources. Take a look.

UPDATES:The Star has a related story.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

OK, it's frivolous to even ask. But is there such a thing as the "World’s Best Processor"?

Picture courtesy Intel Malaysia

Intel believes it has cracked the code and come up with a new product line that can retire Pentium for good. The Core 2 Duo processor family.

Sneak preview here, details in my CNet Asia blog, Lemak Lemang.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 06:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

From the Observer, last Sunday:

We will soon have no world-class universities left in this country. Oxford and Cambridge struggle to retain a position among the top 10; I expect that they will soon drop out through the bottom. It is easy to assume that better government resourcing would make all the difference, but the problem is not wholly, or even perhaps mainly, financial.

This is, in the broadest sense, political: a matter of ideology or ideals. Certainly, the criteria for judging a university to be world-class are narrow - roughly, how many Nobel Prize winners it can claim as its own - but no university is likely to achieve this status unless its educational as well as its research reputation is high. There are exceptions, but in general, it is dangerous to separate research from teaching, if only because research and teaching alike flourish in an environment in which science, scho