No Liberty To Choose

Imagine a lady suddenly came up to you and put a plate of ready-to-eat fish in front of you. Whether you like that fish or not, that's not the issue. The moment that plate of fish was placed in front of you, you have beeen chosen as her spouse/husband. You have no right to decline that offer but just to accept. To signify the acceptance (without any choice), a bite is taken from that fish. Whether you knew that lady it doesn't matter also. Age is not a factor too.

Where in the world is this happening? Well, it's still being practised in the archipelago of 50 islands off the western rim of Africa, called Guinea-Bissau.

But the elders in the country are worried on a certain trend now. As the guys are getting exposed to the world as time passes by, the guys are actually going after the girls now. The elders viewed it as dangerous and divorce rate has gone up due to this also. Crazy world! (source: Associated Press via Yahoo! News)
Tags: Guinea-Bissau, Africa, West Africa, Marriage

Illegal Moneylenders

It's an offence to borrow from the illegal moneylenders (a.k.a. Loan Sharks or Ah Longs). That's what the Federal Commercial Crime director Datuk Ramli Yusuf has intended to do by proposing to the Housing and Local Government Ministry. He has even stated that with such a law in place, it would deter people from borrowing from Ah Longs and instead compel them to go to licensed moneylenders. (source: 30 Jan, The Star)

At the same time, borrowers-to-be have been advised to check with the police or the ministry to see if the moneylenders were legal. At times, people who needs money urgently have no time to wait for the government staff's response time. All this talk in the newspapers lead to nowhere. How are they helping?

On the contrary, Malaysia's no. 1 cop, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, stated that the priority in the fight against loan sharks should be to educate the public against such borrowings, instead of prosecuting the borrowers. Meaning to say, that Ramli's statement is now redundant? (source: 2 Feb, The Star)

And then the Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting made the following statement (source: 3 Feb, The Star)
"The Cabinet has rejected a recent suggestion to prosecute those who borrow from loan sharks"

I agreed that actions should be taken against the loan sharks instead and not the borrowers. The above really shows how bad is the communication between the police force and the federal government as was in the case of increasing traffic fines previously.

On one hand the borrowers would be in deep shit if they had defaulted on the re-payment which will incur the wrath of the loan sharks known for being ruthlesss in obtaining the capital amount plus the high interest rates. Then the borrowers will wander around as they can't even report to the police for fear of being arrested even though there was property damage, assault and in some cases murder. Only way out of this deep shit - suicide. This will be the scenario if the new act was implemented.

Hopefully in future, people who wants to suggest something to the public at large will think through before opening that big mouth.

(Extracted from 4 Feb, The Star) MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Michael Chong noted that hawkers and farmers were sometimes left with no choice but to borrow from loan sharks due to the requirements imposed by banks.

“How could you expect a hawker or farmer, for example to produce all the necessary documents required by banks?” he asked. “Furthermore they have to be subject to Bank Negara’s Central Credit Reference Information System and private credit reference agencies. “In addition to this, they would have to wait for a long time before their loan is approved,” he said.

Michael Chong is just playing politics here as he agreed with the prosecution of borrowers earlier: (source: 30 Jan, The Star) "Michael Chong agrees with the police proposal to penalise people who borrow from Ah Longs. “This is the best way to teach the public a lesson. They know it is illegal to borrow money from loan sharks but they still do it,” he said."
Tags: Loan Shark, Ah Long, Illegal Moneylender, Moneylender, Police, Malaysia, Borrow, MCA, Michael Chong

Seven Natural Wonders of the World

Next lesson on Seven Wonders - the Seven Natural Wonders of the World:-

Mount Everest is a rock and snow peak of the Himalayas. It is in Nepal and stands on the border of Tibet. The peak was named after Sir George Everest. Its Tibetan name is Chomolungma. It is the highest mountain in the world. Its height is 29,028 ft (8,848 m).

Spanning more than 2000 km along the northeastern coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is home to thousands of species of plants and animals. The Reef which runs parallel to the Queensland coast has been designated by the Australian Government as a Marine Park.

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is the largest gorge in the world-a 290-mile-long gash across the face of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona. Rim to rim, it measures up to 18 miles across, with an average width of 10 miles; its average depth is one mile.
The Victoria Falls offer an inescapable closeness to the natural elements. The towering column of spray when the river is high, the thunder of the falling water, the terrifying abyss that separates Zimbabwe from Zambia
At the beginning of the 16th century, the Portuguese explorers sailed down Brazil's coast. The great bay that looked like a river was only one of many illusions that the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro held. Guarding the entrance to the bay, the naked and lopsided mountain the Portuguese called Pao de Acucar evoked the sugarloaves fashioned on the island of Madeira. They called the highest mountain Corcovado - "the hunchback" - for its humped profile.

On the afternoon of 20 Feb 1943, the ground swelled and raised itself to 2 or 2.5 meters high. In that year, the cone topped 1,100 feet, four-fifths of its final height. Over the next years, lava flows continued with little interruption. But in February of 1952, almost exactly nine years after Paricutín Volcano was born, the volcano experienced its last major spasm of activity.
The Northern Lights - ever changing dance of lights belies the aurora's permanence. Though only parts of it can be seen at any time, and almost never during the day, the aurora borealis forms a 2,000-mile-wide auroral oval above the magnetic north pole day in and day out, year after year.

Tags: Seven Wonders, Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Mount Everest, Great Barrier Reef, Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Paricutin Volcano, Northern Lights

2007 Deaflympics Games

2007 Winter Deaflympics - the name speaks for itself, it's for athletics who have a hearing loss of at least 55 decibels in the better ear - essentially a need to use some visual means to converse either in lip reading or a sign language. The games have started on 1 Feb and will end on 10 Feb.

The host city is Salt Lake City this time. The Winter Deaflympics, founded in 1924, is the second oldest international sports event after the Olympic Games.

Individual events under Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Curling, Ice Hockey and Snowboard are the only sports being contested in this games.
Tags: Winter Deaflympics, Salt Lake, Deaf, Decibels, Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Curling, Ice Hockey, Snowboard, Sports

Whirlwind Romance Package

With the Valentine's Day being 11 days away, hoteliers are coming out with luxury deals for couples who are willing to spend or afford it. Ritz Carlton's US$100,000 package is nothing now compared to the Whirlwind Romance Package.

Millenium Hotel located in Los Angeles, London (England) and then New York will accommodate this package. Why 3 cities? This package is opened to North American citizens only. You have to book now as the package will start on 10 Feb 2007 and ends on 18 Feb 2007 ..... not bad, an 8 days package.

Just by looking at the package details, my saliva is already drooling:-
* On 10 Feb, a 1st class flight to the first destination in Los Angeles
* Chauffeured, upon arrival, to the Millennium Biltmore
* 2 nights stay in the Presidential Suite
* VIP tickets to the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art
* Private shopping tour on Rodeo Drive
* 4-course dinner for two with unlimited flow of champagne

On 12 Feb:-
* 1st class flight to London, England
* chauffeured in a Rolls-Royce upon arrival to the Millennium Hotel London Knightsbridge
* 3 nights stay in the Presidential Suite
* A romantic dinner at the award-winning celebrity chef Brian Turner’s Mayfair Restaurant
in Grosvenor Square
* Scenic balloon ride
* The Rolls-Royce is at your expense during your stay in London

On 15 Feb:-
* First class flight to New York
* A limousine ride upon arrival to the Millennium Broadway
* 3 nights stay in the Penthouse Suite
* VIP tickets to a hot Broadway play
* VIP tickets to visit the Museum of Modern Art
* Helicopter flight over Manhattan with champagne toast
* Luxury limo transfers
* Private dinner and dancing on the stage of the 103-year old Hudson Theatre
* On 18 Feb, a first class flight back to your city of origin

Really can't imagine that sort trip and I'm very sure the lady you had in mind to bring along will fall on her knees instead. Value for this extraordinary package - US$150,000.00
Tags: Millenium Hotel, Valentine's Day, Whirlwind Romance Package, Los Angeles, London, New York, Suite, Penthouse, Rolls Royce, Rodeo Drive, Mayfair Restaurant, Broadway, Hudson Theatre, Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, Lifestyle, Luxury

Interview with Financial Times

Malaysia's Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was interviewed by the Financial Times while he was in England recently where the interview transcript is being published online.

Extracting from the transcript, it did quote the PM saying "But fortunately for us, we are doing a lot of things to make our (Malaysia) government do well. The Muslims are being looked after with all sorts of policies, ensuring their progress, increasing their economic participation, providing education for the children, as we do also for other children. From that point of view, they are satisfied. From another point of view, they are sick."

I wonder who was he referring to as sick.

When asked on the issue of declining FDI in Malaysia, the PM was quoted as saying "Since then, Vietnam is catching up, China catching up and India catching up as low cost producers. Of course, slowly China is becoming high cost, in certain areas. So naturally we cannot any more be a low cost producer. So where are we today? We are moving up the value chain. We have become, although we are a higher cost producer today, we are offering higher skills. We are going for value-added products that are more sophisticated technologically. There is FDI for that. But we have to deliver."

The PM did mention that Malaysia is embarking on the bio-tech industry but only 1 sophisticated technology???? What else? From knowing quite a number of foreign business associates who tried to start their business ventures in Malaysia, they were faced with so many hurdles that made them gave up on it and skipped over to neighbouring countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. So, if we are not cost effective at the bottom of the value chain and neither at the higher value chain due to tons of red tapes and you know what, where are we heading to?

And lastly on the issue of New Economic Policy that was put in place for the ethnic Malay race, the PM stated that "The objectives of the new economic policy introduced in 1971 in terms of providing fair equity participation in the economy have yet to be achieved. We aim for 30 per cent [participation]. In some sectors, yes, we have achieved that goal and we can stop."

We can stop? Which sector? When is the government stopping it? Stop to what extent? Or is it just to please the readers only?
Tags: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Interview, Prime Minister, Financial Times, Muslims, FDI, New Economic Policy, Malay

Don't Look Back

Want to be part of a theatre performance in Kuala Lumpur?

If yes, you can drop at the former Majestic Hotel at Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin everyday from 8pm to 10pm. The theatre performance is directed by Tristan Sharps who has put up this performance in Brighton & London (England), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Moscow (Russia). Next venue will be Australia and Romania. The production is called "Don't Look Back" and will end by 11 Feb 2007. Awwwwww.... I'm going to miss it as I'll be back at KL only on 14 Feb.

You'll be guided into the building where a group of 3 persons will enter with half hour interval before the next 3 enters. You'll meet a character who'll interact with you. This character is played by local theatre actor Thor Kah Hoong. The production is loosely based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

The 3 persons will have to go through the production on their own, going into different rooms & corridors to see the happenings. Various sounds, images, slideshows and also live actors will try to picture the story to you. So keep your eyes opened throughout the journey.

The director of the production stated that "the audience will feel that they’re watching something happening and then suddenly realise that they themselves are a part of the story and art is “happening” around them." Moving forward is the right cue when you are in the building as timing is of the essence here. As with the story of the Greek myth, it was told not to look back. Wonder what is at the back of you since they told you not to look back.....hehehe.

Interesting? New way of telling a story to you with you being part of it. Interaction in this production is very important. This production is presented by British Council in cooperation with Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (Aswara) and the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry. (source: The Star)

Tags: Don't Look Back, Theatre Production, Performance, Culture, Arts, British Council, Tristan Sharps, Kuala Lumpur