FMT News |  |
- Senior citizens are indeed shunned by the govt
- When a magazine saved my money
- Najib’s 20,000 affordable houses – Is it for real?
- Guan Eng defends CEC appointments
- Musa defends BN’s record in Sabah
- Najib slams DAP, Anwar
- ‘Don’t vote for the wrong Ah Jib Gor’
- Muhyiddin: DAP mahu luaskan pengaruh, pendekatan cauvinis
- Wrong religion classification: Act fast on MyKad fiasco
- Ramasamy shrugs off sabotage claims
- Negara Islam perlu fahami kehendak golongan muda
- Ibrahim Ali suka bangga diri?
- Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan kaji operasi Pusat Kualiti Alam
- Manikavasagam all out to save temples
- Flat-belly foods that help you fit into your dress
- DAP adds non-Chinese, East M’sians to CEC
- Hidden killers that you don’t know about
- Mahabharata – Bahagian 11
- 1Malaysia concept in ashes
- What is MyDistress?
- Education activism the way forward
- Hidup peneroka Gatco atau hidup Hindraf?
- US at a point of economic no-return
- ‘Private’ memorials for Shankar in US, India
- White House TV comedy aims for laughs, not politics
- All Greek swimmers want for Christmas is coal
- Magical Mystery Tour gets US TV debut
- ‘Bennifer’ buried as Affleck’s star soars
- Manchester United stay six points clear, QPR win at last
- Vettel and Schumacher win Race of Champions again
- Benitez praises Chelsea’s passion and commitment
- Redknapp’s QPR win at the 17th attempt
- Klose fires Lazio to late win over Inter
- Everton expect punishment for Fellaini headbutt
- Police find ‘good evidence’ on motive for Connecticut school massacre
- Patriot missiles in Turkey threaten ‘world war’: Iran army chief
- Russia opposition leaders held as protesters defy police
- Iran, other countries horrified by Connecticut massacre
- Syrian jets strike rebels around Damascus
- Egyptians vote on divisive constitution
- Nelson Mandela had gallstones removed, recovering
- Nine dead as Taliban attack airport in North West Pakistan
- Japan votes in election seen returning LDP to power
| Senior citizens are indeed shunned by the govt Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:05 PM PST FMT LETTER: From Sam, via e-mail I refer to the FMT letter, ‘Special care for senior citizens needed’. Whatever was expressed by the writer is 100% correct and I’m experiencing those views highlighted. I had even posted in Najib's blog some months ago and nothing came out of it. All banks and financial institutions shun senior citizens when approached for loan or credit even to fund our children's education. Further, even insurance companies that have medical schemes reject our application for insurance coverage. We are, in fact, especially those who are still gainfully employed supporting our families and our needs too. We are not dependent on our children. They do have their own needs as well. Nothing is provided by the government in our twilight years, nothing at all. To add salt to injury, they are taxing every penny from us…yes sir, it is blood money! Sometimes, we get into dire straits in putting our children through higher education without any state assistance. I believe exempting senior citizens from paying income tax will not be a serious dent to the economy or government's purse when one considers the amount of wastages and abuses of taxpayers' monies by the government. Billions have gone done the drain! Has the IRD gone after those guys who had absconded with millions or billions of ringgit, which had gone into their 'own pockets' and hold them responsible or accountable to pay taxes? I do not think we should wait for the next premier or government to implement this. It can be done immediately effective Year of Assessment 2012, if the Government of the day really cares for senior citizens. Otherwise, we should just vote them out! |
| When a magazine saved my money Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:02 PM PST FMT LETTER: From Kanna Arumugam, via e-mail Malaysia Airlines (MAS) was so full of news in recent months that when its shares fell to around RM1.02, I was encouraged by research reports and remisers that the stock was now a good buy. It was September, the airlines’ losses continued but optimism prevailed because of forecasts that the next quarter would see profits and that it would mark a new beginning for the airline. Confident, I bought 20 lots using my just withdrawn EPF savings, upon my retirment. My goal was to increase returns for the future and trading in equities looked promising, though I had little experience. More importantly, it was the only market I knew and was confortable with. In October, while visting a MPH bookstore in Bangsar, I came across a little known business magazine called PUBLIC LISTED and on its cover was a story, ‘MAS: That sinking feeling’. I bought a copy to understand the topic. The conclusion: That a turnaround was not around the corner. I was a confused and worried. I decided to call the editor of the magazine for clarification. His name was Vijay. I told of my predicament but he declined to make a sell or buy call as he was not licensed to do so. But upon pleading, he surreptitiously planted a not so rosy picture of MAS. His reasons were governed by the following factors: 1 The still unresolved bloated work force that was bleeding expenditure and airline efficiency. 2 Rising debts, amid continued financial losses. 3 Its constant dependency on government support, and 4 Growing competition within the industry. He also pointed to Khazanah’s desperate move to get out of MAS, which he added should be noted. All sounded reasonable and convincing, and I disposed all MAS shares, and suffered a minor loss, which was acceptable. In November, MAS continued with another of its shocking news which spooked the market. This was related to a rights call to part pay the purchase of new planes, and this triggered a massive sell-off driving the stock’s price to hit low of around 82 sen. It was a massive climbdown from a 52-week high of RM1.74 in July, and all was happening within the space of just 120 days. At the time of writing the stock has broken support at 80 sen, falling further to 75 sen. Those investors who did not pull out quickly suffered great losses and are suffering in silence because their positions are big. Timing is crucial here. If I held on the stock, my losses would easily reached RM5500 and maybe more. For a retiree that would have been a big hole in my savings, and indeed a betrayal to my family where money would be most useful to them. There were a few lessons I learnt in the process. Don’t swallow everything the remisers tell you. Secondly, research houses have their own agenda. Luckily, the magazine article which was a contrarian helped in saving my money. It was the only one published while others stayed bullish. It was indeed a salutary viewpoint from an editor and today the magazine is part of my reading to stay informed. Strange indeed, that it did not take a remiser or an analyst to avoid a major loss but an magazine editor. It is a lesson well learnt but my first debacle in the stock market is not going to deter me from investing because it is the only market I know to have a fighting chance to stay ahead in life given the prevailing economic uncertaintes. In the meantime MAS shares are hitting new lows. |
| Najib’s 20,000 affordable houses – Is it for real? Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:00 PM PST FMT LETTER: From Soo Sing Chye, via e-mail Jestering about the return of the free port status in exchange for a Barisan Nasional's victory in Penang had made its chief Teng Chang Yeow an undisputed local political clown. I thought this title would be permanently etched in the minds of the people in Penang, but Najib had to butt in and go national. I genuinely pity Najib, none of his advisors including Teng Chang Yeow had any clue on the Penang housing problem. Promising to build "not less than 20,000 units of affordable housing…in Penang," (1) without knowing the fact that the same very BN had earlier made a promise under the four Malaysia Plans spanning from 1976 to 1991 to build 39,279 houses, but only managed to deliver 5,484. And it is even more clownish as this big "Promise" comes under the "Promises Fulfilled" banner. Najib's advisors should not be in the dark and put their boss in an humiliating position. These highly paid advisors should just leaf through the past records of the BN government, they would immediately know that the state government had another 3-year Special Low-Cost Housing Privatisation Programme of its own to build 41,080 low-cost housing units. This programme was launched in 1986 and it was to be completed in 1989. And in it, there were about 40,635 eligible applicants registered with the State Housing Department. Furthermore, this programme was backed by a RM1.4 billion Special Low-Cost Housing Federal Fund set up by the federal government for the purpose of building low-cost homes from which the state government could apply. Apparently BN being an incompetent government as it always shown to be, it managed to build only 2,926 units (7%) out of the targeted 41,080, thus missing the golden opportunity to provide 41,080 low-cost houses for the poor. And shamefully, the 2,926 units were built over a period of eight years and not three years as targeted. Now, the BN clowns have gone on a breast-beating show around Penang but they cannot hide the fact that they have lost the only one in a lifetime opportunity to help the poor. The BN government should have fulfilled the targeted 41,080 low-cost houses for the poor 14 years ago without much difficulties when the cost of land, labour, and material was low. Furthermore, the majority of the poor in Penang at that time could definitely scrap through owning a RM25,000 house. But owning a RM300,000 house is way beyond reach of the poor. Najib, do have some humility for the poor, the RM300,000 house is not for them. Tell me Najib, when the poor can afford to buy a RM25,000 house 14 years ago, your BN government screwed up big time in fulfilling this pledge and only built 2,926 units. Now if we give the same opportunity of low labour, land and material cost to Lim Guan Eng – he would definitely solve the housing problem hands down. All information were gathered during my work-visit to Penang in 1994 with the late P Patto, to help out with the first Suara Tanjung 3 issue. |
| Guan Eng defends CEC appointments Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:59 AM PST
At a press conference after the party’s two-day congress, Lim said political rivals were keen to politicise every DAP's move as political stunts. "It never becomes an issue for parties that don't appoint (Malays to the high post). But we appoint, and it still becomes an issue," he said. Lim's statement came in light of the party polls yesterday that saw not a single Malay leader being elected into the 20-seat centre executive committee (CEC). Only three Indian leaders made the cut while the rest were all Chinese. Although the party today co-opted seven non-Chinese and East Malaysians into the CEC, leaders such as Penang DAP deputy chief P Ramasamy and Penang CEC member Zulklifli Mohd Noor pointed out that the party was still far from being a truly multiracial party. Lim also admitted that there were elements of symbolism when the party appointed Malay leaders to its CEC. He said Ariffin SM Omar was co-opted into CEC because he was an academiciam and a senator while Zairil Khir Johari was unique because he is the son of the first education minister of Malaysia. Lim dodged an answer when asked whether the party would field more Malay candidates in the upcoming general election, only saying that they would field winnable candidates. He said East Malaysians leaders were appointed into CEC as a result of DAP's inroads to Sabah and Sarawak. "We want to be inclusive, they can play a role in helping us to spread our wing," he described. Meanwhile, the Penang chief minister said that the new Pakatan Rakyat bureau was created to broaden discussion between the coalition parties in the event the Pakatan leadership council failed to reach consensus in certain issue. He said Selangor DAP deputy head Teng Chang Kim was tasked to head the bureau because of his experience as the Selangor speaker and that most of the members were based in Klang Valley. |
| Musa defends BN’s record in Sabah Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:47 AM PST
He said, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had championed many important agenda for the welfare of the people to ensure their future was secured. “When the BN leaders went on the ground, they did not go empty-handed, not just speak and preach, but they felt the pulse of the people and fulfilled the promises. “They are concerned with the people’s problems and they want to ensure the future of the people is secured,” he said. Musa said, this was evident by the various initiatives undertaken by the government to ease the burden of the people, including the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia 2.0, Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia, school aids and book vouchers as provided in Budget 2013. The chief minister was speaking at a gathering with the people in the Batu Sapi parliamentary constituency and groundbreaking ceremony for the Kampung Lupak Meluas Mosque near here today. Najib, who is on a day-long visit to the state, officiated the ceremony. - Bernama |
| Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:40 AM PST
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said that would not happen within Barisan Nasional (BN) that practises fairness to all the races in Malaysia and had a clear direction for the country. “We also see that DAP is not only dominated by one race, that is the Chinese, but also by a family dynasty where Lim Kit Siang received the highest vote while his son Lim Guan Eng came in second,” he said when opening the Liberal Democratic Party 23rd General Assembly, here today. Najib called on the people to continue supporting BN which practises unity under the 1Malaysia concept and which was also evident in its cabinet. “Malaysia lies within a good partnership known as Barisan Nasional. Believe me, we (Malaysia under BN government) will go places, our economy will soar and investors will be more confident,” he said. The prime minister also said the BN government will continue to give out assistance in various fields such as education and business in order for the country to prosper. Meanwhile, Najib said BN was serious and honest in delivering its promises to the people unlike leaders such as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. He said during Anwar’s brief stint as acting prime minister in 1997, the former deputy prime minister under Tun Mahathir Mohamad’s administration had every opportunity to prove his worth, but took the easy way out by letting the International Monetary Fund have control over Malaysia during the economic crisis that year. “He (Anwar) didn’t protect the country’s sovereignty… He never asked himself why he was not fit to become a prime minister,” he said. Najib also asked for the people not to risk the future of Malaysia under Pakatan Rakyat. He said the coalition of the opposition parties had no common ideology and had no clear direction for the future of the country. “Even their leaders Anwar and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang are fighting to become prime minister if Pakatan Rakyat comes into power. “We (the country) can’t have a coalition that is fundamentally flawed,” he said. - Bernama |
| ‘Don’t vote for the wrong Ah Jib Gor’ Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:32 AM PST
He said it was important for the government to pass the reins of leadership when the country had prospered and developed. “Thank you for believing in me and I hope you will continue to support the Barisan Nasional. “The government is very serious to engage with youths because you will become the leaders of our country one day,” he told his ardent fans connected to him through his Facebook page called Ah Jib Gor or big brother Najib in Mandarin, here, today. Najib hoped the youths would not make a mistake when electing a prime minister in the coming general election. “Please support BN if you still want me in my present position or you will get the wrong Ah Jib Gor or big brother,” he said to cheers from his fans who chanted ‘Ah Jib Gor’. Najib, who also presented the fan club’s membership certificates, hoped the 300-member fan club in Sandakan, which was launched in September, would continue in strength. - Bernama |
| Muhyiddin: DAP mahu luaskan pengaruh, pendekatan cauvinis Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:15 AM PST
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata, tindakan tersebut juga dilihat sebagai usaha parti itu untuk meluaskan pengaruh dan pendekatan cauvinis yang hanya tertumpu ke arah kepentingan satu kaum sahaja. “Hasil daripada keputusan dalam pemilihan (Jawatankuasa Tertinggi Pusat DAP yang majoriti dimenangi anggota dari kaum Cina) semalam, kalau itu (DAP dapat menambah kerusi) berlaku, mungkin kesannya tidak baik bagi kita dan bagi masyarakat. “Ini kerana mereka akan memperluaskan pengaruh dan pendekatan yang cauvinis dan tidak memberi penilaian lebih kepada masyarakat Melayu,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Perbarisan Perdana sempena tamat kursus latihan asas Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) dan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) 2012, di Pusat Latihan Asas Tentera Darat, di sini hari ini. Beliau mengulas kenyataan Setiausaha Agung DAP Lim Guan Eng yang mahu tambahan 13 kerusi bagi parti itu iaitu tiga bagi kawasan Parlimen dan 10 bagi Dewan Undangan Negeri PRU13, kononnya atas dasar semangat setiakawan dan tulus kepada sekutunya PAS dan Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). Dalam ucapan dasarnya bertajuk “Perubahan Di tangan Mu” pada kongres ke-16 DAP di Pusat Sukan Antarabangsa Pulau Pinang semalam, Lim juga berkata PAS dan PKR diharap dapat mengiktiraf semangat dan kesetiaan yang ditunjukkan DAP dengan membenarkan parti itu bertanding lebih banyak kerusi. Muhyiddin yang juga Timbalan Presiden Umno berkata pendekatan cauvinis yang cuba dibawa DAP dilihat tidak sesuai untuk diamalkan di negara ini yang mempunyai masyarakat yang berbilang kaum. Beliau juga tidak pasti sama ada PAS dan PKR bersedia untuk bertolak ansur dengan membenarkan DAP bertanding di lebih kawasan dengan kerusi-kerusi yang telah sedia terbahagi sejak pilihan raya yang lalu. Kongsi prasarana latihan Dalam pada itu, Timbalan Perdana Menteri berkata di bawah Bidang Keberhasilan Utama Negara (NKRA) dan kerjasama antara ATM dan PDRM menerusi Strategi Lautan Biru Kebangsaan yang mana kemudahan dan prasarana latihan dikongsi bersama bagi merekrut anggota keselamatan, telah menunjukkan kesan positif dan pencapaian yang diiktiraf. Katanya, ini termasuk pengurangan kadar jenayah jalanan dan jenayah indeks sebanyak 39.79 peratus dan 11.1 peratus selain Malaysia diiktiraf dalam laporan Katanya pendekatan kerjasama antara dua agensi keselamatan itu akan dijadikan teras sebelum pendekatan sama mungkin diperluaskan kepada agensi-agensi lain dalam kerajaan. Terdahulu dalam ucapannya, Muhyiddin berkata, adalah menjadi kelaziman sebagai anggota keselamatan untuk berhadapan pelbagai bentuk ujian, sama ada secara fizikal mahupun habuan kewangan dan kebendaan. “Sebenarnya, mengelak daripada gejala rasuah ini bergantung kepada nilai-nilai yang dilatih dan dipegang oleh kita. Dan kerajaan cukup yakin latihan yang telah dilalui yang merangkumi pengukuhan integriti dan nilai etika kerja cemerlang akan terus diaplikasi dalam tugasan harian,” katanya. Pada majlis itu seramai 2,027 perajurit muda ATM dan 1,000 pelatih Konstabel PDRM telah menamatkan latihan dengan jayanya selepas enam bulan menjalani latihan yang menguji kekuatan fizikal dan mental. Turut hadir pada majlis itu Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Panglima Angkatan Tentera Tan Sri Jeneral Zulkifeli Mohd Zin dan Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Ismail Omar. - Bernama |
| Wrong religion classification: Act fast on MyKad fiasco Posted: 15 Dec 2012 11:58 PM PST
Chairman of COSA, Jerry Dusing, said the federal cabinet's decision to resolve the long-standing dilemma of Christians in Sabah wrongly classified as Muslims in their MyKad must be acted upon with urgency and should not be dragged on. He stressed that this is important, so that the Syariah Court is not forced to make any judgment or order which may further complicate the problem. "This is a step in the right direction to avoid further confusion over the status of Bumiputera Christians in Sabah," said Dusing in a statement issued here. COSA is also monitoring a protracted dispute in the Kudat Syariah High Court which is hearing the case of three Christians who have been forced by the NRD to prove in the Islamic courts that they are not Muslims. The case was mounted by a 53-year-old widow of Banggi ethnicity, Intim Lambatan, and her two adult daughters, Norina Nuhudan, 28, and Listin Nuhudan, 22, after they were arbitrarily classified as Muslims in their MyKad when all three are baptised Christians belonging to the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) denomination. The case is interesting given that the Sabah Islamic Affair Department or Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Negeri Sabah (JHEAINS) has acknowledged that their names were not on the department's register and yet the NRD had classified them as such. In a further twist, when the error was pointed out, the NRD refused to rectify its mistake and asked Intim to go the Kudat Syariah High Court for a declaration that she is not a Muslim. The case came up for hearing on Oct 29 but both JHEAINS and the NRD did not turn up, forcing a postponement. The United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) has since jumped into the fray with its president Bernard Dompok leading the charge and offering his assistance, perhaps aware of the sensitivity of the case so close to general election and the threatening public relations disaster for the BN. However, the Upko chief’s announcement last week that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had given the NRD the go-ahead to rectify the errors instead of having to go through the Syariah Court as had been insisted for decades was met with some contempt. Technical glitches After years of the department saying otherwise, it fell to the man in charge of the NRD in Sabah, Ismail Ahmad, to trot out the excuses and say the errors were caused by "technical glitches." He said that for now, all those spotting such ‘errors’ only need to go to his office and point it out for it to be rectified on the spot. Meanwhile, a Barisan Nasional state representative has urged the department to formulate proper guidelines so that officers can be guided accordingly in what may be regarded as grey areas in amending erroneous MyKads, especially those that have ‘converted’ Christians to Muslims at NRD’s offices. Tanjung Kapor assemblyman, Teo Chee Kang said “it is fundamentally wrong for officers in NRD to require an order issued by the Syariah Court for an application by a non-Muslim to amend his or her religion which is inadvertently or mistakenly registered as ‘Islam’." "In such cases, by making Syariah Court order a requisite for an application to rectify a non-Muslim MyKad holder’s religion status tantamount to requiring non-Muslims to surrender to the jurisdiction of the Syariah Courts. "Constitutionally, Syariah Courts only have jurisdiction over citizens who subscribe to the Islamic faith," he said at the annual Christmas Candlelight gathering organised by the Council of Churches of Kudat held at Dewan Tun Mustapha, Kudat. In this respect, Teo who is also Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secretary general said the decision of the federal cabinet, as disclosed by Dompok that such rectification would not involve the Syariah Courts and that it could be done at the NRD was a welcoming news. "Sabah is very unique in the sense that it is so common for our non-Muslim natives to have a ‘bin’ or ‘binti’ in their names. Names are by no means an indicator of one’s religion. I even know a Sabahan Muslim friend who possess a Christian name," he said. Prime Minister Najib is currently in Sandakan to attend a meeting with Christian leaders. Also read: |
| Ramasamy shrugs off sabotage claims Posted: 15 Dec 2012 11:31 PM PST
"No, I don't think there was an attempt to oust me," he said when approached by reporters today. He likened the party polls to a game where there are always winners and losers. "We must accept it as the normal democratic process. Sometimes we think we have the support, but the support is not sufficient," he said. He said there were only limited slots in the CEC so it was about the delegates' choice and priority. Ramasamy and former DAP deputy chairman Tan Seng Giaw were the biggest casualties at the DAP party polls yesterday as both of them failed to make into the 20-seat centre executive committee (CEC). Ramasamy secured 746 votes while Tan obtained 802. However, both of them were today were co-opted into the CEC through appointments. Tan meanwhile hinted that he knew the reason behind his defeat because a friend of him had tipped him about it before the results were announced. "The party's maneuver is very subtle, but everyone has friends in the party, and they will tell you the actual situation," he said. However, the long-serving Kepong MP refused to disclose the "reasons", only saying that he was not "neglected" by party delegates as claimed by certain quarter. "I know the reason, it has nothing to do with being neglected. But it isn't convenient for me to tell you, otherwise I am not a good party member," he said.
Ahmad said the health problems he faced might be the reason why the delegates did not give him a major support. However, he also cautioned that party members have failed to elect any of the Malay candidates into the CEC, saying that such trend would not be good for the DAP in the long run. "If I were to assess the result this time, all the Malay CEC members were appointed and not elected. But this is really up to the new generation of DAP. "What is DAP? What is Malaysian Malaysia? If they are still holding the dream of one Malaysia race, such trend is not good for the future," he said. |
| Negara Islam perlu fahami kehendak golongan muda Posted: 15 Dec 2012 10:17 PM PST  KUALA LUMPUR: Negara-negara Islam perlu memahami dengan baik kehendak golongan muda dengan cara mengambil tahu dan mengerti perubahan demografi dan teknologi yang menyelubungi dan menjejaskan kehidupan mereka, kata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Beliau berkata dunia Islam sedang mengalami “kebanjiran golongan muda”. Pada 2010, golongan di bawah umur 30 tahun adalah kira-kira 60 peratus populasi di negara-negara yang majoriti penduduknya Islam. “Populasi lebih muda bermakna tenaga kerja lebih banyak. Pelaburan dan modal lebih besar diperlukan untuk memenuhi keperluan kapasiti ini. “Perubahan demografik yang besar boleh memberi impak kepada dasar fiskal untuk beberapa dekad, sepertimana dialami negara-negara “yang mencatatkan kadar kelahiran bayi tinggi”. Daripada segi sosial, impak jangka pendeknya boleh menjadi lebih besar. “Kebanjiran golongan belia telah memperkenalkan tenaga pendam kepada ekonomi dan masyarakat sesebuah negara. Jika dibiarkan, ia boleh menjadi tenaga penyahstabilan,” kata Najib dalam artikel beliau bertajuk ‘The Challenge of Muslim Youth’ (Cabaran Belia Islam) yang diterbitkan dalam New York Times/International Herald Tribune pada Sabtu. Najib berkata perubahan besar sedang berlaku di Timur Tengah dan Afrika Utara. “Masih terlalu awal untuk memuktamadkan puncanya, tetapi saya percaya faktornya adalah serupa: golongan muda dalam masyarakat Islam berdepan masalah kekurangan peluang. Beliau berkata kebangkitan di negara Arab diterajui oleh golongan muda, dipacu teknologi dan disemarakkan oleh keinginan terhadap perubahan politik. Dalam mendambakan sebuah masyarakat terbuka dan kerajaan yang lebih reponsif, beliau berkata golongan muda Arab mempamerkan keinginan terhadap demokrasi. Tetapi mereka juga memperlihatkan rasa kehilangan yang amat ketara - bukan sahaja daripada segi kebebasan peribadi atau politik tetapi juga peluang. Najib berkata pemberontakan yang berlaku adalah disebabkan pengagihan sumber-sumber secara tidak sekata. Bukannya sumber asli atau modal tetapi rakyat. Kurang pembaharuan politik Kurangnya penyertaan golongan muda dalam ekonomi telah mewujudkan keadaan di mana ketegangan boleh memuncak – ketegangan yang disemarakkan oleh kurangnya pembaharuan politik. Dengan pelucutan hak secara politik dan ekonomi, golongan muda mencari kepuasan kengan cara protes,” katanya. Najib juga berkata tekanan-tekanan sebegini bukannya hanya unik di negara-negara Arab; ianya turut dirasai di seluruh dunia. “Ramai golongan muda Islam melihat tiada peluang untuk diri mereka dan tidak merasa yang mereka mempunyai kawalan ke atas kehidupan mereka atau peranan untuk masa depan negara mereka. “Sikap pesimis seperti itu membawa kepada enggan melibatkan diri. Kita berisiko kehilangan generasi muda Islam kepada sikap tidak peduli dan ekstremisme,” kata Najib. Perdana Menteri berkata pada 2010, kadar pengangguran golongan belia di Timur Tengah ialah 25 peratus; di Afrika Utara ialah 24 peratus. Tahap itu amat bahaya. Apabila golongan muda kekurangan peluang, mereka akan menjadi bosan dan tidak keruan. “Kebergantungan merampas maruah mereka; tanpa pegangan ekonomi dalam masyarakat, mereka boleh hilang rasa kekitaan mereka. Ia boleh mendorong mereka bertindak ganas terhadap negara. “Dari 1970 hingga 2000, lapan daripada 10 negara yang mengalami konflik baharu sivil ialah 60 peratus populasinya adalah berumur bawah 30 tahun,” katanya. Mengenai perubahan besar teknologi, Najib berkata 21 tahun dahulu, tidak wujud laman web; hari ini, terdapat lebih setengah bilion. Dalam tempoh singkat, Internet telah membuka banyak peluang yang sebelum ini tidak wujud. Beliau berkata era maklumat mempunyai generasinya sendiri, golongan pengguna digital – mereka yang hanya bergantung kepada dunia siber untuk berhubung. Peranan aktif “Mereka mengharapkan maklumat adalah bebas, demokrasi menjadi responsif, komunikasi menjadi global. Mereka mahukan peranan aktif dalam ekonomi digital. Diperkasakan oleh teknologi, golongan muda boleh melahirkan kekecewaan mereka kepada audien global. Ini mempunyai implikasi besar: kemunculan kesedaran baharu mengenai politik antarabangsa,” katanya. Najib berkata dua kuasa ini – demografi dan teknologi – mencorakkan aspirasi golongan muda. “Dalam peringkat usia menentukan nasib sendiri, mereka mahukan peluang kebebasan. Mereka mahukan pendidikan bertaraf dunia. Dan mereka mahukan kerajaan yang terbuka dan boleh dipercayai. “Cabaran kita ialah menyediakan kebebasan-kebebasan itu tanpa mengorbankan tradisi kita. Tetapi ini hanya boleh berlaku jika kita mempamerkan kepimpinan berwibawa dan komited untuk melakukan perubahan. “Akses kepada pendidikan semakin baik, tetapi ramai golongan belia masih mendapati kelayakan mereka tidak sepadan dengan peluang-peluang yang ada, jadi kita perlu beri tumpuan pada latihan vokasional dan teknikal. “Kita juga perlu terus membuka ekonomi-ekonomi kita: 23 peratus daripada penduduk dunia ialah umat Islam, tetapi 57 anggota Pertubuhan Kerjasama Islam (OIC) hanya menguasai 8.3 peratus perdagangan global,” katanya. Najib juga berkata pembaharuan struktur perlu dilakukan supaya sektor-sektor swasta menjadi lebih dinamik. Banteras rasuah “Kita mesti melakukan pembaharuan terhadap perkhidmatan awam dan bersemuka dengan institusi-institusi yang mengekang peluang, meneruskan usaha membanteras rasuah. “Kita juga perlu mengikuti perkembangan perubahan teknologi. Titik permulaan kita ialah dengan memberi perhatian terhadap prinsip asas – autonominya. Ini perlu diberi keutamaan. “Ini bukan bermakna tingkah laku tanpa kawalan, tetapi berdikari. Kita mesti melengkapi golongan belia kita dengan kemahiran untuk berfikir secara kritikal mengenai sumber-sumber, untuk memahami bahawa walaupun maklumat adalah bebas, ia tidak bermakna adalah betul. Tetapi ruang online perlu kekal sebagai wadah di mana pertukaran pandangan secara bebas adalah digalakkan, dalam tradisi wacana terbaik,” katanya. Najib berkata sebagai sebuah negara Islam, Malaysia berdepan banyak cabaran sedemikian. “Saya percaya kita harus melihat belia kita bukan sebagai satu liabiliti tetapi sebagai aset. “Mereka merupakan sumber yang belum diterokai yang boleh menjadi landasan kepada kejayaan besar. Pembaharuan ekonomi dan politik boleh memberikan golongan muda apa yang mereka harapkan: masa depan dicorakkan oleh peluang, bukan kebergantungan. “Kini tiba masanya untuk merealisasikan kekayaan tersembunyi di negara-negara Islam,” kata Najib. - Bernama |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2012 10:12 PM PST
Ahli parlimen Pasir Mas itu memperakui dirinya hebat semasa berucap di perhimpunan Perkasa di Tasik Titiwangsa di Kuala Lumpur semalam. "Dalam tempoh empat tahun (Perkasa ditubuhkan) ahli Perkasa sudah 300, 000 orang. " Saya tidak dapat satu benda dari (Najib) Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Kalau saya dapat geran saya boleh kumpulkan orang Melayu seramai 500, 000 atau sejuta umat Melayu," katanya. Beliau merujuk kepada kepada kehadiran program perhimpunan Perkasa di Tasik Titiwangsa semalam yang munurutnya 10, 000 orang. "Ini tidak kira lagi berpuluh-puluh bas yang belum sampai kerana tersekat di tengah jalan kerana mereka bertolak lewat," tambah presiden Perkasa itu. Ibrahim juga mengatakan beliau seorang yang setia kepada parti tetapi menjadi mangsa cemburu kepada orang PAS dan Umno kerana kehebatannya. |
| Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan kaji operasi Pusat Kualiti Alam Posted: 15 Dec 2012 10:11 PM PST
"Kerajaan Negeri sentiasa memantau operasi tapak pelupusan sisa toksik Pusat Kualiti Alam untuk memastikan kesan minimum kepada pembangunan sekitar. Kita buat kajian secara terperinci. "Tapak pelupusan sisa toksik di Pusat Kualiti Alam telah lama dibina sebelum perancangan pembangunan di kawasan Sendayan dilaksanakan. "Kita tidak boleh salahkan kewujudan tapak tersebut yang di bawah kendalian Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd kerana kita yang bawa pembangunan di sana. "Kita telah pun meminta pihak konsultan dalam membantu perkara ini untuk melihat apakah tapak pelupusan sisa toksik itu boleh beroperasi di situ atau tidak. "Ini tidak bermakna kita berdiam tetapi kerajaan negeri tetap laksanakan kerja dan tidak perlu memaklumkan kepada pembangkang. Jangan kata kerajaan negeri tidak buat apa-apa", kata Mohamad. Mohamad berkata demikian apabila menjawab soalan tambahan Anthony Loke Siew Fook (Lobak-DAP) dalam Persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN), Negeri Sembilan penggal kelima di Wisma Negeri kelmarin. Mohamad menambah sekiranya didapati kajian yang dibuat menunjukkan operasi di Pusat Kualiti Alam tidak lagi sesuai, kerajaan negeri akan membuat keputusan untuk tidak menyokong kewujudan kilang tersebut untuk operasi selepas tahun 2012. Terdahulu Loke bertanya apakah langkah kerajaan negeri dalam mengkaji kewujudan tapak pelupusan sisa toksik Pusat Kualiti Alam berdekatan Sendayan yang kini pesat membangun. Persidangan DUN Negeri Sembilan akan berlangsung selama dua hari lagi iaitu esok 17 Disember (Isnin) dan 18 Disember (Selasa). Dalam persidangan dua hari itu dijangka belanjawan kerajaan Negeri Sembilan untuk 2013 akan diluluskan setelah dibentangkan pada hari Jumaat oleh Mohamad. |
| Manikavasagam all out to save temples Posted: 15 Dec 2012 09:12 PM PST
"Although Selangor executive councillors (excos) Dr Xavier Jayakumar, Teresa Kok and Ronnie Liu are in charge. I am only helping them to do their work," he told FMT today. The three exco members are in the Selangor non-Muslim Houses of Worship Committee. “When Pakatan came into power in 2008, we promised that they would be no more temple demolitions. The Indian community had taken our word for granted. "We don’t want another Kampung Padang Jawa,” said the outspoken first-term MP in reference to the demolition of a temple in Kampung Padang Jawa, Klang in 2008. The demolition and a host of other factors led the Indians to vote the Pakatan Rakyat coalition into power in Selangor. “When I push the matter to the excos, they don’t seem to act. The party should appreaciate what I am doing,” he said, giving examples of temples in Kajang and Jeram that received demolition notices from local authorities. He expressed his anger at local councils that demolished temples without first informing the state excos. He also took the three excos to task. “If there were clear guidelines from the excos, the local councils would not demolish temples. The state government should come up with a guideline on whether private homes can be allowed to have its own shrines or altars,” said Manikavasagam. He added that his actions of assisting temples from being demolished benefitted PKR as it would retain the Indians votes for Pakatan Rakyat. Most of the Indians are Hindus. When asked to comment on Jayakumar’s reaction over a video that showed Manikavasagam allegedly using the words ‘idiot’ and ‘bastard’ against the former, he said he was disappointed that Jayakumar did not clarify with him first before speaking to the media. “I know him for more than 15 years. He could have just give me a call and clarified. How can Xavier trust (MIC Youth chief) T Mohan more than me? “I am ready to face the party’s disciplinary committee. If they act against me, it means they trust Mohan more than they trust me,” he said in reaction to Jayakumar who accused him of being unprofessional for having uttered those words in a video clip that was taken by MIC Youth. Jayakumar also told FMT that the matter have been referred to the party’s disciplinary committee. Also read: |
| Flat-belly foods that help you fit into your dress Posted: 15 Dec 2012 08:12 PM PST
Chicken How to eat it: Have a chicken salad, using chicken breasts, lettuce, cucumber, almonds, lemon juice, basil and olive oil. Melon The high water content present in melon has other benefits too. Bloating can be the result of dehydration. Therefore, by tucking into this fruit you are rehydrating yourself, hopefully to the point that you conquer that bloat. How to eat it: Chop up watermelon and honeydew melon and pour over some natural yoghurt. Smoothie How to eat it: Pop two green apples, the juice of half a lemon, a handful of spinach, a carrot and half a cup of water into a blender and blend into a tasty, healthy smoothie. Vegetables How to eat it: Have a vegetable stir-fry, but replace the noodles with quinoa or brown rice. Soda bread How to eat it: Toast soda bread and eat with vegetable soup. Yoghurt 80 per cent of the gas that causes bloating is the result of your digestive process and so, understandably, anything that aids your digestive process will help to reduce the swelling and discomfit. How to eat it: You can eat yoghurt plain, add it to a smoothie or mix it in with oats and nuts. Eggs How to eat it: You could make a vegetable frittata, an omelette or have a boiled egg salad. LINKS |
| DAP adds non-Chinese, East M’sians to CEC Posted: 15 Dec 2012 08:02 PM PST
DAP first-term senator Ariffin M Omar was made a vice chairman to replace Tengku Abdul Aziz who quit the party in May. Besides him, Zairil Khir Johari, Sabah party chairman Jimmy Wong, Sarawak member John Brian Anthony, Sabah member Edwin Bosi, former Perak speaker V Sivakumar were also the new faces in the CEC. Both Tan Seng Giaw and P Ramasamy, who were bitterly voted out by party members yesterday, made their way back to the CEC through appointments. DAP Central Executive Committee 2012-2015 Office-bearers: To reconfirm: Dr Chen Man Hin as Party Life Advisor Committees/Bureaus: Disciplinary Comm: Headed by Tan Kok Wai Pakatan Rakyat bureau "To show that we are a real alternative for Malaysians, we must make sure the bureau is efficient," he said. The Penang chief minister also urged party members to get into fighting mode, saying they were only 100 days away from the fierce general election battle. "If we want a better future, then we are only 100 days shy from making that historic decision. "How many 10 years do we have, how many opportunity does a country have? We can't wait anymore longer, we must change now," he said to resounding applaud. The party concluded its two-day congress with the party adopting nine resolutions proposed by the grassroots members, which included among others to support the anti-hopping legislation, to close down the controversial Lynas rare earth refinery plant, to make sure party leaders attend functions without local branches having to bear much of the costs and to do away with racism and religious bigotry. |
| Hidden killers that you don’t know about Posted: 15 Dec 2012 07:49 PM PST
No sense of humour Flying Nasty co-workers Retiring Not drinking alcohol Sleeping too much Not having sex LINKS |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2012 07:38 PM PST
Walau bagaimanapun, baginda tetap ingat pada janji yang dimeterai iaitu bahawa baginda tidak akan mempersoalkan atau menghalang apa-apa yang dilakukan oleh isteri kesayangannya itu. Santanu terasa hairan. Baginda segera mengekori isterinya hingga ke tebing sungai. Sebaik sahaja sampai di sana, Gangga berjalan masuk ke dalam sungai. Apabila air sudah berada pada paras dada, ibu muda itu segera menenggelamkan bayi yang baru berusia beberapa jam. Tentu sahaja Santanu terkejut menyaksikan apa yang sedang berlaku di depan mata. Bagaimanapun, baginda terus bersembunyi di belakang pokok. Gangga pula terus berdiri di dalam air sungai bagaikan sedang bertafakur. Bayi berkenaan pula ternyata sudah mati lemas dan mayatnya dihanyutkan air sungai. "Oh! Begitu kejam sekali Permaisuri Gangga?" Hussian bertanya dengan mulut terlopong. "Kenapa dia tergamak membunuh anaknya sendiri?" Hassan pula bertanya sambil matanya terbeliak. Datuk yang sedang menceritakan kisah Mahabharata kepada pasangan kembar itu tidak segera menjawab. Beliau bagaikan turut terkesima mengenangkan episod yang baru diceritakannya. "Sebenarnya, itulah juga pertanyaan yang timbul dalam fikiran Raja Santanu. Baginda tertanya-tanya mengapa isteri baginda tergamak membunuh putera sulung mereka yang baru lahir," kata datuk sebelum meneruskan cerita. Santanu terfikir untuk segera bergegas mendapatkan isterinya. Baginda mahu menampar pipinya dan menggoncang tubuhnya untuk menyedarkannya daripada apa sahaja mimpi atau pukau yang sedang dialaminya. Baginda juga mula tertanya-tanya tentang asal-usul dan identiti sebenar isterinya. Namun begitu, baginda tetap ingat akan janji dahulu. Maka, raja berkenaan hanya mampu berdiri kaku sepanjang peristiwa Gangga membunuh anak mereka dengan melemaskannya dalam Sungai Ganges. Sejurus kemudian, Gangga melangkah naik ke tebing sungai. Santanu terus memperhatikan dari tempat persembunyian di belakang pokok. Perasaan baginda berbaur antara marah, hairan, kecewa dan benci apabila menyedari bahawa Gangga tidak menampakkan reaksi sedih. Sebaliknya, wanita itu sedang tersenyum gembira dan puas. Wajahnya berseri-seri bagaikan baru sahaja berjaya melakukan suatu perkara yang membanggakan. Gangga kembali ke istana Kerajaan Hastinapura dan meneruskan kehidupan bagaikan tidak ada apa-apa pun yang berlaku. Santanu juga pulang ke istana dan terpaksa berpura-pura tidak mengetahui apa yang sudah berlaku dan disaksikannya sendiri di tebing Sungai Ganges. Maka, peristiwa Gangga mengandung dan melahirkan putera sulung, serta episod hitam bayi itu dibunuh dengan melemaskannya di Sungai Ganges bagaikan tidak pernah berlaku dalam hidup Santanu, Gangga dan sesiapa sahaja yang mengetahuinya. Santanu terus menahan keinginan mahu meminta isterinya menjelaskan tindakannya yang merupakan jenayah besar dan wajar dihukum. Bagaimanapun, baginda sedar bahawa sekiranya baginda mengemukakan apa-apa pertanyaan, Gangga mungkin akan kecewa dan memutuskan untuk meninggalkan istana. Lalu, Santanu menyembunyikan kesedihan dalam jiwa dan meneruskan hidup bersama-sama Gangga yang penuh misteri. Tidak lama kemudian, permaisuri itu mengandung lagi. Semakin dekat tarikh kelahiran bayi, semakin hati Santanu berdebar-debar memikirkan pelbagai kemungkinan. – Bersambung minggu depan Uthaya Sankar SB sering mengendalikan bengkel penulisan anjuran Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan untuk membimbing bakat-bakat baru. |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2012 07:15 PM PST
He has also argued that the aim of the vision is to strengthen national unity on the basis of inclusiveness – "this policy means that we'll try to be as inclusive as possible, in a sense that we should have a government that is able to reach out to all communities". (Interview with CNN, Talkasia, Nov 1, 2010) Not only was this vision of 1Malaysia markedly absent from the recent Umno general assembly but the real driving force of the party – one completely at odds with 1Malaysia – emerged from the shadows during the singing of a song by Tokyo Umno Club representative Arif Yassir Zulkafli. The lyrics of the song 'Lagu Warisan' can be seen to encapsulate the ideological leifmotif of Umno. It provided the emotional and psychological high point of the meeting and explains why the song left delegates in tears and in spontaneous rendition. It also explains why the Umno mind and mentality has remained unchanged during the last 66 years of the party's existence – insecure, envious, delusional, un-accepting of other Malaysians, and propagating a bankrupt doctrine of 'Blood and Soil' nationalism akin to that of the Nazis and fascists. Blood and soil nationalism refers to an ideology that focuses on ethnicity based on two factors – descent and homeland. Readers interested in learning more about blood and soil nationalism can read the Wikipedia. Anak Kecil main api Nenek moyang kaya raya Indahnya bumi kita ini Melayukan gagah di nusantara. The translated version in English reads: His forefathers had abundance How beautiful is our land Aren’t Malays the brave in the archipelago Recommended references: For more on the translated lyrics, read Dr Azly Rahman here as well as his article 'A Malay view of Biro Tata Negara and Ketuanan Melayu'. Impact of Lagu Negara For now, it has left the 1Malaysia concept in ashes. The danger is that these sentiments contributing to a siege mentality can be so deeply embedded that they become impossible to deal with rationally. When inflamed by irresponsible parties, they can easily get out of control and can be the catalyst for violence. Lagu Warisan – the signature song of Malay 'patriots' yearning for a return to a Malay motherland free of pendatang – originated from the Biro Tatanegara, a propaganda arm of Umno in the civil service. In his article 'BTN is hardly an innocent selling toothpaste’ (Dec 17, 2009), CT Wong writes that: "[when] the moral codes are suspended [and a] new moral code is substituted… the cry for defending one's race or religion or country carries a new and sinister meaning. The perpetrators of ethnic violence hijack the mind and the feelings of its own race for their purpose of gaining or consolidating powe. […] Systematic, conscious and deliberate efforts are being made to create the Enemy in the public space in some of the mainstream media or government-sponsored programmes. The explicit or implicit elimination ideology is so openly propagated that the normal revulsion against cruelty towards other human beings is alarmingly lacking.” To the BTN, we must add a double-faced Umno mouthing the rhetoric of solidarity and inclusion when with non-Malay audiences, and fanning the flames of extremist racial emotions when addressing the Malay constituency. Taking the fight to Umno Minimum proactive actions include speaking out and calling for the removal or neutralising of those institutions and individuals guilty of sowing and escalating racial distrust (and religious disharmony), in particular that emanating from the ruling circles and the bureaucracy, especially from Umno ranks and the official print and electronic media, particularly Utusan Malaysia and TV3. Leaders of the other Barisan Nasional component parties who have been silent, indifferent or impotent towards the escalation of the hate politics of race and religion must find their voices and put pressure on Umno towards genuine reform. Other key stake players such as PAS and Muslim NGOs must be more active in influencing Islamic elements towards more progressive positions that can counter the politics of racial envy and hate propagated by Umno. Failure to respond to 'Lagu Warisan' and its supporters will see the country's racial tensions and divisions escalate towards a breaking point, with the minorities very much on the defensive and the authorities either reluctant to intervene or to act in favour of the minority. The rule of law becomes the tyranny of the majority; perpetrators of racial and religious hate and disunity feel that they can get away with irresponsible actions aimed at maintaining dominance or curbing dissent; and the country's basic tolerance gives way to hardened and polarized positions on all sides, setting the stage for instability and social strife. This article first appeared in the CPI website. The writer is the CPI director. |
| Posted: 15 Dec 2012 07:02 PM PST
Malaysia's MyDistress smart phone application has gained both international and local recognition in the ICT industry, bagging an Award of Merit at the MSC Malaysia Asia-Pacific ICT Alliance (Apicta) Awards on Dec 3, 2012. According to Selangor police chief Deputy Commissioner Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah this was made possible by Convep Mobilogy who jointly created the application with the Selangor police, with the commitment and support from Pemandu. While it is currently only available in Selangor, the good news is that Pemandu is set to roll out the application nationwide in the near future with its inclusion in the GTP 2.0 roadmap. What is MyDistress and exactly how does it work? When you are in an emergency situation, the last thing you want to do is to spend precious time calling the police, explaining the situation and trying to figure out and explain your exact location. Add panic, stress and trauma to the equation and you have a chaotic phone call in a situation where you need to remain calm and focused. Anyone who has made a 999 call will appreciate the wisdom behind this. For the record, 999 calls are administered by Telekom Malaysia, and not the police as is popularly misconstrued. Thus precious time is wasted while they elicit your personal details and then re-route your call to the Police, Ambulance, Fire Rescue or Civil Defense, where you go through the whole frustrating process of giving your personal details and explaining your particular emergency all over again. MyDistress eliminates all that unnecessary hassle, as with just the click of a button, a distress message is sent to the police with your location details and officers will be dispatched immediately to your location.
As with all public support services, users are advised to use MyDistress responsibly. Any abuse and/or misuse of this free app will divert crucial resources of the police which can be better utilized for situations of real emergencies. Understandably, MyDistress requires GPS functionality and data connectivity on your mobile phone to work. It should only be used when a crime is happening, someone suspected of a crime is nearby, someone is injured, being threatened or in real danger. An SOS call on MyDistress allows automatic real-time location updates to the PDRM command centre on the exact GPS coordinates retrieved from your phone. How to use the My Distress application You can preset a number of locations into your phone, such as your home, your office or places that you frequent. If you live or work inside a high rise building, it helps to preset the location with details such as floor number, unit number or any other relevant details. This helps the police to come directly to you instead of searching for you in the whole building. When in distress outdoors, you hit "Personal Alert" and your details with the current GPS location is sent to the police. When you are in any of your preset locations hit the "SOS" button and then choose your present location. If you are kidnapped and being moved in a vehicle, your MyDistress application will continue sending your GPS location information so that the police will be able to track and rescue you. Besides the above services, MyDistress also provides you with the location details of all police stations in Selangor complete with routes to get to your selected station. It also comes complete with a list of all the important contact numbers for the Selangor PDRM. It should be noted that the app respects your privacy and only releases your data and tracks your location when you activate it during an emergency. Otherwise it remains dormant until needed. MARAH has checked with PDRM Selangor and been informed that up to Dec 2, 2012, a total of 141,457 smart-phones have downloaded the application. In the interests of safety, we recommend that everyone with a smart phone should download the application. You just need to open the internet browser in your mobile phone and type in http://mydistress.net. Visit the MARAH Facebook group here Dave Avran is the founder of MARAH (Malaysians Against Rape, Assault & snatcH) |
| Education activism the way forward Posted: 15 Dec 2012 06:57 PM PST
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), renowned philosopher in the field of Ethics, approached ethical volunteerism in many of his works. According to him and many others of his time, the defining pillar behind ethical volunteerism is will. Quoting Ali Shariati in his work Ideology, Zul Fikri Zamir, co-founder of Teach for The Needs (TFTN) asserts that even if there were 1,000 Aristotles and Platos in Ancient Greece, their social lives can never be improved with no one to act. Willingness can only come about with undisputed belief in a cause. When one believes in a cause, chances are the resulting efforts and activisms become more sustained. It is these kinds of will and spirit that TFTN aims to cultivate, enable and leverage upon. Made of a group of benevolent young qualified teachers and volunteers, TFTN works on a nimble model of providing free after-school tuition to primary school students from underprivileged households. What TFTN brand as "education activists", these "teacher-ambassadors" and young volunteers start their own initiatives in their own localities, whether it be staying back after schooling hours to teach tuition, or to adopt a local orphanage under their care and program. A first of its kind, TFTN joins incumbents within the education NGO scene, currently inhabited by the likes of Teach for Malaysia and EduNation. Addressing different segments via different modus operandis, they have one thing in common; putting on the "concerned citizen" hat in addressing pockets of deficiencies within the Malaysian education system. Why education? The idea is to assess the efficacy of the respective education systems, in promoting critical and problem-solving skills instead of memorisation amongst their pupils in the reading, mathematics and science subjects. Malaysia ranked 55 out of 74 countries, putting it in the bottom 33rd percentile. In his speech, at TFTN's inaugural Education Convention held in the Education Faculty of Universiti Malaya on Dec 8, Zul Fikri extracted the lessons learnt from the Finnish education system, which emerged top in the survey. Despite ranking 70th in the preceding surveys, Finland was found to have topped the rank in 2009 after having revamped its schooling systems drastically; by providing total autonomy to schools and doing away with rigid examination systems. In the same speech, Zul Fikri addressed the issue of Malaysian school-going children being spoon-fed in the aim of scoring straight As, but loss sight of purpose of learning and going to school and resulted in the poor performance in PISA. Via sharing sessions amongst its teacher ambassadors and volunteers, TFTN found shocking revelations. While one teacher picked up Iban dialect because his student can't converse in Malay, another had the shock of his life having to travel three hours to work in a rural Sarawakian village not to mention an encounter with crocodiles along the way! One teacher in Banting experienced having to start on alphabets to a UPSR candidate; using creative techniques like plasticine, upon realizing her student is illiterate at the age of 12. Because educational opportunities correlate significantly with household economic status, strata, and exposure to infrastructure and amenities, sections of the school-going pupils within the system has been identified as "deprived". To assist teachers dealing with these children identified as deserving of the "TFTN-experience", TFTN volunteers were then exposed to structured pedagogical approaches to special needs education via esteemed speakers during the convention. Professor Dr Saedah Siraj was one of them; a known personality within the education field of academia. Her inputs focused on Provision of Education for Special Needs Children. Pendidikan Negara These strategies typically include 1) direct teaching, 2) structuring content to suit the child's current emotional and morale state, 3) varying activities using the five senses, 4) continuous and interconnected revision exercises, 5) spelling and dictations and 6) a special focus on behaviors and manners. Education activism also aims to address the quality issue behind the quantities that form the teaching faculties of Malaysia's education system. At the convention, an excellent forum titled "Pendidikan Negara" brought forth very pertinent trends with regards to the teaching profession. The quality and efficacy of the teaching faculty for the first time was discussed in a forum of a public nature, not only involving teachers from the public system, but also of observers and Malaysian individuals passionate towards driving for change to the education system. The forum efficiently revisited the "choice" issue amongst cohorts of teachers streamed into the public teaching profession; where very many teachers especially of the newer generations did not choose to become teachers in the first place, rather out of lack of choice given limited qualifications. Edmond Yap, co-founder of EduNation which provides free online education materials argued that Malaysia cannot afford to gamble its future generation on substandard policies governing the teaching profession. “Dzameer Dzulkifli, co-founder of Teach For Malaysia eloquently supplemented that the absence of an "exit clause" is especially worrying, in that teachers risk almost no chance of being removed from the classroom due to non-performance. He added that no other high-performing organisation would keep individuals or teams that didn’t add value but he remains hopeful as the new MOE Blueprint addresses this. In the same forum, Zul Fikri shared that TFTN too was founded to share some of this responsibility. Rather than continuous lamenting, Malaysians should instead take their own effort to fill in whatever gaps that they separately identified to be in need of improvement. Education activism way forward
Instead of cascading directives from a central committee in an "outward" fashion, TFTN encourages an "inward" incoming of ideas and initiatives from volunteers themselves. Apart from provision of core tutorial hours with measurable outcomes like academic performance and test scores, this "enabler" role involves providing a platform to teacher-ambassadors in dispersed locations for networking, a symbiosis of idea sharing and ultimately sense of belonging. Alongside Professor Saedah, the convention brought forward Ustazah Khadijah and her proprietary module; "Teknik Mendorong Pelajar Corot Gaya Rasulluah" which utilises the educating-by-example techniques of the Prophet Muhammad saw in encouraging troubled pupils. A major take-away from her workshop was implicit provocation. Rather than outright assertion or scolding, she propagates the use of differentiated reward system and treatment, which will result in the relatively troubled child questioning these practices. This has a higher chance of the pupil giving attention when explained to. With professional inputs like this, TFTN hopes to put an extra plus point in the teacher-ambassadors' resumes, and ultimately enhance their pedagogic experience. With more and more professionals with no teaching backgrounds coming on board, organisations like TFTN and TFM can also leverage and celebrate their respective specialisation and skills. In fact, there is a niche yet significant need for professionals to play their roles in bringing up nascent movements like TFTN to its feet. This is by incorporating their established commercial and corporate-setting methodologies and experiences into things like structuring an organization chart, establishing a treasury and secretarial function, and designing a performance management system that promotes some extent of accountability and results-driven environment. Conventions like the TFTN Education Convention 2012 serves as a great platform to collate ideas, conduct annual reviews, and chart goal-driven trajectories. With teachers and volunteers from vastly different locations and settings coming together, chances are the exercise becomes more realistic and all-encompassing. Volunteers are priceless Being a strong proponent of balanced and leveled educational opportunities and equality, I echo TFTN in our stance that specially addressing under-performing pupils typically labeled as "naughty" and "lost cause" by society may just turn out to be the most critical fundamental step in uplifting the economic status of many neglected pockets of the society. I have always believed that education forms the backbone of any society. The importance of education can never be overemphasised and the lack of it causes instability, rise in poverty and ignorance. Volunteers are not paid — not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless. Anas Alam Faizli is the executive director of Teach for the Needs (TFTN) which is reachable at Facebook page and TFTN official page. |
| Hidup peneroka Gatco atau hidup Hindraf? Posted: 15 Dec 2012 06:55 PM PST
(Komen ini merupakan sambungan dari komen yang kami siarkan semalam yang bertajuk “Kemelut Gatco masih tiada kesudahan”.) Apa sebenarnya yang berlaku pada 5 Disember lepas? Selain daripada bantahan dan kegagalan menyerahkan memorandum kepada Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan, Mohamad Hasan pada 5 Disember, ada sesuatu perkara yang menarik berlaku yang tidak diketahui oleh umum. Ketika lebih 150 peneroka sudah pun berkumpul di hadapan Wisma Negeri, beberapa 'orang kuat' Hindraf secara tiba-tiba mengedarkan t-shirt rasmi Hindraf berwarna oren kepada peneroka Gatco. Selepas hampir semua peneroka mengenakan t- shirt Hindraf, berlangsung sesi bergambar bersama sepanduk. Agak mengejutkan sebelum Pengerusi Hindraf P Waytha Moorthy memulakan ucapan, beliau meminta Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Senawang, P Gunasekaran (DAP) supaya berdiri jauh daripada tempat beliau berucap. Waytha berkata lebih kurang begini kepada Gunasekaran: "Sebenarnya saya menunggu untuk anda. Kalau anda dah pergi sana, saya boleh mulakan ucapan saya. Saya tidak mahu isu Kampung Gatco menjadi seperti isu Kampung Buah Pala". Waytha berkata demikian mungkin merujuk kepada isu Kampung Buah Pala yang DAP sebagai peneraju Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang yang gagal pertahankan sebuah perkampungan India yang berusia lebih 100 tahun. Insiden itu membuatkan Gunasekaran; ADUN Paroi, Mohd Taufek Abdul Ghani (PAS) dan beberapa ADUN DAP yang lain berada di situ tersentak. Tidak lama selepas itu Gunasekaran bersama beberapa ADUN DAP kelihatan beredar dari situ mungkin kerana perasaan malu. Walaubagaimanapun Waytha membenarkan Mohd Taufek dan Ketua Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) Negeri Sembilan, Mohd Nazree Mohd Yunus berucap. Apa yang menghairankan ialah selepas Waytha dan peneroka gagal menyerahkan memorandum selepas menanti tiga jam, Waytha melaungkan "Hidup Hindraf! Hidup Hindraf!" berkali-kali dan peneroka Gatco turut sama melaungkan slogan tersebut. Kenapa laung ‘Hidup Hindraf’ Kenapa tidak laung "Hidup Peneroka Gatco!"? Persoalannya apa kena mengena laungan "Hidup Hindraf" dengan isu peneroka Gatco? Peneroka Gatco sebenarnya bukanlah ahli Hindraf, Barisan Nasional (BN) mahu pun Pakatan Rakyat. Sebilangan kecil daripada mereka ada yang ahli Umno dan MIC. Tetapi hampir semua peneroka Gatco boleh dikatakan sebagai peneroka yang tidak berparti walaupun sejak tiga pilihan raya umum yang lalu mereka menyokong penuh calon BN dengan harapan calon BN yang menang akan membantu mereka menyelesaikan kemelut hak milik tanah perladangan yang berlanjutan sejak sekian lama. Tidak salah Hindraf turut sama perjuangkan hak peneroka Gatco tetapi mengapa Waytha dan orang kanan Hindraf tidak melaungkan "Hidup Peneroka Gatco! "Hidup Peneroka Gatco!"? Apa tujuan Waytha dan pemimpin Hindraf yang hadir pada pagi itu mengedarkan t-shirt Hindraf berwarna oren? Perhimpunan di hadapan Pejabat Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan pada pagi 5 Disember lalu seolah-olah seperti perhimpunan Hindraf. Senario pada pagi itu ternyata jauh berbeza berbanding himpunan pada 28 Mac tahun ini apabila peneroka tidak memakai baju mana-mana parti atau organisasi. Survival Hindraf Dari kaca mata media dan orang berkecuali, apa yang boleh dikatakan Hindraf telah menggunakan peneroka Gatco untuk publisiti dan survival Hindraf itu sendiri pada pagi tersebut. Seramai 150 peneroka Gatco yang hadir pada pagi itu tiba-tiba menjadi penyokong Hindraf tanpa mereka sedari. Seorang wartawan media arus perdana berbahasa Melayu bertanya kepada FMT kenapa peneroka semua memakai t-shirt Hindraf. Malah beliau menyatakan keberatan beliau untuk memberi liputan maksima. Tidak diketahui apa yang bermain di dalam kepala wartawan muda tersebut. Berbanding pada 28 Mac lalu, apabila Mohamad turun dan menerima memorandum peneroka Gatco, kali ini Mohamad tidak datang berjumpa dengan peneroka dengan alasan mesyuarat Exco belum selesai. Beliau hanya menghantar Pegawai Khas beliau Zulkefli Awang untuk menerima memorandum tersebut. Ada kemungkinan Mohamad tidak mahu melayan peneroka Gatco kali ini kerana tidak menyenangi kehadiran Hindraf. Waytha dan penyokong Hindraf harus tahu, bagaimana orang Cina dan India umumnya membenci Perkasa kerana menganggap pertubuhan tersebut terlalu ekstrim Melayu. Begitu juga orang Melayu secara umumnya turut membenci Hindraf kerana Hindraf juga dilabel sebagai terlalu ekstrim India. Ada juga pengundi atas pagar yang menganggap Hindraf adalah Perkasa versi kaum India. Bagi mereka perjuangan Perkasa dan Hindraf adalah sama sahaja iaitu atas teras satu bangsa sahaja. Ada sebuah sepanduk yang dibawa oleh pemimpin Hindraf yang dipegang oleh peneroka Gatco berbunyi "Kalau Menteri Besar tak boleh, biar Hindraf selesaikan masalah ini". Bagaimana Hindraf ingin menyelesaikan masalah hak milik tanah Gatco tidak pula diketahui. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Bertindak Peneroka Kampung Serampang Indah (Gatco) sekarang, K Krishnan dan Setiausaha Jawatankuasa, C John sepatutnya bertegas dengan Hindraf atau mana-mana parti politik bahawa peneroka tidak ada masalah jika sesiapa sahaja yang memperjuangkan isu Gatco. Tetapi mereka tidak seharusnya merelakan peneroka Gatco dipergunakan oleh Hindraf atau parti politik untuk publisiti murahan dan kepentingan politik (political mileage). Krishnan dan John sepatutnya menghalang pemimpin Hindraf daripada mengedarkan t- shirt Hindraf dan juga menegah Waytha daripada menyuruh Gunasekaran menjauhkan diri daripada tempat Waytha berucap. Ini ialah kerana semua pihak yang memperjuangkan isu Gatco termasuk Hindraf dan pemimpin parti politik berhak berada di situ melainkan Krishnan dan John sendiri yang menyuruh Gunasekaran beredar dari situ. 'Menangguk di air keruh' Kelakuan Hindraf umpama 'menangguk di air keruh' pada 5 Disember bukanlah kelakuan yang kali pertama berlaku. Pada 29 September lalu, ibubapa dan bekas murid Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) Kuala Pilah mengadakan satu bantahan di hadapan sekolah tersebut menuntut kerajaan bina segera sebuah bangunan sekolah baru, memandangkan bangunan sedia ada sempit dan tidak kondusif. Bantahan itu turut disertai oleh kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat Negeri Sembilan dan pemimpin Hindraf. Sejurus selepas ibubapa dan kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat menamatkan sidang akhbar di hadapan sekolah tersebut, sekumpulan kecil pemimpin Hindraf melaungkan slogan "berjuang!" dan "berjuang sehingga saat akhir!". Tiba-tiba mereka turut melaungkan "Hidup Hindraf!". Tidak difahami apa kena mengena "Hidup Hindraf!" dengan isu di SJKT Kuala Pilah. Alangkah molek kalau pemimpin Hindraf tersebut melaungkan slogan seperti "Hidup SJKT Kuala Pilah!". Dalam perkembangan terbaru MIC pula muncul memberi satu harapan baru kepada peneroka Gatco apabila Pengerusi MIC Negeri Sembilan, Dato' T Rajagopalu mengumumkan beberapa keputusan MIC Negeri Sembilan dan kerajaan negeri yang memihak kepada peneroka Gatco. Rajagopalu berkata seramai 283 peneroka asal Gatco telah ditawarkan empat ekar tanah perladangan manakala 115 peneroka peringkat kedua yang membeli tanah perladangan daripada peneroka asal telah ditawarkan dua ekar tanah perladangan. Kos penanaman getah semula dan mengukur lot tanah perladangan akan ditanggung sepenuhnya oleh kerajaan sama ada melalui Risda atau Felcra. Selain daripada itu Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan juga telah melanjutkan tempoh pajakan (leasehold) tanah perladangan Gatco yang sepatutnya berakhir pada tahun 2042; untuk tempoh 99 tahun lagi. "Dalam mesyuarat MIC negeri yang diadakan pada 10 Disember, yang turut dihadiri oleh wakil peneroka Gatco; kami juga telah memutuskan agar surat tawaran hak milik tanah perladangan Gatco harus diberikan kepada peneroka dengan kadar segera. "Saya telah memohon kepada Menteri Besar untuk menyegerakan pemberian surat tawaran hak milik tanah perladangan peneroka Gatco", kata Rajagopalu kepada FMT. Lapan ekar tanah Rajagopalu juga berkata jika ada peneroka Gatco tetap mahukan lapan ekar tanah perladangan, maka beliau akan berunding dengan Syarikat Thamarai Holdings berhubung urusan jual beli tanah perladangan tersebut. "MIC Negeri Sembilan akan melantik sebuah syarikat Jurunilai untuk menilai pasaran semasa setiap se ekar tanah perladangan tersebut dan akan menanggung kos perunding Jurunilai tersebut. "Maka mana-mana peneroka yang ingin memiliki lebih daripada empat ekar tanah perladangan, maka mereka perlu membayar harga pasaran semasa tanah di situ untuk empat ekar tanah selebihnya. "Peneroka yang mampu, boleh membeli enam, tujuh atau lapan ekar tanah perladangan setiap seorang mengikut kemampuan masing-masing", jelas Rajagopalu. FMT gagal hubungi Rajagopalu untuk mendapatkan maklum balas beliau untuk mengetahui status terkini berhubung rundingan beliau dengan Syarikat Thamarai Holdings berkaitan tawaran mengizinkan peneroka Gatco membeli lebih dari empat ekar tanah perladangan daripada Syarikat Thamarai Holdings. Sebenarnya kemelut ini tidak sepatutnya berlaku jika Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan mengambil tindakan sewajarnya sejak kawasan penempatan dan perladangan Gatco ini dibuka pada tahun 1977. Peneroka membawa masalah ini kepada dua bekas Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan, Dato' Sri Rais Yatim dan Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad ketika tempoh kedua-dua pemimpin Umno itu menjadi Menteri Besar dahulu. Sekarang giliran Mohamad pula untuk mendengar keluhan peneroka Gatco. Kemelut ini mungkin boleh diselesaikan jika Menteri Besar mempunyai 'political will' dengan mengguna pakai Seksyen 3 Akta Pemilikan Tanah yang memberi kuasa kepada Kerajaan Negeri memiliki sebarang tanah untuk kepentingan awam melalui sesiapa atau organisasi di mana Kerajaan Negeri berpendapat ia menguntungkan perkembangan ekonomi di Malaysia. Lagi pun asalnya Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan memberikan tanah ini kepada Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Negeri Sembilan (PKNNS) melalui pajakan 99 tahun. PKNNS pula memberikan tanah ini kepada Gatco melalui pajakan 66 tahun. Peneroka mendakwa di dalam perjanjian antara PKNNS dengan Gatco, jelas disebut bahawa tanah ini diberikan kepada Gatco dan tanah ini mesti dibangunkan untuk peneroka. Atas sebab itu Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan dan PKNNS tidak boleh lari dari tanggungjawab mereka dalam memastikan nasib dan hak peneroka dibela dan dijamin. Kini satu-satunya saluran yang tinggal untuk peneroka Gatco ialah melalui pintu rundingan. Setakat ini yang berjanji membuat rundingan dengan Syarikat Thamarai Holdings ialah Timbalan Ketua Menteri 2 Pulau Pinang, Prof P Ramasamy (DAP) dan Rajagopalu. Mohamad juga boleh melakukan keajaiban dengan kuasa dan pengaruh beliau sebagai orang No.1 di Negeri Sembilan. Walabagaimanapun semua itu bergantung pada Mohamad dan Syarikat Thamarai Holdings itu sendiri. Mungkin satu-satunya jalan terakhir untuk peneroka Gatco mendapatkan hak mereka semula ialah dengan menukar Kerajaan Negeri pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU-13) nanti, dengan harapan Kerajaan Negeri baru (Pakatan Rakyat) menggunakan segala kuasa yang ada pada mereka menyerahkan kembali hak peneroka dan membayar pampasan sewajarnya kepada Syarikat Thamarai Holdings. Diharap pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat Negeri Sembilan yang sering melaung-laungkan bahawa mereka akan kembalikan hak peneroka Gatco jika berjaya mengambil alih Wisma Negeri mengotakan janji mereka sekiranya berjaya membentuk kerajaan baru pada PRU-13 nanti. Untuk berlaku adil, Syarikat Thamarai Holdings tidak boleh disalahkan dalam kemelut |
| US at a point of economic no-return Posted: 15 Dec 2012 06:50 PM PST
The US government, however, doesn't think this scenario applies to itself, the US political system cannot deal with the obvious, which is, the country simply cannot continue to blow $1 trillion dollars a year more than it earns. Not forever. The Republicans are as guilty for setting up the mess in the first place as the Democrats are for not dealing with it now. A popular Democratic viewpoint sees Republican-initiated tax cuts as the primary cause of the current deficit misery, arguing that without them, the deficit would be smaller, reducing at a faster rate. This argument makes perfect sense – if you think it’s a good idea for government to suck up all private sector GDP into state control and collectivise as much of society’s ambient resources as possible. Otherwise, this point of view is shocking; the Bush tax cuts have existed for years after all, and government spending has not brought itself into line. It hasn't even tried. The US government has proved itself unable to live within its means. It has simply continued spending uncontrollably, without reference to its income. What this means is that even if the Democrats get their tax rises, the money won't fill the gap. The outgoings of the US state are simply not coupled with its income. The system won't be reigned in. Democrat or Republican, whichever side of the political divide you are on, it makes no difference. The US state, like many others in the developed world, and, for that matter in the developing and third world, will simply gobble up all resources and then some more. It’s a consequence of the process of a concentration of power that power structures naturally generate. Fiscal cliff The UK and Germany would call it austerity. It would be a first step towards fiscal continence, a small move towards less horrific deficits. Instead it has been named as something disastrous rather than a needed change in course. It underlines that the US is in fact past the point of economic no-return. While the developed world slowly sinks into the mire of unsustainable debt and deficits, there is no dialogue on shifting resources to the private sector by rebalancing the public. Instead, the dialogue is on how the overwhelming public sector can be funded by somehow extracting more golden tax eggs from the sickly golden geese of the private sector. So what will check this trend? The US and Europe have locked down their bond markets, in effect making them no longer free. History teaches that in the long run you cannot buck the markets. So in the end, a market malfunction will signal the end of this era. Developed world governments are sucking out the assets of their countries via "financial repression" to pay for their public sector and their trade deficits. This ‘hollowing out’ of an economy’s productivity and wealth has an eventual end-point. When is the end point? It will be a close one. Yet whether Obama wants to spend like a sailor or not, the American government will do it anyway. Really, it’s just a case of when the world will stop giving out credit. As such, the warning signals will come in the form of a sliding dollar and corresponding gold and oil rallies. This will precede a spike in US interest rates. When you see these signs you’ll know trouble is just over the horizon. Clem Chambers is a markets pundit, CEO of leading investment site ADVFN.com and author of Amazon best-selling investment guides ’101 Ways to Pick Stock Market Winners’ and ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Value Investing’. |
| ‘Private’ memorials for Shankar in US, India Posted: 15 Dec 2012 06:22 PM PST  LOS ANGELES: Private memorials will be held in India and California for legendary Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, a publicist said Friday, after his death earlier this week.Concerts to celebrate the 92-year-old’s life will be held next year in New York and London, he added, giving no further details about funeral or other arrangements. “Memorial services will be held near his homes in Southern California and in India,” said the publicist, Stuart Wolferman, noting that they would be “private” events. “Both services will be attended by family and friends, and will offer an opportunity for loved ones to share intimate memories and thoughts about the musician. “Public concerts celebrating Ravi’s music, in both New York and London, are being discussed for 2013,” he added in a statement. Shankar died Tuesday in southern California at the age of 92, after failing to recover from surgery at a hospital in La Jolla, near San Diego last week. His family was at his bedside. The sitar pioneer taught his close friend George Harrison, the late Beatle, to play the instrument and collaborated with him on several projects, including the ground-breaking Concert for Bangladesh in 1971. Harrison called Shankar “the godfather of world music,” and Yehudi Menuhin, widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, compared him to Mozart. - AFP |
| White House TV comedy aims for laughs, not politics Posted: 15 Dec 2012 06:16 PM PST
LOS ANGELES: There is a crazy family living at the White House, but it’s not the Obamas. It’s the Gilchrists, whose never-ending follies pulse and push upcoming TV comedy romp “1600 Penn.” Starring Bill Pullman as US President Dale Gilchrist and Jenna Elfman as his first lady, the show’s co-creator Josh Gad said on Friday that there is plenty of precedent for family madness at the Oval Office.
Gad, who shot to prominence in the Tony-winning musical “The Book of Mormon,” also plays the error-prone, good-intentioned son Skip, who with his three younger siblings backstop the earnestness of his father and step-mother. “We really wanted to dissect what it meant to be a family in the most extraordinary of circumstances – and what’s more extraordinary than being the first family?” Gad said. The show, which takes its title from the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue street address of the White House, debuts on January 10 on NBC. It sees Skip crashing a Latin American trade meeting at the White House and helping convince the region’s leaders to abandon the arm-twisting Brazilian president and cut a deal instead with his father – summoning their courage with booze. It is all part of Skip’s plan to redeem himself after causing a public relations embarrassment by burning down a fraternity house at his college. “It’s like a drop of a political thing that will spark a family problem,” Elfman said, whose character struggles to win the trust of her step-children and fights the media’s trophy-wife label.
The White House has been successful grounds for TV in the past, inspiring shows like Aaron Sorkin’s drama series “The West Wing” from 1999-2006, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Emmy-winning turn as a frustrated vice president in the satirical “Veep.” But Gad said “1600 Penn” has no interest in party politics and that President Gilchrist’s party affiliation is deliberately vague. “I can’t emphasize that enough,” Gad said. “We never set out to make a political show.” Nevertheless, Pullman, who played the president in the 1996 blockbuster film “Independence Day,” said the 2012 US presidential race gave him plenty of fodder to study. “It was a surreal time to be making this because of the campaign going on,” Pullman said. “Every day that we were shooting (the race) was in the news.” - Reuters |
| All Greek swimmers want for Christmas is coal Posted: 15 Dec 2012 06:05 PM PST
Members of the youth academy at Olympiakos Piraeus, struggling to find funds to heat their pool through the winter, have written a letter to Santa Claus asking for coal this Christmas. “We collected wishes from the families of the swimming division of the club for the festive season and decided to put them into a letter for Santa Claus,” swimming team manager Spiros Bitsakis told the club’s website. “We brought all those wishes together believing that they have special significance for the club and our sport in general. One of those wishes was to give 'courage and strength to our parents to bring us to training and lots of coal to all of the teams so that all of the closed swimming pools can reopen’, he said. Many under-funded municipalities across Greece are having to close facilities because of a lack of funds to pay for heating the pools in times of economic crisis. The Zappeion Swimming Pool in Athens, a major training center for Greece’s elite swimmers and water polo players, is closing for the winter months because there are no funds to pay for heating oil. Last month, the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) said several sports federations would have to close down in January if budget plans were not revised and sent the government a list of financial proposals which have not yet had a response. Greece did not take part in last month’s European short-course swimming championships in France for the first time in 16 years because of financial problems. - Reuters |
| Magical Mystery Tour gets US TV debut Posted: 15 Dec 2012 06:00 PM PST
Long a curiosity in the United States, the film will be accompanied by a new documentary about its making. A restored version was released on DVD and blu-ray in October. The third film for The Fab Four, after a “A Hard Day’s Night” in 1964 and “Help!” a year later, “Magical Mystery Tour” is a shambolic trip through the English countryside on a bus filled with odd characters, but thin on plot. It first aired on BBC television the day after Christmas 1967. Although it was initially panned by British critics, time has delivered some justice to the project, Jonathan Clyde, the producer of the documentary, told Reuters. “‘Magical Mystery Tour’ has always been the black sheep of the Beatles family, but I think it’s been rehabilitated into the Beatles canon,” Clyde said. “It’s no longer the ‘mad uncle in the attic’ that nobody wants to talk about. It’s been let out.” In the United States, little was known about the film at the time of its release. Beatles fans only had the album of music, or saw a poor print of the film in a double-feature midnight showing with “Reefer Madness,” a 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film often screened decades later for comedic effect. “I first saw it in 1974 at a university,” Bill King, the longtime publisher of Beatles fanzine Beatlefan, said of “Magical Mystery Tour.” “By then, though, it had taken on mythic status. I loved it.” At the time of its making, The Beatles were arguably at their creative peak on the heels of a seminal album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” and their summer of love anthem “All You Need Is Love,” which debuted on global TV. Script wanted But even before “Sgt. Pepper’s” release in June 1967, Paul McCartney had already conceived of the film project. The only thing he was missing: a script.
The group hired a bus, a film crew, and a handful of extras and set out around England, creating scenes with everything from magicians to Ringo Starr’s oversized Aunt Jessie being stuffed with spaghetti by waiter John Lennon. McCartney did most of the directing. “It really had something for everyone, which is something I like about it,” Clyde said. “It was really a nod not only to the younger people watching, but to their parents’ generation, as well.” The film also was loaded with six new Beatles songs, presented as what now would be considered music videos. The music itself, including songs “I Am the Walrus” and “The Fool on the Hill,” was as innovative as any of the band’s music that year – and mostly recorded just before filming started. “The Beatles were driven and inspired by having a deadline,” said Giles Martin, son of Beatles producer George Martin. The younger Martin remixed the songs at the legendary Abbey Road studios for the DVD and broadcast. “And songs like ‘Walrus’ are a brilliant mix of both The Beatles as a rock and roll band and as masters of groundbreaking experimental recording,” Martin added. - Reuters |
| ‘Bennifer’ buried as Affleck’s star soars Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:54 PM PST LOS ANGELES: Affleck, 40, once a tabloid staple who risked becoming a laughingstock during his romance with Jennifer Lopez and their movie flop “Gigli,” is back on top in Hollywood, winning accolades for his work both in front of and behind the camera.
“Finally, people now are ready to go, ‘Wow! He’s at the very top of the food chain,’” Damon told Reuters. Affleck’s latest film “Argo,” a part-thriller, part-comedic tale of the real-life rescue of six American diplomats from Iran in 1980, this week picked up five Golden Globe nominations and a nod from the Screen Actors Guild for its top prize of best ensemble cast. The film, which Affleck directed, produced and stars in, has also delighted critics and brought in some US$160 million at the worldwide box office. In “Argo,” Affleck’s clean-cut looks are hidden under a long, shaggy 1970s hair cut and beard as he plays CIA officer Tony Mendez, who devised a fake film project to spirit six hostages out of Tehran after the Islamic revolution. The kudos Affleck is now receiving follows the embarrassing headlines he attracted over his 2002-2004 romance with Lopez. “It was tough to watch him get kicked in the teeth for all those years because the perception of him was so not who he actually was,” Damon said. “It was upsetting for a lot of his friends because he’s the smartest, funnest, nicest, kindest, incredibly talented guy. … So that was tough. Now I’m just thrilled. … He deserves everything that he’s going to get,” he added. With a huge, pink diamond engagement ring for Lopez and gossip about matching Rolls Royces, the pair dubbed “Bennifer” starred in the 2003 comedy romance “Gigli,” which earned multiple Razzie awards for the worst comedy of the year. Selling magazines not movies Damon, by contrast, was seeing his career surge with “The Bourne Identity,” “Syriana” and “The Departed.” But he recalls Affleck’s pain. “He said (to me), ‘I am in the absolute worst place you can be. I sell magazines, not movie tickets.’ I remember our agent called up the editor of Us Weekly, begging her not to put him on the cover any more. Please stop. Just stop,” Damon said. About a year after splitting with Lopez, Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner, had the first of three children with her, and started writing and directing small but admired movies like “Gone Baby Gone” in 2007 and 2010′s gritty crime film “The Town.” Last month, Affleck was named Entertainment Weekly’s entertainer of the year, largely on the back of “Argo.” The actor-turned-director said that managing the various tones of the film was his hardest challenge. “I had to synthesize comedic elements and the political stuff and this true-life drama thriller story. … It was scary and it was daunting,” Affleck told Reuters, saying he powered through by “overworking it by a multiple of ten.” A trip to the Oscars ceremony in February is now considered a shoo-in by awards pundits, but Affleck is not convinced that success is sweeter the second time around. “It’s harder. On the one hand, coming from obscurity, you have a neutral starting place. Because of the tabloid press and over exposure, I was starting from a deficit,” he said. “It can be very unpleasant to be in the midst of a lot of ugliness. But I just put my head down and decided … I was going to work as hard as I could, and I never let the possibility enter my mind that I might fail – at least consciously. Subconsciously, I knew I could fail and I was really scared, so it made me work harder.” - Reuters |
| Manchester United stay six points clear, QPR win at last Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:46 PM PST
United were 2-0 up after 19 minutes, Van Persie opening the scoring with a left-foot finish from close range for his 12th league goal of the season and Tom Cleverley adding a quickfire second three minutes later. England striker Rooney, who was a doubt due to midweek sickness, made it 3-0 with a 59th minute tap-in before substitute Fraizer Campbell pulled one back against his old club with a header four minutes after coming on. Manchester United now have 42 points to City’s 36 while European champions Chelsea, in Japan for Sunday’s Club World Cup final against Brazilian side Corinthians, remained third on 29 points with a game in hand. City, beaten 3-2 by United in last weekend’s Manchester derby after an agonising Van Persie stoppage-time winner, defeated Newcastle United 3-1 at St James’ Park earlier in the day to temporarily narrow the gap to three points. The visitors were a goal up after 10 minutes when Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure split the Newcastle defence with a superb pass to Samir Nasri who rolled the ball back for forward Sergio Aguero to stroke home. Javi Garcia headed the second after a corner in the 39th minute and Toure wrapped up the points late on after Demba Ba’s goal had briefly revived Newcastle’s hopes. QPR win at last Elsewhere, Queens Park Rangers celebrated their first win of the season after beating west London rivals Fulham 2-1 thanks to two-goal Adel Taarabt to end a record run of 16 matches without a victory and move off the foot of the table. The victory stopped QPR, still five points from safety, becoming the first top-flight team since Bolton Wanderers in 1902-03 to fail to win any of their opening 17 games. “It would have been a gross injustice if we hadn’t won today,” QPR manager Harry Redknapp told Sky Sports television after Mladen Petric set up a nervous finish with an 88th-minute goal for Fulham. Aston Villa fans had plenty to cheer after a fighting 3-1 win at Liverpool moved them three points clear of the relegation zone and gave the Reds a reality check. Christian Benteke scored in each half at Anfield with Andreas Weimann grabbing the other goal for Villa who were 2-0 up at halftime. Steven Gerrard headed an 87th-minute consolation for Liverpool. “I don’t know where that came from. We were careless with our final ball and didn’t end up taking our chances,” said Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. “We will have to take that as a bad day at the office and move on.” Norwich City beat Wigan Athletic 2-1 while Stoke City and Everton drew 1-1. Everton were lucky to end with 11 men after Marouane Fellaini headbutted Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross without the referee noticing in an incident that drew censure from his own manager David Moyes. “I’ve seen it, it’s a terrible thing to do and I expect him to be punished – it’s down to the FA. I’ve told him it’s not acceptable and whatever he gets, he and us deserve it,” Moyes told the BBC. Fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur host Swansea City on Sunday when West Ham United also visit West Bromwich Albion. Arsenal travel to Reading, now at the bottom of the table, on Monday. Manchester United exacted retribution from Sunderland, whose fans celebrated City’s last-gasp title win last season when their own side lost to Alex Ferguson’s team at the Stadium of Light on the final day, and the scoreline could have been more emphatic. “For an hour we were fantastic,” said Ferguson. “Some of our football was very good and we could have scored lots of goals. “But I don’t know what happened after that because Sunderland could have had two or three towards the end, it could have been embarrassing.” United captain Nemanja Vidic made a long-awaited return, the Serbian defender coming on as a second-half substitute to make his first appearance since knee surgery in September. - Reuters |
| Vettel and Schumacher win Race of Champions again Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:44 PM PST
The event, which pits winners from various motorsport series competing in identical cars and being held at the Thai capital’s Rajamangala stadium for the first time, saw Germany comfortably beat the French pairing of F1 driver Romain Grosjean and rally driver Sebastien Ogier by two heats to nil in the final. “Even Michael hasn’t managed six titles in a row before so this is something special,” said Vettel, who will be aiming for the individual title on Sunday. Schumacher, winner of a record seven Formula One championships including five in a row for Ferrari, said he and Vettel would be defending the title again next year. “For sure we’re going to be here, that’s a must,” said the 43-year-old, who retired from Formula One for the second time in November. “Actually, my lucky number is seven so we are going to push hard.” - Reuters |
| Benitez praises Chelsea’s passion and commitment Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:42 PM PST
“I’ve been really impressed with the mentality of the players,” Benitez told reporters in Yokohama yesterday. “Also the commitment, the passion that they show. “Every training session you can see they are keen to learn so all these positives are good for a manager thinking about the future.” Chelsea took four games to record a victory under Benitez, who replaced the sacked Roberto Di Matteo, but have won their last three, scoring 12 goals in the process with five of them coming from a resurgent Fernando Torres. “What we are trying to do is trying to keep this winning mentality and trying to keep this hunger in the players,” said Benitez, who won the Club World Cup with Inter Milan in 2010. They will be favourites to beat South American champions Corinthians after the London side overpowered Mexico’s Monterrey 3-1 in Thursday’s semi-final. Their Brazilian opponents, winners of the first Club World Cup in 2000, scraped past Egypt’s Al-Ahly 1-0 in Toyota. Corinthians are expecting at least 15,000 travelling fans, many of whom have sold their cars and quit jobs to make the long trip. To add to the pressure, European sides have won the last five editions of the Club World Cup, Manchester United the only English side to win it in 2008. Brazilian defender David Luiz started in midfield in front of Frank Lampard, still feeling his way back from injury, in the semi-final. “It’s only been a week since he returned,” Benitez, whose Liverpool side were runners-up in 2005, said of Chelsea veteran Lampard. “We have to take it one game at a time with him.” Lampard, out of contract at the end of the season, said Chelsea’s players would not make the mistake of underestimating Corinthians. “It’s obviously a cultural thing,” the England midfielder said of South America’s obsession with the Club World Cup. “They probably watch on telly – Barcelona, the Premier League, Champions League – and don’t get the chance to pit their wits against us. “We have got the strongest leagues in the world in Europe. I don’t think many can say anything against that. “Brazil has that magical history of being such a footballing nation. That will bring some magic to the game on Sunday.” Corinthians coach Tite was happy to assume the role of underdog. “We expect a high-quality game,” he said after training in bone-chilling Yokohama. “We want to focus on the match, not the occasion so we can repay our fans for their terrific support. “I can’t promise them that we will win and become world champions but I will promise we will do our best and do them proud.” - Reuters |
| Redknapp’s QPR win at the 17th attempt Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:41 PM PST
The Malaysian entrepreneur, whose AirAsia airline had confirmed a US$9.4 billion order for 100 more Airbus jets on Thursday, said on his Twitter feed in the week that he had been doing some early Christmas shopping “but all I want is three points”. Yesterday, despite a nervous last few minutes after Fulham had pulled a goal back in the West London derby, his wish came true with a deserved 2-1 win in front of a capacity 18,233 crowd at Loftus Road. “Best best feeling in the world,” Fernandes declared, again resorting to the social media network before heading down to the local pub to meet up with fans. The irony was that both the second-half goals came from Moroccan Adel Taarabt, a player who has been at QPR a lot longer than Fernandes or any of the expensive signings who have so signally failed to gel. Taarabt was instrumental in getting QPR out of the Championship (second division) and back into the Premier League in 2011 under manager Neil Warnock, who was sacked in January only a few months after Fernandes took over. On Saturday, he was the man who lifted QPR off the floor – even if the team are still in deep relegation trouble and fighting against the odds – with a long-range shot in the 52nd and a lovely second curled into the net in the 68th after a run from midfield. The 23-year-old Tottenham Hotspur reject can now expect special treatment from former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, the man who once sent Taarabt out on loan and who took over from sacked Mark Hughes last month with the club’s owners praying for a miracle. Only last year it was Redknapp, as the then-Tottenham manager preparing to face QPR, who described the temperamental Taarabt as a player who was “a bit of a fruitcake but who’s got amazing ability.” He was singing his praises unreservedly on Saturday. “Amazing. I changed it today, I just felt that I might leave us a little bit short elsewhere, we might be a little bit open, but I really wanted to get him in that position where he played today,” said Redknapp. “He popped up in between their midfield and their back four and every time he picked the ball up he did the most amazing things. “It was one of the all-time great performances I felt, everything he did today was top class and the goals were the icing on the cake,” Redknapp told Sky Sports television. Since Redknapp arrived, with QPR anchored to the bottom on just four points from 12 matches and an unwanted tag as the only side in England’s four professional divisions without a win, the club with the smallest ground in the Premier League has seen signs of hope. Apart from a defeat by Manchester United two days after he was appointed in a match Redknapp watched from the stands, QPR have racked up three draws and now a win. Had they not triumphed on Saturday, Rangers would have become the first team since Bolton Wanderers in 1902-03 to fail to win any of their opening 17 matches in the top flight. “It was great, a fantastic performance today,” said Redknapp. “We’ve played well in all the games, we’ve had three draws and now we’ve got our first win. But it was well-deserved today, we were the better team and I thought we dominated. “The last few minutes were hectic for sure, they were bound to be, they threw everybody forward. But it would have been a gross injustice if we hadn’t won the game today.” - Reuters |
| Klose fires Lazio to late win over Inter Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:39 PM PST
The Germany international’s 82nd-minute winner, his 10th goal of the season, lifts Lazio into fourth place on 33 points, level with Napoli, while second-placed Inter missed the chance to close the gap between them and Antonio Conte’s champions to one point. In Saturday’s other game, Antonio Di Natale rescued a point for 10-man Udinese when he scored an 89th-minute equaliser against Palermo, leaving the Sicilians a point above the relegation zone. Defenders dominated the first hour in Rome, and the first clear scoring opportunity did not arrive until the 63rd minute, when Freddy Guarin, the best of Inter’s disappointing attacking players, struck the inside of the post with a long-range daisy cutter of a shot. After that the match burst into life, with Antonio Cassano following up Guarin’s effort four minutes later by having his shot from nearly the same position pushed on to the same post by Lazio keeper Federico Marchetti, before Yuto Nagatomo failed to score from the rebound. Inter had their tails up, and Rodrigo Palacio curled another shot just wide. With 11 minutes left Miroslav Klose missed the best chance of the night, when he miscontrolled the ball on the penalty spot and let it bobble away to Samir Handanovic in the Inter goal. He made up for that miss, though, with eight minutes remaining when he raced on to Stefano Mauri’s intelligent through-ball and beat Handanovic with a powerful shot. In Udine, Palermo led from the 33rd minute through Josep Ilicic, who finished off a swift break by cutting in from the right and hitting a shot that took a freak bounce over the already committed keeper Zeljko Brkic. Despite Udinese playing a man down for half an hour following Thomas Heurtaux’s red card for two bookable offences, Palermo could not make the game safe, missing several chances. They paid for their profligacy a minute from time, when Di Natale pounced after Palermo keeper Samir Ujkani spilled the ball right in front of the striker. - Reuters |
| Everton expect punishment for Fellaini headbutt Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:38 PM PST
“I would expect us to get the punishment, we’ll accept whatever punishment is given out for it,” Moyes told Sky Sports News after the 1-1 draw at Stoke that left Everton fourth in the Premier League. “I’ve told him (Fellaini) in the dressing-room it’s not acceptable and whatever he’s handed out, he and us deserve it.” Belgian international Fellaini told his club’s website, evertonfc.com: “I apologise completely to Ryan Shawcross, my team mates and to our fans at the game. “There was a lot of pushing and pulling going on inside the Stoke penalty area and I didn’t feel I was getting any protection from the officials. “Nevertheless, I know I shouldn’t have done what I did. “I have also apologised to the manager and the staff. I have no excuses. I was disappointed with the way I was being treated and I lost my temper, which was unprofessional of me.” Fellaini was seen to butt the Stoke captain as they jostled for position at a corner taken by the visitors. Stoke manager Tony Pulis said he was disappointed the incident was not spotted, while expressing support for referee Mark Halsey. “If people are not seeing them as red cards, then for goodness sake send a memo around and let us know,” he told Sky. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Mark…he’s been a good referee and I can’t tell whether he’s seen it or not….if you look at the angles and if he has seen it, again you’ve got to ask why hasn’t he given it?” - Reuters |
| Police find ‘good evidence’ on motive for Connecticut school massacre Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:28 PM PST
The attacker, identified by law enforcement sources as Adam Lanza, opened fire on Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which teaches children aged 5 to 10. He is suspected of killing 26 people at the school before turning the gun on himself, as well as killing one other person at another nearby site. “Our investigators at the crime scene … did produce some very good evidence in this investigation that our investigators will be able to use in, hopefully, painting the complete picture as to how – and more importantly why – this occurred,” Connecticut State Police Lieutenant Paul Vance told a news conference. Vance did not describe the evidence but did say the shooter forced his way into the school, as opposed to being let in. The adult woman found at the secondary crime scene was related to the shooter, a police news release said, and many media outlets have reported it was the shooter’s mother, Nancy Lanza. Nancy Lanza legally owned a Sig Sauer and a Glock, both handguns of models commonly used by police, and a military-style Bushmaster .223 M4 carbine, according to law enforcement officials who also believe Adam Lanza used at least some of those weapons. Nancy Lanza was an avid gun collector who once showed him a “really nice, high-end rifle” that she had purchased, said Dan Holmes, owner of a landscaping business who recently decorated her yard with Christmas garlands and lights. “She said she would often go target shooting with her kids.” Crime-scene investigators worked through the night and moved the bodies to the state medical examiner’s office for autopsies, the police statement said. Victims’ names had yet to be released. Newtown was ranked the fifth safest city in America by the website NeighborhoodScout.com based on 2011 crime statistics. “This wonderful town that we all love for its peace, beauty, the great schools – all of that – has become Columbine,” said Julie Maxwell Shull, a sixth-grade teacher at Reed Intermediate School, referring to the high school that was site of a 1999 shooting in Colorado. Many people who live in the wealthy, wooded town commute to New York City, about 80 miles away. A good, safe community “We came here because it was going to be a good, safe community for our kids, said Catherine Hunyadi, as she and her husband wiped tears from their eyes. “You don’t send your kids to school thinking something like this might happen.” President Barack Obama urged Americans on Saturday to join in solidarity as they mourned the victims, saying the hearts of parents across the country were “heavy with hurt.” Obama, in his weekly radio and Internet address, called for “meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this,” but stopped short of specifically calling for tighter gun-control laws. The president wiped away tears in a television address on Friday, telling the nation, “Our hearts are broken.” The holiday season tragedy was the second shooting rampage in the United States this week and the latest in a series of mass killings this year. It revived a debate about gun-control in a country with a flourishing firearms culture and a strong lobby that has discouraged most politicians from any major efforts to address the easy availability of guns and ammunition. People in Newtown mourned the dead in community vigils on Friday night, including one at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, which was packed with an overflow crowd outside. “We opened the windows (of the church) so people could just hear and feel they could be part of it,” Monsignor Robert Weiss told MSNBC on Saturday, adding, “the worst days are ahead.” “I’m sure this morning when they woke up and realized there was an empty bed in their house, it’s becoming more and more real to them,” Weiss said of the parents of the young victims. The chaos struck as children gathered in their classrooms for morning events. The shootings took place in two rooms, police said. Witnesses reported hearing dozens of shots; some said as many as 100 rounds. Former classmates of the shooter remembered him as a quiet loner – someone who dressed more formally than other students, often wearing khaki pants, button-down shirts and at times, a pocket protector. “(His mother) pushed him really hard to be smarter and work harder in school,” said Tim Arnone, 20, who first met Lanza at Sandy Hook. The death toll exceeded that of one of the most notorious US school shootings, the 1999 rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where two teenagers murdered 13 students and staff before killing themselves. - Reuters |
| Patriot missiles in Turkey threaten ‘world war’: Iran army chief Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:24 PM PST
Turkey asked NATO for the Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, in November to help bolster its border security after repeated episodes of gunfire from war-torn Syria spilling into Turkish territory.
General Hassan Firouzabadi, the Iranian armed forces chief, said Iran wanted its neighbour Turkey to feel secure but called for NATO not to deploy the Patriots in its easternmost member state, which also borders Iran. “Each one of these Patriots is a black mark on the world map, and is meant to cause a world war,” Firouzabadi said, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency. “They are making plans for a world war, and this is very dangerous for the future of humanity and for the future of Europe itself.” Iran has been a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout the 21-month uprising against his rule and long a strategic adversary of Western powers who have given formal recognition to Syria’s opposition coalition. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed an order on Friday to send two Patriot missile batteries to Turkey along with American personnel to operate them, following similar steps by Germany and the Netherlands. Iranian officials including parliament speaker Ali Larijani have previously said that installing the Patriot missiles would deepen instability in the Middle East, and the foreign ministry spokesman said they would only worsen the conflict in Syria. Turkey has repeatedly scrambled jets along its border with Syria and responded in kind when shells and gunfire from the Syrian conflict have hit its territory, fanning fears that the civil war could inflame the wider region. - Reuters |
| Russia opposition leaders held as protesters defy police Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:22 PM PST
The opposition chose a symbolic location, in front of the Soviet KGB security police’s former headquarters, for the rally marking a year of protests against Putin, and said the police intervention showed the limits on dissent under the president. Police were out in force and helicopters buzzed overhead as protesters, wrapped in scarves and fur hats because of the cold, chanted “Down with the police state” and “Russia without Putin” on the Lubyanka Square in central Moscow. One unfurled a banner saying “crooks and thieves” – a popular term coined by bloggers for the Russian leadership. The police eventually lost patience with the rally, which had been banned by Moscow city authorities, and strode across the square hauling protesters away one by one. About 40 people were detained, police said, and there were minor scuffles. Leftist leader Sergei Udaltsov and anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny were detained at the start of the rally and two fellow protest leaders, Ilya Yashin and Ksenia Sobchak, were detained on their way to the protest. All four were released without charge hours later, indicating they had been detained to prevent them stirring up the crowd at the protest. “I don’t know how many people are here but I am proud of each and every one of those who came here. The main thing is that people are here, that they are expressing their view and showing that they exist,” Navalny said before he was detained. “Obviously the authorities don’t like attempts to carry out such protest actions and the development of the protest movement in general. They don’t like anything that threatens them.” A year of protests Protests began a year ago after Putin’s United Russia party won a parliamentary election marred by allegations of vote-rigging, but quickly developed into the biggest movement against the former KGB spy since he first came to power in 2000. At their peak last winter the biggest rallies attracted up to 100,000 people, witnesses said. But attendance has dwindled since Putin began a six-year third term as president in May and started what the opposition says is a clampdown on dissent. “Not a single one of our demands has been met and the political repressions continue,” said Vladimir Ryzhkov, one of the main protest leaders and a former member of parliament. Despite the ban on the rally, protesters came out in temperatures of minus 15 Celsius (plus 5 Fahrenheit) to show their concern that Putin’s return to the Kremlin is leading Russia into economic and political stagnation. “I’m scared of arrest but I’m more scared that my children will want to live in another country,” said Alexander Ivanov, 39, a businessman. “I’m afraid it’s already too late. Putin and this country are incompatible. He’s running it into the ground.” One protester, a translator who gave her name only as Anna, brought her prayer book with her. “I’m praying for Russia. God made us free. No one can take that away from us, or punish, detain or torture us for our political views,” she said. Attendance falls at protests The 12 months of protests have accelerated the birth of a civil society two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union but the opposition – a disparate group of leftists, liberals, nationalists and ecologists – broadly acknowledges it must now hope for political evolution rather than revolution. The protests failed to prevent Putin, now 60, winning a presidential election in March after four years as prime minister. He has a grip on state media, retains support in the industrial and provincial heartlands that have long been his power base and could rule until 2024 if re-elected in 2018. “Fewer and fewer people are going to the protests. It’s fading because I don’t see any leaders for me here,” said Yelena, 45, an engineer who was afraid to give her last name. But she added: “I am here out of solidarity with the people. We came because we are unhappy with the way things are going.” New laws broaden the definition of treason, increase punishment for protesters who step out of line, and tighten control on lobby groups that receive foreign funding. - Reuters |
| Iran, other countries horrified by Connecticut massacre Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:20 PM PST
Twenty-eight people, including the gunman, died in Friday’s shooting spree in the town of Newtown, Connecticut, including 20 children and six adults killed at the school and one adult killed at a nearby site, police said. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast described the killings as “tragic,” according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA. The spokesman observed that “the children and young adolescents falling victim to armed clashes in Gaza or in the US, in Afghanistan or Pakistan, in Iraq or Syria, are not different from each other from the humanitarian point of view, so everyone should make efforts to restore peace, security and tranquility to the whole world,” IRNA said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a letter to US President Barack Obama, condemned the “savage massacre of innocent children and adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.” “We in Israel have experienced such cruel acts of slaughter and we know the shock and horror they bring,” Netanyahu wrote. Pope Benedict conveyed his “heartfelt grief” through Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. “In the aftermath of this senseless tragedy, he asks God our Father to console all those who mourn and to sustain the entire community with the spiritual strength which triumphs over violence by the power of forgiveness, hope and reconciling love,” Bertone said. “Once again we’re completely aghast over an act that we can’t comprehend,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. “An incredible suffering has been brought to so many families so close to Christmas. “The thoughts over the schoolchildren and teachers killed weigh heavily on our hearts,” Merkel added. Leaders from France, Britain and elsewhere sent their condolences on Friday. Germany, France, Britain and other European countries have suffered similar mass shootings – one man killed 77 people in Norway last year. But commentators in Europe were quick to point to Americans’ much higher levels of personal gun ownership as a factor in the frequency of US shootings. - Reuters |
| Syrian jets strike rebels around Damascus Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:18 PM PST
Jets bombarded the Beit Sahm district on the road leading to the international airport and the army fired rockets at several rebel strongholds around Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad’s bastion through 21 months of an increasingly bloody uprising. The 47-year-old Alawite leader, forced on the defensive by the mainly Sunni Muslim rebels, has resorted increasingly to air strikes and artillery to stem their advances on the ground. NATO’s US commander also accused his forces on Friday of firing Scud missiles that landed near the Turkish border, in explaining why the Western alliance was sending anti-missile batteries and troops to Syria’s northern frontier. The Syrian government denies firing such long-range, Soviet-built rockets. But Admiral James Stavridis wrote in a blog that a handful of Scud missiles were launched inside Syria in recent days towards opposition targets and “several landed fairly close to the Turkish border, which is very worrisome”. It was not clear how close they came. Turkey, a NATO member once friendly toward Assad but now among the main allies of the rebels, has complained of occasional artillery and gunfire across the border, some of which has caused deaths, for months. It sought the installation of missile defenses along its frontier some weeks ago. “Syria is clearly a chaotic and dangerous situation, but we have an absolute obligation to defend the borders of the alliance from any threat emanating from that troubled state,” Stavridis wrote. Batteries of U.S.-made Patriot missiles, designed to shoot down the likes of the Scuds popularly associated with Iraq’s 1991 Gulf War under Saddam Hussein, are about to be deployed by the U.S., German and Dutch armies, each of which is sending up to 400 troops to operate and protect the rocket systems. Damascus has accused Western powers of backing what it portrays as a Sunni Islamist “terrorist” campaign against it and says Washington and Europe have publicly voiced concerns of late that Assad’s forces might resort to chemical weapons solely as a pretext for preparing a possible military intervention. In contrast to NATO’s air campaign in support of Libya’s successful revolt last year against Muammar Gaddafi, Western powers have shied away from intervention in Syria. They have cited the greater size and ethnic and religious complexity of a major Arab state at the heart of the Middle East – but have also lacked U.N. approval due to Russia’s support for Assad. Assad warned As well as the growing rebel challenge, Syria faces an alliance of Arab and Western powers who stepped up diplomatic support for Assad’s political foes at a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday and warned him he could not win Syria’s civil war. Assad’s opponents have consistently underestimated his tenacity throughout the uprising, but their warnings appeared to be echoed by even his staunch ally Moscow when the Kremlin’s Middle East envoy Mikhail Bogdanov conceded he might be ousted. Russia said on Friday Bogdanov’s comments did not reflect a change in policy. France, one of the first countries to grant formal recognition to Syria’s political opposition, said Moscow’s continued support for Assad was perplexing. “They risk really being on the wrong side of history. We don’t see their objective reasoning that justifies them keeping this position because even the credible arguments they had don’t stand up anymore,” a French diplomatic source said, arguing that by remaining in power, Assad was prolonging chaos and fuelling the radicalization of Sunni Islamist rebels. European Union leaders who met in Brussels on Friday said all options were on the table to support the Syrian opposition, raising the possibility that non-lethal military equipment or even arms could eventually be supplied. In their strongest statement of support for the Syrian opposition since the uprising began, EU leaders instructed their foreign ministers to assess all possibilities to increase the pressure on Assad. With rebels edging into the capital, a senior NATO official said that Assad is likely to fall and the Western military alliance should make plans to protect against the threat of his chemical arsenal falling into the wrong hands. Hunger spreads Desperate food shortages are growing in parts of Syria and residents of the northern city of Aleppo say fist fights and dashes across the civil war front lines have become part of the daily struggle to secure a loaf of bread. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem told UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos that U.S. and EU sanctions on Syria were to blame for hardships in his country and urged the United Nations to call for them to be lifted. Moualem also called on the United Nations to expand its relief efforts in Syria to include reconstruction “of what has been destroyed by the armed terrorist groups”, the state news agency SANA said, using a label employed by authorities to describe the rebels. Amos said in Rome on Friday the United Nations is committed to maintaining aid operations in Syria. The World Food Programme (WFP) says as many as a million Syrians may go hungry this winter, as worsening security conditions make it harder to reach conflict zones. Nothing off the table At the EU summit, Britain’s David Cameron pushed for an early review of the arms embargo against Syria to possibly open the way to supply equipment to rebels in the coming months. Germany and others were more reluctant and blocked any quick move. But there was widespread agreement that whatever action can be taken under current legislation should be pursued, and the arms embargo would still be reviewed at a later stage. “I want a very clear message to go to President Assad that nothing is off the table,” Cameron told reporters at the end of the two-day meeting. “I want us to work with the opposition … so that we can see the speediest possible transition in Syria. “There is no single simple answer, but inaction and indifference are not options.” Forty thousand people have now been killed in what has become the most protracted and destructive of the Arab popular revolts. The Assad government severely limits press and humanitarian access to the country. Among factors holding Western powers back from arming the rebels is the presence in their ranks of anti-Western Islamist radicals. Following a US decision this week to blacklist one such group, Jabhat al-Nusra, as “terrorist”, thousands of Syrians demonstrated on Friday against ostracizing it. - Reuters |
| Egyptians vote on divisive constitution Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:15 PM PST
Soldiers joined police to secure the referendum after deadly protests during the buildup. Street brawls erupted again on Friday in Alexandria, Egypt’s second city, but voting proceeded quietly there, with no reports of violence elsewhere. President Mohamed Mursi provoked angry demonstrations when he issued a decree last month expanding his powers and then fast-tracked the draft constitution through an assembly dominated by his Muslim Brotherhood group and its allies. At least eight people were killed in clashes last week outside the presidential palace. The liberal, secular and Christian opposition says the constitution is too Islamist and tramples on minority rights. Mursi’s supporters say the charter is needed if progress is to be made towards democracy nearly two years after the fall of military-backed strongman Hosni Mubarak. “The sheikhs (preachers) told us to say ‘yes’ and I have read the constitution and I liked it,” said Adel Imam, a 53-year-old queuing to vote in a Cairo suburb. “The country will move on.” Opposition politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on Twitter: “Adoption of (a) divisive draft constitution that violates universal values and freedoms is a sure way to institutionalize instability and turmoil.” Official results will not be announced until after a second round of voting next Saturday. But partial results and unofficial tallies are likely to emerge soon after the first round, giving some idea of the outcome. In order to pass, the constitution must be approved by more than 50 percent of voters who cast ballots. A little more than half of Egypt’s electorate of 51 million are eligible to vote in the first round in Cairo and other cities. Rights groups reported some abuses, such as polling stations opening late, people being bribed to vote “yes”, intimidation and officials telling people to vote “yes”. But Gamal Eid, head of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, which is monitoring the vote, said nothing reported so far was serious enough to invalidate the referendum. Transition Christians, making up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 83 million people and who have long grumbled of discrimination, were among those waiting at a polling station in Alexandria to oppose the basic law. They fear Islamists, long repressed by Mubarak, will restrict social and other freedoms. “I voted ‘no’ to the constitution out of patriotic duty,” Michael Nour, a 45-year-old Christian teacher in Alexandria. “The constitution does not represent all Egyptians,” he said. Howaida Abdel Azeem, a post office employee, said: “I said ‘yes’ because I want the destruction the country is living through to be over and the crisis to pass, and then we can fix things later.” Islamists are counting on their disciplined ranks of supporters and the many Egyptians who may fall into line in the hope of ending turmoil that has hammered the economy and sent Egypt’s pound to eight-year lows against the dollar. Mursi was among the early voters after polls opened at 8 a.m. (1:00 a.m. Eastern Time). He was shown on television casting his ballot shielded by a screen and then dipping his finger in ink – a measure to prevent people voting twice. Turnout was high enough for voting on Saturday to be extended by two hours to 9 p.m. (2:00 p.m. Eastern Time). One senior official on the committee overseeing the referendum said Saturday’s vote could extend to Sunday if crowds were too heavy to allow everyone to cast ballots in one day. Voting for Egyptians abroad that began on Wednesday has been extended to Monday, the state news agency reported. After weeks of turbulence, there has been limited public campaigning. Opposition politicians and parties, beaten in two elections since Mubarak’s overthrow, only announced on Wednesday that they backed a “no” vote instead of a boycott. Two days The second round will be held in other regions on December 22 because there are not enough judges willing to monitor all polling stations after some said they would boycott the vote. Egyptians are being asked to accept or reject a constitution that must be in place before a parliamentary election can be held next year to replace an Islamist-led parliament dissolved in June. Many hope this will lead Egypt towards stability. If the constitution is voted down, a new assembly will have to be formed to draft a revised version, a process that could take up to nine months. The army has deployed about 120,000 troops and 6,000 tanks and armored vehicles to protect polling stations and other government buildings. While the military backed Mubarak and his predecessors, it has not intervened in the present crisis. - Reuters |
| Nelson Mandela had gallstones removed, recovering Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:13 PM PST
“The former president underwent a procedure via endoscopy to have gallstones removed. The procedure was successful and Madiba is recovering,” President Jacob Zuma’s office said in a statement, using Mandela’s clan name. South Africa’s first black president, who came to power in historic all-race elections in 1994 after decades struggling against apartheid, remains a symbol of resistance to racism and injustice at home and around the world. Mandela was admitted to a Pretoria hospital on Saturday a week ago after being flown from his home village of Qunu in a remote, rural part of the Eastern Cape province. Tests revealed a recurrence of a lung infection and that he had developed gallstones, the government statement said. The medical team had decided to treat the lung infection before attending to the gallstones, it said. Mandela spent 27 years in apartheid prisons, including 18 years on the windswept Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town. He was released in 1990 and went on to use his unparalleled prestige to push for reconciliation between whites and blacks as the bedrock of the post-apartheid “Rainbow Nation”. He stepped down in 1999 after one term in office and has been largely removed from public life for the last decade. Mandela spent time in a Johannesburg hospital in 2011 with a respiratory condition, and again in February this year because of abdominal pains. He was released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing serious. He has since spent most of his time in Qunu. His fragile health prevents him from making any public appearances in South Africa, although he has continued to receive high-profile domestic and international visitors, including former US President Bill Clinton in July. - Reuters |
| Nine dead as Taliban attack airport in North West Pakistan Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:11 PM PST
The night raid was the biggest assault on a high-profile military facility since gunmen stormed an air base in the eastern province of Punjab in August and underscored the resilience and reach of Pakistan’s Taliban insurgency. “No terrorist has been able to penetrate inside (the air field),” Group Captain Tariq Mahmood, a spokesman for the Pakistan Air Force, said in a statement. “Security forces were fully alert and are in control of the situation.” A squad of attackers wearing suicide-vests began the attack by ramming an explosives-laden vehicle into a boundary wall before trading fire with security forces for more than 30 minutes. Three rockets slammed into a nearby residential area. Health and police officials said at least four civilians had been killed and 45 wounded in the flurry of blasts and gunshots. Authorities sealed off access to the airport during the attack and suspended flights, leaving passengers and staff facing tense minutes waiting to see whether the militants would succeed in fighting their way into the complex. Pakistan’s army rushed reinforcements to the aid of guards battling the attackers, all five of whom were killed, security sources said. “We have repulsed the attack on the airport, everything is now under control,” said a military official. The militants seemed to have had less success than a similar suicide squad who managed to break into the Minhas air base at Kamra in central Punjab in August by scaling a wall topped with barbed wire then battling security forces for hours. The gritty streets of Peshawar, the gateway to Pakistan’s tribal belt on the border with Afghanistan, have often been shaken by bomb attacks and shootings, but residents said this was the first significant raid on the heavily guarded airport. The airfield complex serves both commercial flights and military aircraft, including helicopter gunships and warplanes used to strafe and bomb Taliban targets in the tribal areas. Taliban Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said the movement had sent 10 suicide bombers to attack the airport, double the number of attackers reported by security forces. “Our target was the Pakistani Air Force base, not the Peshawar airport,” Ehsan said by telephone from an undisclosed location. The Pakistani Taliban has repeatedly sent small teams of gunmen on suicide missions to attack military installations to undermine confidence in the army. The heavily guarded airport complex lies near a sprawling complex of barracks and military facilities and the University Town residential neighbourhood, where the rockets hit. “University Town feels like a war zone. Heavy firing is going on,” said resident Akbar Khan, while the attack was still in progress. Medical staff scrambled to treat wounded civilians, and warned the death toll could rise. “An emergency has been declared in the hospital and all the surgeons have been called,” said Umar Ayub, chief executive of the Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar. “All of them suffered bullet injuries and some of the injured are in critical condition.” Pakistan’s military, which has received billions of dollars in US military aid, has staged several offensives against Taliban strongholds in the tribal belt, but the movement has continued to harry its forces. Last year, six Taliban gunmen attacked a naval facility in Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi, to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden. At least 10 military personnel were killed. - Reuters |
| Japan votes in election seen returning LDP to power Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:09 PM PST
Polls opened at 0700 a.m. (1700 ET) and will close at 8 p.m. (0600 ET), when major TV broadcasters will issue exit polls forecasting results. An LDP win would usher in a government committed to a tough stance in a territorial row with China, a pro-nuclear power energy policy despite last year’s Fukushima disaster and a potentially risky prescription for hyper-easy monetary policy and big fiscal spending to beat deflation and tame a strong yen. Media surveys have forecast the LDP will win a big majority in parliament’s powerful 480-seat lower house, just three years after a devastating defeat that ended more than 50 years of almost non-stop rule by the business-friendly party. However, many voters remained undecided just days before the vote, the polls showed. Together with a small ally, Abe’s LDP could even gain the two-thirds majority needed to break through a policy deadlock that has plagued successive governments for half a decade. Abe, 58, who quit abruptly as premier in 2007 after a troubled year in office, has been talking tough in a row with China over uninhabited isles in the East China Sea, although some experts say he may temper his hard line with pragmatism once in office. The soft-spoken grandson of a prime minister, who would become Japan’s seventh premier in six years, Abe also wants to loosen the limits of a 1947 pacifist constitution on the military, so Japan can play a bigger global security role. The LDP, which promoted atomic energy during its decades-long reign, is expected to be friendly to nuclear utilities, although deep public safety concerns remain a barrier to business as usual for the industry. Economy in doldrums Abe has called for “unlimited” monetary easing and big spending on public works – for decades a centerpiece of the LDP’s policies and criticized by many as wasteful pork barrel – to rescue the economy from its fourth recession since 2000. Many economists say that prescription for “Abenomics” could create temporary growth and enable the government to go ahead with a planned initial sales tax rise in 2014 to help curb a public debt now twice the size of gross domestic product. But it looks unlikely to cure deeper ills or spark sustainable growth, and risks triggering a market backlash if investors decide Japan has lost control of its finances. Japan’s economy has been stuck in the doldrums for decades, its population ageing fast and big corporate brands faltering, making “Japan Inc” a synonym for decline. Consumer electronics firms such as Sony Corp are struggling with competition from foreign rivals and burdened by a strong yen, which makes their products cost more overseas. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) surged to power in a historic victory in 2009 promising to pay more heed to consumers than companies and put politicians, bureaucrats, in charge of policymaking. Many voters now feel the DPJ pledges were honored in the breach as the novice party struggled to govern and to cope with last year’s huge earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster and then pushed through an unpopular sales tax increase with LDP help. Voter distaste for both major parties has spawned a clutch of new parties including the right-leaning Japan Restoration Party founded by popular Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto. Surveys show the DPJ, hit by a stream of defections, is likely to win fewer than 100 seats, less than a third of its tally in 2009. - Reuters |
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