Project Petaling Street Blog

As far as blogs and the Internet goes, the Squatgate scandal has proven one thing: the Opposition party (DAP, anyways) completely slaughters the Government as far as utilization of the Internet is concerned. Lim Kit Siang's and Teresa Kok's blog have provided behind-the-scenes insider info about how Parliament works, a front row seat to the dirty game of Malaysian politics, and an uneditable source of by-the-minute information. Outstanding.

Its my sincerest wish that enterprising members of the Government do the same, if for no other reason than to provide a balanced report of what's going on. The people have a right to know the whole picture, and blogs have proven an excellent conduit for that intention.

Posted by Aizuddin Danian at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

A crisis of human rights turning into torture and murder. Such is the fate of civilians in Africa, under the attacks of free reining Arab militias. Home are destroyed, lives are killed, and fear persists.

Darfur is situated in the West of Sudan and covers an area the size of France (the size of Texas). For a number of years it was the scene of sporadic clashes between farming communities such as the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa, and nomadic groups, which led to many deaths and the destruction and looting of homes. The government blamed competition over scarce resources for the clashes.

In February 2003 a new armed opposition group, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) took up arms against the government, because of what they perceived as the lack of government protection for their people and the marginalisation and underdevelopment of the region. The support base of this armed group came mainly from the agricultural groups in the region. Shortly afterwards another armed group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) emerged.

The government of Sudan responded by allowing free rein to Arab militias known as the Janjawid (guns on horseback) who began attacking villages, killing, raping and abducting people, destroying homes and other property, including water sources and looting livestock. At times government troops also attacked villages alongside the Janjawid, and government aircraft have been bombing villages sometimes just before Janjawid attacks, suggesting that these attacks were coordinated. The links between the Sudanese armed forces and the Janjawid are incontrovertible, the Janjawid are now wearing uniforms provided by the army.

"The Janjawid arrived and asked me to leave the place. They beat women and small children. They killed a little girl, Sara Bishara. She was two years old. She was knifed in her back."
Aisha Ali, from the village of Sasa, near Kornoy town in North Darfur.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forcibly displaced from their homes as a result of actions by the Janjawid and the government forces and large areas of Darfur have been depopulated. The UN estimates that there are now almost one million internally displaced people in Darfur who have fled from their burnt villages and taken refuge within Darfur, mostly in towns and camps, often in very poor conditions, while more than 120,000 have crossed the border into Chad.

Find out how you can help by visiting the website of Amnesty International.

Posted by Yvonne at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Wow! Beppe Grillo's campaign is a striking example of the power of nano-publishing.

At last we've got an International Page. We’re published on the International Herald Tribune for the Clean Up Parliament campaign. Not one of the international publications that I contacted wanted to publish the list of names and in some cases they didn’t even want to discuss the matter.

via Beppe Grillo.

The real power is not in the hands of the blogger -- but its in the readers' and what many, many readers can do collectively. Beppe Grillo is a fine example of that theory in practice. Placing an ad in the IHT is no small potatoes, costing upwards of EURO$40k. But that cost is mitigated by the "thousands" of Beppe Grillo's readers who helped pay for it. 10,000 readers, $40 each, and there you have it -- an outcome that can potentially change the nation.

Power has always been about the ability to influence the action of others. With that definition, its easy to argue that blogs have real power now.

PPS has 5,000 daily readers, easily. Someday, if an issue worthy of our collective will presents itself, it would be interesting to put the test what WE are able to accomplish.

Posted by Aizuddin Danian at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Malaysian blogosphere should pick this issue up and speak out strongly against it:

The police has retaliated against the four women from China who lodged reports against the wrong-doings and corruption of police by conducting spot-checks on their private lives. Early this morning, about 7-8 uniformed policemen went to houses of the four Chinese nationals.According to Yu Xuzhen, the first of the four to lodged complaints to police HQ and ACA, police pressed the bell of her house at about 2am while she was asleep.

via Teresa Kok.

The police is there to protect us -- sending 7-8 of our men in blue to perform a spot check on 4 Chinese women in the dead of night is accomplishing nothing, furthering no cause of national safety whatsoever. So if you rule out that as a motive for their actions, then the alternatives are severely questionable.

Posted by Aizuddin Danian at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"I reckon that if people have in the past managed to raise funds via the internet to pay off their credit cards (see Save Karyn) or for boob jobs, my plea represents a more noble cause. I am asking you, kind reader, to help partially fund my Ph.D.If 1,000 of you would give me MYR100 each... that would solve quite a few problems!"

Hi! My name is Jikon Lai.

I am a Malaysian student pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of International Relations of the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS) at the Australian National University (ANU).

I started on the programme in February 2005. At that time, I was awarded a one-year scholarship by the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training from which I paid my tuition fees and funded my living expenses in Canberra. Unfortunately, the scholarship is not renewable. While I had initially hoped to secure funding from other sources, these have unfortunately not materialised.

After much soul-searching and careful thought, I came to the conclusion that the work I am doing here at the ANU is important enough to continue pursuing. I also felt deep down that the career of an academic was a calling to which I had to respond.

Thus, with very careful consideration, I asked my mother if she would help fund the cost of tuition for the remainder of Ph.D. programme here at the ANU. Tuition fees amount to about AUD20,000 a year for the next two years (2006 & 2007). This request was conveyed with a heavy heart. I recognise how much money this represents in Malaysia, where my mother is living. I also recognise how long it would take your average Malaysian employee to earn this amount of money (I reckon at least two years).

While my mother's contribution goes a long way to enable me to complete the Ph.D. it is not enough. I still need to raise additional funds for cost of living. I reckon that I will need anywhere from AUD17-20,000 a year. My supervisor at the ANU has offered to throw some research assistant work in my direction over the next two years, but that is insufficient. I will need a regular part-time job. While this might plug some of the funding requirements, it also raises other issues, notably time spent working for money, will be time not spent on my research. There is also the concern that part-time work may not raise the total amount of money that I will require for living expenses - this all depends on a combination of the level of hourly wage and the number of hours of work that I am able to find.

Click here to pay Jikon a visit.

Posted by Yvonne at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The COMPLETE Girls of the Malaysian Blogosphere Special Edition 2006 Calender! is a real hoot. A touch of creativity and class = funny and cute. Well worth the visit.

Posted by Aizuddin Danian at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A few new blogs focusing on beautiful women have popped up on PPS in recent times: Hottest Blogger and Hot Malay Girls. Not sure whether both are run by the same person(s), but they sure look the same, with large, prominent ads being displayed everywhere. The primary motivation behind each blog is quite obvious: hits => ad clicks = income. Nothing wrong with making profits from your blog in principle, but the method these blogs have pursued leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Some simple questions:

1. Were any of these bloggers consulted for their permission prior to having their photo posted? At least one blogger probably didn't, ArissaLuna -- she's banned the public from visiting her blog after the spotlight was turned onto it by Hottest Blogger. It certainly is questionable whether any privacy and/or copyright laws were broken when their pics and bits of text attributed to them are stripped from their blogs and posted on Hottest and Hot.

2. It was probably just a matter of time before it happened to the blogosphere: the use of blogs as a tool to objectify women. Women identified by their beauty and paraded because of it. No doubt many of them are incredibly intelligent and wholesome, but this is often lost in translation especially with blogs named "HOTTEST Blogger" and "HOT Malay Girls" are promoting them.

Posted by Aizuddin Danian at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

We have two blog suggestions today

Firstly... we have Joshua Fong who is currently residing in Perth. Here's a screencap of his blog.

And then.. we have 20-year-old Victor from Singapore.

Posted by Yvonne at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Another case of violence happening on our Malaysian shores. First, it was a hellish night in Pudu Jail, and now, a trashing scene in a KL nightclub, Zouk.

The victims related their ordeals in a blog here. Their story was one, Zouk's statement was another.

There are many arguments going on, and we all have our say. Now, what is yours?

Posted by Yvonne at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

This is a forwarded e-mail circulating in cyberspace. I say NO to piracy, but I wonder who wrote these funny reasons.

Top 10 reasons why we SHOULD buy pirated VCDs.

1. Free black plastic bag
You can't get those cool black coloured bags anywhere.The ones sold outside are too big and they are meantfor the tong sampah.

2. Family bond
Every weekend, when you go to wangsa maju JJ, you can see little kids running to the VCD shop to select their favourite Pokemon cartoon VCD. And then mommy will come along to find her favourite Teresa Teng VC2D.
Next comes big sister to select her F4 VCD. And lastly, big bro and daddy searching for the latest movies ... and try to eye for some you-know-what VCD. Anyway, the whole idea is, the pirated VCD shop is
like a place for weekend family reunion. When was the last time you saw daddy buying little Billy a VCD in Speedy Video ?

3. Cinema sucks
When you reach the cinema, you'll have to line up for 15 minutes before it's your turn to get the ticket. By then, they tell you ticket sudah habis. So you buy tickets for the next show and have to wait another 3 hours. When the time comes, the ticket usher stops you from bringing nasi lemak and cha-kuay-teow into the hall.So you're forced to line up another 10 minutes in the snack bar. By then, you're already late for the show. Lampu sudah tutup when you go in. Oooppss.. terjatuh and veryone laughs at you. Next, the cinema bores you with 15 minutes of
iklan. Frankly speaking, I dunno why the government ban 'triple x' VCDs when all the beer commercials in the cinema feature sluts dancing around. Later, your handphone rings and everyone boos you. At last,
the show ends but you'll need to beratur through the smelly exit. After 30 minutes, you notice that your handphone is lost. The only thing good about cinemas is the fact that you can throw kua-chi on the floor.

4. Customer Friendly Sellers. Buying VCDs from the stall is like dining in a luxury restaurant. First, those blond hair sellers will greet you with 'leng-chai'. It's now time to order the meal. If you know what to order, they will search the title for you. But if you're undecided, these fellas will suggest some meals for you. Strangely, all movies
(according to them) are nice to watch. When you've finished, here comes the main course. The rectangular box containing all the finest artistic international stuff.(porn?).. And you can bargain too! But when you buy VCDs from Speedy Video, the shop assistants will stand few meters away from you, with their arms tied and eyes alert, thinking that you're another shoplifter.

5. Beli barang buatan Malaysia
The title says it all. No need to say more.

6. You go to the movies...while watching the most suspense part in a love movie....as the guy and girl are about to kiss...all of a sudden, the screen goes into matrix mode. And then it changes to some dull scene. Doesn't this sound familiar? Say thank you to our censorship board for helping us remove the "naughty" parts. You never get this when you buy pirated CDs.

7. 6 years ago, piracy was a minority because of the original CD pricing and contents. 3 years ago, they increased original CD prices by 70% and say it's because of import duties, tax and other crap.While at
the same time, the pirated CD prices drop by 50% - 70%. Customers would prefer to buy from a sale right?

8. Piracy helps students to learn new programs at a reduced price cost. If every student is going to spend RM800 just to buy Adobe Photoshop, then Malaysia would lag behind in the computer graphics industry. So in
the long run, Malaysia's economic status becomes better with more knowledgeable citizens.

9. As people are willing to spend money on pirated CDs but not that willing to buy original cds, they are circulating the money and helping to increase the GDP.

10. Pirated VCDs offer the latest movies, even before they are shown in the U.S.! Compare this to original VCDs,where you have to wait for a few months after the movie is first released.

Posted by Yvonne at 09:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

I consider BlogsMalaysia.com an extremely interesting project, with some of the Malaysian blogosphere's most talented bloggers behind it. After a period of development, they have re-launched the site, and it looks great! Kudos to the team. With some work and time, it has to be the potential to be an excellent meta-blog -- the local scene is in desperate need of one.

Posted by Aizuddin Danian at 07:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

OON YEOH, an experienced local journalist cum editor, makes his debut in this month's Chrome magazine leaving his readers with many questions toward the local political scene..

Everybody knows the name Khairy Jamaluddin—the country's most powerful 29-year-old. Yet how many people know who the real KJ is? It's hard to figure him out because he's such a contradiction.

He's said to despise nepotism. Yet, at last year's UMNO annual powwow, he gladly accepted the Deputy Youth post uncontested. Lest anyone thinks that this reflected the wishes of the delegates, remember all the booing when he was introduced to the crowd?

He's said to abhor cronyism, yet when he quit his job at the PM's Department last year, the first job he aimed for was that of COO of Khazanah Nasional. That gig fell through after the Wall Street Journal ran a story on it, sparking a public outcry.

So, what did he do next? Join an international financial house like Merrill Lynch to prove his mettle? No, he became a director at ECM Libra, a financial services company partly-owned by Kallimullah Hassan, editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times and a close ally of Pak Lah.

He's said to be a brilliant spin doctor who played a key role in managing Pak Lah's general election campaign in 2004. Yet, he so oversold Pak Lah's anti-corruption stance that anything but a wholesale rolling of heads after the polls would not have satisfied a public expecting nothing less. Until now, people are wondering when the anti-corruption drive is going to start.

He's said to champion meritocracy. "… he believes the 'subsidy mentality' that has plagued the Malay mindset is a bane, especially in an age of globalisation," wrote Phar Kim Beng in an NST article last year. Phar knows Khairy from his days as a student in the UK.

Yet, at this year's UMNO meet—even as Pak Lah was warning that the government cannot continue to be Santa Claus—Khairy was calling for a revival of the New Economic Policy with its 30% equity quota for Malays.

Click here to continue reading: Will the real KJ please stand up?

Posted by Yvonne at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Investigations are continuing into what caused a massive fire that destroyed a leading computer science research unit at the University of Southampton.

Gas canisters exploded inside the Mountbatten building on Salisbury Road, Highfield, which was engulfed by a 100ft plume of smoke on Sunday morning.

No-one was hurt but the building, which housed valuable equipment for research, was gutted.

It has been estimated that the fire caused £50m worth of damage.

A spokesman said some of the world's most advanced research was carried out there and its loss was devastating.

The laboratory, part of the school of Electronics and Computer Science, was completely destroyed, and a nearby office building was damaged.

John Lauwerys, secretary and registrar at the university, said: "Some of the most advanced research work in the country, and indeed the world was carried out in this facility."

He said it would be some time before they could assess how much work has been lost.

"We probably will have to start from scratch, and it will take a couple of years to rebuild the facility," he added.

People living in the area were warned of potentially harmful fumes and told to stay inside and keep windows and doors shut. Flats above a nearby building were evacuated.

It took more than 100 firefighters nearly ten hours to bring the fire under control.

Resident Sarah May, who lives near the campus, said her family was woken up by a loud bang.

"There was a huge explosion, and literally seconds later there were police sirens everywhere.

"We looked outside and the sky was black. It seems to be lessening now, it's more of a grey colour, but the smoke is unbelievable."

Francis Chee, a postgraduate student at the university, was at the scene of the fire.

He said: "There are a lot of liquid nitrogen tanks outside the building and they use liquid nitrogen heavily there.

"I did hear several explosions sounding like gas canisters going off."

Police forensics officers and fire investigators have started to look for the cause of the fire which, at this stage, is not thought to be suspicious.

News and picture source from http://news.bbc.co.uk

Posted by Yvonne at 10:08 PM | Permalink

Forwarded E-mails come into our mailbox all the time and many of which are chairletters. We get all sort of stories that some may not even be logical in scientific terms. Yet we still forward them for the fun of it. Today, came one such e-mail in my mailbox from a friend that I was so happy to hear from. Unfortunately, it was only a forwarded e-mail, but at least, I'm among the few he actually remembers whenever he gets on cyberspace.

This was how the e-mail went:

Dear Friends,

A pornographic movie is being shot and is intended to show up in America soon, which shows Jesus and his disciples as homosexuals! The same way as a play that has been in the theater halls for a while. It's called Corpus Christi" which means "The Body of Christ". It is a revolting joke of our Lord. But we can make a difference, that's why I'm sending this e-mail to all of you.

Could you, please, add your name to this e-mail's list's end? If you do so, together we may be able to ban this movie from being shown in America. .Apparently, some regions from Europe have banned the movie already. All we need is a lot of signatures!

Remember, Jesus said: "That who deny Me before men, I will also deny Him before my Father which is in heaven."

Please, do not simply forward!!!

Please, select all text, copy this message (CTRL+C), paste (CTRL+V) in a new message and then add your name at the end of the list, plus send to all your contacts.

When the signatures get to 500 names (who is list's 500), please send them to: homasg@softhome.net And then start it all over again...... IF WE WORK TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE IT!!!! Thanks!

As a firm believer in Christ, I couldn't bear seeing the good Lord above being humiliated like this, so I must admit that my initial desire to sign the petition was enormous. But with many fraudulent cases arising on the internet lately, I've grown more cautious when getting myself involved in anything cyberspace, and indeed, a little search on Google revealed that this e-mail is indeed a HOAX.

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/g/gayjesusmovie.htm
http://hoaxbusters.org/
http://www.q.co.za/2001/2002/07/25-jesus.html

Who was so daring to have made fun of others in Jesus' name?

Posted by Yvonne at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)