Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by rendezvouss

Taiwan student charged after putting cat in a jar

rendezvouss — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 14:57:50 +0800

Taiwan student charged after putting cat in jar

Kiki Lin, a college student in Taiwan, has been charged with animal abuse after she posted pictures of her cat sealed in a jar. -- PHOTO: FACEBOOK

TAIPEI - A college student in Taiwan has been charged with animal abuse after she posted pictures of her cat sealed in a jar.

Kiki Lin, from Taichung, became the target of netizens' wrath after she posted two photos of a white cat in a plastic bottle and wrote "cat in a bottle, punishment for behaving badly" on her Facebook on Monday, Taiwan's CNA reported.

Netizens soon flooded Lin's page with negative comments calling her an animal abuser, China Post reported.

"I really don't see how it is their (netizens) place to criticise me," said Lin, "without even knowing what happened; they have too much time on their hands."

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...at-jar-20131227

Oxford Uni's Women's Rugby Team Strip Naked

rendezvouss — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 14:22:15 +0800

Oxford University's Women's Rugby Team Strip Naked For Charity (PICTURES)

>>CLIK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES<<

Oxford University's women's team are likely to have gripped the attention of rugby-phobics by releasing their naked charity calendar for 2014.

The classy black-and-white shots were taken around the idyllic city, and the calendar is being sold for £10 to raise money for Oxford's mental health awareness campaign, Mind Your Head.

The team members decided to go ahead with the idea after the men's team released their own edition last year, and were told: "If it was you in the pictures then we'd buy one."

S'porean art student sold his artwork for S$4,010

rendezvouss — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 10:44:58 +0800

Drawing from the ground up

Mr MohdAshraf Abdul Malik with his hyperrealistic rendering of the Eiffel Tower.
Photo: Mohd Ashraf Abdul Malik

A LASALLE College of the Arts undergraduate’s hyperrealistic drawings have attracted thousands of fans worldwide in only four months

By Mohd Azhar Aziz
Published: 30 December, 4:02 AM

SINGAPORE — It started out as an experiment to apply the techniques learnt in his interior design classes to his drawings, but the hyperrealistic illustrations of 22-year-old Mohd Ashraf Abdul Malik have, in only four months, attracted fans and customers from across the globe.

After carefully examining how a structure is built, the LASALLE College of the Arts undergraduate would draw the structure accordingly — creating highly-detailed and realistic images of buildings.

His first piece of the Eiffel Tower was quickly snapped up by a Belgian collector, who bought it for €2,300 (S$4,010) after the artist posted a photograph of it on Instagram in August. Since then, Mr Ashraf’s Instagram account has garnered about 4,000 new followers. He now receives up to 10 requests a month, and most of his work is sold to customers overseas.

“Usually, when people look at a building, they look at the big picture. But I tend to look at it closer and how it was built,” said Mr Ashraf. “For instance, the Eiffel Tower was built from the base, ground up. I used the same approach for my drawing.”

This isn't a photo of the Eiffel Tower: Check out the hyperrealistic drawing by LASALLE College of the Arts student Mohd Ashraf. The artwork, which started out as an experiment, was eventually sold to a Belgian collector for S$4,010.

Mr Ashraf told TODAY he was “totally blown away” by the response to his hyperrealistic drawings but sees his new-found fame as a way to further spread his art. “All of this happened so fast, especially from the shares on social network ... (But) the increase of followers only means one thing to me — that I managed to spread my art to people of all age groups. I am truly blessed,” he said.

The self-taught artist, who hopes to be an architect or interior designer, dedicates his art to his late grandfather — who was an avid sketch artist — for instilling in him the qualities of discipline and patience. “I think drawing is really about patience. This is something my grandpa had taught me ... Trust me when I say I can draw one eye for six hours!” said the interior design major.

Detailing the long hours of planning needed for each artwork, Mr Ashraf said a typical project begins with almost two days of planning as he decides on the correct technique, such as dotting or cross-hatching. After that, the artist would spend close to six hours daily to complete his piece.

Projects that have sentimental value are the most challenging, he said. He recalled a customer from New York who requested a drawing of his wife’s favourite horse. “The guy wanted to surprise his wife with the drawing. It was for Christmas, and he told me she loved the horse very much,” said Mr Ashraf. “I knew it was something sentimental to her, so it was challenging to do justice to it. It was really stressful and I had to really focus at the end.”

http://www.todayonline.com/daily-focus/youth/drawing-ground

[@MsGaijin] [@Flaming_lion] [@Einjahr] [@Jyunkai]

Airports in Japan becoming Muslim friendly

rendezvouss — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 22:00:06 +0800

meanwhile in Malaysia, majority suppress minority and even accuse them of bullying them...

Airports in Japan becoming Muslim friendly

International airports in Japan are striving to become friendlier to Muslims amid a steep increase in visitors from the Islamic world following the Japanese government’s relaxation of regulations for issuing visas.

An increase in private prayer rooms for Muslims, who pray five times a day, and availability of meals in compliance with Islamic rules are among efforts taken by airports.

Airport officials stress that they will show the heart of Japanese hospitality at the thresholds into Japan as Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

On Dec. 1, Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture put up a new sign saying “Prayer Room” for Muslims in front of private rooms in its first and second terminals. Each room is covered with a carpet and a direction panel on the ceiling so that Muslims can readily fall to their knees and pray in the direction of their holy place Mecca.

The rooms, called Silence Rooms, could be used for prayer in the past but had no Prayer Room sign.

In the past, there were Muslims who performed prayers on the terminal building floor after arriving at Narita as they did not know of the existence of the private rooms, according to a 35-year-old member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Japan, an association of Muslims in Japan.

Japan relaxed the rules for issuance to visas to visitors from Indonesia, Malaysia and three other Southeast Asian nations in July. Muslims account for an estimated 90% of Indonesia’s 240 million population and 60% of Malaysia’s 29 million.

A total of 28,000 people visited Japan from Indonesia and Malaysia in October, up 40% from a year earlier.

A public relations official at Narita Airport said the operator of the airport near Tokyo should have done more to publicize the presence of prayer rooms for Muslims and make facilities there friendlier to them.

“We will seek to create a user-friendly airport for Muslims and other people who will visit Japan for the Olympic Games,” the official added.

The company has already started taking necessary steps. For example, it will install by January washing equipment in the prayer rooms for Muslims to purify themselves before performing prayers. By next summer, furthermore, two prayer rooms will be built in the area where passengers walk through after embarkation procedures.

Kansai Airport, which created a prayer room in 2006, announced a plan in August to open two more rooms by next spring.

The airport in Osaka has also started joint efforts with tenants in its passenger terminal building to better receive visitors from the Islamic world. Starting this summer, a noodle shop and another restaurant began serving meals prepared in compliance with Islamic cooking rules, called Halal, which include a ban on the use of pork.

Haneda Airport in Tokyo will open a prayer room by next March.

Major airports in Europe, a popular destination of tourists from the Islamic world, have already completed prayer rooms for Muslims, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Airports in Japan have begun earnest efforts at last to become friendly to Muslims, said Ken Fujita, head of a project at the ASEAN Promotion Center on Trade, Investment and Tourism in Tokyo to provide information on Islam to airports.

More Muslims should visit Japan if the efforts are recognized widely in the Islamic world, he added.

http://muslimvillage.com/2013/12/27/47845/...uslim-friendly/

Non-Muslim countries are accomodating to Muslims religious requirements and obligations in their airports

Surau in Singapore Changi airport

Muslim prayer room in Melbourne, Australia

Muslim prayer room in Germany airport

Muslim prayer room in Thailand airport

SG student falls to his death in Kelantan

rendezvouss — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 16:24:14 +0800

NUS student falls to his death at waterfall in Kelantan

[YOUTUBE]JmCMEmeMABY[/YOUTUBE]

One of the waterfalls on Mount Stong, in the Gunung Stong State Park in Kelantan, Malaysia.

23-year-old Lee Jun Jie slipped and fell to his death from the top of a waterfall in Mount Stong last night, Malaysian reports say

KOTA BAHRU — A 23-year-old National University of Singapore student fell to his death from the top of a waterfall on Mount Stong in Kelantan, Malaysia, last night (Dec 28).

Lee Jun Jie was enjoying the sunset atop the waterfalls near Baha’s Camp when he slipped and fell at about 7pm yesterday, Jeli fire and rescue station officer-in-charge Soleh Nasir told Malaysian news agency Bernama.

“He was said to have stood on the slippery cliff to enjoy the sunset before falling into the waterfalls below,” Mr Soleh told Bernama.

Rescue efforts last night were hampered by rain which made the paths slippery. A search and rescue team found his body at about 9.50am this morning, after a two-hour search, in the lake below.

Mr Soleh said that Lee’s body was found about 100m from the camp and was taken to Kuala Krai Hospital for post-mortem. The New Straits Times reported that Lee drowned in the lake.

Lee arrived in Dabong yesterday afternoon with 22 other students for a mountain climbing expedition.

Baha’s Camp, near the town of Dabong, is located at the top of the seven-tiered Stong waterfalls which, at a height of 1,433m, are the highest tiered waterfalls in South-east Asia.

In a statement, NUS said it is deeply saddened by the student’s death, adding that his family was informed about the accident immediately, Channel NewsAsia reported.

NUS is also in touch with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Malaysian authorities.

It said two university staff are currently accompanying the student’s family to the camp site in Malaysia and will be on site to provide assistance and support to the student’s family and friends.

The university said it is monitoring the situation closely.

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/nus-s...lantan-mountain

===========

NUS student falls to death while camping in Kelantan

NUS undergraduate Lee Jun Jie (inset) was on a camping trip in Stong Mountain, Kelantan, when he fell.
AsiaOne

Sunday, Dec 29, 2013

KELANTAN - The body of a Singaporean university student who went missing after slipping into the mountaintop lake was found today on Gunung Stong, Dabong in Kuala Krai.

The body of Lee Jun Jie, 23, an undergraduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS), was found by a search and rescue team at 9.50am, about 100 metres from the camp.

A Kuala Krai police spokesman said Mr Lee was among a team of 23 Singaporeans who were on a camping trip on the mountain.

A NUS spokesperson said that while not all 23 participants are from NUS, arrangements are being made for the group to return to Singapore as soon as possible.

In the statement released to the media on Sunday, NUS said that it is deeply saddened by the student's death, and added that Mr Lee's family was informed about the accident immediately.

Two university staff are accompanying the family to the camp site and will be on hand to provide assistance and support, and the university is in touch with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Malaysian authorities.

According to Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia, the slippery path caused Mr Lee to lose his balance while he was admiring the scenery at around 7pm yesterday evening.

It is understood that the search and rescue team took over two hours to recover his body.

http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/nus...amping-kelantan

Lee Hsien Loong salah guna perkataan "Mak Cik"

rendezvouss — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 14:20:05 +0800

makcik makcik semua nampak happy aje posing dengan PM Lee

3 hours later

sos

Man throws 10kg air cooler from 7th floor

rendezvouss — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 15:51:27 +0800

Man throws 10kg air cooler from 7th floor, almost hits pregnant woman

SINGAPORE - A pregnant woman had a narrow escape on Thursday night when an air cooler came crashing down and almost hit her.

A 45-year-old man was arrested last night for throwing various killer litter objects, including an air cooler weighing at least 10kg, from the seventh floor of Block 8 St. George's Lane.

Shin Min Daily News reported that the incident occurred at about 8.42pm yesterday, and that police and Singapore Civil Defence Force officers took two hours to nab the suspect, who was topless at the time.

A witness known only as Desmond, who lives opposite Block 8, told Shin Min that he went to look out of his kitchen window after hearing a loud thump and sounds of shattering glass.

The 16-year-old student said he saw the suspect hurling items including an air cooler, a fish tank and a DVD player out of his window, in an episode that lasted 45 minutes.

Another neighbour told Shin Min that the man lived with a woman in her forties, and that he was often seen mumbling to himself and had scolded other neighbours for leaving their flowerpots in the corridor.

Air cooler, and other items including a glass tank, pails and even a microwave oven, were thrown by a man who was topless

http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/man...-pregnant-woman

Instructor jail for organising sex-&-drug parties

rendezvouss — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 16:35:54 +0800

Vocal instructor jailed and caned for organising sex-and-drug parties

A vocal instructor at a music school organised sex-and-drug parties and also sold Ice on the side to pay for the medical treatment of his Aids condition.

Tommy Lim Yong Thong's days of partying and pushing drugs are now over. He was sentenced on Friday to 5 1/2 years in jail and six strokes of the cane. He pleaded guilty to trafficking and consuming drugs and planning the drug-fuelled gatherings.

Lim was arrested with two other men by officers of the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) at 1pm on May 26 this year. He was then with Diego Mark Jason Solares, 29, and De Tomas Camerino Efren Jr, 33, both Filipino nationals, in a room at the Furama Riverfront Hotel. More than 40g of Ice, the street name for methamphetamine, was found in the room.

Later that day, CNB officers returned to the hotel to raid the room of Coert Isaac Stanley Parree, 42, and found Ice and an improvised pipe. The Dutch national was then a flight attendant with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...ug-parties-2013

S'PORE: Asst director embezzled more than $1.7m

rendezvouss — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 16:07:30 +0800

Singapore pon ada corruption, Mesia tepuk tangan

CPIB assistant director to plead guilty to misappropriating more than $1.7m

The assistant director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), Edwin Yeo Seow Hiong, accused of 21 offences including criminal breach of trust as a public servant and forgery, has indicated he will plead guilty to the charges. -- ST FILE PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI

The assistant director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), accused of 21 offences including criminal breach of trust as a public servant and forgery, has indicated he will plead guilty to the charges.

Edwin Yeo Seow Hiong, 39, is said to have misappropriated more than $1.7 million, intended to be used for buying goods required by his department, forged a receipt, and used the proceeds of crime.

The alleged offences took place between 2008 and September last year when he was head of the field research and technical support of the anti-graft agency. He is expected to plead guilty on Jan 21.

Before that, the defence and prosecution will go for mediation on Jan 6. The maximum penalty for criminal breach of trust as a servant is life imprisonment or 20 years' jail and fine. For forgery, the maximum penalty is four years' jail and a fine. If convicted of using benefits from criminal conduct, Yeo could be fined up to $500,000 and/or jailed for up to seven years on each charge.

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...ore-17m-2013122

POPE: Atheists, work with us for peace

rendezvouss — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 21:03:58 +0800

Atheists, work with us for peace, Pope says on Christmas

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis, celebrating his first Christmas as Roman Catholic leader, on Wednesday called on atheists to unite with believers of all religions and work for "a homemade peace" that can spread across the world.

Speaking to about 70,000 people from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the same spot where he emerged to the world as pope when he was elected on March 13, Francis also made another appeal for the environment to be saved from "human greed and rapacity".

The leader of the 1.2 billion-member Church wove his first"Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and world) message around the theme of peace. "Peace is a daily commitment. It is a homemade peace," he said.

He said that people of other religions were also praying for peace, and - departing from his prepared text - he urged atheists to join forces with believers. "I invite even non-believers to desire peace. (Join us) with your desire, a desire that widens the heart. Let us all unite, either with prayer or with desire, but everyone, for peace," he said, drawing sustained applause from the crowd.

Francis's reaching out to atheists and people of other religions is a marked contrast to the attitude of former Pope Benedict, who sometimes left non-Catholics feeling that he saw them as second-class believers.

He called for "social harmony in South Sudan, where current tensions have already caused numerous victims and are threatening peaceful coexistence in that young state".

Thousands are believed to have died in violence divided along ethnic lines between the Nuer and Dinka tribes in the country, which seceded from Sudan in 2011 after decades of war.

The pontiff also called for dialogue to end the conflicts in Syria, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, and prayed for a "favourable outcome" to the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. "Wars shatter and hurt so many lives!" he said, saying their most vulnerable victims were children, elderly, battered women and the sick.

The thread running through the message was that individuals had a role in promoting peace, either with their neighbour or between nations.

The message of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem was directed at "every man or woman who keeps watch through the night, who hopes for a better world, who cares for others while humbly seeking to do his or her duty," he said. "God is peace: let us ask him to help us to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations, in the whole world," he said.

Pilgrims came from all over the world for Christmas at the Vatican and some said it was because they felt Francis had brought a breath of fresh air to the Church. "(He) is bringing a new era into the Church, a Church that is focusing much more on the poor and that is more austere, more lively," said Dolores Di Benedetto, who came from the pope's homeland, Argentina, to attend Christmas Eve Mass.

http://news.asiaone.com/news/world/atheist...-says-christmas

Saudi blogger may face death penalty for apostasy

rendezvouss — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 20:47:05 +0800

Saudi blogger may face death penalty for apostasy

Saudi blogger and activist, Raif Badawi, currently serving his 7-year prison term for “insulting Islam”, may soon appear in a higher court on graver charges of apostasy. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to death.

Bringing Badawi back to court to face graver charges was recommended by a judge in Saudi Arabia, the activist’s wife, Ensaf Haidar, told CNN on Wednesday. The news has caused an uproar in social media.

Raif Badawi is the founder of the Free Saudi Liberals website, created in 2008 to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia freely. Badawi’s persecution for what was described as “insulting Islam” started the same year the site was set up. The blogger then fled the country to escape arrest. He returned when the charges against him were dropped, but was eventually jailed in June 2012.

In July this year, a criminal court in Jeddah found the man guilty of insulting Islam through his online forum and of violating Saudi Arabia’s anti-cybercrime law. Badawi was sentenced to 600 lashes and 7 years in prison.

The court’s ruling was condemned by international human rights watchdogs.

“This incredibly harsh sentence for a peaceful blogger makes a mockery of Saudi Arabia’s claims that it supports reform and religious dialogue,” said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “A man who wanted to discuss religion has already been locked up for a year and now faces 600 lashes and seven years in prison.”

Badawi’s possible retrial is the latest episode in the country’s crackdown on dissent. Four members of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) were jailed in 2013. In the most recent case in December, 24-year-old Omar al-Saed was sentenced to four years in prison and 300 lashes after calling for political reform. Amnesty International called for the activist’s immediate release.

“Amnesty International considers Omar al-Hamid al-Saed to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for his peaceful activities as a member of ACPRA and calls on the Saudi Arabian authorities to immediately and conditionally release him and to ensure that he is not subjected to flogging or any other corporal punishment,” the group’s public statement , released on December 19 reads.

Earlier, the watchdog criticized Saudi Arabia for failing to follow up on any of its promises to improve the country’s human rights record. The pledges were made following a 2009 review, issued by the UN Human Rights Council.

“Four years ago, Saudi Arabian diplomats came to Geneva and accepted a string of recommendations to improve human rights in the country. Since then, not only have the authorities failed to act, but they have ratcheted up the repression,” Philip Luther, Director of Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International said in October.

Amnesty’s criticism however did not prevent Saudi Arabia from being elected to the UN Human Rights Council in November. Its three-year term in UNHRC starts January 1, 2014.

http://rt.com/news/saudi-blogger-death-penalty-819/

SG fastest most expensive car breaking traffic

rendezvouss — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 22:25:30 +0800

Singapore's fastest and most expensive car seen breaking traffic rule

The Koenigsegg Agera S hypercar boasting a top speed of 420km/h, was reportedly bought for S$5.3 million in June 2013 (Photo: inSing)

A car was seen violating traffic rules by stopping at a bus stop along Clementi Road.

But it was not just any car, but the Koenigsegg Agera S hypercar, the fastest and most expensive car in Singapore which was sold for $5.3 million in June 2013, according to reports by AsiaOne and online auto-enthusiast news magazine World Car Fans.

Handcrafted by skilled artisans in Sweden, it was introduced to the global market in 2012 and boasts a top speed of 420km/h.

The media reported that only one such model was brought into the Singapore market in June 2013, and its owner is Angela Tan, wife of investor Denis Chua.

On Saturday around noon, the car stopped at the bus stop without any hazard lights on, and a double-decker bus had to drive round it in order to pick up passengers.

The driver could not be seen clearly as the windscreen and car windows were tinted.

Traffic rules in Singapore state that there should be no "...parking at all times within 9m of a bus stop...."

The Land Transport Authority said that a motor car stopping or waiting in a bus lane is considered to be "parking" as long as the car is stationary.

For more on the Koenigsegg Agera S, check out a private launch event at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore hotel in June 2013 below:

[YOUTUBE]d7ZeH1ejOWA[/YOUTUBE]

http://news.insing.com/feature/singapore-s...ule/id-aa343101

Muslim suraus in non-Muslim countries

rendezvouss — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 18:37:11 +0800

meanwhile in Mahresia, majority accuse minority of bullying them...

Surau in Singapore airport

Muslim prayer room in Melbourne, Australia

Muslim prayer room in Germany airport

Muslim prayer room in Thailand airport[/i]

Singapore firm launches travel site for Muslims

rendezvouss — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 18:30:28 +0800

Singapore firm launches travel site for Muslims

A new website for Muslim travellers which includes a global directory of halal restaurants and dedicated city guides launched Wednesday in a bid to capitalise on the growing number of Islamic tourists.

Specialist Singapore-based firm Crescentrating said the site, which is called HalalTrip.com, offers a wide range of features for tourists wishing to travel in accordance with the rules of Islam.

"It is the world's first fully-featured travel booking website for Muslim travellers," Crescentrating chief executive Fazal Bahardeen told AFP, adding that the industry had been lacking a dedicated travel booking site catering to the needs of Islamic tourists.

Spending by Muslim travellers is estimated to reach $200 billion by 2020, up from $126 billion in 2011, according to the company's chief operating officer Dany Bolduc.

Crescentrating acquired HalalTrip.com from its Austrian owner in June and has re-launched it with new features including booking facilities for nearly 400,000 hotels, as well as airlines and tour packages. The site previously only allowed bookings for 1,000 hotels.

Tourists can now search flights and hotels on the English-language site as a result of partnerships with online reservation firm Booking.com, and travel search engine Wego.com.

It also offers a global directory of halal restaurants, mosques and amenities useful the Muslim tourist.

There are dedicated travel and city guides to places such as Istanbul, Beijing, and Kuala Lumpur, highlighting places of interest for the Islamic visitors.

Other features will be added progressively, including Arabic and other language interfaces, the company said.

Crescentrating already runs a website which rates hotels, restaurants, airports and other establishments using such criteria as having halal restaurants and prayer rooms.

This year, it launched a service that allows Muslim travellers to determine their prayer times and the direction to which they should pray even while they are in mid-flight and across different time zones.

http://blink.htcsense.com/Web/ArticleWeb.a...icleid=16761337

DNA Evidence Prove tt 1st pple in China were Black

rendezvouss — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 18:17:54 +0800

DNA Evidence Proves That The First People In China Were Black

By Daphne R

China is apparently finding out now what Black historians have been reporting for many years, the first inhabitants of China were in fact black.

H. Imbert, a French anthropologist said in his book, “Les Negritos de la Chine”,”The Negroid races peopled at some time all the South of India, Indo-China and China. The South of Indo-China actually has now pure Negritos as the Semangs and mixed as the Malays and the Sakais.”

Another author and professor, Chang Hsing-Lang, revealed similar information in writing “The Importation of Negro Slaves to China under the Tang Dynasty”, “Even the sacred Manchu dynasty shows this Negro strain. The lower part of the face of the Emperor Pu-yi of Manchukuo, direct descendant of the Manchu rulers of China, is most distinctly Negroid.”

These professors through their research and studies have reason to believe that a Negro Empire actually existed at the dawn of the country’s history citing evidence of substantial populations of Blacks in early China, including finding reports of a major kingdom ruled by Blacks being frequently mentioned in historical Chinese history documents. And, Chinese chroniclers report that a Negro Empire existed in the South of China at the dawn of that country’s history

The notion that blacks were the original inhabitants of China has been thwarted by white scientists and even some blacks as the result of a sweeping message of white superiority and inferiority of black Africans and their descendants spreading worldwide.

In 2005, DNA testing proved that the first inhabitants of China were black Africans. The study was conducted by a Chinese DNA specialist named Jin Li and a team of Chinese and other scientists. Li admits that he wasn’t trying to prove this fact, instead he initially wanted to prove that the Chinese evolved from hοmo erectus independently of all humans. After collecting more than 12000 DNA samples from 165 different ethnic groups, Li and his team found that early humans belonged to different species but modern humans had descended from the East African species.

One scientist on the team, Li Hui, said that 100,000 years ago humans began migrating through South and Southeast Asia into China from Africa. Their testing showed that 65 branches of Chinese all carry similar DNA mutations as the people of Southeast Asia.

Another scientist on the team, Jin Li had this to say about their findings, “we did not see even one single individual that could be considered as a descendant of the hοmo erectus in China, rather, everybody was a descendant of our ancestors from Africa.”

When asked how he felt about these findings, he responded, “after I saw the evidence generated in my laboratory. I think we should all be happy with that. Because after all, modern humans from different parts of the world are not so different from each other and we are very close relatives.”

The team of scientists participating in the 5 year study of geographic and genealogical routes tracing the spread of settlements of ancient and modern humans were from China, Russia, India, Brazil and other nations.

Richard Leaky, a well-known, Kenyan-born Paleoanthropologist who has dedicated his life to studying fossils and the past believes that we must study the past if we are to have a future. He had this to say, “If you get to the stage where you can persuade people on the evidence, that it’s solid, that we are all African, that color is superficial, that stages of development of culture are all interactive, then I think we have a chance of a world that will respond better to global challenges.”

Wow, so it appears that Africa truly is the cradle of all civilization after all.

http://www.kulturekritic.com/2013/12/news/...le-china-black/

71% of Chinese measure success by things they own

rendezvouss — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 15:53:49 +0800

How do you know if you've made it in life?

The list of Chinese must-haves is a lot more expensive than it used to be

In the first few decades after China's Communist revolution, most families aspired to own the "three circles and a speaker" - a radio, a bicycle, a wrist watch and a sewing machine.

Decades later, the list of Chinese must-haves is a lot more expensive. Chinese people are under pressure to buy their own apartment, a car, a smartphone, a DSLR camera and a laptop, for starters. Others strive for designer clothes and furniture too.

And all that brings stress.

According to a new Ipsos survey, most Chinese people - 71% - measure their success in life by the things they own. China topped the list, compared with 58% of people in India, which came second, and just 7% of people in Sweden. The global average hovered at 34%.

Another 68% of Chinese people admitted they were under pressure to make money and be successful, though just 56% expressed optimism when asked about their personal prospects for the year ahead.

We went out onto the streets of Beijing to ask passers-by how they defined success and what they thought of the survey results.

[YOUTUBE]l2_2aHscLeo[/YOUTUBE]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-china-blog-25436289

This is Rihanna long time ago?

rendezvouss — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 19:52:24 +0800

is this true??

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=594...30782462&type=1

M'sian pupils performing poorly in school

rendezvouss — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 16:58:00 +0800

Article in a nutshell: tongkat policies and education system are a major obstacle if Malaysia wants to truly become a developed high income country

Malaysian pupils performing poorly because of centralised system, says World Bank

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—As Malaysia strives to grow its economy to catch up with richer Asian countries, such as Singapore and South Korea, doubts are rising about whether its education system can provide the types of graduates needed to fill high-skilled jobs considered key to economic development.

The World Bank defines a high-income economy as one where economic output per citizen is a minimum of $12,616 a year. Last year, Malaysia’s gross domestic product per capita was $9,928, putting it among the ranks of upper-middle income economies that include Turkey and South Africa.

Although primary education is required by law in Malaysia, the World Bank report notes, “access to schooling is a necessary, but insufficient condition for building human capital that will propel economic growth.”

As demand for more high-skilled professionals has grown in the country, one of Southeast Asia’s most developed and steadily growing, the education system has failed to reform to meet these shifting needs, says the World Bank, even though nearly 97% of children in the country are enrolled in primary school, according to government data.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that the Education Ministry dictated the expenditure, teaching staff recruitment, syllabus and textbooks while little information was available on each school’s performance.

World Bank Southeast Asia director Ulrich Zachau said parents hardly provided feedback to school administrators and with all the factors combined, schools became less accountable.

The results of a recent global aptitude test for 15-year-olds that measures knowledge of science, mathematics and reading serves as an example.

Out of 65 countries surveyed in the test conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment, Malaysia ranked 52nd, ahead of Indonesia in Southeast Asia, but widely trailing second-ranked Singapore. It even lagged well behind low-income Vietnam, which secured the 17th position.

Ulrich Zachau, the World Bank’s Southeast Asia director, attributes Malaysia’s dismal performance to the lack of say over employment decisions and spending plans given to government schools, which account for the bulk of educational institutions in Malaysia.

Around 65% of teacher hires are done by the national government rather than individual schools, compared to 5% in South Korea, where public schools have more autonomy.

The Wall Street Journal reported that despite the World Bank saying that there were enough teachers in Malaysia, parents argued that the quality of teaching was debatable.

Parents have said that teachers were not committed in their job, citing examples of teachers who were more engrossed in their handphones than they were with students during classroom hours.

However, teachers said that it was unfair to label teachers uncommitted.

“Teachers today adopt different methods in teaching subjects to students,” the daily quoted Adele Phang, a teacher, as saying.

The parents’ concern also extended to the Government’s shifting polices of alternating between Malay and English as the medium of instruction in Mathematics and Science.

“The Government’s frequent education policy shifts, such as switching the (language) of instruction to Bahasa from English, just add confusion in an already muddled system,” the newspaper quoted Sarah-Jane Thomas, a single mother in Ipoh, saying.

In a grand ambition to improve its education system, the ministry has allocated huge sums of money to its Education Blueprint and is banking on it to raise the quality of education in Malaysia.

The blueprint aims to shift the mindset so Malaysians would start to view teaching as a professional career while handing more autonomy to state and district education offices.

It also hopes to promote parents and community involvement in the education system.

The Education Ministry has also been allotted RM54.6 billion in Budget 2014, highest for any sector.

Citing the “urgent need to transform Malaysia’s education system”, the World Bank report noted that the country’s education has failed to undergo the necessary reform that would meet the demands for high-skilled professionals.

“I think in any country an improvement in education is a long-term agenda, and that’s not going to happen overnight,” said Zachau.

But Malaysia is also facing a daunting issue of brain drain, recruitment firm Kelly Services reported that 20% of the country’s highly educated were leaving for richer economies.

This leaves the country with less mettle to compete against its neighbour Singapore, a high-income economy with plenty of skilled professionals. – December 24, 2013.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysi...m-says-world-ba
http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2013/12/2...od=WSJ_SEA_Blog

Shld falcons be use as pest control for pigeons?

rendezvouss — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 16:22:47 +0800

Got question.

Instead of using poison, should deploying birds of prey like Falcons be use for pest control of flying rats like Pigeons, and Crows in cities?

do u think they're more effective or will it upset the social balance of nature??

[YOUTUBE]quqMZv8bHpo[/YOUTUBE]

Singapore is now officially SINKapore

rendezvouss — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 15:53:07 +0800

inb4 pulau Singapura akan tenggelam satu hari nanti

Sinkhole appears along Commonwealth Avenue

Large hole in the road covered by canvas at Commonwealth Avenue West near Dover MRT Station in the direction towards Buona Vista. -- ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

Part of a road along Commonwealth Avenue towards the city collapsed on Monday morning, causing a sinkhole to appear.

It happened at a site where an SP PowerGrid-appointed contractor was laying underground electricity cables for an ongoing project.

Two lanes were closed and signs directing traffic were on-site. The Straits Times understands that one lane was already closed for the project, which was supposed to be completed by March next year. A second lane was closed after the sinkhole appeared, but traffic was not affected.

At least 17 workers were present, and several were seen covering muddy equipment with tarpaulin sheets. Officials from the Land Transport Authority and Singapore Power were also on-site, but declined to speak to The Straits Times. However, one worker, who declined to be named, admitted that "whatever happened was unexpected".

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...avenue-20131223