Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by TC_Boy

Discovery TV apologises for Pendet dance gaffe

TC_Boy — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:28:34 +0800

QUOTE

Discovery TV apologises for Pendet dance gaffe

SHENZHEN, Aug 26 – Malaysia's Tourism Ministry has received an apology letter from the Discovery TV network over the issue of featuring Balinese Pendet dance in its television advertisement on Malaysia.

The television commercial titled “Enigmatic Malaysia”, which featured Balinese Pendet dance in its promotional video clip, had caused outrage on the Internet, especially among Indonesians, many of whom accused Malaysia of “stealing” their dance.

However, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen confirmed here that she had received a letter of apology from the Discovery TV network this evening.

“I contacted the Indonesian Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik just now to clarify that the promotional video clip was not done by Malaysia's Tourism Ministry but solely by the Discovery TV network,” she told Malaysian reporters after attending a meeting with the local media here.

She said Jero had also received an apology letter from the Discovery TV network, and at the same time, the production company had also removed the advertisement.

Dr Ng said she had also referred the matter to Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman and if it was necessary, Anifah would reply to Indonesia on the matter. – Bernama

http://themalaysianinsider.com.my/index.ph...et-dance-gaffe-

Indonesian singer pities Malaysia

TC_Boy — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:00:51 +0800

QUOTE

Indonesian singer pities Malaysia
Wed, Aug 26, 2009
The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network

JAKARTA, Malaysia - Singer Aura Kasih said she could not help feeling sorry for Malaysia for claiming Indonesian culture as its own, as shown in its controversial tourism ad that features the popular Balinese welcoming dance, Pendet.

"Maybe Malaysia does not have something to be proud of so it has to claim other country's works as its own," she told okezone.com on Sunday.

"I feel sorry for Malaysia for having to claim other country's works [as theirs]."

In a way, Aura found that Malaysia's move was evidence that Indonesia was a much better nation.
"This proves that our country is much better than theirs. This should also make the government and the people love our culture even more."

The Indonesian government has pledged to verify if the use of the popular Balinese Pendet dance in the tourism ads was the latter's attempt to claim it as their own.

Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said Malaysia's tourism ads for "Visit Malaysia Year" with Pendet dance were aired on the Discovery Channel.

He said there were no reasons for Malaysia to exploit Pendet dance without permission from the Indonesian government, adding the entire world knows the dance belongs to Bali.

Malaysia has claimed cultural links to many Indonesian artistic legacies, from batik to reog ponorogo dance.
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=1136373&hl=

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews...826-163467.html

http://profiles.friendster.com/71132842

Alligator-size lizards invade Bangkok park

TC_Boy — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:48:11 +0800

[YOUTUBE]lym0RW3tp9I[/YOUTUBE]

QUOTE

Alligator-size lizards invade Bangkok park

(NECN: Bangkok) - Lumpini Park, a 200-acre escape from the city's frantic pace, enjoyed by Thais and foreign tourists alike, has an unlikely visitor -- alligator-sized lizards.

Joggers, walkers and those just simply enjoying the grounds do not seem to mind sharing with these huge reptiles who freely roam the park premises.

At the park's busiest times, water monitor lizards glide through the water behind group aerobics sessions, sit only meters away from nearby readers, and keep pace with the sweating joggers.

Some park-goers shoo away the water monitors, a species that can grow up to 3.5 meters (11.4 feet) long, while others photograph or feed them.

Bangkok resident Wichuda Jantawan said that "from another perspective, they're quite cute."

Lumpini Park lacks a dedicated lizard wrangler, but officials estimate that 100 to 200 clawed creatures call the park home.

The well-stocked fish pond and lack of predators means the reptiles are thriving.

These cousins of the Komodo dragon may draw more visitors to the park than they scare away.

http://www.necn.com/Boston/World/2009/08/2...1251211230.html

Indonesia Records 1,005 Influenza A (H1N1) Deaths

TC_Boy — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:48:55 +0800

QUOTE

Indonesia Records Two More H1N1 Deaths

JAKARTA, Aug 24 (Bernama) -- Two people died of Influenza A (H1N1) at the Dr Soetomo district hospital in Surabaya today, bringing the overall death toll due to the pandemic in the republic to 1,005 people so far.

The assistant director of the hospital, Dr Urip Murtejo said the two patients, a woman and a boy, died after receiving treatment for four and five days respectively.

"After being infected by A (H1N1), both of them contracted pneumonia," he was quoted as saying by the Antara news agency.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's health ministry in a statement said the 1005 deaths were spread over 25 provinces in the country.

-- BERNAMA

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=435426This news is now missing.

QUOTE

RI's H1N1 death toll reaches six

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 08/25/2009 10:30 PM | National

The government has confimed that one child in East Java has died after being infected by the H1N1 virus, bringing Indonesia's H1N1 death toll to six.

Health Ministry director general for disease control and environmental health Tjandra Yoga Aditama was quoted by tempointeraktif.com as saying that the laboratory's result showed the child had been positively infected by the virus.

However, Tjandra did not elaborate on the child's identity and other additional background information.

The ministry announced 28 new cases on Tuesday, increasing to the country's infection cases to 1,033. (ewd)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/08...eaches-six.html

At fairs,pigs get extra protection against the flu

TC_Boy — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:08:17 +0800

QUOTE

At fairs, pigs get extra protection against the flu

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Fair organisers are taking extra precautions to protect both people and pigs from the H1N1 outbreak. — Reuters pic

OREGON, Aug 23 — When the Oregon State Fair opens next week, the pigs will be kept behind an elaborate configuration of plastic and ribbon barriers, taller-than-usual fences and off-limits walkways. The state veterinarian is also urging visitors to stay six feet away.

The worry? The spread of swine flu, but with a twist: state officials hope to insulate the pigs from sick people.

“Help us protect the piggies,” signs at the fair will read in pink.

The recent H1N1 flu strain, which has raised fears worldwide despite having had relatively mild effects on most people so far, is turning upside down traditional health concerns at agricultural exhibitions and state and county fairs around the country.

At the state fair in Iowa, visitors are barred from holding piglets, and in North Carolina, the state veterinarian, Dr. David T. Marshall, has advised fair visitors to wash their hands upon leaving — and entering —- pig barns.

“The whole idea of the animals getting sick from people is a foreign concept to people, but that’s what we’re looking at here,” said Marshall, whose state is one of several where E. coli outbreaks linked to fairs and petting zoos sickened dozens of people several years ago.

The flu discovered this spring includes genetic parts of human, swine and avian flus. Although its genetic structure technically makes the new strain a “swine flu,” experts say, it has not been found in pigs in this country or most elsewhere, aside from a few herds in Canada, Argentina and Australia.

In those cases, epidemiologists suspect that people working on farms may have infected the pigs around them. The virus is not believed to be particularly deadly to pigs, scientists say, nor, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s chief veterinary officer and others, can it cause any risk for people eating pork.

But scientists still hope to keep it from spreading in pigs, which can act as “mixing vessels” for human and avian flus, possibly leading to a more dangerous strain.

And there is the worry of public relations: Would a report of an infected pig at a fair harm the pork industry, already wrestling with economic misery in part because of people’s unfounded fears over what the flu might mean for their dinner?

Those matters have left health authorities, fair organisers and those in the swine business wrestling with how best to balance risks of the flu with rural rites of summer. The result is a patchwork of rules on the matter of pigs and people. Many local fair leaders said their existing safety measures — like isolating livestock after fairs until a typical flu incubation period had passed — already offered enough protection, and some questioned the scientific basis of strict guidelines elsewhere.

At the state fair in Wisconsin, where a young woman crowned “Fairest of the Fair” stood inside a pen where prize pigs were auctioned, pig owners scoffed at the suggestion that tested practices might need refinement.

“We had no thought of not coming,” said Debbie Schoenbeck, whose family owns pigs. Schoenbeck stood beside the swine barn’s centre walkway, used on one recent afternoon by large, grunting pigs and by people, including a girl who caressed one pig’s snout. (The Wisconsin fair’s agricultural director, Brian Bolan, said that on most days visitors were discouraged from walking on thoroughfares when pigs were passing through and that more hand-washing stations were added this year.)

Still, some fair veterinarians said they were visiting pig barns more often for signs of respiratory illness among the animals.

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Senator John McCain and his wife Cindy McCain look at “Freight Train” the winning boar of the Big Boar contest at the Iowa State Fair — Reuters pic

To keep illness from spreading back to home farms, some fairs discourage farmers from showing any animals that are not “terminal,” due to be slaughtered right after the fair. The different approaches have caused tension between some fair leaders and veterinarians. Dr. Don Hansen, Oregon’s veterinarian, said he was contacted by lawyers for some county fairs and lampooned in cartoons for his relatively rigorous suggestions (the six-foot rule was not to “be written in stone,” he says now), adding that he had “never seen a reaction as immediate and profound before on anything.”

The issue has also created stress, according to some involved, between the interests of the biggest pork producers, who harvest about 109 million pigs a year, and those who mostly compete in pig shows, a group that shows an estimated one million pigs each year.

Darrell D. Anderson, the chief executive of the National Swine Registry, representing those who raise purebred pigs, said some large pork producers had initially pushed to cancel the World Pork Expo in Des Moines in June.

“If you take those big opportunities away, it would have been devastating to the show-pig industry and the breeding industry,” said Anderson, who, along with others from all sides of the pig world reached a consensus on appropriate rules for exhibitions and shows.

Among new provisions at this year’s Des Moines expo was a requirement that exhibitors sign an affidavit attesting that they, their families and their animals had been healthy for at least the last seven days, and that they would remove their animals if show officials deemed it necessary. Still, for some who raise pigs to sell to commercial producers, the possibility of a show pig’s falling ill at a county fair sounded like one more needless horror in a crushing year.

Others wondered if mere talk of safety measures at fairs’ swine barns actually scared people more than the measures would spare pigs. Might reminders to keep pigs safe just plant new, irrational fears about pork in some people’s minds?

Given all of it, any decision about what should come of the summer fairs felt fraught.”There were those who said you should be on the side of cancelling these shows, and there were others saying the shows have to go on,” said Dr. Paul Sundberg, vice president of science and technology for the National Pork Board, a group representing the industry.

“It was dancing on the head of a pin.” — NYT

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.p...against-the-flu

Do you know you pay a lot to and fro from work?

TC_Boy — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:12:25 +0800

QUOTE

Do you know you pay a lot to and fro from work?
Monday Starters - By Soo Ewe Jin

MY friend from schooldays is a meticulous person. Trained as an engineer, he has a way of looking at things from a numerical perspective.

He takes a minimum one hour to commute from his house in a posh neighbourhood in the suburbs to his office in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

“And that’s only if there are no jams along the way,” he told me during one of our rare meetings over the weekend.

By his calculation, two hours are used up as transport time each day just to go to and come from work. Which works out to 10 hours a week, equivalent to one full working day.

By his reckoning, in the four years that he has been on this job, he would have spent a total of 208 working days on the road. He did not translate that into monetary terms, otherwise I would figure out his salary.

Fortunately, the company provides him with a driver so he can catch up on work or read the newspapers while on the road.

In contrast, there was a time in his career when he was posted to a small town in Japan.

Although he initially saw it as being sent into “cold storage”, especially after performing well in a more busy station in Indonesia, he confessed that the three years there gave him a chance to experience an enhanced quality of life.

“My boss told me it was the company’s way to give me a good break before they posted me to a more important station, a chance for me to relax and unwind. And so I did.”

One of the things that he appreciated most was that his office was a mere five minutes away.

“The Japanese are very punctual. I could leave my house at 8.45am and arrive before 9am, ahead of my staff. And we all left at 5.30pm sharp. I travelled to all the scenic spots throughout Japan during my time there, as weekends were truly free days,” he said.

His wife nodded her head in agreement. Those were the days when, despite being so far away from home, they had more time together at home.

I thought of another friend who holds an important position in a multinational company, who told me about the time she was posted to the company’s headquarters in Switzerland.

“Office hours were very strict. If you wanted to stay back after 5pm, you had to make a request in writing. No one ever does that because in the management’s eyes, anyone who had to stay back is either not doing his work well or plain inefficient,” she said.

When I asked her why she worked so long now that she is back home, she laughed.

“This is Malaysia-lah!”

I am thankful that I stay near enough to the office not to have to spend hours on the road. But I feel for those who have to commute long distances each day, sometimes on public transport.

They head to work before the sun rises and reach home after the sun sets. Surely, that cannot do any good to the quality of life index, no matter how much one is paid.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?f...15&sec=business

Cops brace for foreign surge

TC_Boy — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:30:09 +0800

QUOTE

Cops brace for foreign surge

2009/08/24

By Lee Shi-Ian

SHAH ALAM: As Muslims begin the fasting month, Selangor police are preparing to tackle the expected rise in crimes committed by foreigners.

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar told the New Straits Times that in the past two years there had been a rise in crimes committed by foreigners, especially those from Indonesia and Thailand, during Ramadan.

Police statistics indicate sharp rises in housebreaking and wayside robberies during the fasting month, which investigations later revealed were committed by foreigners.

"Many foreigners commit crimes ranging from burglary to armed robbery before heading home to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

"Selangor police are prepared to deal with this. Several plans have already been implemented."

Khalid said police patrols would be increased in various locations, and response teams will be on standby to act on information or tip-offs.

"We cannot be everywhere at once. Members of the public should be careful and alert us of suspicious characters in their neighbourhoods."

Khalid said police were taking a no-nonsense approach, citing Friday's case in Bukit Kayangan where two Indonesian robbers, who were members of Gang Roy, were shot dead by police.

"If robbers attempt to endanger the lives of policemen by attacking when told to surrender, we will retaliate in self defence. We have a job to do," he said, adding the hunt was on for the remaining members of Gang Roy.

District police headquarters have received directives to increase patrols during the fasting month. Additional raids have also been planned for construction sites or areas where there are kongsi, because reports indicate these are where illegal immigrants gather or store their weapons.

"Our aim during the fasting month is to ensure that the number of crimes committed by foreigners does not increase."

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/art...icle/index_html

FTTH fiber optic for the home from TMNET a reality

TC_Boy — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:12:03 +0800

QUOTE

FTTH fiber optic for the home from TMNET a reality
by Alan Tan, Malaysia
Aug 21, 2009 10:21

Look for this baby!!!!

FTTH: Fiberoptic To The Home. It's here. We're just waiting for blast-off. This junction box in Bangsar Kuala Lumpur is just waiting for activation. It was released as a trial in Sri Hartamas Kuala Lumpur way back at the end of 2007. But with the recession setting in, everything slowed to a snail's crawl. Well, snail's pace taken into consideration, it seems that things have picked up again. Yayy!

FTTH translates to Max Speed of 100Mbps. And yes, we know that maximum speeds are always a myth, especially with the involvement of a telco with a poor track record. Realistically, we can actually hope for 50Mbps. The pioneer areas with FTTH in Malaysia, as shared by the tech guy at Telekom Malaysia, would be Sri Hartamas, the trial area, the next phase being at my doorstep, Bangsar. Yippie!

FTTH is relatively new and Malaysia would probably be one of the early birds jumping on the bandwagon. With everyone's interest more centered mistakenly on wireless Internet, it's good to know that some fellows have been thinking out of the box to move toward stable and fast wired connections.

Malaysia does have some other fiber-optic ISPs, but with the backing of a larger telco like Telekom Malaysia, its FTTH will rule. Other fiber-optic ISPs so far in Malaysia are: Cyberjaya Metro Fibre Network, CMFN; Metrofon; Penangfon; and Time Fusion. These cover smaller areas and, relatively, may not have the infrastructure to grow as fast as FTTH from Telekom Malaysia.

Toward a fiber optic-linked 1 Nation. Cheers to TMNET, Telekom Malaysia. Please launch your FTTH service now.

http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/poptech-for-you...25&scid=rvhm_ms

Hilarious end to claims of wannabe richest person

TC_Boy — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:24:39 +0800

QUOTE

From RM160b to RM1,600
Submitted by amir azree on Friday, August 14th, 2009

Hilarious end to claims of wannabe richest person on the planet
Frankie D'Cruz
Friday, August 14th, 2009 05:37:00

THE Port Dickson widow who claimed that her late husband had left her a staggering RM160 billion actually has only RM1,600 in his accounts.

The two banks that were supposedly holding the money in the vaults revealed the paltry sum to her after an investigation.

The hilarious disclosure by the banks brings to an end the 48-year-old woman’s dream of joining the super rich of the world.

The widow, however, joins the likes of self-proclaimed Lebanese billionaire Elie Youssef Najem, 48, and now widower, who startled the nation in 2006 with his wacky tales of mega riches.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator Datuk T. Murugiah told Malay Mail that the banks completed their investigations into the widow’s claims recently.

He said the woman was not satisfied with the outcome of the investigations and planned to pursue the matter with Bank Negara on grounds that she has been cheated.

Asked if it was an utterly pointless pursuit, Murugiah said: “I can’t let her down at this stage and Bank Negara will be the last stop.”

The woman had approached Murugiah in his capacity as head of the Public Complaints Bureau. She produced documents and cheques regarding transactions by her 52-year-old husband who was said to have died of a heart attack two years ago.

The nature of the transactions that generated the “mountain loads” is not known. The RM160 billion claim that would have made her the richest person in the world, ahead of Bill Gates, came across as an unbelievable story from the start.

The jaw-dropping amount exceeds the nation’s reserves and three times more than the combined wealth of Malaysia’s super rich Tan Sri Robert Kuok and Ananda Krishnan.

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/10718-rm160b-rm1600

If 1Mbps RM88 & 10Mbps RM500.Discount already wor!

TC_Boy — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:49:22 +0800

Would you subscribe for 10Mbps?

Late treatment of the patients at private hospital

TC_Boy — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:04:19 +0800

QUOTE

Influenza A(H1N1) hits record high with 569 cases (Update)
By LESTER KONG

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia recorded its highest number of influenza A(H1N1) cases in a day with 569 infections.

There was also one death, bringing the total number of fatalities to 68.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said this indicated that the number of detected cases was still on the rise.

“That’s why our surveillance teams are working hard to detect areas that are persistent in local transmission so we can take measures to cut down on it,” he told reporters on Thursday after attending a campaign on prevention and treating A(H1N1).

He added there were 1,533 patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) who were admitted to 104 hospitals included four private establishments.

From this, 195 tested positive for the virus while 35 patients are in the intensive care unit.

A total of 188 people have been discharged from hospital.

Liow also said that private hospitals could not refuse treatment to patients with ILI.

He added the ministry would probe fatalities caused by late treatment of the patients at private hospitals.

According to a press statement from Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican, the death involved a 33-year old woman who was in the 34th week of her pregnancy.

The patient was treated and admitted into a private hospital in Johor Baru on Aug 8 after developing fever and cough for a day.

She was subsequently, referred and admitted to the intensive care unit of the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru for breathing difficulties five days later.

Tamiflu was administered.

“However, she died the following day because of severe pneumonia and respiratory failure,” he said.

She confirmed positive for the virus on Aug 14.

Earlier, Liow said government clinics in urban areas would now be opened on weekends to treat flu patients.

He said this was to reduce congestions and long queues at public hospitals.

The move takes effect immediately and the hours would differ from state to state, he added.

“In terms of hours, it will be the same as weekdays from 8am to 8pm for selangor,” he told reporters on Thursday after the launch of a seminar of stem cell research and therapy at Ampang Hospital.

“It is up to the state directors to decide on the exact number of hours to open in their respective areas depending on the number of patients.”

He added the doctors from public hospitals will be deployed to the clinics whenever necessary to assist the staff there.

Liow added insurance companies should include cause of death due to complications as a result of contracting influenza A (H1N1) in policies for their clients, regardless of whether they were new or old policy holders.

“I am confident that the demand for insurance will go up because of this health sit due to H1N1,” he added.

Thailand does its best to break the internet

TC_Boy — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:00:18 +0800

QUOTE

Thailand does its best to break the internet

WIRED: HOW DO you break the internet? The experience of the last decade seems to show that the internet is invulnerable to whatever we want to make of it, or however we want to stop it, writes DANNY O’BRIEN

No matter how much we talk of how dangerous and uncontrolled the internet is, we do not seem to pass any laws that restrict or tame it successfully. Anti-spam laws can be draconian, for instance, but seem to have little overall effect. Censorship systems are regularly instigated by countries, but are easily evaded.

Nor, to be honest, do we appear to see as much damage wreaked by the internet’s tentacles as its critics claim.

The internet seems to survive without central control. Good or bad, it has a life of its own.

But having spent the past few weeks travelling and speaking to internet users in Thailand and South Korea, I’m not so sure any more. The internet can be broken – and from the best of intentions.

The two countries could not be further apart in terms of internet adoption: South Korea has better broadband speeds and higher usage than almost all western countries; Thailand is just beginning its use of the internet. But both are attempting, in broad strokes, to control their local internet, and the results are disturbing.

I’ll write more on South Korea’s experience next week. But in Thailand, we can already see the effect of how the early growth of the internet can be warped by regulations that seek to control it through its weakest links – web hosts and internet service providers (ISPs).

Because of the lessons learned from other countries’ experiences, the Thai government has been able to copy much of its new “cybercrime” legislation from existing laws. But in mapping these new crimes to Thailand, the powers-that-be have added more.

As well as making hacking and computer fraud crimes, Thailand’s new cybercrime law insists that intermediaries are responsible for what happens on their corners of the internet. So if a person posts a defamatory comment on your website, you can be prosecuted and face jail. If a person connects to their local ISP to post an offensive video to YouTube, the ISP is criminally liable for this act.

Needless to say, it is much easier to fine YouTube than an anonymous poster, and even easier to prosecute a local Thai internet company than the US owners of YouTube. As a consequence, large foreign companies and the actual creators of the forbidden speech in Thailand largely escape scot-free, while prosecutors concentrate on those they can nab most easily.

Those easy catches are the innocent bystanders who are building the Thai internet’s infrastructure: the coders and workers who would, in another country, be laying the profitable foundations for the next Facebook or Boards.ie. Instead, they are treated in Thailand by press and prosecutors alike as criminals.

The largest web-hosting company, 212cafe.com, whose site is one of the most popular in Thailand and which hosts hundreds of thousands of personal websites, was recently prosecuted for a post by a single user.

Chiranuch Premchaiporn is the director of a web forum, Prachatai.com, which has diligently worked to build moderation systems that can remove an offensive post within minutes.

She is now being prosecuted by the authorities for a posting on the web forum that the police themselves did not notice or report, and that was so elliptical and allegorical in its criticism of the government that the board’s moderators did not understood it well enough to remove it.

These web developers risk thousands of dollars in penalties and face years in prison for the simple crime of building tools to let any Thai citizen speak online.

The very Thai citizens who are are building this exciting future live under constant threat of having their businesses raided, their hardware confiscated and their websites taken down.

Rather than using individuals like Premchaiporn to help find the real criminals, the authorities are arresting them and abandoning any further investigation.

Meanwhile, the Thai government department that is supposed to promote the internet instead proudly announces how many websites it has managed to block. That is akin to a ministry of roads constantly announcing how many bridges have been burned and how many new roadblocks are in place.

Fortunately, some are fighting back. Supinya Klangnarong, a prominent Thai journalist, won a court case in 2006 after being personally sued for defamation for a commentary she wrote in the Thai Post newspaper.

All too aware of the risks of misused laws governing free speech, she has been working with an internet activist group called the Thai Netizen Network to stop these injustices by defending the innocent in court.

It is hard to fight bad laws case by case. It is even harder to convince politicians to reform the existing law (especially when it has only been on the books for a few years). But unless they do so, Thailand risks crippling its own internet, and its economic future.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/financ...4252548396.html

Batiks Collected by President Obama's Mother on

TC_Boy — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:46:22 +0800

QUOTE

Batik is the traditional fabric art of Indonesia. The design often tells a story, and for one American woman in particular, the fabrics told the story of Indonesia, its people and culture. That woman was Ann Dunham, the mother of the President of the United States. Her collection of batiks has been on tour this summer in the United States, and is on display at the Textile Museum in Washington. Priscilla Huff has more.

"You want to try," asked Tri Asayani. Tri Asayani is demonstrating the intricate art of batik. "I like batik because we must do slowly," she said. She uses a small canting tool -- a device similar to a pen -- to apply wax to cloth. "I put the wax in here, after, the liquid, and then, we put the batik in fabric, after that, we dyeing, then we coloring, with dye or with brush, then, we remove the wax with hot water," said Tri Asayani.

The wax can be applied many times with different colors of dye to make complex designs.

U.S. President Barack Obama spent part of his childhood in Indonesia. During that time, his mother was doing research for a university doctorate and married an Indonesian man. She also collected batiks.

Maya Soetoro-Ng

His sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, explains why batiks were so important to their mother. "She wore batik almost every day and she had clothing made of batik to fit her dimensions, which were robust and she would go and speak to the batik sellers and the batik makers and she became very much a part of their lives and incorporated their stories into her love of the craft," said Maya Soetoro-Ng.

Visitors to the Textile Museum can view the president's mother's collection. Research Associate Mattiebelle Gittinger explains that the cloths collected by Ann Dunham tell the story of Indonesian life. "Ann wasn't interested in artistic pieces, they were beyond her means," said Mattiebelle Gittinger. "But she did know Javanese culture and she did collect pieces that were rich in cultural significance."
A batik pattern A batik pattern

Traditional colors include indigo, dark brown, and white, which represent the Hindu Gods Brahma, Visnu, and Siva. Some regions of Indonesia have their own unique batik patterns such as flowers, animals, or people, taken from everyday lives.

"White in the east was associated with pregnant women," she said. "Red in the South was associated with newlyweds. Both men and women and both would have worn a red shoulder cloth or carrying cloth like this and people who are very much older would have worn the blue type on the other side of the room because it incorporates all of the colors of the cosmology."

Admirers of Ann Dunham's collection say her batiks demonstrate both her knowledge of Javanese culture, and her commitment to microfinance... as one of her first jobs was to bring small loans to the batik makers of Indonesia.

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_d...9081901126.html

No way this is getting into local newspapers.

Belinda & Zher of 8TV Quickie are missing from TV

TC_Boy — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:04:26 +0800

Belinda & Zher of 8TV Quickie are missing from TV. 3 days already. I think kena H1N1 flu.

First day was emergency. They show Prem but name shown was Belinda and Zher.
Second day, Henry alone.
Third day, Henry & Prem. (Now)

China firm announces first safe H1N1 vaccine

TC_Boy — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:41:07 +0800

QUOTE

China firm announces first safe H1N1 vaccine

BEIJING, Aug 19 — A Chinese pharmaceutical company has become the first in the world to produce a safe and effective vaccine for the H1N1 virus, according to its developer.

Studies showed the inoculation made by Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech met “international criteria for vaccines” and caused no severe adverse reactions in any of the 1,614 volunteers who received it, Sinovac said in an e-mail statement yesterday.

Researchers from China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products conducted and supervised the test in Beijing.

“Trials show that the first dose of vaccine triggers an immune response in the human body, good enough to protect against the A/H1N1 virus strain,” Sinovac general manager Yin Weidong said.

But Sinovac did not give details about the efficacy of differing doses or vaccination methods used.

The results are the first reported anywhere in the world on a vaccine to fight the new H1N1 strain that has sparked the first influenza pandemic in 41 years, said Sinovac, which was formed in 2001 to make immunisations for hepatitis.

It is compiling data on the flu shot as soon as possible before seeking regulatory approval for it in China.

Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline and other vaccine makers are racing to prepare inoculations against the pandemic virus before the Northern Hemisphere winter.

Ten Chinese pharmaceutical companies have joined the global race to produce an effective vaccine, and more than 13,300 volunteers throughout China — including Health Minister Chen Zhu — are taking part in clinical trials.

“The reported results of the Sinovac trial of H1N1 vaccine hinting at good efficacy after a single inoculation are encouraging,” said Lorena Brown, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Melbourne.

“These will be of particular interest when the data are analysed in terms of age group, vaccine dose, vaccine form and the requirement for adjuvant, all of which can effect the practicality of vaccine manufacture and use.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said in an Aug 6 statement that data on the effectiveness of the first immunisations against the H1N1 virus will be limited when they are first administered.

Key information about the required composition of vaccines and whether one or two shots are needed probably will not be available until late next month, Marie-Paule Kieny, director of WHO’s initiative for vaccine research, said in a telephone interview from Washington yesterday. That data will help determine how many people could be immunised over the next few months, she said.

In June, Sinovac said that it received an initial order for four million doses from the Chinese government, and expects delivery by the end of next month. It anticipated additional orders in October, taking the total to 10 million doses.

Australia’s CSL, the Southern Hemisphere’s only flu vaccine maker, expects preliminary results on the first dose of its vaccine next week, said Rachel David, a company spokesman.

No severe adverse reactions have been observed so far, and the Melbourne-based company plans to submit the data to the Australian government on Sept 4, she said.

There have been at least 177,457 confirmed cases globally, including 1,462 deaths, according to the WHO’s latest statistics updated on Aug 6. — The Straits Times

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.p...fe-h1n1-vaccine

Made in China vaccine.

Melaka-Sumatera Bridge Awaits Approval

TC_Boy — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:35:51 +0800

QUOTE

Massive bridge plan raises some questions

Massive bridge plan raises some questions
By Kamarul Yunus
Published: 2009/08/20

Although a bridge connecting Malaysia and Indonesia may have its merits, it may still need the government's help due to its US$12.5 billion (RM44 billion) cost, an economist said.

Furthermore, it may not have the desired economic spillover effect as China's Exim Bank, which plans to fund the project, may insist on a Chinese firm as the main contractor, an industry observer said.

RAM Holdings Bhd chief economist Dr Yeah Kim Leng thinks the project economics will not be favourable without massive government financial help.

"Both governments would then have to compare the cost and benefit for other development initiatives foregone if funds were to be allocated for this project," he told Business Times.

Straits of Malacca Partners Sdn Bhd (SOMP) plans to build a 48.96km bridge across the Straits of Malacca, linking Teluk Gong in Malacca and Dumai in Sumatra, Indonesia.

China's Exim Bank plans to fund 85 per cent of the project, while SOMP will have to raise another US$1.9 billion (RM6.7 billion).

"The bridge project is a massive and costly one, similar in ambition to the Eurotunnel linking England and continental Europe.

"It is noted that the cost of the Eurotunnel ballooned to about US$23 billion from the original estimate of US$2.5 billion," Yeah said.

SOMP said that two financial studies had been done, with both showing a reasonable degree of success based on three main variables.

They are the total cost of around US$12.5 billion, traffic per day of 15,000 vehicles and toll charges per vehicle of US$75-US$85 (RM266 to RM301) based on the current ferry fare of RM100 per person each way.

"As such, there are savings if they use the bridge on a per person basis whereby if would cost motorists RM280 per vehicle when using the bridge against the current ferry cost of RM300 for three persons," SOMP said in a statement.

However, it did not indicate which party had undertaken the studies and the basis for its traffic projection.

http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/briggy-2/Article/

QUOTE

Melaka-Sumatera Bridge Awaits Approval

http://tourism-melaka.blogspot.com/2008/12...-indonesia.html

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- A project to build a bridge linking Melaka and Sumatera will proceed when approvals are given by the Malaysian and Indonesian governments, said Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

The 52km bridge costing nearly US$12.5 billion (US$1 = RM3.54) will link Teluk Gong in Melaka to Dumai, Sumatera.

Mohd Ali said the project would take nine years to complete.

The chief minister however, hoped the two governments would soon give the approval to build the bridge.

He was speaking to reporters at the Straits of Malacca Bridge Project seminar organised by Strait of Malacca Partners Sdn Bhd here today.

The aim of the seminar was to explain to Malaysian and Indonesian representatives, the architectural design, engineering and financial assistance required to build the bridge.

Mohd Ali told the representatives that if the bridge was built, it could benefit the economic sector of the two countries because transportation would be faster, as compared to shipping or ferrying, and reduce the influx of illegal Indonesians into the country.

The idea to build the bridge linking Melaka and Sumatera came from former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad but it was shelved due to the economic crisis in Asia in 1997-1998.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=433993

Cadbury New Zealand to stop using palm oil

TC_Boy — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:46:26 +0800

QUOTE

Cadbury New Zealand to stop using palm oil

2009/08/17

WELLINGTON, Mon: Cadbury in New Zealand has bowed to consumer pressure and agreed to stop using palm oil in its chocolate, it has been widely reported here.

The move comes after the confectionery giant received hundreds of letters and emails of complaints after it revealed a new recipe substituting cocoa butter with vegetable fat, including palm oil, TV New Zealand said in a report.

The report said palm oil had been linked with the clearing of native habitat in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

Cadbury products had been banned from Auckland Zoo and a facebook group boycotting the company because of the change, swelled to almost 2,000 members.

Cadbury New Zealand managing director Matthew Oldham told TVNZ their recipes would now only use cocoa butter.

He said Cadbury was really sorry and the change was a direct response to consumer feedback.

"At the time, we genuinely believed we were making the right decision, for the right reasons," he said.

"Cadbury Dairy Milk's quality is what's made it one of New Zealand's most trusted brands for many years. Changing the recipe put that trust at risk."

Auckland Zoo said it was delighted with Cadbury's decision to remove palm oil from its dairy milk chocolate range. -– BERNAMA

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/art...icle/index_html

If it’s silent, it must be English Day

TC_Boy — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:29:58 +0800

QUOTE

If it’s silent, it must be English Day

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 – A colourful poster was e-mailed to some 400 staff of the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit, or Mampu, recently.

Also posted in lifts and on notice boards, it read: “Monday is English Day. Just Speak!”

It is all part of an effort by some Malaysian government agencies to get their employees to use English more, so as to improve the fluency of civil servants in the language.

Mampu, a unit under the Prime Minister’s Department, held its first “English Monday” on July 27, and it created a buzz among employees.

Everyone was encouraged – in e-mail messages, prayer recitals, announcements and meetings – to speak English as much as possible that Monday.

“We want to boost the competency of all staff in speaking English,” a Mampu spokesman told The Straits Times.

The Retirement Fund Incorporated, or KWAP, which handles the pensions of some one million civil servants, is reaching for the same goal by taking a fun approach.

Investment and fund managers play a game of Scrabble or two to improve their vocabulary. Regular public speaking and book review sessions are held.

Employees also write investment papers, presentations, the minutes of meetings, and blog entries in English. It is quite a switch from Malay, which is used throughout the rest of the government.

“For an investment company, it is very important that your English is up to the mark, because all the investment reports and analyses are in English,” KWAP chief executive officer Azian Mohd Noh told The Straits Times. “There are no two ways about it, you have to master your English.”

It even invited the British Council to test the staff and conduct courses in articulation and grammar.

Such measures have paid off. According to Datuk Azian, some 70 per cent of KWAP employees speak English well. Another 20 per cent who understand the language shy away from speaking it.

“We still need to do more. English is important. If you work in the financial sector and deal with international counterparts, it will be a setback (if your English is not up to par),” she said.

These measures come in the midst of a long-running row over English standards and the use of English, instead of Malay, to teach Science and Maths in schools.

Over nearly four decades, Malay has become important for political reasons and is now a very sensitive issue.

English was the medium of instruction in schools until it was replaced with Malay in the 1970s.

The soft push for the use of English at the workplace has been prompted by criticism that the standard of English has declined alarmingly since.

As a result, Malaysia’s global competitiveness has suffered, with many graduates possessing inferior English language skills, critics say.

A controversial policy to use English to teach science and maths in schools was scrapped last month, after six years of protests by critics who say that students and teachers struggled with it.

Along with its decline in schools, English has also been neglected by most civil servants. With Malays making up 80 per cent of civil servants, many, apart from higher-ranking officers, prefer to use Malay daily. Thus there is some resistance to programmes that require them to speak English.

One Mampu worker joked that it would be a “Silent Monday”, referring to the fact that many would prefer not to speak to avoid speaking in English.

“My English is a little rusty,” she said. “Most people still speak in Malay, but I guess in a more formal setting like a meeting, they converse in English.”

There is no penalty if an employee switches to his mother tongue, so the move is just a gentle nudge to ease civil servants into grappling with the language, broken or otherwise.

An internal e-mail said: “Only a number of personnel are really into this programme. Do not worry so much about speaking grammatically correct. Practice makes perfect.”

A chief clerk with a district land office in Selangor said that her command of the English language deteriorated after she stopped using it when she joined the civil service 28 years ago.

“Even today’s graduates can’t converse in English very well,” she said.

The clerk said that the state government had tried implementing English Thursdays and other programmes but that they never got off the ground.

But some insist that such programmes can succeed.

A former civil servant of five years said: “Even if they speak broken English, it’s good for them to build confidence.”

She said she often ended up doing a lot of administrative work when travelling on overseas assignments, even when the support staff were meant to handle it, because of communication breakdowns.

“A lot of them can’t speak or write in English. That’s what happens when you keep speaking the same language,” she told The Straits Times.

But some analysts feel that the entire system needs a major overhaul, including using English in all official documents.

“You need at least one competent speaker in a government department for this sort of programme to work,” said analyst James Chin of Monash University Malaysia Campus. “If all of them are not competent, it will not work.”

He pointed out that the English policy that was scrapped from schools last month failed because too many teachers were not fluent in the language.

“If department heads are not fluent, subordinates will follow what they do,” said Chin. “Until they get real English speakers in the civil service and allow the use of English in all official documents, instead of just Malay, it will not work.” – The Straits Times

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.p...-be-english-day

Cut queuing time, toll operators told

TC_Boy — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:51:04 +0800

QUOTE

Cut queuing time, toll operators told

PETALING JAYA: Toll concessionnaires have been asked to cut queuing time for motorists to pay toll as part of their key performance index, said Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor.

He said motorists currently had to wait up to 40 minutes in long lines before they were able to pass through toll plazas.
Good work: Shaziman (third from left) presenting a certificate of appreciation to BP Healthcare Group chief operations officer Ho Pooi Yee (left) at the Sungai Buloh overhead bridge restaurant yesterday. — Bernama

He urged the companies to find ways to shorten the waiting time to less than 15 minutes.

“The shortened time will greatly benefit motorists especially during peak hours and for the coming Ramadan month where more vehicles will be on the road,” Shaziman said after launching the PLUSMiles card “RM1 For 1 Reward Point” programme at the Sungai Buloh overhead bridge restaurant yesterday.

He also urged electronic toll payment provider Rangkaian Segar, which operates the Touch ‘n Go and SmartTag, to work together with banks.

The move is to enable road users to reload their Touch ‘n Go credit through banking facilities without having to line up at toll payment counters.

Asked whether additional toll rate discounts would be given for motorists for the coming Hari Raya, Shaziman said the Government had already provided sufficient discounts.

“We are already forking out about RM63mil every year to provide the 20% discount for frequent highway users using electronic toll payment.”

Shaziman also urged the companies to maintain good service in rest areas and to always ensure they were clean and safe.

“Highway users today do not only want a shorter route to their destination but also expect the facilities to be in good condition,” he said.

Under the PLUSMiles card “RM1 For 1 Reward Point” programme, users of the PLUS, ELITE and BKE highways will be rewarded with one point for every RM1 spent on toll payments.

Accumulated points can then be redeemed for toll rebates.

PLUSMiles cardholders who spend more than RM200 a month for toll on PLUS and ELITE highways will also enjoy a 5% toll rebate.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=...3956&sec=nation

Indian minister slams detention of Shahrukh Khan

TC_Boy — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:38:20 +0800

QUOTE

Indian minister slams detention of Shahrukh Khan at US airport

NEW DELHI, Aug 15 - An India government minister Saturday criticised detention of a top Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan at a United States aiport allegedly over suspicion of his surname "Khan", China's Xinhua news agency reported.

"I don't think that this manner of detaining the name of religion is justified. But in the US, several examples have surfaced where frisking takes place more than required, according to us. I have always felt - even when I was frisked there - that the way they frisk us we should do the same for them here," Indian Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told the media.

Khan was detained for nearly two hours at the Newark-New Jersey airport Friday night when he was in transit to Chicago after US immigration officials spotted the Khan in his surname.

He was eventually released after Indian diplomats from Indian Embassy in Washington intervened to vouch for him.

"It was in Newark where I was detained for questioning. It was because they said my name was common to some names that popped up on the computer. They were asking me silly questions like if I knew someone in the US who could vouch for me, if I could give them numbers of people they could get in touch with," Khan told Indian news channel CNN-IBN.

Khan is a surname common in Muslim countries, especially terror- ridden countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan. - Bernama

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.p...-at-us-airport-

They caught the Don and they let him go.