My friend's take on keeping up with the IT Joneses

Wow, technology has really been pushed hard.

Now this Toshiba AT200 (7.7mm) is the thinnest tablet TO DATE, even thinner or slimmer than the Samsung Tablet 10.1 (8.6mm) or even the iPad2 tablet (8.8mm).

As usual, be prepared to throw or discard these tablets away after 3+ years of use 'cuz all slim or thin tablets come with embedded batteries. Unless you belong to that rich self-indulging category of iPad users who can afford it, you better be prepared to send them in and spend an extra RM450/= and about 2 weeks of cold-turkey withdrawal, to just replace the eventually permanently depleted embedded battery.

But by then ( 3+ years' time), more and more powerful devices will be out, so you always end up "keeping up with Joneses". So those rich iPad ladies who discard objects (and men!!!) at the flimsiest excuses, are indeed very wise to buy slim and beautiful devices. They can afford them.

As for the Android men, think carefully since most of you are broke...

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Prof. Khoo Kay Kim vs Dr. Lim Teck Ghee

Dr. Lim took on Prof. Khoo in his own turf, on the history of Malaya. Who wins depends on which side you are on. Prof. Khoo sided NST's spin and Dr. Lim questioned his credential and lack of research before criticizing Mat Sabu.

Excerpt from Dr. Lim's Media lynching and academic collaorators in CPI:

Mat Sabu’s intellectual honesty

Prof. Khoo’s field of specialization is not the Malayan Communist Party or Chin Peng or recent Malayan political history.

Although his PhD was on the topic ‘The Beginnings of Political Extremism in Malaya 1915-1935’, it does not cover the period of the 1940s and 1950s when the struggle for independence took place in earnest and during which time the MCP underwent various metamorphosis and change in ideological direction in its objective to free Malaya from the colonial yoke of the British.

Prof. Khoo could have waited for clarification or explanation from Mat Sabu, and for any justification the latter may have provided for his views. That would have been the correct academic etiquette.

Or if Prof. Khoo was in haste, he could at least have relied on scholars that have done more authoritative work on the MCP and through their studies provided an academic and more truthful historical context and explanation for the Bukit Kepong incident and the communist fighters.

Instead he was reported to have stated that “Mohamad should not lie to the people when the rakyat today was easily led astray and misinformed” (NST, p.10). Not only has he dismissed Mat Sabu’s account without checking with the victim of the public lynching but he has diverted the issue away from Mat Sabu’s focus on who were Malaya’s freedom fighters to the international origins and orientation of the Malayan Communist Party in the 1920s and 30s!

Readers can view Mat Sabu’s talk at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ItcuiUCw4qY

http://www.ukm.my/knam/data/Peristiwa_Bukit_Kepong.pdf

Prof. Khoo is no academic innocent or virgin when it comes to press coverage. He must know that the NST has its knives out for Mat Sabu and other opposition or civil society leaders that stand in the way of UMNO’s agenda. He must know or at least he should know that there would be no fair trial and that the pursuit of academic facts and intellectual truth is the furthest away from being a concern or priority of the NST.

Mat Sabu is feared by Umno and its mouthpieces, the NST and Utusan for good reason. He is PAS’s thinking, progressive and committed face – not simply a face but someone who possesses not only the intellectual honesty to raise uncomfortable questions about how our history is being written but also is prepared to take a contrary position to defend his take on historical truth.

In doing so, Mat Sabu puts to shame the academic hangers-on that are quick to bray when called upon by the government.

http://english.cpiasia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2237:media-lynching-and-academic-collaborators&catid=228:commentary&Itemid=196

Ariff Sabri's take is enlightening too:
http://sakmongkol.blogspot.com/2011/09/mat-sabus-historical-revisionism.html

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Could this Thai advert have inspired our police?

Excerpt from Mariam Mokhtar's Playing with fire in Malaysiakini:

"Farting is cheap and the only expense incurred is perhaps to send the interrogators for a curry lunch with dhall, a western one with baked beans, a Chinese meal with taugeh or a kampong lunch with rebong masak lemak and deep-fried jackfruit in batter, for dessert.

Unconfirmed sources say that the policeman's farts were unintentionally lit when another policeman sitting close to Hii, lit his cigarette at the same time as the person who was administering the torture. The torturer is still in intensive care because he had a flashback.

The policemen were shocked at what transpired, they were unable to prevent the spread of the fire which had first consumed a wastepaper basket full of paper and later, the furniture.

The police believed also that the fire was divine intervention and released Hii the following day. They were however, incensed with Hii for embarrassing them so first, they sent him to the psychiatric ward of Kuala Lumpur hospital by tricking him into seeking treatment for his singed eyebrows.

Doctors treating those from the police station, revealed that the police personnel were unaware that the noxious gases were flammable. Every school boy (and girl) knows this fact."

http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/174377

Even Zorro's Fart Chamber now comes with a warning...


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Just when we thought some of our MPs were behaving like juveniles

when they start calling each other names in Parliament, the collective noun for owls is called a parliament of owls! Compare this with a congress of baboons and some of us might think there was a mistake somewhere! The following information is not going to be set in an English exam, but maybe in a quiz competition:

The English language has some wonderfully anthropomorphic collective nouns for the various groups of animals.

We are all familiar with a Herd of cows, a Flock of chickens, a School of fish and a Gaggle of geese.

However, less widely known is a Pride of lions, a Murder of crows (as well as their cousins the rooks and ravens), an Exaltation of larks and, presumably because they look so wise, a Parliament of owls.

Now consider a group of Baboons. They are the loudest, most dangerous, most obnoxious, most viciously aggressive and least intelligent of all primates. And what is the proper collective noun for a group of baboons? Believe it or not ... A Congress!

I guess that pretty much explains the things that come out of Washington!

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How my friend got to know he is related to Chan Fong

On August 30th, I joined a friend to attend a wedding dinner at Sunway Carnival Convention Centre, Seberang Jaya, Penang. It was his cousin's daughter's happy occasion and I was to be his companion during the trip which was a chance to catch up on news.

Actually, I had guests over the Merdeka holiday but they were my daughter-in-law's friends on a Jom Makan Makan trip. So after one self-encouraged performance (aka show off) at the drums, accompanying Guy Sebastian's Midnight hour, I was off with my friend. Incidentally, Guy Sebastian was the soul singer-songwriter and winner of the first Australian Idol in 2003. I used to have Wilson Pickett's tape but never get to find one for the song on CD until few days ago when I found this Guy's version which is just as good for my purpose.

At the dinner, I looked around for anyone whom I might know but it was a sea of unfamiliar faces in the big banquet hall. Wait a minute, I noticed someone who looks like Chan Fong, the 988 DJ who appeared in some advertisements and on the panel of some competitions. In fact, he was featured in The Star just a few days ago. From what I gathered, I knew his father when his company rented two of our shophouses in Jalan Ipoh in the '80s. I was also told he was our school junior at MBS Sentul, KL!

My friend was doubtful whether he was Chan Fong and even wanted to place a bet with me. But I was almost certain and just wanted to confirm I did not lose my ability at recognizing people, though I know I have lost the memory part of remembering most of their names.

I noticed the bride's mother speaking to Chan Fong's wife and seeing them with their children I was quite sure they are related, so I asked the gentleman next to me. He confirmed that he is Chan Fong and explained that Mrs. Chan is the hostess's sister! So my friend just got to know he is related to him!
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