What not to learn from Britain

When British left Malaya, we inherited a fine system of administration led by a fair Prime Minister. Our standard of English was excellent, envied by other countries, especially non-Commonwealth ones.

Over 54 years, our system of administration is now almost of single race with a distinct bias towards it, and we have had a succession of Prime Ministers who opted not for meritocracy but to ensure they remain in power. One of the most obvious outcome is the increasing number of unemployable graduates and youths who shun manual jobs or refuse to learn a skill to overcome it. Lack of proficiency in English has led to diminishing chances of advancement in their careers.

Perhaps, we can find comfort in reading about Britain facing similar problems relating to youths...

"No sensible employer in a service industry would choose a young Briton if he could have a young Pole; the young Pole is not only likely to have a good work ethic and refined manners, he is likely to be able to add up and -- most humiliating of all -- to speak better English than the Briton, at least if by that we mean the standard variety of the language. He may not be more fluent but his English will be more correct and his accent easier to understand.

This is not an exaggeration. After compulsory education (or perhaps I should say intermittent attendance at school) up to the age of 16 costing $80,000 a head, about one-quarter of British children cannot read with facility or do simple arithmetic. It makes you proud to be a British taxpayer."

More:
http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/special-reports/42726-british-rioters-the-spawn-of-a-bankrupt-ruling-elite


While on the subject of Britain, and the recent riots, Art Harun took pains to explain the difference between what happened there and what happened here (Bersih rally)...
ARTHarun: London riots
http://art-harun.blogspot.com/2011/08/london-riots.html
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MAS: Let bygones be bygones...

so where is the accountability? Ministers made decisions on mega deals, but when things went wrong, they do not have to be accountable. We all know mega bucks mean mega commissions or kickbacks, with ACA (morphed into MACC, not to be confused with the popular Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians) closing one eye and shut the other. We have AG who can be like God, who can decide who to prosecute or persecute; we have the judiciary making decisions favourable to BN (if not at Magistrate level, then High Court, then if necessary, the Federal Court); now we even have a Minister in the PM's department who has the mandate to tell government agencies to 'let bygones be bygones, we must move on'. Such simple solution to difficult matters... all these are possible, only in Bolehland!

The Malaysian Insider:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-directs-glcs-danaharta-to-drop-all-claims-against-tajuddin-ramli/

Not so easy, according to ex-cop Mat Zain...

"A former senior cop has called for charges to be brought against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramlim saying the withdrawal of civil suits against the former Malaysian Airline (MAS) chairman does not indemnify him against criminal culpability..."

More:
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2011/08/13/a-g-must-still-prosecute-tajuddin-says-mat-zain/

Raja Petra's comments with list of his earlier exposes:
http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/42766-ahah-did-we-not-say-so
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MAS-Air Asia Merger: AA saviour or being saved?

Depending on who gives the opinion, there is more than meets the eyes.

With such a mega merger, there are bound to be differences of opinions; praises or criticisms which come naturally when you stand to gain or you have been left out of the loop; from politicians, depending on which side you are on, as well as whether you are supposed to support because of loyalty to your leaders who are involved in the deal.

The first salvo was quick, coming from Sakmongkol AK47 in his latest post: Sting is in the air?
http://sakmongkol.blogspot.com/2011/08/sting-is-in-air.html

Excerpt:

"I know this is a BAD deal because Dr Mahathir said so. Dr Mahathir always say something when he actually mean the reverse.

Yeah baby, what can we learn from AA?

How about the home grown talent’s records then? Well, let’s see. As of the 1st Quarter of 2011, Air Asia (AA) debts amounted to 7.7 billion with cash balances amounting to 1.7billion. This part doesn’t require teaching for MAS. Its executives are renowned masters.

Let’s see further. Hmm, in August 2010. AA announced a deferment of their proposed aircraft purchases but sometime in June 2011 they reversed their decision and proceeded to place an order for an additional 200 new aircrafts at the Paris Air Show. No big deal, we can order as many as we want. Possibly the commissions earned from the purchases dwarf the one earned from the Scorpene submarines which are not submersible."

The above caught my eyes because only recently I discussed with a friend what Tony Fernandes used to complain: "What do I get for being a so-called crony?" Besides, being given a relatively free hand to run the airline (read without harassment from authorities, probably even favoured treatment upon certain requests), commissions should be a motivating factor too. Many people believe Tony is fronting for some VVIPs like Tun Dr. Mahathir, Tun Dr. Ling, Ananda Krishnan and so on. AK is being used as flight letters before the numbers which many presumed to be relating to Ananda Krishnan. AK47 of the blogger is just coincidence!

Meanwhile, let's see what the aviation specialists or financial analysts have to say.

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Will the Dollar fall?

The engine of the world economy is the US. The US national debt is shown below. When it reach US15 trillion, it will be equivalent to the US GDP. Apparently, they have borrowed money for 7 genrations into the future. U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK The Outstanding Public Debt as of 05 Aug 2011 at 07:12:03 AM GMT is: $14,598,064,209,764.69.

The estimated population of the United States is 311,062,314so each citizen's share of this debt is $46,871.92. It's 10 times if you have a family of 10.

Question: Can a nation keep borrowing and printing money without gold or GDP backing? That the value is not plummeting is probably because it's still used as an international currency. Some day, in the near future, it's bound to fall.

Commn sense tells us only a tight ass can hold the Dollar...





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Open letter, to whom it may concern, in Microsoft

Microsoft Corp, jointly founded by Bill Gates, has had its days as the top IT company which made him at one time, the richest man in the world. He is known for his philantrophy when he donates regularly to charities. Even Warren Buffet likes his way of charity management, and would let him manage his contributions.

I can understand Microsoft as a company is a separate entity which has to make profits for its shareholders, of whom, Bill Gates is just one, though the largest. Is there anyway which he can influence company policy to allow users of outdated computers using dated softwares to continue without harassment?

I happen to be a parent who has a personal belief in 'waste not, want not' which is useful to the general good of conservation of nature. If even the use of handkerchiefs to avoid use of paper tissues can help in preventing logging of forests, I am sure if more people (likely to be old folks like me, or those who have no choice because of poverty) would continue using used computers handed down by their children, then there will be less computer junk which has to be disposed off.

When computers are purchased, they come pre-loaded with Windows operating systems, a pre-requisite which helped in Microsoft earning billions. I have three notebooks: two Twinheads and one Acer which were left behind after my children upgraded to newer models. They were bought from authorised dealers who pre-loaded them with Window XP, an already out of date system. Somehow, the original CDs for re-installation went missing after so many years of use. Yet, I find Microsoft seems relentless in making things difficult for users like me, treating me like the usual users of pirated software.

I wish Microsoft would go easy on those who are still using dated Windows, even if they are in doubt about their authenticity.
nk