US biologist to share view on climate change

Dr. Myron Shekelle , a distinguished American Conservation Biologist and the Director of Tarsier. Org, will be in Malaysia soon to share his educated and informed views on the impacts of COP 15 (Copenhagen Summit) on Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Among other platforms, he will attend and give a talk in Dialogue with Bloggers and Students on Global Environment at the Avenue K, Kuala Lumpur (from 9.30 am to 11.00 am on 6 March ) and exchange his perspectives with interested members of the public at the Central Market's Annex in Kuala Lumpur ( from 12.00 pm to 2.00 pm on 6 March ) . Public is invited to attend.

Good old English fable in M'sian cinemas soon

One of the good old English fables, Alice in Wonderland is going to be screened in cinemas very soon. We hope younger Malaysians enjoy it.

Dickens' message clear & simple for everyone

Exchanging past stories for progress in future

Although most Chinese families like to share or exchange past stories in festive chats during the Chinese New Year reunions, they also look to the future. What happened in the past only serve as moral lessons and referent points to discern progress or regress, if any, thereafter.

Reading books during Chinese New Year days

Reading books during Chinese New Year days

One of the superstitious beliefs in the past was that reading or / and buying books during the 15 -day Chinese New Year celeberation would cause or lead one to lose fortunes because of the pronunciation shu is the same for "book" as well as "loss". But, in the mainstream Chinese community today, many people not only read but also purchase books to improve themselves intellectually and culturally for a better future. Chinese New Year celebrates fine traditions and progressive changes.

Mom & aunt share life stories in festive chats

Mom & aunt share life stories in festive chats

Da Yi or the eldest sister of my mother has been staying with us since last evening to spend her Chinese New Year. Like my mother, Da Yi is a fairly rich source of oral history of the Batu Gajah -Tanjung Tualang area. I like to hear their stories to acquire a better sense of the past. When I was younger, I also enjoyed hearing stories of Ipoh told by my grandmother, father or other elders in the family and neighbourhood.

Festive tour of Batu Gajah & Tanjung Tualang

Festive tour of Batu Gajah & Tanjung Tualang

Last evening, I toured the Batu Gajah-Tanjung Tualang area with my mother to visit her siblings and relatives. We had a 2-table dinner in a now air-conditioned traditional restaurant in Tanjung Tualang town to celebrate the birthday of one of her younger brothers. The area in the southern zone of the Kinta Valley was where my mother spent her childhood and also adolescence under British as well as Japanese rule. Also, Tanjuang Tualang town was a part of the Kampar parliamentary constitutency where I was elected at 28 in the 1990 general elections.

Home sweet home for real Chinese New Year

Home sweet home for real Chinese New Year

I'm already back to my hometown Ipoh since last evening for a week-long celebration of the Chinese New Year . Most of the authentic and organic activities to celebrate the traditional festival are to be found in hometowns where cars with Singapore's number plates are aplenty.

CNY celebration reflects continuity & change

CNY celebration reflects continuity & change

Indeed, the annual celebration of Chinese New Year epitomises a fine balance between continuity and change. While the spirit and essences are well preserved through the Chinese language, there are also fairly progressive changes and reforms: nowadays, Chinese women are free and equal to men in all activities; and the festival is also inclusive for Chinese Christians, Muslims and believers of all other faiths, who are clear-minded enough to make a distinction between faith and culture. This is also the 98th year Chinese celebrate the traditional festival in a people-centered fashion that is in sync with the spirit of modernity.

Xin Nian Jin Bu greeting from James & family

Disputable role of Zulkifli's 'divine' messaging

It is an established belief in the Abrahamic faiths that the One True X sends special or extraordinary messages ( other than the instructions already revealed in holy scriptures yang turun dari langit ) through (1) angels and/or (2) prophets. It is also a common knowledge that Islam has further proclaimed as one of its two foundational articles of faith that Muhammad was the final prophet. Read in this light , MP Zulkifli Noordin' s assertion that the tsunami which occurred on 26 December 2004 was a sign of 'Allah's Outrage' becomes even more questionable.

Challenges to Zulkifli's 'theological reasoning'

Xin Nian Jin Bu greeting from James & family

My family and I would like to wish all our relatives, neighbours as well as friends everywhere in the world Xin Nian Jin Bu and Wan Shi Ru Yi. Chinese New Year is a festival to reaffirm family-based social values. Harmonious families with integrity are bulwarks against nihilist ideas and anti-social behaviours that, if left unchallenged and unchecked in the age of Revolution in Information and Communication Technology, could result in the corrosion of the foundational values of our society.

Chinese celebrate Festival of Winter Solstice

namewee's 'cultural' vulgarity not acceptable

I think while certain dimensions of the alienation of Wong Meng Chee @ namewee are real and understandable, the culturally vulgar manner of his articulation or expression is unacceptable at all to Clare Street. Wong Meng Chee must never be consciously or unconsciously made a social model for children and youth in any communities in our society. Political change and socio-cultural transformation for our country has to be inspired by more steady, thoughtful and responsible characters.

My observation on P1 Wimax's advertisement

Challenges to Zulkifli's 'theological reasoning'

What were the 'divine' messages of MP Zulkifli's "Allah" in the notably disastrous earthquakes which happened in Iran on 26 December, 2003 and elsewhere in the world on earth, especially Pakistan and Turkey ? I, for one, am looking forward to reading MP Zulkifli's thought on this topic in Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia and other mainstream media. In my own opinion, this type of illogical as well as irrational reasoning on the ultimate cause of natural catastrophes, whatever the religious origin, is a mental obstacle to the development of scientific thinking and outlook of life which are the preconditions for organic modernity.

MP Zulkifli's 'divine idea' illogical & irrational

MP Zulkifli's 'divine idea' illogical & irrational

It is now a well -known fact throughtout the world that the area worst hit by the tsunami that happened on 26 ( not 25 ) December 2004 was Banda Aceh which is traditionally and still widely known among Malay-speaking Muslims in Malaysia and Indonesia as Serambi Mekah or the Corridor to Mecca. So, for MP Zulkifli Noordin' s "Allah" to "warn" the Trinitarian Christians all over the world by inflicting uniquely massive damages to Serambi Mekah is, to put it simply , illogical or irrational. In other words, Zulkifri Noordin' s "Allah" is neither merciful nor just.

MP Zulkifri Noordin on cause of tsunami 2004

MP Zulkifli Noordin on cause of tsunami 2004

According to the abnornally obscurant and fairly insolent MP for Kulim Bandar Baru, Zulkifli Noordin, the tsunami that occurred in December 2004 which killed and maimed thousands, including a large number of Muslims in Indonesia, was the message of his "Allah". Why didn' t the "Allah" of Zulkifli Noordin cause the tsunami to happen in the vicinity around the Mediterranean Sea that could have hit Rome ? By the way, all records indicate unambiguously that the catastrophe happened on 26 December, 2004. His view was published in the pro-establishment Malay-language newspaper for nationwide distribution, Berita Harian.

Study & understand religions in modern times