Palin deleted fairly controversial 'tweetuage'

To be fair, it must also be put on public record that Sarah Palin finally deleted "refudiate" and replaced it with the word 'reject' in the tweet. Meanwhile, "refudiate" has entered into Google's news search engine.

Palin's 'twitterised' language under spot light

Palin's 'twitterised' language under spot light

Sarah Palin' s use of English in her twitter has recently been discussed by language experts in, among other British media, the BBC and Daily Telegraph. Some of her faith-inspired views on social issues and also politics, including USA's international relations, are controversial too.

Negative dimension of popular use of twitter

Negative dimension of popular use of twitter

Twitter is undoubtedly popular nowadays, but there is a concern that it could make the users less intelligent. There is also the observation that short messaging serves to ' butcher ' languages in the longer run.

Net 'addiction' now a conern in South Korea

Scientist Albert Einstein's quotable quote ....

It was Albert Einstein ( 1879 -1955 ) who once said : " I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist ..." Einstein was a very great scientist of Jewish origin, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.

"Militant pacifists" for Ibrahim Ali to translate

"Militant pacifists" for Ibrahim Ali to translate

How would Ibrahim Ali translate "militant pacifists" from English into Bahasa Malaysia ? Jawapan yang betul memanglah bukan "penduduk-penduduk di sekitar Lautan Pasifik yang berperang dengan senjata ." By the way, I am very glad to see that Ibrahim Ali seems to have put on a little bit of weight and he looks quite well -fed in physical terms.

M'sian lawmaker uses foul word in Al Jazeera

Observations on Myanmar's military ambitions

Is the military regime in Myanmar/Burma developing a programme of nuclear weapons ? I recently asked, through an email correspondence, UM's Associate Professor Jaswant Singh to share his observations and analysis as a well-known Malaysian expert of Myanmar/Burma affairs.

Exploring USA's policy & strategy on Myanmar

Net 'addiction' now a concern in South Korea

Youth addiction to Internet has reportedly become a social concern in South Korea which is a very open and also democratic society in Asia. To be sure, there are also many positive aspects of the Revolution in Information and Communication Technology , like easier and cheaper accesses to high cultures as well as scientific and technological ideas.

Impact of information & knowledge explosion

Farewell to great musician Charles Mackerras

One of the greatest conducters as well as most well-known Australian musicians, Sir Charles Mackerras has died in London at 84 . May him rest in peace. May his music continue to bring joy to the whole world.

Personal tribute to Mary Travers (1936-2009)

Dr. Rais urged to apologise to US government

Former US ambassador to Malaysia John Malott has written publicly to ask Rais Yatim to apologise for his allegation that Anwar Ibrahim is a "CIA agent". Mr Malott served in KL from 25 Jan 1996 to 30 Dec 1998. When PM Najib Razak visited Washington in April this year, Rais was made the acting Foreign Minister on the Malaysian delegation to USA. Rais, who voiced support for the legalisation of sport bettting against widespread opposition , was widely criticised by Malaysians for saying that gambling is non-Muslims ' 'way of life' , which must be 'respected' by the Umno-dominated ruling coalition in Muslim -majority Malaysia.

CNN responds to allegation by DPM Muhyiddin

CNN responds to allegation by DPM Muhyiddin

CNN has reportedly responded to the allegation asserted by Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin that Malaysia's Parliamentary Opposition Leader and former Deputy Prime Minister , Anwar Ibrahim "paid" the USA -based global news channel to do an interview for him. DPM Muhyiddin is widely expected to substantiate his open and public allegation to uphold the global credibility of the Malaysian goverment.

Muhyiddin: Anwar "paid" CNN to do interview

Muhyiddin: Anwar "paid" CNN to do interview

While UMNO's Vice-President Mohd Shafie Apdal speculated that CNN may have been "paid" by Anwar Ibrahim for the recent interview, its Deputy President as well as Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin has made a categorical statement that the US TV channel was "paid". How would CNN respond to the allegation in order to defend and also uphold its professional integrity, is pretty interesting to be observed. It would be equally interesting to watch how the Malaysian DPM would substantiate his assertion, if and when actions are taken by the CNN. It is unlikely that the Malaysian government would proscribe or try to proscribe the powerful American TV channel like it has been doing to the publications of the very much weaker opposition inside Malaysia.

Xenophobes' mouthpiece in M'sia off the hook

MP recovers from overeating 'heaty' food mix

Sibuti MP Ahmad Lai Bujang, who was rushed to hospital after eating too much durian and mutton , has reportedly recovered and vowed to stay away from durian, Malaysia's famous tropical fruit , for a month.

'Grandfatherly' wisdom on food & drink mixes

'Grandfatherly' wisdom on food & drink mixes

Mutton and beef cooked with ' hot ' curry and spices is best consumed with ais moru. Chinese tea can be taken together with many types of food, including satai, murtabak, otak -otak, mee goreng, mee rebus, mee java, kebab, spaghetti, pizza, dim sum as well as grilled salmon. Durian and mangostin compliment each other as a ' hot-cool ' balance. Remember: mixing durian and hard liquor could be extremely harmful to health, however smart, wealthy, powerful and religious we may be.

'Grandmotherly' wisdom for bodily well-being

'Grandmotherly' wisdom for bodily well-being

That durian cannot be taken together with alcoholic drink ( especially Guinea Stout ), curry mutton and beef has been known to many of us for many years since we were kids. 'Grandmotherly ' wisdom may not be that scientific but it is certainly safer for us to pay attention to it. Surely, we don't consume Dim Sum with Coca Cola or other soft drink, although the ill-effect is not as harmful as mixing durian with Brandy. Let' s sincerely wish MP for Sibuti Ahmad Lai Bujang speedy recovery.

Impact of increasingly cheaper overseas trips

The increasingly affortable travel fare in the past ten years or so has enabled more and more Malaysians to travel overseas for pilgrimage, sightseeing, conferencing and other activities. More people can now compare and also contrast what they have experienced overseas with their local conditions. Certainly, this is another major reason for the emergence of an increasingly opinionated and argumentative society. Moreover, there is a significant segment of the Malaysian population with backgrounds of overseas higher education in very diverse fields. Now, Malaysia even has foreign students and lecturers in many areas.

'Soft' power in era of rapid rise of new media

Public funding for monarchy in Britain frozen

As the economy of Britain is facing hard times, public funding for the royal household has also been frozen. There is only ONE palace in the United Kingdom comprising of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. At its imperial height, the British Empire reigned over nearly a quarter of the world, including the 13 colonies in North America and area now split into India, Nepal, Pakistan , Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. English, meanwhile, still remains an important language in this world as it is not only useful in sciences and technology as well as business, politics and diplomacy, but it is also a mental system of preservation of a very large quantity of knowledge of human experiences on earth.

Britain debates royal request for more money

'Allah' word ban back for disputation in M' sia

The very 'hot' controversy of whether 'Allah' is 'God' or not is back in a Malaysian court for earthly disputation among lawyers and thelogians. Sam Harris' two thought-provoking books are not banned while God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing the World, penned by two very established British journalists, viz. John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, can also readily be found in bookshops around KL. Historian Edward Gibbon's masterpiece has always been available but is now considered to be 'old- fashioned' and obscure for the RICT age.

Study & understand religions in modern times

Xenophobes' mouthpiece in M'sia off the hook

While Suara Perkasa has reportedly been left off the hook after being reprimanded, Suara Keadilan' s fate is still being hung in the balance. I don't think anyone need any more backgrounders of the two papers.

Home Ministry: SK's fate not really sealed yet

Home Ministry: SK's fate not really sealed yet

According to a rather rare Sunday media statement released just now by Malaysia's Home Ministry, it "has yet to decide on Suara Keadilan's application for renewal of its publication permit". PM Najib Razak has already tried to contest the report that Felda is facing bankrupcy and Felda itself has filed a RM200-million suit against PKR and is seeking an apology. "Overkill " would give a bad image to Najib's government that is making many attempts to establish its democratic credentials, differentiating itself from that of former PM, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

Less extreme responses to inaccurate reports

Less extreme responses to inaccurate reports

Whether Felda is actually bankrupt or not can be ascertained by many legally established and normally acceptable ways and means, including defamation suits. Inaccurate or wrong reports in a democratic society can also be rebutted publicly by the affected persons or /and entities. There are certainly many platforms and channels, including TV as well as radio stations for the Government or Felda to set the record right.

Najib government closes Anwar's party paper

Najib government closes Anwar's party paper

Suara Keadilan, the party organ of PKR of which Anwar Ibrahim is the adviser, has been closed down by Najib's government. PKR is a legally registered party, which has gathered and retained a fairly substantial number of multi-ethnic and multi-faith votes in elections in Malaysia. Anwar Ibrahim is the Opposition Leader in the Westminster tradition. To be fair, Malaysians are still permitted by Najib's administration to watch Al Jazeera's world news in English as well as Arabic and to read The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, co-authored by two political scientists in the United States , John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt. Of course, ex-PM Dr. Mahathir Mohamad' s personal blog, which once claimed that 9/11 was a 'conspiracy' , is still widely read and debated. Atheist Sam Harris ' two thought-provoking books are not proscribed, while Barry Wain's 'explosive' Mahathir story is reportedly selling well.

Anwar asks US not to be soft on human rights

Soft 'power' in era of rapid rise of new media

The rapid emergence of new media and alternative news outlets have certainly impacted on the domestic politics of almost all countries on earth ( with the probable exception of DPRK ) as well as international relations. The popularity and also impact of Al Jazeera is, as political scientist Joseph S. Nye has righty suggested in his popular book, viz . Soft Power: The Means To Success In World Politics, very noteworthy.

Impact of information & knowledge explosion

Avoid resorting to obscene & vulgar language

Avoid using obscene language and vulgar expression in public debates and discourses is certainly the first step towards enhancing our newly acquired democratic freedom. To have emotion occasionally is human but it can surely be expressed with civility, and with the psychological wellbeing of children as well as youths in mind. In fact, many types of emotion can be expressed, among friendly adults, in private settings. Socially responsible adults , including politicians, should always strive to set good examples or role models for younger people in our nation.