Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Height of Candour & Cynicism (and Humour too!)

I have found perhaps one of the most interesting channels in Youtube - jpmetz. That's because there's never been any video blogger so full of candour & cynicism (and also amusing) so far! I mean, who'd review, mock and insult acclaimed children's books (along with vegans, thin people, etc.)? Lucky for us, we have JPMETZ!





[Thin people may be offended, but please watch this next video (-: ]

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

We Must Try Harder

On the first week of July, Tun posted an entry on Che Det, urging Malaysians to support local inventors and innovators by investing more capital and confidence into these local projects - as neatly summarized in his last paragraph:
The Government, the civil servants, the business community need to change their mindsets if Malaysia is serious about research and development.

According to him, most of us make up excuses not to invest into our local inventors and innovators, and feeling frustrated, some of these local inventors came to see him to demonstrate their products.


As I have said in my reply to that post, we must first understand that inventions and innovations get turned down everyday all around the world. That means, we in Malaysia are not unique in the response of our society to new products of invention. Below is a video about Google Wave (an ambitious project by Google to replace the traditional email system):




You can see how promising this new technology, Google Wave really is. And I wonder, why are we still not using it by now? (Note: I was very optimistic about Google Wave, and I'm quite disappointed that it is still not in practical use) This is only one of the many examples of failed inventions in the West.

Did you know that the British Royal Navy in mid-nineteenth century was once appalled by the advent of steam and also ignored the invention of the telegraph? Of course, it turned out that these two technologies, along with several others were the fuel of their rise to power.

So instead of blaming our mindsets for the failure of our local invention and innovation, we must encourage our inventors and innovators to never lose faith and try harder to develop their products and market them. They must have a strong heart in order to succeed, in a spirit of determination popularized by Thomas Edison when he said:
I have not failed. I've just found 10000 ways that won't work

Of course, it is much easier for me to quote somebody than to actually do all the research work and develop new technology. But I strongly believe that we can go further than just repeating cliches about Malaysians denigrating all things Malaysian. This is a myth, I think.

Above all, we are no different from the people in America, Britain, Germany, Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, Africa, and everywhere else around the world. If something is good, practical and useful, it doesn't matter if it's American, British, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese or Malaysian, every intelligent person in the world would like to have it.  

Friday, July 16, 2010

Mosque Bombing In Iran - Where Are The Peaceful Protests/Boycott?

Haven't you heard about the latest violence in Iran? At least 22 people were killed in the bombing.

If we'd protested for 9 civillian deaths, logically then we must feel obliged to do the same now - surely 22 deaths are a larger cause to protest. My question is, why aren't we?

...

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Peace, Peace and Peace!

Everyone wants peace, naturally. Who doesn't? Allow me to make a bold assertion here: even the warmongers (Hitler, Osama, Bush, or anyone you want to pick) around us would agree to settle all crises if they are guaranteed victory, and their idea of a peaceful world is made a reality. Most often, wars are fought simply because the belligerents disagree on what peace means - although essentially they all want peace.

Recently, while chatting online about the Gaza crisis with a friend, I asked him what kind of solution does anybody in the peace forums and talks he attended offer to end the crisis? I asked because - I admit - I rarely attend those events and I am curious to know how the 'pro-Palestinian' movements (at least in our country) seek to end the crisis. You can say, 'Duh, isn't it obvious?'. Well sorry if I'm a bit slow on this, but, as much I would dream to see the end of the Palestine-Israel conflict, I want to know if those who advocate an end to the crisis actually has a practical way of achieving it.

So what is the practical way to attain peace (in a broader sense)? From peaceful protests to suicide bombings; boycotts to genocide - here is where the disagreements lie. And here the devil finds his work merely a cakewalk. 

Let's look into our (Malaysian) history. When Tunku Abdul Rahman led a delegation to London to discuss our independence from the British rule, he (and the people who supported his trip) made a conscious choice. Instead of going to London, they could have (A) conspire to attack to the British troops in Malaya, or (B) live and let live - we must be thankful they did neither 'A' nor 'B'. As what we learn in history class, thanks to the diplomatic skills of our forefathers, our beloved country attained independence without any bloodshed.

But what if the London delegation failed to convince the British that we deserve to be awarded Independence? Here's what I think. If you broke a vase in your house and your mother asks you who broke it, would you (A) admit it was your fault; or (B) pretend you didn't know? If you choose to be honest, you might either get the full blow of the wrath of your mother, or, she'd extol your honesty (I'd bet the first one). But if you lie, you might get away scot-free, or she might find out the truth and you know what'll happen next.  My point is this: since you cannot predict (A) how your mother would react if you come clean; or (B) if you assume innocence, whether she would find out that you lied; no matter how the story may unfold (your mother praise your honesty, you get away unharmed, the British award us our Independence) your choice - to be honest, or to lie - must be based upon your values.

Similarly, I believe, it is still possible to end the crises in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kyrzygstan, Somalia, Thailand, Kashmir (and perhaps anywhere in the world), if the disputing parties can exchange their differing ideas on how to resolve the conflict. It doesn't matter how the story may unfold - peaceful protests ignored, unsuccessful boycotts, suicide bombings, flotilla deaths - our disposition towards these crises -- to be friendly and diplomatic; or to be arrogant and hostile -- must be based upon our values.  

Sunday, July 4, 2010

TheStar Reports: "Forget Gaza. Do you see any of us starving in here?"

This is an excerpt from an article which appeared yesterday on the website of a Malaysian news company, The Star (by Shahanaaz Habib):
As for Gaza, Israel is right about one thing. There is plenty of food there. It is no secret that Gaza sits on fertile land and thanks to the farmers (who are forced to farm to feed their family despite the obvious danger if their lands are near the Israeli border), there are lots of vegetables and fruits in the markets.
For those with money, there are enough eggs, chicken, lamb, beef and fish too.
It is actually quite a shock to come into Gaza and find the shelves in shops and supermarkets fully stocked with all sorts of imported food stuff – from canned meat, soups, pasta, yoghurt, chocolates, biscuits, cheeses, jam, spices, nuts, ice-cream, all types of coffee, tea, Pepsi, Coke and juices to soaps, shampoos and body lotions.
If some products are not allowed in through the legitimate Israeli and Egyptian borders, they are still making their way in through the illegal tunnels running under the Egyptian/Gaza border.
And, yes, there are people buying.

The focus of the article cited above and below is the possibility that the Gaza issue is just being exaggerated to divert attention from the real issue in Jerusalem:
“The real issue is Jerusalem. But with the world media so focused on Gaza, Israel is getting away with demolishing Palestinian homes and building new settlements in Jerusalem.
“And there is hardly any media coverage on that because everyone is so ‘busy’ looking at Gaza!” [a Gazan news editor] points out.

You be the judge.

About Me

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Medical practitioner. Amateur philosopher, pianist and composer.