Joy Overload

Technorati tags: Humor, Cynical Humor, Malaysia, Religion, Islam, Joy, Lina Joy

Today, May 30th 2007 is a day when Malaysian "Muslims" rejoice. They've won this round. Justice, as they say, is blind. Let's hope the Justices weren't. Walski hasn't read the actual decisions, so he won't comment further.

But lets do a little analysis, Walski-style, about what the Joy is all about. And yeah, Walski is sure that there is a lot to be Joyous about. But for the sake of brevity, and brain cell conservation (you know, Global Warming and all that), Walski will stick to four points of Joy...

Joy the First
The Malaysian "Muslim" community today rejoices that they are one step closer to successfully creating an apartheid - one country, different laws for different people, two different court systems depending on what faith you are forced to state on your identity card. After all, didn't anyone tell you that you're gonna get carded once you die and go the other place? Better leave word that you want to get buried with your MyKad. Wouldn't want to be stuck in limbo between this place and the next, with no proof of religious affiliation. All bundled up, and no place to go... now that would be a little annoying.

Joy the Second
Today, the Malaysian "Muslims" rejoice that they have gone against what God has stated quite clearly and plainly in the Quran, as succintly posted by Marina M. earlier today. And not only Chapter 2 Verse 256, but also Chapter 6 Verse 107, which states:

If it had been Allah's plan, they would not have taken false gods: but We made thee not one to watch over their doings, nor art thou set over them to dispose of their affairs.
(Yusuf Ali translation)

It's common knowledge that every card-carrying Malaysian "Muslim" aspires to be able to mete out their vision of religious justice in this world. It's kinda like bonus brownie points if you get to do that.

Which will probably add to the many other reasons making true what the Quran had prophesied in Chapter 25 Verse 30, where, on Judgement Day, the Prophet Muhammad will bitch to God about how his people have deserted the Quran.

Of course, these Joyous Malaysian "Muslims" will be quick to tell you that God's prohibition against compulsion only applies to non-Muslims, or those not born into Muslim families. Once you become a Muslim, that's it - forget about 2:256. Didn't you read the fine print?

Then the other more important sources come into play. Like forcing unto others what to believe. Or converting minors. You know, things that would usually go against this evil concept called Civil Liberties that the godless heathens elsewhere in the world practice.

Think of it like being in Hotel California, baby: "You can checkout anytime you like, but you can never leave!".

And no Pink Champagne on ice either.
(more Joy, in the full post)

Joy the Third
Today, Malaysian Muslims are Joyous that legal precedence has been set such that certain portions of the Federal Constitution no longer apply to them. Yay! It's only for them other non-significant Malaysians. Shariah Rulez! Don't like it? Tough! Today, it's freedom of religion. Who knows what other freedoms can be taken away, if only they tried hard enough.Today, we have inched a step further to being like Pakistan, the wonderfully Joyous place that it is.

Hey, who knows, if we're lucky enough, we'll even manage to do away with anything resembling Civil Liberties altogether! After all, everyone knows that Civil Liberties are Liberal ideas, and therefore the Devil's handiwork. CCTVs in every Muslim home - yeah, yeah, that's what we need! So that the Moral Police don't have to do their rounds unnecessarily. 24/7 under their holier-than-thou watchful eyes. Now, if that ain't paradise on earth, nothing is.

Joy the Fourth
Today, the Malaysian Muslims rejoice because once and for all, one irritating individual has been legally deemed to profess Islam. What she herself believes in her heart is irrelevant. Minor detail. Now, she can be legally persecuted prosecuted in some states by the Syariah Court, should she ever have the audacity to apply for notice that she's no longer a Muslim. But wait, the law says she is. Off to rehab with her! Or worse.

Isn't putting somebody else's life in limbo fun? Isn't it a joyous feeling - making you all tingly inside - to be able to inflict further mental anguish on someone else - legally, no less? What a Joyfuly glorious day May 30th, 2007 has turned out to be!

~ ~ ~ o ~ ~ ~

The silver lining is, however, that it would probably be better that the decision went the way it did, than to have a mob community of pissed-off, non-Joyous Malaysian "Muslims".

Without a doubt, there's shitloads of Joy today among the Malaysian "Muslims". So much Joy that it's overflowing through every conceivable human orifice - even the inconceivable ones, too, probably. So much Joy that one could literally explode.

With Joy.

Unless, of course, you happen to be one of the disenchanted Malaysians whose first name happens to be Lina.

Walski's not-so-cynical footnote: There are some real serious legal and social implications brought about by today's decision, which Walski is nowhere knowledgeable enough to discuss, as they have to do with Constitutional Law, among other things. It's just that all this pent up cynicism had to be let off, somehow... better on a blog post than a lamp post, Walski reckons.

Click here for the full post......

Lina Joy loses her appeal

Technorati tags: Malaysia, Religion, Islam, Law, Lina Joy

Related post: FatwaMan on Lina Joy (and other tall tales)

Late breaking news: Reuters India has just reported about 30 minutes ago that the Lina Joy appeal decision has been announced.

The long-awaited decision...

No details are available as yet. All Walski has to say at this point is that he's not surprised with the decision. And what does this say about religious freedom in Malaysia?

More comments and thoughts later, once Walski has cleared some work-related stuff...

Click here for the full post......

FatwaMan on Lina Joy (and other tall tales)

Technorati tags: Malaysia, Religion, Islam, Law, Lina Joy, Mutant Mullah, FatwaMan

Important disclaimer: The post title is not to be read in the literal sense, and Walski is not implying any physical contact between the aforementioned individuals. Literalist interpretation of Islam, as portrayed in this post, on the other hand, is totally beyond Walski's control. Oh, and no Mufti's were physically injured in the making of this post.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007 will be an important day in Malaysian history. Whichever way the decision pertaining to the Lina Joy appeal falls, things will never be quite the same as they used to be.

Walski won't go into the what if's right now. Much has been said by many people, on both sides of the argument. Walski's input will be but a rehash of what you've already probably heard. He will, however, comment on the decision, whatever that might be, once it's released.

This post, though related to the Lina Joy case, is not about the what if's. It is about the what is. Namely, the position of the Cleric Class, or at least their most outspoken member, Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria, Mufti of Perak. The very same dude Walski fondly calls FatwaMan.

While surfing around, Walski came across a blog, run by a gentleman named Sani Ahmad, who had transcribed selected extracts from a speech by Harussani, supposedly from a VCD entitled "15,000 Umat Islam Murtad" (15,000 Muslims Apostasized). Walski has never seen the contents of this VCD, but takes it at face value that the transcription is accurate (if you visit Sani Ahmad's blog, you'll realize why Walski thinks so).

The following is Walski's translation of the extract. There origninal is in Bahasa Malaysia, and any emphasis is by myAsylum. Walski will not include any in-line comments, although some thoughts are presented after the translation.
(translation of FatwaMan's VCD extract, in the full post)

15,000 Muslims Apostasized
by Perak State Royal Mufti Dato’ Harussani Bin Zakaria

"Meaning of God's Messenger's (pbuh) Hadith: Those who do not think about my community's problems ARE NOT of my community"

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

On Monday, I went to Kuala Lumpur, and I met with six lawyers a several NGO leaders to hear a briefing pertaining to the state of Islam and Muslims in this country.

The briefing lasted for four and a half hours. On Tuesday morning, I was summoned by the Sultan of Perak to convey to him the briefing. Later I conveyed a similar briefing to the Council of Rulers. I gave a briefing on the dangers faced by Muslims right now.

Muslim Catastrophe
Currently, there is the Lina Joy (Azlina binti Jelani) case that is awaiting a decision. Lina Joy embraced Christinity and married a Christian Indian. She applied to the Court for her name to be changed to Lina Joy and her religion to be removed from her MyKad, but the National Registration Department could not remove her religious status because there was no order from the Syariah Court. Because of that, she brought a challenge to the Federal Court based on Article 11(1) of the Federal Constitution that states "Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion".

This case is being heard by three judges in the Supreme Court, namely the Chief Justice, a non-Malay judge, and a Christian judge. If Lina Joy wins this case, Islam will be destroyed. It carries the following implications:
i) The authority of the Rulers pertaining to Islam will disappear
ii) The authority of the Syariah Court will be rendered null and void
iii) Muslims cannot force their children to pray, will no longer have a right to collect tithes, and everyone can interpret Islam according to their own wishes.

That will be the consequence.

Unfortunately, Muslims are apparently unconcerned, to the point that not many turned up to act and voice their support. The Islamic Religious Council, too, was seen to not have sent Muslims. No Muslim observers were present. The case with non-Muslims is different, up to the point that lawyers/obervers from the Canadian, Australian and American embassies were willing to attend. Furthermore, the observer lawyers were allowed to speak. This is very dangerous. This has never happened before. Therefore, the Council of Rulers were somewhat taken aback once I had reported this.

The Attorney General was summoned by the Council of Rulers, and he stated that there was nothing that could be done, but to wait for the decision. This is the situation, which is precarious.

Christian and Hinduism Movements
Malays attracted to Christianity are usually well-trained in Singapore. Their identities are changed. Currently, there are two Malay churches in Kuala Lumpur. In Brickfields, there is an effort to provide free lunches on Fridays to loitering Malay youth so that they are lax and do not go to the mosque. There are hundreds of Malay youth who go to this Brickfields church.

I have also mentioned that almost 250,000 Muslims have apostasized, but I was challenged by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department. Even Muslims that have embraced Hinduism have almost reached 100,000 people (source: estimate by the Indian Muslim Association). In fact, according to Police reports, Muslim youth that are associated with black metal, who curse God, number from 13,000 to 14,000. Those that follow Ayah Pin, and who believe "Ayah Pin is God" are 14,000 persons in number. This is what has made me speak out.

The council of Rulers did ask:
1) What is the role of the mosque.
2) What is the role of the imams, and mosque administration.
3) Why not curb, when there are laws.

The Attorney General said, the difference between priests and our imams is that the priests await the arrival of the flock, as if welcoming guests, at the church doors. They deliver sermons that are well=thought out and professional, to the point that people are convinced by what they say. After the sermon, they wait at the church door and wish the church-goers well. They like to ask about the welfare of the congregation, and frequently offer assistance. The difference is that our sermons are not interesting. Delivered unprofessionally.

In Uzbekistan and China, although opressed for 70 years, they are still strong. In an environment of severe oppression, they put importance on spreading Islam and strengthening bonds, while reading Quranic verses emblazoned on the mosque walls. The Imam can still speak Arabic. And that was during the Communist rule. This is the secret behind how they could prevail.

Attack on Islamic faith in Malaysia
Today in Malaysia, we are being attacked in a terrible way - intellectual attacks.

1) Intellectuals. Christians whom attack.
Although they succeed in attacking, but they cannot capture the hearts of Muslims. Because of this, they study Islam, in order to attack Islam. They also created Islamic faculties in their universities.

2) They also create turbulence in faith, therefore brought forth Islam Liberal thought. They position all relegions as being equal. They [the religions] all come from the same source, that is the same God. Only, when revelations were brought down, Islam was interpreted in the Godly messages according to differing languages, to suit the nation and ancestry of the given prophet. According to them, scriptural books are interpretations. Therefore they can be changed and reinterpreted. In the 16th century, this was put forth by the Jews and accepted by the Christian clergy.

This is what made Christianity break into numerous sects. Previously there was only the Roman Catholic sect. Each accused the other sect as being heretical. This was then brought into the Islamic world. This sort of Liberal Islam has now gone into Indonesia. They control the universities and media, protected and strongly supported by the United States with billions of USD. This made the Islamic faculties bereft of students. Today there is an edict in Indonesia that marriage between males is valid. Faraid (laws of inheritance) and Hudud (ordained limits) are no longer relevant, and should be discarded. This, too, was almost made into edicts lately by the Indonesian Religious Council. This is spreading because such writings are being promoted by the intellectuals.

Now this has spread to Malaysia. Such liberal writings are published by reporters in English language newspapers. Previously only Astora Jabat wrote in the Malay press. Now, Astora uses the Al Islam magazine as a platform, changing his name to Hussin Ab. Rahman. Now Kassim Ahmad, too, has been given a place again to write in Al Islam.

The Turban Adornment case was reported in all newspapers. How 3 Muslim students wearing turbans in school were expelled, and losing their case in court. Whereas followers of other religions are free to wear turbans and follow their religion? This is a terrible insult upon our Prophet and Islam in general.

Allah made five daily congregational prayers. This is intended to foster brotherhood. The wisdom behind this s great. An orientalist researching why there are rakaat (cycles) in prayer. The orientalist, who in the end embraced Islam, said that (congregational) prayer is like a form of recharging. Shoulder meeting shoulder, feet to feet, will recharge spiritual power. For that, we must strengthen ourselves. The Hindus are strengthening themselves. They are active in building Hindu temples. In Perak, for example, there are 2,000 Hindu temples, whereas only 560 mosques. And the Hindu religion continues to show its aggressiveness. Many Malays too have been made Hindus. Currently, Bollywood films, too, are used to propagandize Hinduism to the entire world.

On whom to place hope?
We can no longer depend on the Jakim, Religious Department or government authorities to protect us. Allah did not entrust Islam, Al-Quran and Sunnah to the government, but Allah entrusted them to every Muslim individual. Allah stated:
"We bequethed Al-Quran to Our chosen servants, that is those who place their faith in Allah (and not the government)."

Reminders from Allah S.W.T.
Tsunamis, earthquakes, many Muslims that perished. These are reminders. Why in Acheh and Bangladesh?

This does not mean that the Achehnese are immoral, but maybe the immorality happened elsewhere. Although, on that fateful night, there was a dance party and an alcoholic party on a beach nearby.

[from the 15,000 Have Apostasized VCD, transcribed by Sani Ahmad]

For someone in such a position to make, at times, the most ludicrous and factually incorrect statements is simply beyond Walski. And to paint Islam in such a poor light, as a religion that is oh, so fragile and helpless.

What's even more amazing is that many Malay/Muslims will buy what he has to say lock, stock and 22-caliber smoking barrel. And despite the call for calm from the very same Muslim NGOs (to their credit), FatwaMan's assertion that the relevant religious establishments cannot be relied upon anymore, carries with it some serious implications. What does he mean by this - that Muslims have to take matters into their own hands? Walski certainly hopes not.

Walski does pray that nobody is stupid enough to start something nasty tomorrow, at the Putrajaya Court complex. Emotions, however, are something that can easily get out of control, especially if one truly believes that their acted out emotions have God's blessings.

And what's with this big chip on FatwaMan's shoulders when it comes to intellectuals and Bollywood films?

Again, Walski has simply translated somebody elses transcription, and Walski does believe that the transcription was done honestly. So these are not Walski's words, per se. You read 'em, and you be the judge.

What is crystal clear in Walski's mind, though, is this: if the flock is expected to follow such a shepherd, then everyone's destined to become lamb chops.

Meanwhile, the entire nation waits for the decision on the Lina Joy appeal, and its implication on whether or not Religious Freedom means what it is supposed to.

Actually, Aisehman has suggested something spot-on: why not do away with the Religion declaration on our MyKad altogether. God doesn't give a shit about what religion is stated on your MyKad - it's other, more important things that count.

And you definitely won't get carded once you're on your way to the other place.

Click here for the full post......

RSS and the art of Blog Maintenance

Technorati tags: RSS, Blog Maintenance, Blogging, Housekeeping

The profundity of the post title belies the simple nature of this post. It's early in the morning and Walski hasn't had his first cup of coffee yet. Well, not finished his first cup of coffee, that is.

OK, here's the deal - over the next few days, Walski will slowly be reformatting the older posts, and will be adding categories and/or Technorati tags to 'em, shifting image hosting sources, where necessary - but no change in content, unless Walski spots typos in the process. Call it Periodic Blog Maintenance, if you must call it something. Or blousekeeping.

The side-effect of this, per the Blogspot Universe, is that RSS subscribers will see these republished as new posts, even though the original date/time of the post is retained. Just one of those idiosyncracies associated with Blogger.

So, before you accuse Walski of exhuming old posts, and re-posting them as new, that's the real deal. Think of it as an unintentional post-recycling exercise.
(the benefits of RSS, and more, in the full post)

Walski's talked about RSS before in a previous post. It's a nice way to make sure you don't miss a single entry/posting from your favorite websites and blogs. If you haven't already, the myAsylum feed (as these RSS-based syndication tools are called) can be subscribed to - details on the right-hand side bar.

Another reason why Walski is reformating the older posts is to add the appropriate Blogger Labels (or tags, in more generic Blog-speak) to any uncategorized posts floating around. Makes it easier for you to find posts relating to a particular category.

So, in advance, Walski apologizes for any inconvenience and RSS-spamming that you may experience, because of this exercise. But hey, it gives you a chance to read some of the old, old myAsylum posts (okay, granted the blog's only 1 year plus old). Time flies when you're having fun blogging, and before you know it, you've churned out 500 posts - which, by the way, is not too far away. You're looking at #482 right here, by the way.

Click here for the full post......

Walski is a Racist

Technorati tags: Racism, Religion, Law, Constitutional Rights, Human Rights, Malaysia

Before anyone else makes this known, and before anyone else makes a big fuss about it, allow Walski to come clean, 100%.

It's confession time at myAsylum

Yes, folks, Walski is a racist. There, he's said it. Finally, the cat's out of the bag - the bag was beginning to be a little suffocating. Mee-ow.

To Walski, there is one, and only one, race that is important - Walski's race, that is. All others can bloody well go to... umm, are secondary.

Sure, this may come as a big shock to many. But not to those who know Walski personally. After all, those who know Walski personally, also happen to belong to the same race as Walski does. As do those who may express surprise at this confession.

The biggest surprise, to those who may be shocked at Walski's confession, is that they, too, belong to the same race as Walski does - it's just that they probably don't realize it. Or forgot, somehow.
(more racist confessions, in the full post)

If you really must know, Walski is a racist who only values the one race that matters - the Human Race.

And to belong to the human race, as far as Walski is concerned, one has to care enough for others belonging to his or her race. Walski doesn't give a damn for Vulcans, Romulans, Greys, or even sentient robots, should these ever appear in the near future. Roombas? They can go suck off - Walski doesn't care much for Roombas, truth be told.

If you don't belong to the Human Race, as far as Walski is concerned, you're as good as toilet paper - you can make like James T. and go wipe out Klingons around Uranus.

Being a Human Racist means that, at the very least, one must dare to speak out when a fellow human faces infringements on their right to be - whatever it is that they may choose to be. As long as it doesn't, in turn, infringe on others to be what they want to be. Funny enough, infringements are typically imposed by other so-called humans. Or at least they claim to be humans; Walski doesn't really know, to be frank. DNA tests don't come cheap, you know?

It doesn't matter if you're white, off-white, yellow, brown, black, green, blue, blue-in-the-face, fuscia, or even multi-psycadelically colored. As long as you're human, Walski's on your side.

And come Wednesday, May 30, 2007, we once and for all will get to know whether or not Malaysians are allowed to be humans in the truest sense. Or whether we still have a long way to go to be able to lay claim on having enough humanity to call ourselves human.

So, are you a racist like Walski is, or do you belong to some other, insignificant breed?

Click here for the full post......

Exhuming Ian

Technorati tags: Music, Joy Division, Ian Curtis, Control, Anton Corbijn

This post is dedicated to the memory of Ian Curtis, and to the fans of Joy Division the world over, in particular, Walski's good buddy, Lord Panda, who gave Walski the heads-up on Control.

Mention the name Ian Curtis, and it wouldn't surprise Walski if the reaction were a blank stare. And unless you were an art afficionado, the same would probably apply to the name Anton Corbijn. Put the two names together, and the likely result, a resounding "Huh"?

If the slightly condescending paragraph above applies, then here's something to get you up to speed (if not, then you may skip the next paragraph).

Joy Division is, perhaps, one of popular and rock music's least talked-about important influences - at least in the Malaysian music circles. Joy Division (originally naming themselves Warsaw) was formed in the mid-Seventies by four lads from around Manchester, named Peter Hook, Stephen Morriss, Bernard Sumner, and their front-man, Ian Curtis. Signed to Factory Records, they were on the verge of making it big in the British post-punk era of music, when Curtis killed himself. The remaining 3 members went on to form New Order (which Walski's sure you've heard of).

The second day of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival featured the debut film by renowned visual artist Anton Corbijn. If the name sounds familiar, Corbijn is the artistic genius behind some memorable visual output associated with bands such as U2 and Depeche Mode. Included in his repertoire have been videos such as Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box, and Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus. Corbijn's film, Control, is a biopic of Ian Curtis, recounting the singer's life, from Joy Division's rise to fame, till Curtis' tragic death.

The film, which premiered at Cannes on May 17, has reportedly been named the Best European film at the festival (source: Irish Examiner). Without doubt, a great achievement for the film rookie. Despite Control being the first ever feature film that Corbijn has directed, his work related to music, however, is legendary. Wikipedia has a long list of artists and acts that Anton Corbijn has been associated with over the years.
(bringing a legend to the big screen, and videos, in the full post)

Actor Sam Riley plays the tragic Ian Curtis
(any guesses who is whom?)

This, however, is not the first time that Joy Division, or Ian Curtis, have been the subject of a film. The 2002 cult hit 24 Hour Party People, documenting the rise and fall of Factory Records, features the group quite prominently. Incidentally, actor Sam Riley, who plays the role of the tragic Joy Division frontman, also appears in 24 Hour Party People, playing a bit role portrayal of Mark E. Smith, frontman of The Fall. His portayal of Curtis, as Walski has read so far, is uncanny. Check out this unofficial trailer for Control, which has recently surfaced (via YouTube).

Now compare Sam Riley as Curtis, with the real Ian Curtis, in this un-dated BBC footage of Joy Division (also via YouTube).

So, why did Anton Corbijn decide to venture into fim making, and why make a film about Ian Curtis, and Joy Division, for his debut - in black & white, to boot? This interview of Anton Corbijn, from a Dutch television program reveals some answers (subtitled in English, from YouTube).

The film's script has been adapted from the biographical "Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division" written by Deborah Curtis, widow of the Joy Division frontman. Walski hasn't read the book, nor does he know how true to the book the film is. Curtis suffered from epileptic seizures, and had been known to develop fits while onstage.

It is generally believed that barbituarates, typically prescribed to epileptics in those days, were what caused the violent mood swings, and contributed towards his depression. Coupled with his heavy consumption of alcohol, and his affair outside of his marriage to Deborah, all these pressures led Ian to live the last few years of his young life in despair. In part, that very despair contributed to the genius that the world remembers Joy Division for.

And that despair ending, of course, with his eventual suicide at the young age of 23.

Ian Curtis hanged himself, with a clothesline, on May 18, 1980, on the eve of when Joy Division was to have left for the US for their first ever American tour. He would have celebrated his 51st birthday on July 15, were he alive today.

Following Curtis' death, the remaining 3 members went on to form New Order, recruiting Gillian Gilbert on keyboards (and guitar) duty in the process. New Order, of course, has gone to even greater success, and is still around today. Gillian Gilbert, who is married to drummer Stephen Morris, left New Order in 2001 to take care of their children, who were ill at the time, and was replaced by Phil Cunningham.

New Order, according to Wikipedia, provides original incidental music on the film, while live performances in the film were by the actors themselves. Also, in the film is music from the period (like from David Bowie and The Sex Pistols), taken from original recordings.

The film has been very well received by critics at the Cannes festival, according to reports published on NewOrderOnline. And Sam Riley's portrayal of Ian Curtis? The critics have given a resounding thumbs up, with this report (originally from The Telegraph) describing Riley's performance as "outstanding" and "spectacular".

What would be interesting to do is to watch Control, then revisit 24 Hour Party People, to see the similarities and differences of how Ian Curtis and Joy Division were viewed through two different perspectives. The former from the eyes of someone knee-deep in the the life of the troubled Ian Curtis, while the latter is from the perspective of Tony Wilson, founder of Factory Records (watch it if you haven't already, by the way).

As for release dates, it's not immediately known when Control will be released internationally. Thus far, IMDB reports that the film will be released in France this September, while the Netherlands release in October. A Joy Division fan site that Walski went to states that the UK release will be in September as well.

And the release of Control in Malaysia? Walski certainly hopes it's soon after.

To 40-some music-heads like Walski, Control is an important film, and one that will undoubtedly gain rapid cult status, as it is the first full-length motion picture to focus on Joy Division, and Ian Curtis. While Joy Division may not have gotten the recognition they more than deserved, while the band was still around, their legacy of music lives on till this day.

Rest in peace, Ian. Your short, troubled and enigmatic life may have been a cry for help, which everyone misunderstood, but the resulting genius and legacy you left behind will be remembered - forever...

Click here for the full post......

Mad Homey Meme'd

Technorati tags: Humor, Flame, MENJ, Hypocrisy

Related posts:
► Just what were you Thinking, people?
► War of the Kitchen Utensils

Nope, don't worry - this post's got little to do with memes, per se. It is, however, related to a meme that Walski responded to. But first, a quick definition:

ad hominem
1. appealing to one's prejudices, emotions, or special interests rather than to one's intellect or reason.
2. attacking an opponent's character rather than answering his argument.
(source: Dictionary.com)

Well, it appears that MENJ, not wanting to waste time on yours truly, took the time to write a post, in which, apparently, the master of ad hominem himself claims to have been ad hominem'd by Walski. Then, he calls Walski's mother a whore.

Exemplary and model behavior of a "true" Muslim...

Very nice... truly and outstandingly Islamic in character, aren't you? And you, MENJ, really should change the name of your blog to HypoCritical Thoughts. Because when it comes to hypocrisy, you take the fucking cake. And yes, that's a compliment.

Oh well, give someone enough rope...
(Mad Homey indicts own blog, in the full post)

Why should Walski propose another solution over one that has already been proven to be a good deterrent against the spread of HIV/AIDS? Just because the mighty MENJ doesn't like it? And by the way, can you, MENJ, prove that promoting condoms will create a larger problem? Proof, MENJ, proof. Your cheap name-calling rhetoric don't mean squat. And no amount of the use of the plural to give the illusion of authority is gonna change that.

As it is, calling people's mothers "whores" just reinforces what the rest of the world really thinks of you - among other things, a loud-mouthed, insolent, juvenile, holier-than-thou conservative twerp. Without any sense of real creativity, to boot. Or is that the real behavior called for by your brand of Islam?

And no, you don't have to accept the award if you don't want to. No one's forcing it down your throat.

And by the way, I am officially refusing your nomination of this blog for your "award". It is a worthless piece of shit. That's putting it mildly.

Yes, Walski fully agrees that (Hypo)Critical Thoughts is a "worthless piece of shit". Putting it mildly. We are what we excrete, Walski supposes....

What's really interesting - this superflous use of labels (like they mean anything), using straw-man arguments, and the usual verbal diarrhoeatic tools Mr. Delusional uses - does resemble the very tactics used by... wait for it, wait for it.... Right-wing Christian Missionaries.

Whoa... MENJ actually emulates the very people he rants about and hates. Now that's comedy. Uber hilarious.

Oh, and guess what? He's also banned Walski from commenting on his blog. Walski suspects he does that every now and again with persons he dislikes. Censorship, after all, is the favorite recourse of the mentally and morally deficient. And what better way of protecting the freedom of your own speech, than by making sure no one else's is heard, right?

OK, Walski will admit it - he is pseudonymous. However, if you, MENJ, weren't too dense to notice, Walski is not that anonymous. Walski happens to like his pseudonym, and prefers to use it, rather than flaunt his own real name (or initials) all over the damn place. It's Walski's prerogative, and you, my dear MENJ, can go fuck yourself. Literally.

But make sure you use a condom, though. You never know what dreaded diseases (apart from Islamoholism) you might be carrying...

Click here for the full post......

Culture of Blame

Technorati tags: Humor, Blame, Culture of Blame, Politics

When something goes wrong, blame usually has to be assigned. It's almost become second nature - assigning blame becoming more important, in many cases, than finding a real solution. Assigning blame has almost become a job requisite for ministers and some elected assembly-persons in this country.

Incidentally, there is a big difference between root-cause determination and blame-assignment. Root-cause looks at the real why. Blame assignment immediately zooms in on the who - real or imagined.

Lately, we've been seeing a lot of blame-storming. A different kind of blame stroming - assigning blame on the victims of things gone wrong.

Loan-shark menace? Blame the borrowers. A surge in snatch thief activity? Blame the snatch victims. Floods in Johor? Blame Singapore (they experienced flooding too, albeit not as severe as Johor).

Impropriety (or perceived impropriety) on the part of the government? Blame the bloggers, and call them liars - never mind that some of the allegations turned out to have shades of truth about them. Revealing agreements that clearly are lopsided and unnecessarily profiteering at the expense of the taxpayers? Blame the whistle-blower... "Off with His Head!" the Drama Queen of Blowhards proudly proclaimed.

It's become an entire sub-culture all to itself - find someone or something to blame first. Nevermind that real solutions to pressing problems are not sought. Blame must be assigned. It makes for better press, and snazzier headlines.

The most recent spate of blame-storming?

In the Penang State Assembly, as reported in The Star on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007, two state assemblymen, Shabudin Yahaya (BN - Permatang Berangan) and Datuk Jasmin Mohamed (BN - Sungai Dua), lay the blame for sexual crimes on women's dressing. Not the first time we've heard this, though, blaming the behavior of lascivious men on the victim. In the process, the two have mooted a dress code for women. Easy, lazy, and comes no closer to solving anything.
(celebrating the Culture of Blame, in the full post)

“The women’s dressing menggoda (lures) and mencabar (challenges) men,” said Shabudin, who interjected during Tan’s speech when debating the motion of thanks on the Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abas’s opening address.

Contrary to popular belief, these men have also insulted all men - believe it or not - by implying that men have no self-control, and are purely driven by senseless lust and pure stimulation. God, apparently, simply wired men up that way, we're led to believe. Well, speak for yourselves, you mindless twerps.

But the real agenda becomes clear, once shit-for-brains is allowed to dig a deeper hole for himself:

Shabudin, who is state Islamic Religious Council president, then asked Tan for her views on a dress code for women and Jasmin rose to support it.

And you wonder why Islam gets such a bad rep. So why impose a dress code for women - only?

Shabudin then interjected that men were sure to look when sexily attired women pass in front of them.

“This is because there is a daya tarikan (attraction),” he said.

Okay, it's one thing to look. It's another thing altogether to harass, and taking it a step further, assault. So, let's play Devil's Advocate for a bit - what if they had managed to push through a dress code for women, and women still get sexually assaulted. Then what do we do? Put women under house arrest for their own protection [sic]? And don't tell Walski that there aren't women who cover up, and have still become victims of rape. Because there have been.

Yeah, it's easy to lay blame on everything and everyone else, while enjoying the comfort and convenience of denial. It should be made a national pass-time, come to think of it. And perhaps even a public holiday, while we're at it. National Blame Day. Kinda has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Meanwhile, who's to blame for electing these kinds of nitwits into office? God-forbid that we should ever blame ourselves, the electorate. Nope - that would be way too easy. Not to mention lacking the element of fun. Naah... we'll just blame the Electoral Commission - we won't tell then what we're blaming the for - just that it's their fault.

Wouldn't want anyone blaming Walski for not promoting this wonderful Culture of Blame, that has become so much a part of the Malaysian way of life. Just like corruption, leaky roofs, and leaky politicians...

Click here for the full post......

Wake up and smell the reality....

Technorati tags: Humor, Delusional, Politics, HIV, AIDS

It must be nice to be delusional. That innate ability to ignore reality and talk a whole lot of senseless crap.

Walski's been out of the bloggerhood circuit for the last few days... one of those inherrent risks of having to work for a living. And what does Walski find upon his return? Among other things, this bit of crap.

Would crap, by any other name, sound just as stupid?

Like Walski said earlier, it must be nice to be able to pick numbers out of thin air, and just because one is in a particular position of impotence importance, whatever crap one spouts has to be believed. Simply disinformational. Simply delusional. Delusions of grandeur, in this instance.

Glow-balls, Goat-bells, Gerbils, Globe-burls... wake up and smell the reality, dude.
(finding more delusional ramblings, in the full post)

In the case of ZAM, it boggles the mind where the numbers come from. Okay, the 11 million Internet users Walski can almost accept, but 20,000 bloggers writing for each other? It's almost as bad a the other guy who said that there were 10,000 bloggers - mostly female and unemployed - some months back.

But because it's the Minister of Propaganda Information, whatever crap must be believed, right? He must have the Information, for sure. Nevermind that it's incredible, unsubstiated and frankly, unbelievable.

And then, there's Walski's favorite "I resent being called a Conservative" anti-Liberal, with this uber delusional spiel (emphasis by myAsylum):

"So they say that they are going to promote the use of condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS (the lamest excuse I've ever heard thus far). I wonder how they are going to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among dadah users then (dadah users are certainly not going to bonk one another in order to spread the virus), give them clean needles to poke themselves black and blue?"
(source: The Delusional Stylings of MENJ)

Elfie, Melfi, Ben Gay, Hairspray... wake up and smell the reality, dude. It's called "Harm Reduction", incidentally. But hey, it's your fucking blog... be stupid if you want to... it's your right.

Promoting the use of condoms to curb HIV/AIDS a lame excuse? Of course, he does concede that condom use does help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, but claims that it will lead to other problems. Like people "shagging on the streets". Of course, peppered with unsubstantiated accusations that this is what Liberals want, etc. It's actually people like you that helps puts such a stigma on safe sex - which means that you are, in fact, part of the problem.

Walski supposes that it's not important enough that promoting an effective means of curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS may just save some lives... Nope, simply not important enough.

Must really be fun to be delusional...

Click here for the full post......

Man Who?

Technorati tags: Humor, Football, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, Chelsea, Manchester United

Related post: UEFA Champions League 3rd & 4th Placing

At the 26th minute of Extra Time, Didier Drogba broke the egg-locked game, and became the scorer of the first goal in the new Wembley Stadium. And with that, Chelsea are placed 3rd, and Man Utd. 4th, respectively, in the UEFA Champions League competition, fitting into Walski's prediction of which team would win. Albeit not quite the way Walski thought it would pan out.

Incidentally, Chelsea also win the English FA Cup 2006/2007. And make it a double for the season, after earlier on winning the Carling Cup. Manchester United, recently crowned EPL Champions, have to settle for the single.

Drogba's goal saved the game from going into a penalty shoot-out, which is always a sucky way to settle a football match, albeit a necessary way. Earlier, an almost goal from Ryan Giggs, if it had been ruled as one, would probably have changed the game's landscape entirely.

Which is not the case with the new Wembley Stadium landscape. Or rather pitch-scape, which looked patchy and very uneven. And this was really the biggest surprise to Walski. Granted, they really had to rush the stadium's completion, which had already suffered from delays.

In any case, Walski is sure, that for Jose Maurinho, the best team won. Finally.

Click here for the full post......

UEFA Champions League 3rd & 4th Placing

Technorati tags: Humor, Football, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, Chelsea, Manchester United

Updates in the full post

Been a long while since Walski's blogged about football. This post is specifically dedicated to Man Utd and Chelsea fans...

Tonight, EPL's giants will fight it out to determine who gets the 3rd and 4th placings in the UEFA Champions League competition.

Who will clinch the 3rd & 4th places in tonight's battle?

Although officially, the match is being marketed as something else...
(more Liverpool-biased football thoughts, in the full post)

Kinda gives a slightly different perspective to the game tonight, doesn't it? Most Liverpool fans would probably see the game tonight from this perspective, the not-so-well Walski included. The tummy-flu has probably gone to his head...

In any case, the UEFA Champions League actual final will be later this coming week. Now, that is a game to look forward to, although with the Red's form this season, Walski doesn't dare make a prediction. That said, he would, of course, love to see Liverpool win it for the 6th time. Which Liverpool fan wouldn't?

Tonight's prediction? Well, Manchester United has this knack of choking when you least expect them to (remember the return leg at AC Milan?). Chelsea is no pushover either. So, Walski predicts that the game will go the full 90 minutes, another 30 minutes of extra time, then it will be down to penalties, with the Londoners clinching the game. It always sucks when a game has to be decided on penalties.

But hey... shit happens.

So, while the rest of the world watches tonight's game in the comfort of their favorite watering hole, Walski will be viewing it while nursing his stomach-flu suffering self back to full 100% operating condition...

Update @ Half-time (2300 hrs):
The score remains 0-0, in a game described as lacklustre, and played at "strolling" pace. The new Wembley Stadium pitch, which looks surprisingly bad, has been blamed, in part, for the deadlock, thus far. As of Half-Time, Walski's prediction seems spot-on...

Update @ Full-time (2352 hrs):
As of the full 90 minutes (plus change) the score remains deadlocked at 0-0, Walski's prediction still intact. Earlier, at the 58th minute, Paul Scholes (Man U.) made history as the first player to get booked in the new Wembley stadium. The pace of the match in the second half was definitely faster, but neither side could be said to be more outstanding than the other. Okay, maybe out standing in the sun, but as far as football was concerned, both teams were equally lacklustre. And so now we go into extra time... the 3rd and 4th places still undecided.

Update @ 1st 15min ET (0014 hrs):
Ryan Giggs almost broke the egg-lock with a semi-controversial, almost goal in the 14th minute, but it was ruled to not be a goal, and so the game continues into the 2nd 15 minutes...

Click here for the full post......

Like death warmed over...

Technorati tags: Flu, Stomach Flu

and

You must be wondering by now what the heck Walski's trying to say, right?
(cryptic pictorials explained, in the full post)

If you haven't figured it out, what Walski's trying to say is that he's under the weather and feeling as sick as a dog... and that means he will have to give tonight a miss... damn. Hopefully, it's one of those 48-hr stomach flu thingys... As Walski had once written in a song, he really feels like death warmed over...

Sorry, Howsy... but it looks like our intended meeting will have to take a rain-check.

Borrowed picture credits: Pix above taken from here and here, respectively.

Click here for the full post......

Get it while you can...

Technorati tags: May 13, Book, Censorship, Cynicism

From Malaysiakini.

Book still legal... for now
(Malaysiakini subscription required)

Walski's advice? Get the book while it's still legal, because he has a very, very tingly spidey feeling that it'll be banned pretty soon...

Check out this post at Eli's blog to find out how you can get a copy. It's already going into its second reprint (or is that imprint?). And it's selling hot 'n fast... hotter than Nicholas Cage blazing thru the streets on his moped.
(sequence of events, and more, in the full post)

To recap, and borrow (not plagiarize) from Elizabeth Wong's narrative on the entire saga, the book, "May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969", researched and written by Dr. Kua Kia Soong, was launched last Sunday, marking the 38th anniversary of this black mark in Malaysian history. A mere 24 hours after the launch, 3 senators called for its banning, and just like previous incidents of politically motivated bans, these senators probably haven't even read the damn book - the usual modus operandus of these hyper-sensitive dolts.

Then, on Tuesday, officers from the Internal Security Ministry (KKDN) seized 10 copies of the book from MPH in Midvalley Shopping mall (this was also reported in Malaysiakini, and picked up by Alphabet Soup, among others). Hey, what a great scam if you want free reads, eh? Reading Eli's post on this seizure... well, kinda comical. She's even got names 'n shit. LOL!

Yesterday, SUARAM issued a press statement demanding that KKDN pay for the books, or return them to MPH within 7 days. Or face legal action. RM 200, plus interest, compounded daily, calculated on a daily rest basis.... okay, okay... only the RM 200 part is true. Wouldn't wanna be accused of being a lying blogger, right?

What Walski found interesting in the first Malaysiakini report, up at the top of the post, was this statement:

“We can finish reading the book in a day and decide whether it should be banned. However, it will take us two to three days to write a report to the minister or his deputy who will then sign the (ban) order and gazette it (the decision, if any),” Che Din noted.
(referring to Che Din Yusof, secretary of the Publications and Al-Quran Texts Control Department at the Internal Security Ministry)

We speed-read just fine, but can't write fast to save our asses... but doesn't all this sound a little foregone-conclusionish?

Okay, granted it's not a very thick book - let's hope that one day is enough to read, and digest, the contents, and not merely finding fault with it. But reading the full news report, Walski reckons that regardless of what they find, the book will likely get banned. It's just one of those idiosyncracies of our beloved Government - there can be only one truth - the version of the truth that they're comfy with. And we aim to be what by 2020 again?

Oh, and why 2 - 3 days to write the report?

One can only guess, but perhaps it's several hours to hand-write the report, a day to get it processed through the secretarial pool, another several hours to proof-read it, then sent back to the secretarial pool for corrections, if any. Add to that the numerous customary tea break time-outs the typical civil savants live for, and voila!

... three days of the tax payers' hard earned moolah well spent...

With the end-result being that Malaysians continue to be protected from having to know beyond what they're allowed to - the powers that be resting assured that the citizens remain as ignorant, stupid and docile as they've always been... and if that fails, Ijok-ize 'em.

Walski apologizes if all this sounds unduly cynical. When the interest of only one party is so paramount that any criticism, any call for change, any motion for improvement, is met with such vehement over-reaction - and it's not just about the book; it's all the crap that's been happening lately, compounded, with interest calculated on a daily rest basis - Walski can't help but be cynical.

On second thoughts, Walski takes the apology back.

Click here for the full post......

The truth about Press Freedom...

Technorati tags: Press Freedom, Malaysia, Propaganda, Fast Forward, TV2

You wanna talk about the truth?

Howsy's scoop on the Fast Forward omission

The truth is that you fucks can't handle the truth.. read all about it at The Sensintrovert.

Context: Originally, Rocky was invited to appear on TV2's Fast Forward. Then, earlier yesterday morning, he was told that the program had been "postponed".

Do you smell Goebbels at work here? Walski does... and apparently Bunn Nagara also thinks blogs publish "false news"... Yeah, yeah, we know he's got a rice bowl to protect.

The real liars? The TV2 producer who told Rocky that the program had been postponed. And who does TV2 report to? Need Walski say more?

Update @ 0104 hrs: Jeff Ooi has a more detailed report on what the two panelists had to say (hat-tip to Howsy).

Click here for the full post......

God's Law: The Bigger Picture

Technorati tags: Religion, Islam, Shariah Law, Gravity, Muttawa, Iran, Indonesia

Browsing through the online news today, Walski came across this article at Al-Jazeera, from the weekend.

When policing "morality" ignores common sense, logic and compassion...

The Saudi Moral Police, better known as the Muttawa (or Muttaween), are pretty gung-ho about what they do, Walski's been told. So gung-ho, in fact, that back in 2002, they caused the death of 15 schoolgirls for not allowing the girls to flee a burning building - because they weren't decently dressed enough (didn't have their abayas on). Granted, this was a very extreme case, but the Muttawa have been, over the years, well-known for acting beyond reason, and in many instances, beyond the law.

It's fortunate that Malaysia doesn't have our own equivalent, although some in our nation would love to have their own brand of Moral Policing. Having a Malaysian Muttawa would be, like, an Islamist wet-dream come true. Or some equivalent joy.

And, of course, even bringing up such folly would immediately be followed by quick and lazy labelling - infidel, heretic, liberal... as if labels mean anything, other than a short-cut to duck out of an intelligent discourse on the subject.

Such is the case recently with The Islamoholic (heh, heh... Walski simply cannot get over this name... Islamoholism really does sound like a horrid social disease). In his/her recent post, "Liberals, do not question Islamic Law", several interesting things were mentioned. One of them, that Walski found most interesting was this (emphasis by myAsylum):

"Indeed, non-Muslims have no business interfering in the teachings of Islam, in particular the basic tenets of Islam such as the provisions of the Shariah law."

Did Walski fall asleep at some point, and miss a brand new set of divine revelation? Because, as far as he knows, the basic tenets of Islam make no mention of Shariah Law, although Shariah Law is often equated to being God's Undisputable Law by many Muslims. Much in the same vein that many Christians regard The Bible as the undisputable word of God. Especially the Southern Baptists. But Walski digresses.

And no, Shariah Law was not revealed as one voluminous code - it is, in fact, a set of laws written by human hands, based on Quranic revelation, and extra-Quranic "religious" sources.

Be that as it may, this post is not about analyzing Shariah Law. Nope. It's about God's Laws, in a larger sense. In particular, those that these anti-Liberals don't usually mention.

Like gravity, for example.
(defying gravity, and more, in the full post)

Contrary to popular belief, Newton did not invent gravity. Nope, gravity is God's way of making sure we don't all get flung into space, choke and die. Gravity is definitely one of God's Laws. All Newton did was to help quantify gravity so that it would make sense to us in terms of measurements we can identify with. Which today is metric terms. Except for time. But again, Walski digresses.

But with that quantification, Man has gone to great lengths defying those very laws. Walski's sure that many of these same anti-Liberals (for lack of a more accurate label) have travelled on an airplane. You don't see them organizing protest rallies in front of Boeing or Malaysia Airlines for defying God's laws of gravity, now do you?

Another of God's laws - human intelligence. Intelligence is something God bestowed on all normal human beings. Now, why would God have given us intelligence if we weren't meant to use it to the fullest? But noooo, to these anti-Liberals, God gave us intelligence so that we don't use it to its full potential, but instead only so that our intellect can be subservient. To the "more learned". Most of whom have long become worm food. Again, from the sufferer of Walski's favorite social disease:

"But who are these liberals to question the provisions of the Shariah in its true form? Perhaps, if they are serious about improving the situation, they should study the true teachings of Islam from the learned rather than using their grey matter alone to interpret Allah’s words."

Which leads Walski to wonder, do/did the learned use their grey matter in their interpretation? Or through the thoughts of other more learned individuals? And what exactly are the provisions of the Shariah in its true form? And which set of Shariah Laws (depending on sectarian and geographical considerations) are the most definitive, and "true"?

Ah, yes - one of them would be the punishment of theft. Literally, the Quran states that the punishment for theft is the amputation of the hands, and if still unrepentant, the feet/legs. Or is the Quran trying to tell us to cut off the hands and feet figuratively - as in take away the thief's means and resources. After all, a legion of hand-less and foot-less reformed ex-thieves is not exactly the most useful thing to have for any nation.

And how does the Shariah address theft of Intellectual Property? Amputate the brain? After all, a legion of brainless... oh, wait - we already have that.

Because in the Quran there are literal statements, and there are the not-so-literal statements, per God's laws, human intelligence is needed, like it or not, to tell the difference. But to these anti-Liberals, only if you are a member of the learned, of which the criteria of who qualifies, only the anti-Liberals can tell you.

And what about God's Planetary Laws? Today, the entire Islamic world schedules important religious events solely based on the Hijri calendar, which is a strictly lunar-based calendar. It is also a known fact that seasonal changes are the cause of the Earth's position in it's orbit around the Sun, also one of God's Planetary Laws. But the latter law has been totally ignored in the formulation of the Hijri calendar. Which is why the Hijri (or Islamic) Calendar is totally useless for practical purposes other than setting when religious events should occur.

There must be reasons why the ratio of 364.25 axial rotations to one full orbit has been put in place, per God's Planetary Plan. The most obvious reason, perhaps, being that seasonal changes are predictable based on this ratio. But did this get any consideration whatsoever when the Hijri calendar was set?

Imagine the disasterous results if crop planting were to be based on the Islamic Calendar. Doesn't apply to Malaysia quite the same way, perhaps, that it would more temperate lands where there is a discernible difference in climate depending on where the Earth is on its orbit.

Or are we to believe that agriculture, which is a means to feed people, and is very much tied up with seasonal characteristics, has nothing to do with Islam? Reliance still has to be made on non-Islamic calendar systems - now, why don't y'all go and protest that?

Or is the human race only meant to live around the Equator?

There is Quranic evidence to suggest that the way the Islamic Calendar, as we know it, has been designed in a totally wrong way. But since Walski is regarded by these anti-Liberals to be a Liberal, hence un-learned from their "Islamic" perspective, he'll leave it to the "more learned" to figure out. If they care to. Walski's not telling.

The whole point in this diatribe is that these anti-Liberals are so focused on the belief that the world will be all hunky-dory once Shariah Laws are implemented. Why? Because that's what they've been told by those whom they consider to be "more learned". Gee, with Shariah Laws in place, Malaysia could pride itself in being just like Pakistan. Minus the Pakistanis. Now wouldn't that be simply swell?

Lately, PAS has been toying with the idea of studying Iran's method of tackling youth social problems (source: Harakah, in Bahasa Malaysia). Hey, what a model country to emulate, huh? Except for one problem - over there, the Muslims are of a different sect school of Islamic thought, which the Sunnis have pretty much condemned as being heretical. Minor detail, one supposes.

Indonesia, on the other hand, while usually pooh-pooh'd as being backwards by their Malaysian brethren, have definitely gone ahead by leaps and bounds when it comes to studying and applying Islam in the real-world sense (source: The Other Malaysia). And if our so-called "more learned" can ever get over the myopic, morose-tinted glasses of morality, so could Malaysia, probably; for the betterment of all Malaysians, even. Muslims or otherwise.

The application of any law system without due application of reason, common sense, and compassion, will surely lead to cruel injustice. The only difference being whether that injustice is Islamic or not. More so, if established laws are then totally ignored, purely on the grounds of "morality".

And the Muttawa in Saudi Arabia is living proof of that.

Click here for the full post......

The Bocor-gate Petition

Technorati tags: Petition, Parliament, Malaysia, Uncouth MPs, Bocor-gate

By now, just about every Tom, Dick, Harry, Thelma, and Louise - plus their pet iguanas - know about this shameful exhibition of Male Chauvinistic Pig-ism in the Malaysian House of Parliament last week. Walski calls it the Bocor-gate scandal.

The semi-simian culprits behind Bocor-gate
(poster courtesy of Mob1900)

A petition has been started, seeking a referendum to sack the buggers. Walski's not entirely sure who got it going, but good work to whomever it was. Go sign it, if:
(a) You think that you've had enough of idiot MPs, particularly these two, or
(b) You strongly feel that these two dickheads have offended women everywhere, on the week just preceding Mother's Day, no less, or
(c) You have no strong feelings about it, but simply love to sign petitions

Like with any petition, there's no guarantee that these two shameful specimens will ever get the sack, but at least you get to do you part to register your outrage.

And in case you were wondering: Yes, Walski's already signed it.
(the offensive incident, why this petition is important, and more, in the full post)

To recap, this is what actually happened (the long version) at the said parliamentary sitting:
(courtesy of Wengsan's blog, via YouTube - the offending remarks occur around the 4:04 mark)

Off-topic, but isn't this ruckus, pretending to be a parliamentary sitting, somehwat telling of the overall state of affairs plauging our nation today?

Incidentally, all this may seem like a censure, and an infringement on the two MPs right to Free Speech (which they probably don't support anyway). Perhaps.

But this goes beyond the issue of Free Speech - it is conduct unbecoming of elected representatives, sitting in a hallowed house that decides on matters that effect us all as a nation. As responsible citizens, what we are doing here is exercising our right to tell these two (and the masters they ultimately report to) that we've had enough of irresponsible, disrespectful, and incompetent MPs.

After all, these MPs ultimately make important decisions, and pass laws, that affect OUR lives. We elected them (unfortunately), and it is our right to say Enough is Enough - plus, this is not the first time these very two MPs have been guilty of exhibiting behavior and conduct unbecoming.

So unbecoming, that even the honorary Yang Berhormat (Right Honorable) prefix seems no longer justified for these two...

Actually, come to think of it, there is a very easy solution to all this misbehaving - televise the parliamentary sittings live on TV, for every citizen to see.

But until that little impossibility happens, the petition is what we've got. And once you've signed it, pass the word around to your friends and family, and get them to sign it as well.

Click here for the full post......

A Mother of a day...

Technorati tags: Mother's Day, May 13, History, Pink Floyd

Happy Mother's Day

There is no doubt whatsoever in Walski's mind as to the great importance of the role mothers play in the lives of their children. What bonds are built, and whatever else transpires, between mother and child in the formative years and beyond, lives on in the child, consciously or otherwise.

No song written (at least to Walski) more so underlines this powerful fact, than this classic from Pink Floyd (from The Wall, courtesy of YouTube). And it doesn't necessarily always turn out for the better...

What kind of a mother nurtures her child, for example, to grow up one day to be a racist, or religious bigot, or worse, a serial killer? Is it any of her fault to begin with? Did she plant the seeds, or merely prepared and nourished the soil, into which such tendencies were later planted?

Undoubtedly, no mother knowingly raises her child to be bad. And Walski is in no way implying that there are some mothers out there evil enough to do so. But looking at some of the grown up, once upon a time children, around us today, it does make one pause. And wonder....

As fate would have it, today is also the 38th anniversary of the blackest of black marks in our nation's young history... May 13th, 1969.
(more mothersome thoughts, in the full post)

Walski was, of course, very young when the mayhem occured. Plus, he was living in Kulim at the time, quite insulated from what was happening in KL, Penang, and wherever else that there was strife. All he knows about the events is through history books and articles written about May 13.

And it would appear that official history, as we know it, may be in the process of being re-written, with the recent declassification of certain documents in the UK. If you're a Malaysiakini subscriber, you can read about it here, here and here.

Hypothetically, if it were to be that the identity of the real culprits behind the race riots 38 years ago are revealed, what emotions would the mothers of these people feel in their hearts? And in the mothers' hearts of whom, up till now, have been unjustifiably villified?

Moot question really, since in all likelihood these mothers would already have passed on to the next place.

But really, how would a mother feel?

Would it be "Hooray! My child's shaped the nation's history!"? Or would it be a certain amount of bitter-sweet regret? Again, Walski's not trying to lay any blame. We'll leave that for Father's Day.

It all underlines the fact that the little things we say, do or take for granted, sometimes have far and wide reaching effects on the people around us, and on those being nurtured by us. For the mothers, and fathers, of today, the effects of their persona will undoubtedly manifest themselves in their children.

Perhaps not soon, or not even in your lifetime. But one day...

Click here for the full post......

Just what were you Thinking, people?

Technorati tags: Memes, Thinking Blogger Award, Surprises

First off, a big "Thank You" to Marina M for nominating Walski for The Thinking Blogger Award, started somewhere in cyberspace by blogger Ilker Yoldas. Coming from Marina, Walski has to say that it's truly an honor.

Same goes for Walski's blogger-in-arms KTemoc, who couldn't "officially" tag Walski, but made an honorable mention in his Thinking Blogger Award post.

Just what were you thinking, people? Heh, heh...

Walski doesn't really feel he deserves this award, but at the same time is elated, and somewhat sheepishly proud, that myAsylum has made managed to stimulate the mind-juice of at least a few people.

We live in interesting times, somewhat at crossroads in a few arenas of everyday life - social, political and spiritual. And it is through the efforts of numerous bloggers that, in part, is stimulating many of us to think.

Unfortunately, many of Walski's favorite bloggers have already been tagged for this award. And so the choice of whom to nominate was no easy task - one of the reasons why it took Walski so long to write this post. Bloggers like Howsy The Sensintrovert, The Malaysian, Mahaguru58, The Boinq, Aisehman and Rocky, would have been shoe-ins. And to their credit, others beat Walski to the punch.

So whom to pick?
(Walski's choices, and more, in the full post)

After a lot of deliberation, here then are Walski's Thinking Blogger Award roll. Some may be obvious choices, some not. As far as Walski knows, none of 'em have been nominated - and if they have, they haven't made it known to the rest of the bloggerhood. These, by the way, aren't in any particular order of merit.

Jeff Ooi's Screenshots

How and why anyone hasn't tagged Jeff is one of those mysteries that Walski really cannot fathom. This guy, Malaysia's Grand Master Blogger, is perhaps the pioneer of the Malaysian Bloggerhood. More importantly, his posts are usually the head-up posts on issues and happenings that make Walski think. Even more important, and this really makes Walski think real hard - how the heck does he find the time to churn out such quality posts. Is he the real Superman? Or is there really more than one Jeff Ooi? Whatever it is, Jeff's inclusion in Walski's list is really a no-brainer.

the __earthinc

Hafiz, the guy behind the blog, makes Walski think about the economy and nature. His posts are very articulate and usually rather thought provoking, especially when it comes to his analysis on certain issues. And with him being a libertarian, there are a number of things on which Walski does see eye-to-eye with this gentleman. His posts on nature and the environment also makes Walski think quite a bit - namely, wtf is wrong with us? We don't own the environment, after all, but borrow it from our children - or in Walski's case, his neighbors', siblings' and friends' children.

Akram's Razor

This is perhaps one of the unexpected choices for some of you, as Svend, the guy behind the blog, is not Malaysian. In fact, he's a Muslim of Danish descent, currently living in the United States. His writings, which are articulate, makes Walski realize (or remind him, rather) that Islam is not the homogenous way of life that some may lead us to believe. On the contrary, there are indeed a number of schools of thought within Islam, as many of you probably realize. And Svend's articulate dissertations on varying issues, spiritual or otherwise, do very much exercise the mind.

The SIPM Collective

Meanwhile, back in the motherland, there is an intriguing group of bloggers, commenters of the scene politic, but with a style that is unique, and usually containing sub-text that forces one to think outside the norm. Currently on Walski's must-read list, SIPM (SIber Party of Malaysia, or alternatively, Sensually Indulging Political Malaysia) does present things from an interesting and usually non-partisan perspective. Definitely a group of blogger that makes the mind go Yo! And they include bitchin' videos with many of their posts, which is a definite bonus. It's a surprise that no one's nominated SIPM thus far.

And speaking of surprises, last, but definitely not least...

MENJ

This nomination will probably come as a huge surprise to many of you. Probably to MENJ himself. But it is about bloggers who make Walski think, not whom he likes/dislikes. And when it comes to MENJ, Walski usually thinks "what the fuck went wrong with this boy?" It's sad to see intelligence go to waste, really. And truth be told, MENJ is very well-read, but somehow seems to hold on unquestioningly to a very rigid, traditionalist and dogmatic approach to Islam, that defies the intellect. Oh, well - some people are simply incorrigible, one supposes. But Walski is one to give credit where credit is due...

Done, check the box, another task on the to-do list complete. Yes, Walski knows damn well that this is a meme. And he does remember that he dislikes them - but to every rule there be exceptions, no? So, dear receipients, if you wish to carry on with this award, here are the Rules and Regulations, which Walski has copied, verbatim, from the source of this Award-meme:

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. I thought it would be appropriate to include them with the meme.

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

So there you have it. 5 blogs/bloggers that make Walski's noggle tick. There are many others, for sure, but these are probably the five that merit mention... Enjoy!

Click here for the full post......