Devolution

Technorati tags: Humor, Satire, Poster, Politics, Devolution

Here's another theory - what's going on is actually the devolution of the political mind...

Walski will be the first to admit that he's certainly no Mob1900 or Kickdefella when it comes to these poster thingys... but a blogger's gotta do what a blogger gotta do in situations such as these...
(photo source credits, in the full post)

Walski's composite credit note: The poster was created using numerous picture elements taken from various places on the Internet, namely:
► RPK pix - taken from Freeanwar.com
► Nazri caricature - from Cariambo.com
► Simian torso - taken from Uncyclopedia.org
► Simian head - taken from Jelas.info
► Dodo pix - taken from Chrisabraham.com
► Dodo headshot - Bernama
► Single cell organism headshot - Berita Harian
and everything else is Walski's handiwork... (created using Gimp 2.2.11)

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

Insidious Foreign Elements

Technorati tags: Politics, Mat Tyson, Stupidity, Berita Harian, Propaganda

Walski's note of severe thanks and inspirational acknowledgement: Mega, uber-major hat-tip to Aisehman, for alerting Walski to this latest outbreak of freakiness (and you really gotta read his post for context).

First of all, Walski almost got fired from work today. But more about that later, 'cause Walski has to tell you something else first so that the almost getting fired part makes sense.

Remember how Walski said that when it comes to the recent rash of politico blog-attacks, ZAM's idiocy took the cake? Well, Walski stands corrected. This one's a lot more incredible...

This comes via Berita Harian, and for the sake of expediency, Walski will use Aisehman's translation, except for the additional paragraph that wasn't included in Aisehman's post. The original article (in PDF, since BH only keeps their articles for about a week or so) can be downloaded from here.

Pengendali blog ditaja organisasi luar
Blog operators sponsored by foreign organizations


PETALING JAYA: Pengendali dan penulis blog dibiaya organisasi luar negara hingga mencecah RM100,000 sebulan, kata Ketua Penerangan Umno, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib.

Beliau berkata, organisasi berkenaan menaja mereka dan membenarkan laman mereka menyiarkan pelbagai perkara sensitif oleh penulis blog tempatan dan luar negara.

“Kita tidak boleh memandang rendah kerana mereka ini golongan profesional dan kerajaan perlu kaedah khas untuk menangani masalah kemunculan laman blog yang menular seperti wabak penyakit,” katanya.

English Translation (courtesy of Aisehman):

PETALING JAYA: Bloggers are being funded by a foreign organisation for as much as RM100,000 a month, said Umno information chief Mat Taib.

He said the organisation sponsored these bloggers and allowed their websites to broadcast all manner of sensitive issues written by local and foreign bloggers.

“We cannot take this lightly as these bloggers comprise professionals, and the government needs a special mechanism to address the emergence of blogs, which are spreading like an epidemic,” he said.

Now, apart from the epidemic of cluelessness that seems to have spread like wildfire within the UMNO ranks - first Nazri, the Senate, KJ, ZAM and now Muhammad Muhd Taib - what's interesting is the implication of who these insidious foreign agencies could be. With funding, to boot.
(the stupidity epidemic, and more, in the full post)

Yes folks, Walski admits it - guilty as charged - Walski is a lecherous agent of Google, which, together with other equally evil organizations such as Wordpress and Moveable Type, are the clandestine foreign elements, hell-bent on destroying Malaysia. Why? Apparently, because in their minds, Malaysia gravitates around UMNO, the center of the universe, and these foreign elements have nothing better to do.

Oh, and the funding mentioned probably comes from AdSense - although Walski would agree with Aisehman that the RM 100K per month figure was probably pulled out of thin air. Or someone's butt. Makes no difference because frankly, Walski's still waiting for his first AdSense paycheck, and that figure is way higher than what any Malaysian blog makes monthly - by several factors of 10.

It would appear that with every assault on the bloggerhood, the claims made by the UMNO big-wigs get more and more wigged out. Seriously, carry on with your attack people. We need more entertainment.

There is one other part of the article that didn't get featured in Aisehman's post.

Muhammad yang juga Ketua Umno Bahagian Kelana Jaya, bimbang penulisan perkara sensitif di laman blog boleh mempengaruhi pemikiran generasi muda termasuk pelajar Malaysia di luar negara.

Muhammad, who is also Kelana Jaya UMNO Division Head, worries that writings pertaining to sensitive matters in blogs can influence the thinking of the younger generation, including Malaysian students overseas.

Now how much more condescendingly young-unfriendly can one get? And they wonder why UMNO is losing relevance with the younger generation? Well, Walski, for one, certainly hopes that the younger generation does get influenced, lest they one day become as out of touch with reality as Muhammad Muhd Taib. And don't let Walski even start about whom we should really be worrying about... he's said it more than one time before, and doesn't particularly wish to repeat it.

Oh, and don't even let Walski get started on the picture that accompanied the Berita Harian article... although answering the press, surrounded by a bevy of not-too-bad looking chicks does add a certain lecherousness machismo... Mat Tyson lah konon, kan?

And there you have it, folks - how on Earth could someone so ill-informed be UMNO Information Chief? Talk about grabbing at straws here... Or maybe it's yet another UMNO game of one upsmanship... Yeah, that's gotta be it.

It MUST be a competition to see who can come up with the most outlandishly idiotic blog-blamestorming... simian-like, un-Asian thinking, and now secret covert agents of Google... It's the only explanation that makes Adsense. Now Walski's really looking forward to see what's next.

Perhaps, a Jewish conspiracy, assisted by the US-discovered super-secret extra-terrestial technology of mind-control, perhaps...

The bigger joke, perhaps, is the fact that Berita Harian actually ran this story. It must be because they, on command from their paymasters, think that the Malay readership will suck this up like they're expected to. Like a very low IQ slave doing the bidding of a sightless master... the blind leading the stupid, so to speak.

Oh, before Walski forgets... about the almost getting fired from work bit... yeah, Walski was laughing so damn hard when he read the Aisehman post and Berita Harian report, that he literally was ROTFL his AO... and the boss, needless to say, wasn't too pleased...

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

Enter the Dragonslayer...

Technorati tags: Politics, DAP, Jeff Ooi

A picture, so they say, paints a thousand words...

Bloggers, for a change, are welcome...

Enter the Dragonslayer... And as Rocky sez, in the tug-o-Jeff between Gerakan and DAP, the Democrats seem to have emerged the victors (okay, maybe not in those exact words). Walski, like Rocky, stands by Jeff in his decision to enter the political arena, regardless of which party he affiliates himself wih, and supports him 100% in his quest for a better Malaysia.

Tongue-in-cheek, Walski calls this Jeff Ooi's Coming Out Party... but not that kind of "coming out", of course...

And in case you need to know how to get to the Food Foundry, here's a bonus pix, probably worth another thousand words... being that Walski doesn't quite give great directions...
(directions to a morning of history, food, fun & networking, in the full post)

How to get there...

Incidentally, do RSVP with Tony if you are able and interested. Walski unfortunately can't, because of the timing... unless he plays hookie from work. Tsk, tsk...

Actually, Walski found out about Jeff's decision thru the media yesterday morning, as reported by The Star. This news, although not entirely unexpected, made Walski's day... until the other piece of moronic news came to his attention... but in any case, the latter news did nothing much to damper Walski's elation... that perhaps there is yet hope for a better Malaysia, God-willing.

Power to ya, Jeff!

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

Wising up to Goblok Ministers

Technorati tags: Politics, Hegemony, Stupidity, ZAM, Propaganda

goblok - a popular Indonesian word which, quite simply, means stupid.

A fresh new round of attacks on the blogging community seems to be surfacing, and as reported by Malaysiakini yesterday, this particular verbal assault by Information Minister Zainuddin "Call Me Joe" Maidin is worthy of note. If for no other reason, because it highlights just how out of touch some of our politicians are with the reality of the now. And in the process, shows just how Goblok they really are.

It really makes Walski wonder really, how long do these folk think they can go on spouting idiotic, paranoid nonsense before the public wises up. Cabinet Ministers and other politicians are well-known for making stupid statements in the press, expecting everyone to suck in every word as if it were divine wisdom.

And the paranoia of UMNO personalities over the influence and popularity of blogs and online alternative news sites has never reached the crescendo that we're seeing in the past few weeks. Not as far as Walski can remember.

But this really has to take the fucking cake.

ZAM milking the politico's blog paranoia
(click image or here to read full news report)

Walski doesn't normally do this, but let's dissect the news report, shall we? This is an especially important exception that Walski will make. What ZAM had to say is so stupid, that it deserves comment. And not nice ones, either. The news report, in its entirety, can be found here, via Bernama. (Any emphasis in the article is by myAsylum, plus Walski's thoughts and comments are in this color)

The people must wise up to "goblok" (political bloggers) because some of them were willing to become tools of others to destroy the nation, said Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin.

Is it just Walski, or does ZAM really sound paranoid? In a very stupid way. Goblok-ish, almost.

He said these bloggers belonged to groups with limited knowledge and had evil intentions.

As opposed to, what? Politicians who have so much knowledge and wisdom, that they cannot differentiate between postings and comments on a blog? And evil intention, sir?

"They support foreign elements bent on destroying our beloved country," he told reporters after launching the 2007 Jalur Gemilang (National Flag) Convoy in front of the Merdeka (Independence) Declaration Memorial in Bandar Hilir here today.

Yes, of course - fling around baseless accusations again. Foreign elements? Get real, dude. What kind of morons do you think the citizens of Malaysia are? Oh wait... of course - the kind that keep on voting you lot in time after time...
(continuing the dissection, and more, in the full post)

Zainuddin said they (bloggers) were not Asian in thinking but were trying to ape the West because that was where they got the education and thought anything western was the best for everyone.

Blame the West - the favorite mantra of the intellectually bankrupt Asian politician. IF by "Asian thinking" you mean supporting any, and every, BN action, tolerating corrupt practices, and obeying authority without question, even if such authority will one day result in Malaysia going down the drain of human history, then you've got a point. Who needs transparency, integrity and honesty, right? So what exactly do you mean by being Asian, ZAM? And within the context of which fucking century?

"Since the beginning (independence) until now, we have had such dangerous people who have no qualms about becoming the tools of foreign nations to damage our country, including the economy and national unity," he said.

The biggest threat to national unity are the idiotic politicians brandishing weapons and spouting racist threats, even if everyone knows that they are nothing but cheap theatrics meant to wow their equally idiotic supporters. And Walski doesn't need to remind you from which political party the said politicians come from, does he?

He said they also tried to influence the mainstream media to publish their writings, which border on rumours and slander so that they can split the people.

For the first time in history, the Government does not have 100% control on information flow, and this scares the bejesus out of these dinosaurs. And Zam's response just goes to show how anachronistic and out of touch with reality he really is. Read The World is Flat at some juncture, ZAM. You may just learn a thing or three. You'll learn why all this petty shows of power are gonna make Malaysia be the big loser in the end. Already, even the once-backwards Vietnam is poised to overtake Malaysia in due time. At the very least, you won't sound like the paranoid buffoon you paint yourself to be.

The people should ignore such blogs because their writers were only trying to seek glory, he said, adding that, however, the government did not discourage people from having personal blogs which touch on knowledge, relationships, the family institution and friendship.

Yes, we must all listen and believe to ONLY Government propaganda, and to the glorious politicians who work oh so hard to make themselves even more glorious. Get a grip, ZAM. Just get a fucking grip.

Now, here's a great specimen of a Malaysian political dinosaur. Free speech is okay as long as it doesn't endanger UMNO/BN's hegemony on political power. It's just sad that patriotism these days is mistakenly defined as love for the ruling party, and that criticizing the ruling party is synonymous to being un-patriotic. To some quarters anyways... the dinosaur pack, in particular.

Well, the opportunity to make our voices heard should be coming around the bend soon. Or so says the rumor mill... and maybe when the time comes, perhaps we can ensure that Goblok ministers won't feature so prominently anymore... The last thing that Malaysia needs to move to the next level is idiots like these in government.

Or is that just wishful thinking on Walski's part?

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

The writing's on the wall... and the Citizen Think Tank

Technorati tags: Politics, Citizen Think Tank, Malaysia

In almost exactly 5 weeks time, Malaysia will be celebrating it's 50th year of independence. For a country merely 7 years older than Walski, a child really within the context of world history, you'd expect that there still would be growing pains.

Well, events of late have kinda shown Walski that living in Malaysia is a growing pain. Sometimes in a funny, yet sad way, if you've read Raja Petra Kamaruddin's account of his 8 wasted hours being interrogated. A real comedy of errors, as RPK calls it. And the last laugh's on those who thought playing us for fools was easy...

Of course, there are other things, too, that lead Walski to feel disheartened as a Malaysian. Which is what led him to create this poster. Call it a commemoration of Walski's un-celebrating August 31^st this year.

Click to open in new window, or right-click and "Save Target As..."

Feel free to nick it, but only if you happen to feel the same way Walski does...
(smaller un-celebratory button, and more, in the full post)

The only thing that Walski asks, if you want it displayed on your blog or website, is to link it back to this post, so that people will know the reason behind it.

If the big version is a bit too obtrusive, Walski's also created a smaller button version, which you are also more than welcome to have, if you wish. Clicking on the image will open it in a new window, or you can right click and "Save Target As..." just like the bigger version. And if you don't like black, well, tough. Same request, though - link it back here.

And in case you were wondering, yes, it is indeed inspired by V for Vendetta, the classic Alan Moore graphic novel, later made into an equally gripping film. No, Walski's not suggesting anyone blow anything up. We have a democratic process to facilitate change, and we should make full use of that process.

Speaking of processes, recently Walski discovered something very interesting and novel (big hat-tip to Haris Ibrahim) - it's called the Citizen Think Tank (CTT). CTT has two purposes - to act as a Politician Watchdog, as well as being a forum for common citizens to voice out issues that affect them and their community. It's still in its infancy, but Walski is confident that with the sincerity of those who have started this, and the earnest drive to make Malaysia a better place for all Malaysians, CTT will be a force to be reckoned with, providing a much needed platform for common Malaysians such as you and Walski.

Check them out, and decide for yourself, however. The first step towards empowerment is knowledge, which is what Walski is doing here - letting you know that a channel to hear your voice now exists, albeit in the early stages of that channel emerging. With enough support, Walski is certain that CTT will achieve its vision and objectives.

In the meantime, Walski's quite sure that he's not alone in feeling a little disgruntled about what's happening to this country. The writing, as they say, is clearly written on the wall. And hopefully, we can do somethign about it during the coming general elections, which should be coming quite soon - as early as November, as predicted by good 'ol blogger buddy KTemoc. That, and fully supporting the Citizen Think Tank initiative.

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

How to be a Total Loser

Technorati tags: Humor, Satire, Politics, Loser, Power Loser, World Class Loser

Think of this as a tutorial, of sorts. You may think that being a loser is a natural thing. You would be totally wrong. Losers are made, not born. Walski doesn't believe in the concept of a born loser. Born-again Loser maybe.

It takes practice, and is a lot of hard work. Yes sir... being a loser, to an exent is an art form. A kind of dark science, if you would.

Be that as it may, in today's competitive world, it's not enough to just be a loser, though. Nope. You gotta get to the next level - total suck-ass lord loser. That should be your aim in life, if, of course, that's what you aspire to be. Mega-lord of the losers.

So how to achieve extreme loser-dom? Well, fret not, 'cause Walski's gonna share a few things with you, so that you can add to your loser skill set. And because Walski doesn't believe in gender bias, all these tips work for both sexes. In most cases, anyway. myAsylum presents 5 Loser Advantage tips to assist in your quest to achieve Supreme Loser status.

Loser Advantage #1 - Be a total dickhead
Being a loudmouth dickhead is perhaps one of the characteristics of a true suck-ass loser. Or politician. Being well-manered, and trying to be a loser, only attracts the one human emotion that world-class losers detest most - pity. There are many successful role models you could emulate, even here in Malaysia. Actually, especially here in Malaysia. If you're not already a dickhead/bitch, here's a tip - start behaving like one. You'll never get to super loser-dom if you aren't. One good way to be an all-around dickhead is to throw your weight and authority around indiscriminately. Making high, lofty, and often unreasonable threats is a bonus. Angrily waving around weapons while doing this, earns extra you bonus points - multiply your hitpoints by 100. By doing this, people will immediately think of you as a dickhead, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a power loser.
Loser Hitpoints: +20 (x 100 where applicable)

Loser Advantage #2 - Pretend to know everything
An important tenet of world-class losers is this: ounce of knowledge is sufficient to claim expertise. No matter how little you know about something, a real world-class loser will claim to be an expert. One way to facilitate this is to throw terminologies and TLA's around, regardless or not they are relevant to what you're talking about. For example, if you think bad-mouthing someone is a punishable crime, and it's done online (on blogs, or websites), you immdediately label the perpetrators as cyber criminals. This is excellent loser behavior, world-class even. And getting your co-loser friends to support your statement is an added bonus (+10 Loser Hitpoints for you, +5 for your friend).
Loser Hitpoints: +20 (plus the bonus points stated above)

Loser Advantage #3: Taking credit on someone else's behalf
This is one area where you can excellerate your loser hitpoint accumulation tremendously. For instance, say you were delegated by your boss to deliver a speech at an international seminar, with press coverage. It so happens that it's an extremely mundane speech - except for a couple of semi-controversial sentences. And suppose that the half-asleep-from-boredom journalists present suddenly woke up when you read that semi-controversial bit, and went to town with it. And you get the credit for the statement, and not your boss. Major Loser hitpoints, baby! Getting credit for someone else is one of those areas a true loser looks forward to. And getting undue recognition for something someone else was responsible for is one of the few ultimate Loser achievements that few can claim. Better still if no one were the wiser!
Loser Hitpoints: +150

(more Loser Advantage tips, in the full post)

Loser Advantage #4: Barking up the wrong tree
One of the usually overlooked sources of Loser hitpoints. Barking up the wrong tree is a good way to increase your Loser stature in life. Say you're tasked to find fault with a particular web log (or blog for short), and can't seem to find any offending posting, contrary to what you've been told you'd find. The Loser thing to do will be to divert attention of the investigation to the comments instead. In many cases, popular and controversial websites have numerous comments left behind. Frequently, many are left by fellow Losers. This is a good thing. You use the Loser comments to divert the flow of your investigation, and instantly earn yourself some Loser hitpoints. The more unrelated the tree you're barking up, the more hitpoints you stand to earn. Better yet, if you bark up something that's not even a tree.. like a metal lampost - almost tree-like, but non-organic - giving you the maximum 1,000 Loser hitpoint maximum.
Loser Hitpoints: +10 x n (where n is between 1 to 99, denoting the degree of unrelatedness), maximum 1,000 points for barking up metallic lamp posts

Loser Advantage #5: When in doubt, blame someone else
The last, but not the least, effective way to bump up Loser hitpoints is to not own up to your mistakes, and blame someone else for it instead. Many Losers do this naturally, without knowing its true hitpoint benefit. So, if you happen to be responsible for a badly planned project, and it ultimately goes wrong, blame the contractor, supplier or anyone else convenient - doesn't even have to be anyone related to the project in the first place. The more unreasonable the blame, the more hitpoints you can expect to accumulate. As with Advantage #4, a variable scoring method is employed. Bottom line is, no matter how ludicrous the blame, make sure it falls on someone else.
Loser Hitpoints: +10 x n (where n is between 1 to 50, denoting how ludicrous the blame is)

So there you have it - 5 simple tips on how to increase your Loser stature. Being world-class, suck ass super Loser is not difficult, but it takes effort, and an ounce of know-how. It's not enough to know how to be a Loser, it takes practice. With enough application and practice of these five simpleton tips, you too can attain the unenviable World-Class status of Loser-supremeness.

After all, isn't that what we really aspire - to be World Class?

Walski's TLA explanatory footnote: TLA, in case you don't already know, stands for Three-Letter Acronym, and is usually used to describe acronyms (not necessarily only 3-letter ones) used as substitutes for complicated or long jargons, some of which are peculiar to specific industries. URL, FTP, HTTP, and WLAN are common IT-related TLAs. TLAs are frequently used in marketing presentations, where if you can't convince 'em, confuse the hell out of your audience by throwing around a bunch of TLAs. The acronym TLA itself is unique, because of its self-descriptive nature. QED.

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

Going the way of the dinosaurs

Technorati tags: Politics, Humor, UMNO, Dinosaurs, Extinction

Dinosaurs.

Rumor has it that they were huge things - big, and lumbering... Okay, perhaps not true of all the dinosaur species, because some of them weren't that lumbering - like T Rex. But they were big - most of them anyway.

But in proportion to their size, dinosaurs generally had really tiny brains. Big enough to instinctively pickup survival skills (walk, hunt, eat, sleep, eat some more...), but probably not smart enough to look up an entry in Wikipedia. Or type, for that matter.

As to what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs - well, that is still an open debate. The popular theory is one of a major cataclysmic event - like a large meteor hitting the Earth. But that would've meant that all the dinosaurs would have had to be congregating at the very spot the meteor hit. Okay... silly jokes aside... their extinction was, by and large, pretty sudden.

Now fast forward a few hundred million years to the present - mention the word dinosaur, and you're likely to think of someone (or many someones) that's slow to adapt to change... sorta fosillized, almost. A living fossil, trapped in a time long past gone.

Which neatly brings us to our present-day political leaders, and how quickly they are adapting to the drastic paradigm changes brought about by a fast advancing technology called the Internet. Let's just say that they're adapting to the technolgy and its side-effects, as well as.. say, a 110V lightbulb adapting to a 240V socket.
(dinosaurs, politicians, and exploding lightbulbs, in the full post)

One only needs to look at what rubbish these modern-day dinosaurs have to say in the news. Like in this news article, for instance (emphasis by myAsylum):

A Senator today called for stern action against bloggers who he described as "arrogant and bold" when making disparaging remarks against leaders.

"The lack of a specific act to supervise bloggers gave them the space to spread lies which touch the sensitivity of the community. It can become a threat to peace," said Senator Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi when debating the Electronic Government Activities Bill 2007 in the Dewan Negara.

The Bill was tabled for second reading by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

Dr Puad said the government should not compromise with the bloggers and use existing laws like the Penal Code, Sedition Act 1948 and the Internal Security Act (ISA) against them.

Senator Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir who spoke in support of Dr Puad said cyber crimes committed by bloggers could destroy the nation.
(source: Bernama)

First off, the biggest threat to peace are probably the politicians themselves, what with their keris-waving theatrics, threatening racial innuendos, and what not. Talk about a bunch of people whose minds are fossilized, eh? Okay, it's no big secret that most (if not all) the Senators in the Upper House are BN-nominated, so stupidity like this is to be expected.

And the intellectually bankrupt politicians' greatest tool is of course verbal threats of throwing the book at you. Hence, the threat of ISA and such.

But labelling bloggers as cyber criminals? Now, which century side of the bed did you wake up that morning, Datuk Musa? The rakyat (people), these days, empowered by the internet, don't have that short a memory anymore. Not like in the old dinosaur days. Farish Noor, via The Other Malaysia, puts it into perspective (emphasis by myAsylum):

A word, once uttered, can seldom be withdrawn. This is true for most of us and particularly true for politicians who forget that we now live in an age of modern communications technology where every sentence, every utterance, even every burp, hiccup and indiscreet bodily emission will be recorded for posterity.
(source: The Other Malaysia)

But perhaps the most threatening of threats has just come from none other than BN's own Daddy Dominatrix (officially known as the BN Whip), Datuk Nazri Aziz (emphasis by myAsylum):

The government today warned of tough action against web bloggers who write on sensitive issues which include insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Islam.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the government would not hesitate to use the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 121b of the Penal Code against these bloggers.

He said the government had exercised restraint in the matter for a long time and the time had come for it to act according to those laws.

"I want to issue a warning that the time has come for us to take action against them (bloggers who make disparaging statements). We have the right and we will do it. We have been very patient," he said when winding up debate on the Electronic Government Activities Bill 2007 in the Dewan Negara here. The bill was passed.
(source: Bernama)

First of all, it's web loggers, or bloggers, NOT web bloggers. But Walski's being nit-picky here... Then again, it's a sign that those who serve the government (Bernama included) aren't the most up-to-speed with such new-fangled terminology.

Second, since when is UMNO the Government? And the mindset that thinks UMNO is the government, and any lambasting of UMNO equals going against the government, and thus invoking draconian laws will make the rakyat suddenly burst with undying love, gratitude, and adulation for the government, is frankly misguided, best case. Worst case - downright clueless. Behavior almost dinosaur-like. Must be the similarities in the brain power department, or something.

Dr. M. Bakri Musa, too, laments that many a "kucing kurap" (mangy cat) have managed to rise so high in the echelons of UMNO, which in turn reflects very badly on the Malays (hat-tip: Rocky's Bru).

The effect of even calling the ISA into the picture is actually going to be quite the opposite of the imagined desired effect. Already, many are quite fed up with those in the current cabinet - most of them are just not the kind of leaders that can take Malaysia to the next level. And by that, Walski means the next level UP, and not down (they certainly are more than capable of driving Malaysia into the ground). And Nazri is definitely one of 'em - God-forbid that he should, at some point in time, become a minister in charge of something... kinda like a toothless cobra - lots of venom, but no bite.

Perhaps, Aisehman puts it best in his latest posting (emphasis by myAsylum):

If you can understand how technology changes lives, communities and entire societies, you would have seen it coming long ago.

You would have seen that technology empowers, and consequently, it liberates.

Nowhere is there freedom like the freedom that exists on the Internet.

There are many, many Internet users in this country, and everyday, they are being fed, raised, and nurtured on that freedom. It is becoming a part of them.

You can see it already. The word of the power elite is no longer blindly accepted as the truth and the law.

The “glory days” are fast fading.

Those who remain in denial of the shifting ground they stand on, will fall.
(source: Aisehman.org)

Well, the power elites we have today aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed. In Walski's book of terminologies, the power elites are going the way of the dinosaurs. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but soon enough. As long as they remain cluelessly secure behind their heavy shield of denial, loudly proclaiming their receding influence. And frankly, shooting themselves in the feet with every shout.

And this time, the cataclysmic disaster, unlike a couple of million years ago, will happen with all the dinosaurs neatly herded in one single place...

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

Elephant Talk

Technorati tags: Politics, Music, King Crimson, Elephant Talk, YouTube

All this bickering and banter about Islamic State vs. Secular, the politicking going on in and out of the bloggerhood, the general chit-chat politica that's going on, plus labelling of bloggers, by some Senator, as cyber criminals (hat-tip: 4896)... Walski came to another realization, after the one last night.

It can all be summed up in two words:

Elephant Talk

(Elephant Talk lyrics for your sing-along pleasure, and more, in the full post)

Elephant Talk (by King Crimson)

Talk, it's only talk
Arguments, agreements, advice, answers,
Articulate announcements
It's only talk

Talk, it's only talk
Babble, burble, banter, bicker bicker bicker
Brouhaha, boulderdash, ballyhoo
It's only talk
Back talk

Talk talk talk, it's only talk
Comments, cliches, commentary, controversy
Chatter, chit-chat, chit-chat, chit-chat,
Conversation, contradiction, criticism
It's only talk
Cheap talk

Talk, talk, it's only talk
Debates, discussions
These are words with a D this time
Dialogue, dualogue, diatribe,
Dissention, declamation
Double talk, double talk

Talk, talk, it's all talk
Too much talk
Small talk
Talk that trash
Expressions, editorials, expugnations, exclamations, enfadulations
It's all talk
Elephant talk, elephant talk, elephant talk
(lyrics taken from rockmagic.net)

Elephant Talk is one of the better known tracks from the 1981 King Crimson album Discipline. King Crimson is a progressive rock outfit that had gone thru many transformations throughout its long history, since 1969. The one constant remaining since its formation is guitarist extrodinaire, Robert Fripp. The King Crimson line-up seen in the video is the "double trio" formation, consisting of the 1980's line up of Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford, with the addition of drummer Pat Mastelotto and second Chapman Stick player Trey Gunn. The current line-up consists of Fripp, Belew, Levin and Mastelotto.

Incidentally, The Adrian Belew Power Trio is playing at the Blue Note in Tokyo, Japan. And word has it is that they need some emergency equipment badly for the show (see the July 16, 2007 entry). Any help available?

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

Life, the Universe, and everything else of little significance...

Technorati tags: Humor, Politics, UMNO, Islamic State, Secular State, Malaysia Today, RPK, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

For the umpteenth time, last night Walski watched The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - based, of course, on the best-ever book known to mankind in history. Okay, okay.. second best. Since Walski's watched this film umpteen-minus-one times before this, concentration was not exactly one of those attributes required.

At the back of Walski's mind, a few nagging thoughts were running amuck through his synapses while watching HG2G. Perhaps egged on by the film - because Walski saw all kinds of parallels with what's going on in this great, or once great but can be again, nation of ours, with what's in the movie. You're probably thinking perhaps that's a bit of a stretch. But Walski's train of thought can be pretty abstract sometimes. Read on, though, and by the end of the post it should all become clear. We hope.

This current mess of a situation all started, of course, with the Deputy PM making the now infamous speech at some conference or other last week - that Malaysia has never been a secular state, and that because Islam is the religion of the federation, we are, therefore, an Islamic state.

Walski, like many of you out there, has fallen into the trap of taking sides on the issue of whether or not we are this or that. Yeah... shit happens, you know? Having read the article by the esteemed Dr. Chandra Muzaffar, originally published on Malaysiakini, but now available on The Other Malaysia for your reading pleasure, the truth is that we are what we are - uniquely Malaysia. Plain and simple. Read the article, and see if Walski's conclusion makes sense or not. And yeah, Freelunch2020, Walski agrees with you. We should stop bickering and get down to the real issues.

You see, the real evil, regardless of which side of the divide between Islamic and secular you sit, is really politics. And once you realize that, you'll realize that the bickering and animosity we're inflicting upon ourselves benefit one group of people, and one group of people alone - the fucking politicians.

The common people like you and Walski are but pawns in this dastardly game of winner-takes-all. And it's easy for emotions to be fucked around with, when the right strings are pulled.
(realizations of galactic proportions, in the full post)

But then, you have the other side of the equation that wants an "Islamic state", at the expense of everything else, so it would seem. More fucking politics. One question to ask - an "Islamic state" of what sort? What model of society, that's relevant to the make-up of Malaysia? What are you talking about exactly when you say you want an "Islamic State"? The existing so-called Islamic states the world over are not exactly the most shining examples of modern civilization. In many cases, Islam is used as an excuse to exert tyranny and bouy totalitarianist regimes. Give us a model, please. (And, no, Walski's not talking the Amber Chia type of model)

The Constitution of 1957, although not perfect, does provide, in principle, a basis for an equitable society. Read right, it is liberal in nature. Liberal in the sense that all Malaysians are treated equally in the eyes of the law. Liberal in the sense that a citizen is given the right to live his or her life, as he or she sees fit - within the bounds of the law. It is not Liberal in the sense that rejects religion, as some politically vocal Muslims would want us to believe. But it is Liberal in the sense that it does not impose a particular belief upon someone against their own will.

But be that as it may, the events that have followed the remarks of the DPM, are all political ploys. See it for what it is, won't you? It is nothing more, nothing less than just politics. The order to suppress any discussion or debate in the media, particularly those that are not in agreement with what the DPM said; the warning given by UMNO Youth to MCA to shut the fuck up; the rebuttal by MCA; and most recently, the police report filed against Malaysia Today... it's all POLITICS.

Let's not get caught in the excitement, and play into the hands of those who wish to see us become partisan towards one party pitted against the other. And in all the excitement, the real issues get clouded. And the more clouded the real issues get, the easier to manipulate we all become. Emotion is an effective means of manipulation. And being the experienced politicians that they are, our emotions are being used to their advantage - without us even being the wiser.

Incidentally, speaking of Malaysia Today, yesterday Walski postulated that the site may either have been taken down, or was being inundated with traffic. Walski is happy to report that it was actually the heavy traffic, and that currently it is accessible without any problems. Unless, of course, you have crappy connectivity to the 'Net. And, RPK has written a excellently scathing rebuttal article, raising some interesting things about the person tasked with filing the police report against him and his website.

It's high time for Malaysia to wake up and smell the politics. And if you smell anything else, it's probably only the haze. Or yesterday's durians.

So, back to The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy. Remember the parallels Walski mentioned?

The Galaxy, despite being led by a renegade President, the bunggling Zaphod Beeblebrox, and overrun by over-the-top bureaucrats-from-Hell, the Vogons, still manages to continue its existence, the various worlds and races surviving in a strangely ludicrous symbiosis.

Not unlike Malaysia, if you think about it. We are a country whose Executive is the epitome of Autopilotocracy - it doesn't matter where they are or what they're doing - Malaysia still functions. Sorta like Zaphod Beeblebrox vis á vis the Galaxy. And lets not even get started on the bureaucracy.

But another more important parallel - perhaps the most important one - regardless of the petty political games, the "I am more Islam than thou" strategems by both sides, the needless squabbles over Islamic or Secular... when the time comes for the Vogons to demolish planet Earth to make way for an inter-galactic hyperspace bypass, none of it is gonna amount to a hill of beans.

Unless your name is Arthur Dent. And you have a best friend named Ford Prefect. Which, although, not entirely impossible, is quite likely, very highly improbable...

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

Newsflash: Police report filed against Malaysia Today

Technorati tags: Politics, UMNO, Malaysia Today, RPK, Freedom of Speech

Walski's update pre-note: Any updates will be at the end of this post

Okay, following the last post, Walski has some real news to report, for change.

Just got word from Aisehman's blog - that Raja Petra Kamaruddin, popularly abbreviated to RPK, has had a police report filed against him, or more accurately, against his website, Malaysia Today, by UMNO Information Chief, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib. Yup, the same guy who can't read a word of English when in Australia.

A quick visit to Malaysia Today confirmed this.

Screenshot from Malaysia Today, taken at 1521 hrs today.

"At 11.00am today, Umno’s Information Chief will be making a police report against Malaysia Today. The allegation is that Malaysia Today allows comments and articles that degrade Islam."
(source: Malaysia Today)

Lately, a series of thought-provoking posts by an anonymous writer with the pen-name Anti-Jihadist had been published on the site. It is quite common that whenever an Islam-based article is published, the comments get very stupid, juvenile and malicious. And Walski suspects that this is probably the reason for the police report.

Ironically, RPK and Malaysia Today have remained pretty much unscathed by the political postings. Walski also suspects that this move by UMNO is a show of muscle flexing, to support the claim by the DPM recently that Malaysia is an Islamic State.

In an Islamic State, particularly one run by UMNO, it seems that any non-officially condoned discourse on Islam must be supressed. How refreshing.
(more Islam-as-I-say-tion, in the full post)

Perhaps this is to keep the allusion alive that not only PAS can speak for Islam. To Walski, all this smacks of political intimidation, and another sign that elections are gonna happen soon. May not be August, as predicted by Kickdefella recently, but pretty soon nonetheless.

What's more dangerous, in the larger sense, is when religion and politic get mixed into a volatile cocktail, for political mindshare. And indeed, heed has to be taken, lest we follow the path of another great "Islamic" nation, Pakistan.

ABIM, and the like, can try to assure us that Malaysia will not slide down that same treacherous path all they want (as recently reported in Malaysiakini). The truth, as they say, always makes itself crystal clear. Call oneself an Islamic anything, and some kind of suppression can't be too far behind.

Freedom of Speech can be ugly, and it's a measure of a given society's maturity on how to properly counter speech we don't agree with or we don't like. Suppression is not one of those ways, and once again, UMNO leads the way to show us how juvenile we Malaysians really are.

Quite cynically, Aisehman decided to title his post "... Malaysia Today, Gone Tomorrow?" He may be more spot on than he intended. And Walski doesn't mean just the website, either.

Walski will keep a close eye on the developments surrounding this latest bit of news.

Update (@ 1804 hrs) - at present Malaysia Today appears to not be accessible. However, it's not known whether it has been shutdown, or whether it is because of the server being inundated with traffic.

Updated (@ 1617 hrs) - Other blogs reporting on this:
- Aisehman
- Bullets of Quills and Ink
- MageP's Lab
- Malaysia Buzz ** Updated **
- Sagaladoola ** Updated **
- The Malaysian
- The Sensintrovert ** Updated **
- t.he. rebel within u.s ** Updated **
- Tun Mahathir, Warisan Negara Malaysia
- Whatever

Walski's phrase credit note: The term Islam-as-I-say-tion has been borrowed from lawyer and blog activist Haris Ibrahim, from the title of one of his articles on the website The Truth Of The Matter. Haris also maintains a blog called The People's Parliament, which calls for truth, justice and better governance. Coincidentally, his latest post is actually related to the suppression that Walski talks about in this post.

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

HENN: Revenge of the Book Majors

Technorati tags: Humor, Satire, Books, Price War, Hypermarkets, Media, Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Book Majors to Start Selling Cheap Groceries
myAsylum reports on this new controversy, in this exclusive expose, straight from Hell, and soon-to-be Hell-on-Earth, Malaysia. Another episode in the continuing series from the Hell-on-Earth News Network (HENN)

Kuala Lumpur (sometime in the near future perfect, past tense) - In retaliation against the two hypermarkets slashing the price on the latest Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, four book majors have today announced that they will start grocery sections in their book outlets, offering basic household and other items at ridiculously low prices. Lower, they say, than what the hypermarkets usually offer.

Book majors retaliate by selling groceries
(see end of post for image credits)

HENN managed to hunt down an inside source, who wishes to remain ambiguous anonymous, and who indicated that the move was targeted at drawing back the customers who were angry at the book stores for not wanting to sell the latest Harry Potter book, and have since flocked to the two hypermarkets buying anything resembling a book.

"We will start by selling laundry detergent at a price cheaper than you'll ever see at any of these hypermarkets. And the detergent, we'll throw in free of charge a laundry safety book. Let's see the hypermarkets try to top that. And if that doesn't work, we'll start to give away free 5kg bags of rice with every book purchase."

Future plans include adding seafood, meats and cooking oil counters in the Cookbook section, motorbike spare parts counters in the DIY section of the book stores, and a section for disposable diapers, to be located near the kiddie books area.

All these, the source adds, at every day lowest prices imaginable.

However, this plan to counter the price war initiated by the hypermarkets, has been met with one possible snag. Some parties, it appears, are not happy with having meats sold with books.
(protest from strange sources, and more, in the full post)

A very rabid influential faith-based consumer group has protested the move saying that it will be detrimental to the faith of the Muslims shopping a the book stores.

"We condemn this move by the book outlets to sell meat in the Cookbook section. How are we to be sure that the cookbooks have been prepared in a manner suitable for Muslim consumption?" an irate spokesperson for the consumer group told HENN. "Furthermore, the cookbook section is adjacent to the VCD/DVD section - this is blasphemous! Blasphemous!"

The ire, it seems, stems from the fact that these VCD/DVD sections continue to sell the film "Bruce Almighty", whose sequel "Evan Almighty" has been condemned by the consumer group, claiming that it would cause Muslims to be confused and start worshipping Morgan Freeman. Investigations by HENN, however, have not uncovered any secret shrines dedicated to the Academy Award-winning actor. Yet.

The book majors, meanwhile, remain unperturbed, and are determined to go ahead with their plan to sell cheap groceries, which they say will, in the end, only benefit the consumers.

Consumers, on the other hand, are demanding that the book majors expand their grocery section to include milk powder, toothpaste and lingerie. Confused over the last shopping weeked about where to go to buy what, many shoppers have been reported to have opted to stay home and stare out the window hoping for some sign.

HENN will keep a close watch on these and other related developments.
(© 2007 - Hell-on-Earth News Network)

Stolen image credits: The composite image was created using images from various sources: the disposable diapers from here, cooking oil from here (where you can find a recipe for brownies), and the bag of rice from here. Everything else you see is Walski's own mischief.

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

Going potty over Potter

Technorati tags: Humor, Books, Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling, Controversy, Price War, Tesco

All good things, as they say, come to an end. Usually. And no exception with the phenomenally popular Harry Potter series of books. And today's the big day, July 21, 2007, when the seventh and last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, goes on sale worldwide.

By now, die-hard fans may already have gotten their grubby hands on the book, with some starting their wait for their grail, lining up in front of their favorite bookstores days before. Yeah, Potter fans do get a little crazy that way. While Walski has enjoyed the series thus far, he is by no measure a fanatic or even a big fan. Walski wonders how some people get a little loony tunes over a book. Oh well, to each his/her own, one supposes.

But the book release here in Malaysia has apparently attracted some controversy. In yesterday's The Star, four major bookstore chains have reportedly boycotted the release, and any promotional activities associated with the book, because they say that a hypermarket is offering the books at a tremendously reduced price.

One hypermart to piss all of 'em off...

The last paragraph shown above, however, is the best part.

So does that mean if the hypermarket weren't offering the big discount that the four book chains would have been profiteering from their customers? Well, books, as important as they are happen to be pricey in Malaysia. Whose fault? Who knows... count the number of hands between the publisher and the retailer, with markups along the way...

If you were thinking of lining up at one of these four chains... well, the good news is that now you don't have to. Head on to the hypermart mentioned... oh, wait... it's not mentioned in The Star article above (oh, those chickenshit pansies)... but apparently, the said hypermarket put up a full page advertisement in Friday's newspapers. Walski will give you a hint: it's not Mydin.
(magic pricewars, possible spoilers, and more, in the full post)

Okay, okay... the hypermarket in question happens to be Tesco (source: Khaleejtimes). The full page advert apparently has the book advertised for RM 40 off the retail price. Good deal, eh? Plus the opportunity to get a dozen bag of chips, and soda to keep you company when you lock yourself away from civilization for a few days while you read the book. What a bargain!

For more price war perspectives, read The Malaysian's take on this. Spoiler warning: it's not a funny post. Heh heh...

But pricing isn't the only controversy surrounding the new Potter book. There have also been all kinds of spoilers reported on the Internet. In fact, an anonymous reader left a comment on one of myAsylum's earlier posts, in what appears to be a spoiler to the seventh Harry Potter book:

Hedwig dies pg56
Mad-Eye dies pg78
Scrimgeour dies pg159
Wormtail dies pg471
Dobby dies pg476
Voldemort kills Snape pg658
Snape was good, loved Lily - entire Chapter 33
Colin, Crabbe, Bellatrix, Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Ted Tonks, Scrimgeour all die

Hagrid, Malfoy, Neville survive.

Ron marries Hermione
Harry marries Ginny
Their children attend Hogwarts together

The final two sentences are: "The scar had not pained Harry for eighteen years. All was well."

Real or not, Walski reckons we'll find out at Tesco tomorrow. Oh, and let Walski know once you find out, okay?

Wired posted an article stating that some of the techniques purportedly used by hackers to obtain these supposed spoilers are quite believable. Take for example, something called spear phishing.

However, the claimed method of attack – known as spear phishing – is completely believable, according to Rick Wesson and Adam Waters, the top officers at the computer security firm Support Intelligence.

"This is being used against the State Department often," Wesson said. "This is how you steal any kind of intellectual property."
(source: Wired Blog Network)

Be that as it may, a whole lot of spoiler versions can be found out there on the 'Net. Another version Walski found states that Hermione gets killed - quite different from the anonymous comment above. In another, Ron Weasly gets blown away. Surf the 'Net enough, and you'll like find all sorts of spoilers imaginable. The commonality among the various spoilers, however, is that a lot of characters will get snuffed.

Walski, too has some predicted spoilers. Like where in the final battle between Harry and Voldemort, the evil wizard finally reveals that Harry is actually his son, and invites the young wizard to join him on the side of darkness... oh wait, didn't they already do that in Star Wars?

Better yet, assuming some of these characters actually survive the seventh book, Walski can think of a number of spin-offs, and mash-ups with other popular fiction and fantasy figures.

Take, for instance, Voldemort vs. Predator. Here the evil wizard, appearing to have been whacked off by Harry Potter (presumably), actually creates a vortex - a worm hole, if you would - which carries him twenty thousand light years away, right smack into the thick of the Predator planet. Pretty cool idea, don't you think?

The ultimate battle between wizardry and war-tech!
(see end of post for original pix credits)

Or, assuming that Ron Weasly does get blown away in this last book, his spirit somehow finds itself, in molecular form, in an oil refinery, within the distillation process, where with the help of the Hydrocarbon Sisters, Methaney and Ethaney (aka CH₄ and C₂H₆), averts certain disaster when the evil Octanoids stage an attempted revolt, boosting the octane rating of every distilled product imaginable, to the point that the refinery may explode if the dastardly villians are not stopped. Think of it as Osmosis Jones meets The China Syndrome. And Walski will simply call this spin-off RON!
(Walski's in-line geek note: The title is a really stupid joke that possibly only Chemical, Process and Industrial Engineers will understand)

Yup. Walski can think of a number of other mash-ups, like Nick Fury and the Half-Blood Chihuahua (don't ask), Life, The Universe, and Azkaban, Lifestyles of the Rich and Dobby, Hogwarts: A Veterinarian's Guide, Hairy Pothead and the Stoned Philosophers... Yes, witches, wizards and warlocks, Walski could go on and on with this...

For a more adult audience, however, we have Hermione Does Downing St. Heartbroken by not being able to get it on with Harry (her secret love), Hermione ends up marrying Ron. Ron turns out to be a total loser jerk husband - abusive too - much as everyone expected. Hermione runs away, and plots the downfall of the British PM, through a series of sordid sex scandals (it's got S&M, water sports, auto-erotic asphyxiation, and other unimaginable exotic acts of adult bedminton). Her secret agenda? Paving the way for her secret love Harry, to assume command in No. 10. Wham, bam... instant best-seller, baby!

And you know what, it appears that Walski's getting a little potty over Potter himself. So we better stop here, before Walski starts to explicitly describe the lurid orgy that Hagrid, and the ghosts of Snape, Dobby and Dumbledore, get into, involving a unicorn, an owl, Paris Hilton, and a one-eyed snake...

But all that nonsense aside, the impact of the Harry Potter books (and subsequently films), on popular culture is undeniable. The stories that have fueled the imagination of children of all ages, through the genius of author J.K. Rowling, will undoubtedly be a talking point for many years to come. Not to mention an entire cottage industry built around the exploits of the young wizard. While the series (apparently) comes to an end, the upcoming and inevitable remaining film adaptations will ensure that the name Harry Potter lives on.

Walski's picture source credit note: The original pictures used for the Valdemort vs Predator pix above came from here (for the AVP movie poster) and here (image of Valdemort). As far fetched as this mash-up may be, Walski still maintains that it would make one mutha of an acition movie!

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

HENN: Ambiguity Good, Definition Bad

Technorati tags: Humor, Satire, Islam, Ministry of Insecure Internals, Censorship, Media, Hell on Earth, Ambiguity

Malaysia Declares it is an Ambiguous State
myAsylum reports on this new controversy, in this exclusive expose, straight from Hell, and soon-to-be Hell-on-Earth, Malaysia. Another episode in the continuing series from the Hell-on-Earth News Network (HENN)

Kuala Lumpur (at some indeterminate point in time today) - A shocking new directive from the well-loved Ministry of Insecure Internals has inadvertently declared Malaysia to be an Ambiguous State - definite, but not quite - and has warned mainstream media outlets to shut off their brains and accept the ambiguity as the undefinable truth.

This revelation, revealed through the revealing revelry of HENN's rival newspusher (subscription required), quoted the insecure ministry's Thought and Religious Pest Control section spokeperson, Senór Officer, as saying that it is safer to keep the state of Malaysia ambiguous, as any definition would otherwise make it definitely this, that or the other.

“Yes we have given the directive to all mainstream newspapers. Definition is a sensitive issue. They cannot publish any news on whether the country is or is not. And this directive is definite... I think.

“Stop harping on this. The debate would never end,” he asserted when contacted today.

However, he said newpapers can still publish statements from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Najib Abdul Razak on the country being in a state of definite definition. Or not.
(orignal source: Rival Newspusher - subscription required, you cheapskates)

Because the indefiniteness of the definition is beyond definite defining, some editors of the mainstream press have been reported to have gone to the nearest veterinary clinic to turn their brains off. Some have even threatened commercial suicide. Unconfirmed reports have even been unambiguously received that a certain news editor's head exploded like an over-ripe mellon. What kind of mellon, though, was unfortunately not defined.

It is believed that this kneejerk reaction comes as an insecure response of the Ministry (of Insecure Internals) towards critics and brickbat-hurlers who hurled definite brickbats at the Deputy Prime Minsiter for stating that Malaysia is definitely... a state of some kind... despite historical evidence to suggest that in reality, Malaysia is a state... of another definite kind.

Meanwhile, citizens of Malaysia, unsure of what to think, were reported to have been seen walking aimlessly, sometimes in circles, mostly in shopping malls, over the ambiguity of their state, which according to experts is a clear indication of their growing ambiguity over the fuzzy definition of what's ahead of them. For lack of a better definition, as some critics have asserted, this may also explain their behavior on the road.

One expert, who wishes to keep his identity ambiguous, has expressed unequivocal concern that sweeping definition under the carpet is a worrying trend. And being trendy, apart from ambiguity, is another attribute that defines Malaysia and the ambiguously undefinable Malaysians who live within it. We think.
(unambiguity definitely needed, and more, in the full post)

This is definitely, beyond a shadow of ambiguous doubt, a worrying trend. Why fight definition? Sweeping such things under the carpet is going to make things worse. Who's going to clean the carpet when the time comes? It's already too lumpy to sit on, as it is.

And for the first time in history, myAsylum's intrepid squad of Cybernetic Remote Autonomous Pararoaches (CRAP), co-opted by HENN to investigate these ambiguous trends, came up with... nothing definite.

Once again, the definitively ambiguous measures taken by the Ministry of Insecure Internals to obscure the definition of what Malaysia definitely may be, or may not be, leads its citizens to another blurry tomorrow. With or without the haze.

HENN will definitely keep a close-one-eye on the definite, or indefinite, developments of this story, which has raised the concern of an ambiguously confused citizenry. What is somewhat clear, however, is that Malaysia, in all its uncertain, crystal-clear ambiguity, is definitely in a state.
(© 2007 - Hell-on-Earth News Network)

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

Arrested Development: Epilogue

Technorati tags: Malaysia, Rule of Law, Politics, Nathaniel Tan, OSA

The Arrested Development series of posts, initiated when Nathaniel Tan was apprehended and detained by the police, is now, thankfully, at a happy end. No series, however, is complete without an epilogue, kinda like the text you see at the end of some films telling of what happened to the characters.

Nat, via jelas.info has written about his detention and arrest, which you can read, in both English and Bahasa Malaysia, on that site. Walski won't regurgitate all of it here.

But what Walski does want to highlight is that there were a number of irregularities and contravening of procedures during the entire ordeal. Among them:

Throughout my detention, the police employed various questioning strategies in what struck me strongly as a concerted attempt to make me admit to things that I had not done.

The police also subjected me to various rounds of questioning between about 5.30pm and 9pm by different police officers who all kept asking me the same questions. I later learnt that questioning at such late hours was in fact illegal.

One of the officers questioning me that evening who refused to identify himself threatened to slap me and throw me across the room.

Not having access to legal counsel, I refused to answer in detail any questions the police posed in their extremely suspicious manner.
(source: jelas.info)

More importantly, the way the whole thing was handled clearly shows that our police force is in no way capable of properly and intelligently conduct a "cyber crime" investigation.

A silly phrase comes to mind when Walski thinks about all that went on: Celik IT, buta huruf (IT literate, but illiterate [ignorant] in the larger sense).
(Did someone say IPCMC? and more, in the full post)

How on earth can linking to information that is of dubious credibility be considered a crime? In fact, Nat had already practised due diligence (in Walski's opinion) when he moderated the anonymous comment, linking to the offending site.

And then there's the possibility of entrapment, as highlighted by Alphabet Soup in this recent post. Walski's not sure about the legality (or illegality) of using entrapment techniques such as this to warrant investigating and/or arresting someone for a cyber crime. Perhaps you law folks reading this can shed some light.

Now, more than ever, in Walski's mind, is the big question of what the hell happened to the promised-but-never-delivered IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission)? In any democratic society, the Police, while tasked with upholding the law, are not above it, and have to play by the rules. Which clearly, in Nat's case, wasn't quite what happened.

So, the infuriating saga of Nat Tan and his run-in with the law comes to a close. On behalf of the nameless elves and goblins running myAsylum, Walski wishes Nat well, and salutes him for his courageous stand while in wrongful detention. The experience has not only made Nat more resolute, Walski thinks, but has also shown that truth shall always prevail. Even in Malaysia.

And having a friend like Elizabeth Wong doesn't hurt, either.

Walski's epiloguous epilog footnote: In the event that another wrongful arrest case pops up at any time, the Arrested Development series will once again be resurrected. And in case you were wondering, Walski will retain the Free Nat poster (created by the brilliant Mob1900) at the very top of the blog until the end of Friday, July 20th. Which would mark one week (give or take a few hours) since Nat's initial abduction arrest. Walski's sometimes symbolically silly that way...

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