Fueling Fitna

Technorati tags: Religion, Islam, Fitna, Geert Wilders

Despite advice from the Dutch government, what did Geert Wilders do? He went ahead and released the controversial short film Fitna. Which has angered a heckuva lot of people the world over, Muslims or otherwise.

So, what's the film about, and why is it potentially this year's Danish Cartoons all over again?

The 15-minute short film essentially takes certain verses from the Quran, and using images and video footage from the media, attempts to montage a message that certain parts of the Quran are responsible for inciting hatred, and indirectly holds them responsible for violence and terrorism perpetrated by Muslims. Further, the claim is made that the mission of Muslims is for world domination. The film also suggests that these parts of the Quran should be excised.

While it's still there, you can view the film in it's entirety on YouTube. Because of YouTube general time limitations, the film has been split into two parts [Part One (9:54 min) and Part Two (6:56 min)]. The film was originally released on the UK-based video-hosting website LiveLeak.com, but was later removed due to concerns for the security and well-being of their staff, following threats they had received.

"Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature, and some ill-informed reports from certain corners of the British media that could directly lead to the harm of some of our staff, LiveLeak.com has been left with no other choice but to remove Fitna from our servers."
(source: CNSNews.com)

However, the film has since been posted on numerous other sites, including YouTube. Welcome to the viral nature of the Internet...

Walski's take? Well, let's just say he's not about to boycott Dutch Lady, or throw his Philips electronics products into the river just yet...
(out of context, and out the window, in the full post)

With all the hype and hoopla surrounding this film, Walski was actually quite disappointed with its amateurish quality and approach. To him, the film represents a gross extrapolation of facts, and the presentation of religious scripture out of context. Done in an amateurish way - it's not gonna get nominated for any achievement awards any time soon.

The sad part about the film, though, is that there are those who have perpetrated acts of violence in the name of Islam. That is a fact no Muslim can run away from. And the images and footage used in the film reflects this sad fact. The brutal acts, and hate speech depicted in the film did actually happen.

Mind you, Walski is not condoning the film in any way, but what will probably get lost in the outrage - responses like the film from Geert Wilders don't just happen. The ammunition used by Wilders has come, sadly, from a portion of the world's Muslim community itself.

And while the blame for the acts of brutality should squarely be placed on those who carried out those acts in the name of their "religion", it's the Quran instead that gets the blame. What Geert Wilders is probably too ignorant to realize is that many acts of brutality associated with Muslims don't even come from the Quran. Like stoning to death for adulterers, female genital mutilation (FGM), throwing gay people off tall buildings... just to name a few attrocities implicated in the film.

In Fitna, Wilders presents 5 verses - in some cases half-verses - which he then links to acts of terror and other general unpleasantries done in the name of "Islam", by various groups from various places. As a technical aside, from comparing various Quranic translations, it would appear that Wilders has used Yusuf Ali's translation.

But all that really sets up the really sneaky part, which is left for last - the first part of verse 39 from surah 8 (Al-Anfal, or The Spoils of War), which is used to provide the impression that Islam calls for world domination. In the film, the verse is presented as

"Fight them until there is no dissension... and the religion is entirely Allah's"

The actual Yusuf Ali translation reads:

And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere

Dissension and oppression, as far as Walski can tell, mean two very, very different things. But mistranslation aside, this is then followed by footage (taken from various sources) of individuals saying exactly that: Islam will dominate the world. Granted, if viewed critically, some of the footage has been carefully edited to give it a Wilders' point-of-view context, but the rhetoric of Islamic world domination from those portrayed comes across quite clearly.

But again, it's an extrapolation of a minority view that, from Walski's perspective, really is born out of a sense of hopelessness. This, of course, can be the subject of numerous posts, so Walski won't elaborate on it here.

So yeah, blame Geert Wilders all you want for producing a film that misrepresents Islam. But after viewing the film, one can't help but admit that he got a lot of help from the very people that are feeding his fears.

It would probably be helpful for one to know a bit of where Geert Wilders comes from, and a bit of the political environment of The Netherlands, to understand why this guy is such a write-off. His stand is one of exclusivism - that Europe, for its survival, must remain a Europe untainted by the multiculturalism brought about by emigration. In a country where liberalism is an institution, he is calling for renewed, but selective conservatism - targetted at those he sees as being a "threat" - Muslims. But truth be told, it's not difficult to find examples of how "threatening" Islam is... compile enough examples, and the result is Fitna.

The film ends with this message, displayed, not spoken:

For it is not up to me, but to Muslims themselves to tear out the hateful verses from the Quran.

Muslims want you to make way for Islam, but Islam does not make way for you.

The Government insists that you respect Islam, but Islam has no respect for you.

Islam wants to rule, submit and seeks to to destroy our wstern civilization.

In 1949, Nazism was defeated in Europe.

In 1989, communism was defeated in Europe.

Now, the Islamic ideology has to be defeated.

So here's the deal with this film, from how Walski sees it:

Does the film misrepresent Islam and uses Quranic verses out of context to prove a point? Answer: Yes.

Does Geert Wilders have a political agenda? Answer: Yes (he's actually seen as a far-right wing-nut in his home country).

Is what's represented in the film a true reflection of Islam? Answer: No - but it is an accurate reflection of how religion can be a powerful tool to drive some people to do insane and inhuman things - not just Islam, but any religion.

Is the film deliberately anti-Islam? Answer: Yes - but only from the perspective of one xenophobic ultra-right wing legislator from The Netherlands. And he got a lot of help from extremists doing what they do in the name of "Islam".

In the final analysis, as outrageous as Fitna is, Walski thinks that there is some positivity for Muslims, if we dared to think critically: extremism of any kind is damaging. All of the verses portrayed in the film, taken in their correct context, bear one common message - they all underline God's infinite mercy, and implore mankind to be forgiving. Look them up for yourself, and read them in their proper context (the full list is in the footnote below).

Sure, condemn the film. In fact, you should condemn it. Walski, however, hopes that no Muslim gets so pissed off that they lose their senses and do something that does nothing more than proving Wilders right in the first place.

But at the same time, while you condemn the film, you should also condemn the examples that constitute the fuel for Wilder's Fitna. Without which, none of this nonsense would've come about... not in the wildest of Geert Wilders' dreams.

Walski's Quranic referential footnote: As mentioned, 5 verses were used in the film. All the five are listed here, in order of appearance. Where indicated, partial verses were used.

• Surah 8 (Al-Anfal, or The Spoils of War), verse 60 - partial
• Surah 4 (Al-Nisa', or The Women), verse 56
• Surah 47 (Muhammad), verse 4 - partial
• Surah 4, verse 89
• Surah 8, verse 39 - very partial

By the way, the Arabic word fitna means "discord or disagreement among people". In Malaysia, it is a commonly used word, but in the context of "malicious lies"... which Walski thought was an interesting coincidence.

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

Metamorphosis

Technorati tags: Blogging, Layout, Metamorphosis

You readers have spoken - via the poll put up - and Walski has listened.

Very soon, this blog, as you remember it to be, will be no more... When Walski changes something, those changes tend to be drastic. When? Good question. Answer: soon.
(change is imminent, and why, in the full post)

Making the decision to change the blog's layout wasn't the difficult part - picking the right layout has been. There's always this big tug-o-war between functionality and form, when it comes to picking a new layout.

Slow page load, however, has been a prime motivator for Walski to change the layout. So, expect the front page to be a lot skimpier compared to what it is now. Hopefully, the new design will enable the posts to load faster. It will mean less extraneous pictures on the main page, most likely.

It's like a lot of other things in life - change comes with some sacrifices. But if it means faster load times, then Walski can live with these changes. We'll see.

Meanwhile, enjoy the current layout... while it lasts. Which may not be for very long....

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

When the going gets tough...

Technorati tags: Humor, Language, Cunning Linguistics, Politics

... the tough go shopping!

And in one fell swoop, Idris Jusoh, in cooperation with The Star, has just given creedence to Walski's made-up adage.

It's fun to make up adages and shit - or at least, it's fun for Walski.
(more made up phraseology, and more, in the full post)

Like, If the shoe fits... buy it! And no offense, but just what is it about women and shoes? Walski has two pairs of (functional) shoes, and they're both black. The Mrs has... nevermind.

Here's another bit of terminology that Walski made up along the way - more-or-less-bian. Which is what Walski calls a bi-sexual female - and believe you Walski, every guy wants one, even if they don't admit to it in open.

Or Campuration - a truly Manglish word that simply means mixture. Here's another one: together-gether (a literal English translation of bersama-sama) - Walski doesn't know if he can take full credit for this one or not, but he's the first person Walski personally knows who used it...

Walski also thinks he's the first to coin the word autopilotocracy - used to describe the previous Abdullah Ahmad Badawi administration (too early to say much about the current one).

Here's a new one Walski just thought of. It's one (made up) word to describe the ongoing discussion/tussle/resistance on whether or not to create a real IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission) or stick to the already created, but rather bogus, Special Complaints Commission (SCC) - stigmata-mata.

Yes, Walski has strange ways to derive fun in his life... just think of it as cunning linguistics....

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

Squatgate 2

Technorati tags: Humor, Toilet, Squat Toilet, Beijing, Olympics

No, no... it's not another case of a police detainee being subjected to nekkid squatting. Heck, it's not even got anything to do with Malaysia.

It would appear that in the gung ho gusto of getting ready for Beijing 2008 later this summer, China has overlooked one important cultural difference - that of toilets. Squat vs Sit-down, and the fact that the former is not preferred by many foreigners.

But at least they're taking fast remedial action... before the shit hits the fans.
(to squat, or not to squat, in the full post)

Personally, Walski has problems with squat toilets. Especially those in Malaysia. They aren't the most practical when you have pants and shoes on. Seriously - in a Malaysian squat toilet, unless you have the ability to levitate, you're either gonna get your pant legs or socks wet. And in Malaysian toilets, it may not necessarily be just water staining your clothes...

The last time that Walski had to use a public squat toilet, it was a serious emergency. To cut a messy (and possibly very gross) story short, let's just say that he ran into difficulties keeping his clothes... ummm... clean.

But back to Beijing, Walski can fully understand the difficulty the western athletes have complained about. With every problem, however, is at least one opportunity.

Yao [referring to Yao Hui, a Beijing Olympics official] said he believed that eventually, the majority of Chinese would use the sit-down variety of toilet, as people do in large parts of the developed world.

"The Olympics is an opportunity to speed up the transition," he said.
(source: Reuters)

Toilet humor aside, Walski reckons that if you're forced to do something, might as well come up with a plausible justification to make yourself look less negligent for overlooking this huge cultural difference in the first place.

And that's the one thing you really gotta hand to the Chinese - no adversity is bad enough that you can't find an opportunity out of...

Incidentally, how do you say "shit happens" in Chinese, anyway?

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

Extrapolation 101

Technorati tags: Blogs, Bloggers, Blogging, Shabery Cheek, Minister of Information

Update @ 2303 hrs: There may be some truth to this after all... the Government changing its stand, that is... (see end ot the full post).

Original post:
To extrapolate is to arrive at a general conclusion based on specific information. Like... McDonalds uses lots of salt on their french fries - therefore, everybody's french fries are salty. That sort of thing.

Or, like how the statement of ONE blogger (via an event attended by two bloggers) can be spun to reflect the opinion of the entire Malaysian bloggerhood.

Reading thru the entire news report, we find out that actually only ONE blogger expressed this opinion - the other blogger was there at the event, and it's not clear whether the other one even expressed anything.

Grammatically, though, the headline is correct. One blogger, two bloggers... Context-wise - totally different story... Because once you pluralize a word, it could construe meaning the entire group of people called "bloggers".

Spin so powerful, Walski's startin' to feel a little dizzy...
(blah-blah-blah, in the full post)

Okie dokie... to be fair, the new Information Minister has come out to state his willingness to engage with bloggers. And this is good - looking at whom he's replaced in the role of Information Minister. He wants to meet with bloggers to "better understand the role of blogging in nation-building" (via NaSTy Pee).

In other words, we cannot really extrapolate his position - yet.

Oh, and he wants to invite ALL the bloggers in a few weeks time:

“In a few weeks, we will invite all the bloggers for a meeting, to better understand their sentiments and provide them an avenue to express themselves,” he said.
(source: same NaSTy Pee article)

Offhand, Walski doesn't know of any venue in the country big enough to hold ALL the bloggers indoors. Just how many of us are there? Well, to be honest, Walski can't answer that. Definitely more than a thousand, by best-guesstimation.

Seriously - if you want to engage bloggers constructively, read the blogs first-hand. And there's no better place to start your adventure than SoPo Sentral of Malaysia (the labor of blogging love by A Voice). Then, you can imaging how big a venue you'll need if you still wish to invite ALL the Malaysian bloggers.

But that said, compared to his predecessor, Walski thinks that Shabery is indeed starting on the right foot - or left foot, which is okay, too. Let's hope he continues walking with us, and not trip along the way...

Update:
Malaysiakini reports that the government is indeed interested in reaching out to bloggers, and will drop the threatening stance that it earlier took.

The nation's mainstream media is mostly part-owned by parties in the ruling coalition, and what was seen as biased coverage in the run-up to last month's vote has boosted demand for alternative news sources including blogs.

After being hit with the worst results in its half-century history, including the loss of its two-thirds parliamentary majority, the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition now says it wants to listen to dissenting voices.

Newly appointed Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said he is keen to meet bloggers.

"I am trying to build a bridge between the government and the people so that we can have a two-way dialogue - and bloggers are a key part of this," he told AFP.
(source: Malaysiakini, subscription required)

Which, as Walski had indicated earlier, is a good thing. It's just that Walski, being Walski, thinks that it's early days still. He would like to see the proof of the pudding, so to speak. But this is not to rain of the positivity parade shown so far, though. Positivity is a good thing. Let's see more of that, Shabery... the proverbial ball is now in your court...

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

Walski's Fab Five

Technorati tags: Meme, Favorite Websites, Knowledge, Cartoons, Film, Music

Walski isn't particularly thrilled with memes. The last one Walski obliged was probably about a year ago. So it takes a special something of a meme for him to do another one. Or a special someone. Well, it's a little bit of both, but more of the latter.

It so happens that one of Walski's favorite blog sweeties, The Boinq, tagged him to do this one - about 5 websites Walski considers his favorites. Yes, it was about a week ago - Walski took his own damn sweet time... so, without further delay (and while he's still in the mood), here goes... in no particular order.

We start with a site that Walski visits a lot, lot, lot... Wikipedia. It has information on just about anything imaginable, and is a priceless resource for Walski... it almost makes him smarter than he actually is. Almost. Yeah... Walski just loves Wikipedia!

The neatest thing about Wikipedia is that it takes knowledge sharing to a different level. Traditionally, encyclopedias, printed ones particularly, tend to get dated very fast. Wikipedia, being a peer edited encyclopedia has up-to-the-minute (literally) information at your fingertips.

But because of its very nature of being user-regulated, you do occasionally get idiots that insert the most hilarious entries, like this one Walski stumbled upon regarding Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Needless to say, it didn't stay on Wikipedia for very long...

Wikipedia is part of the larger Wikimedia Foundation, and has sister sites providing open source media, a quotation site, a repository of free books and manuals, among other things.
(more of Walski's 5 favorite sites, in the full post)

Life without humor, for Walski, is a life not worth living. Seriously. And because of that the next two sites are humor related - cartoon-related, to be exact.

One of the lesser-known online syndicated cartoons is Savage Chickens. Created by a guy named Doug Savage, these cartoons are drawn on yellow sticky note paper. Like this recent one, which Walski thought was very appropriate to include.

Chickens are not the only inhabitants of Doug Savage's sticky note paper cartoon world - you've got a cruel robot work supervisor (PROD3000), worms, and even the occassional Easter Bunny.

Another cartoonist that Walski admires is Scott Adams, the creative genius behind Dilbert. Yes, Walski is a Dilbert fan. But the site Walski wants you to know about is not the Dilbert comic strip site, but Scott Adam's blog - DILBERT.BLOG.

Walski really didn't want to include blogs in this listing of favorite sites, but he'll make this one exception. Scott Adams is simply one insightfully funny guy... if Walski had any less integrity than he does, he'd have ripped off every single joke, humorous innuendo, dry wit and sarcasm that Scott Adams regularly dishes out... Here's an example:

I know there is something wrong with me because I enjoy reading stories about frozen waste from airplane bathrooms that falls to Earth and almost kills people.

When I think of the ways I could die, almost all of them are better than being killed by flying poop. That’s the sort of thing that could erase a lifetime of accomplishment. I would instantly stop being the guy who created Dilbert and forever be known as the cartoonist whose head was crushed by a turd. If I die from frozen restroom waste, my friends and family would have trouble stifling a laugh. And who could blame them, really?

“How did he die?” someone might ask. “I guess you could say he got pissed off,” one of my ex-friends would reply, before laughing heartily.

It seems unlikely I would be killed by airplane waste, but it also seems unlikely a bird would crap exactly in the middle of my bald spot, and that happened. I don’t rule anything out. When I hear jet sounds, I stand under a doorway.

Imagine what would happen if I were doing a book signing, and the frozen waste from the plane missed me, but killed the guy standing in line waiting for my autograph. When telling the story later, would I be able to resist saying “The shit hit the fan”? I think not. And that is why I probably deserve to be killed by frozen poop.
(source: Dilbert.Blog)

Now, if you noticed, Walski could cop out and say that Dilbert and the Scott Adams blog are TWO sites... but no, Walski won't do that. Just thought he'd mention this to make sure you were paying attention.

Moving along, the FOURTH website Walski considers his favorite, being a movie buff of sorts, would have to be the Internet Movie DataBase, otherwise better known as IMDB. This site has an entry for just about any film ever made, or is in the progress of being made. Even Malaysian films. Like this entry for Hang Tuah, the 1955 film starring the legendary P. Ramlee (yes, he has an entry, too). Or the one for Amir Muhammad.

Okay, it may not be 100% comprehensive, but it's comes pretty damn close. This site is the perfect resource if you like, say, want to verify the rumor that there's going to be another Friday the 13th film sometime in the near future...

The fifth and last site Walski considers as his favorite has to do with his other great passion in life - music. And site in question, quite aptly, is Last.fm. Think about it as the music world version of IMDB and a social networking site, all rolled into one. What Walski likes about Last.fm is that it covers even the most obscure of music - with Walski's musical taste being as eclectic as it is, this becomes a very essential characteristic.

As a social networking site, you can find people of similar music tastes from the far reaches of the globe. Based on user profiles derived from the stuff you play, Last.fm automatically generates a list of users with similar music inclinations, calling them your neighbors. You can then choose to add them as friends.

Last.fm also comes with a downloadable player, with which you can select music (based on artist or genre) to stream. Sort of like internet radio whose content you can control. Another great feature of the Last.fm player is a function called "Audioscrobbling". Audioscrobbling essentially logs your music-playing profiles, either via the site's built-in player, the downloadable player, or via your PC-based music/media players. Some media players have built in Last.fm compatibility, while for others, like Windows Media Player, iTunes and Winamp, plug-ins are available. Scrobbling helps Last.fm model your music profile, and also uses the information to track who's hot, and who's not.

In addition to music by established artists, Last.fm is also a great platform for budding musicians to upload their music, for the world to listen to. This may sound similar to MySpace, but Walski thinks that Last.fm is better (but that's just Walski). One of the things Walski plans to do is to start a Walski of Sound profile page, once he manages to get more of the group's music into MP3 format. Yes, Walski's a musician, too... but some of you out there probably already knew that. Here's a taste, in case you're curious.

So there... done - Walski's Fab Five websites. And who will Walski tag? Well, as with other unfortunate memes in the past, this one ends here, as far as Walski is concerned. But hey - don't let that stop anyone of you from continuing it, if you so choose... you meme lover, you.

The buck meme, as they say, stops here.

Walski's Five-ain't-Enough honorable mention footnote: There are actually a whole bunch of other websites that could've made the list if the number had been greater than 5. But one other site that Walski wanted to mention is I Can Has CheezBurger. If you like funny pet pix, which come with even sillier captions, then this be the site for you...

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

Welcome to Hell

Technorati tags: Humor, Satire, Ministry Of Health, Ministry Of Hell

Walski really wasn't planning to blog much today. But this was way, way to good to pass up...

Hell gets its new Minister...
(original images from here and here)

Yes, Minister... Welcome to Hell.
(satire in context, and more, in the full post)

And Walski has to thank The Star for this...

The jinx associated with this ministry really didn't occur to Walski before he came across the news report. Neither was he aware that waiting time was the biggest problem with public health.

The Malaysian Medical Resources blog, commenting on the same story had this to say:

"To quote Bushido in the MMR forums, the new Health Minister must realise that the Practice of Medicine is not like Instant Mee. It’s not the duration of the waiting time that is crucial. So what if it is 30 minutes or 90 minutes? What is far more important is what comes out of the encounter with the doctor! If you ensure that “quality service” like patient records not misplaced, lab results not traced or gone missing that would be more meaningful than reducing wait time."
(source: Malaysian Medical Resources)

Well, with skewed priorities like "waiting time" over "quality of service", Walski really wonders if conditions in hell really can be improved. Granted, no one wants to wait an eternity when they go to hospital (pun intended), but any amount of waiting has got to be worth it, too, right?

And thus, the lampooning of the ministries begins... the Ministry of Hell Health, and its new minister being Walski's first victims...

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

Quiet Riot

Technorati tags: Humor, Politics, Sarawak, Richard Riot, SUPP, BN

Walski's Recent Low Content Apologetic Forenote: A thousand apologies for the lack of postings lately. It's that dastardly thing called work. Plus, whatever time he's been afforded online has been spent in search of a new template...

One of the coolest Malaysian politician names, hands down, has to be Richard Riot. He is the 5-term MP for Serian, Sarawak, and a member of the SUPP (Sarawak United Peoples' Party). Or is he, still?

Malaysiakini, on Thursday (March 20th) reported that Richard Riot has quit SUPP, apparently upon learning of the new Cabinet line-up, discovering that he wasn't appointed as a deputy minister. He could have, living up to his name, ran Riot, but didn't. According to the same news report he is now somewhere missing in action - presumably Singapore (or some even say Batam and JB...).

Then one day later, the SUPP boss, Dr. George Chan denied that the Serian MP had quit (via Malaysiakini)... but did concede that Richard Riot was upset over not being selected to the Federal cabinet.

So, did he or did he not? The possible quit move has further fueled Anwar Ibrahim's allegation that several BN MPs are jumping ship. But so far, no one has officially taken the plunge (pun intended).

The latest on the riotous Richard saga, however, comes from state news agency Bernama, late last night.

So far, Riot has been quiet - not speaking to the press directly. The question remains, therefore... did Richard run (but not Riot)... quietly?
(other suggested occupations for Richard, and more, in the full post)

Another question: when he does go meet the PM, eventually, will Abdullah A. Badawi be under the heavy protection of the FRU (aka Riot Police)?

But here's the thing... with such a groovy name like Richard Riot, why go waste it on politics? Walski could think of a number of better occupations fitting such a great name...

Like, rock star, for example. To join, of course, rock 'n rolls other illustrious Richards... like Richard Hell (of ".. #&26; the Voidoids" fame)... whose album, Blank Generation inspired an entire generation of punk rockers. YouTube has a video of the title track, in case you're interested.

Incidentally, Blank Generation could also describe the bulk of the March 8 voters, who decided to almost blank out BN... intentionally or otherwise...

So, what would Richard Riot call his act, if he so decided to change careers to becoming a rock musician? Here are some suggestions Walski's come up with:

• Richard Riot and the FRUstrated Politicians
• Richard Riot's SawaRockster (a play on syllables of his home state, Sarawak)
• Lafe Riot - a collaboration with Dr. Tiki Lafe (also cool, namewise), another Sarawak MP thinking of jumping the BN ship (via Malaysiakini)
• The SUPPlementarians (featuring Richard Riot) - probably a very large group, which including the roadies, number into the thousands...

Or, how about something as simple as Quiet Riot? Oh, wait... that one's taken, unfortunately.

And if it's really true that Richard Riot's jumped the BN ship (and more to come), then it would appear that the barely re-elected incumbents have got a lot of picking up the pieces to do...

Walski's Richards-in-Rock footnote: Apart from Richard Hell, some other notable Richards would include Little Richard and Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones)... Incidentally, revisiting some of Quiet Riot's song titles, Walski discovered that some of 'em quite aptly describe the current Malaysian political scene. Apart from "Picking Up The Pieces", you've also got "Don't Wanna Let You Go", "Condition Critical", "Put Up or Shut Up","Empty Promises","Blast from the Past"... and probably many more, if Walski really looked hard enough...

Other possible alternative occupations Walski decided not to list down... wrestler, or Honorary Director General of the FRU...

Incidentally, don't try to look up Richard Riot in Wikipedia - yet - you're gonna find something totally off topic (a 1955 riot that happened in Canada)...

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

In Memoriam: Arthur C. Clarke (1917 - 2008)

Technorati tags: In Memoriam, Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Science Fiction, Futurist, Author

"I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you."
(HAL9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey)

If Walski kept mum on the source of the quote about, one could almost imagine that it was Pak Lah who uttered these words, based on recent events... But no, what you is actually dialog from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, based on perhaps the most well-known of Arthur C. Clarke's works.

The renowned science fiction author, inventor and futurist died early this morning (approximately 4:00am, Malaysia Time) in Sri Lanka, where he'd been residing since 1956. According to this entry in Wikipedia, Clarke passed on due to respiratory problems.

Walski vaguely remembers images from 2001: A Space Odyssey, to which his mother took him to watch when he was 4+ years old, at the Pavillion cinema (way back when there was a Pavillion cinema at the end of Jalan Bukit Bintang). Watching the film again, many years later, what amazed Walski, apart from the superb special effects (this was a 1968 film, mind you), was the imagination of Clarke brought to life, in collaboration with the late Stanley Kubrick.

Some of the things portrayed in the film would probably be taken for granted today: the geosynchronous satellite, space shuttle, intelligent machines... but for 1968, it was the stuff that fueled the imagination of Walski's generation.
(visions of a better future, and more, in the full post)

Walski has to admit that apart from the Space Odyssey series of books, Walski has not read much of Arthur C. Clarke. From reading up on Clarke's long career, it would appear that his vision of the "future", as Clarke saw it, revolve around how technological breakthroughs would become enablers for man to venture beyond this world, both physically and metaphysically. Not to mention, of course, making life better for man on Earth.

Clarke envisioned that one day, humans would evolve to become ethereal beings, no longer in need of a physical container. This theme has occurred in many of his books, including the Space Odyssey ones - in particular, the evolution of Dave Bowman in the series.

Some have credited the conceptualization of the geostationary communication satellite to Arthur C. Clarke, who published the idea in 1945, although whether or not Clarke's prediction eventually became the inspiration for such satellietes is disputed. Be that as it may, the orbit for which these satellites circle the Earth is sometimes known as the Clarke Belt (or Clarke Orbit) in his honor [source: Wikipedia].

Arthur C. Clarke also published a series of other predictions, all the way up to the year 2100, which includes such ideas as a direct interface between the human brain and a computer (the Braincap), a space hotel, colonization of the outlying solar system planets, and the total irradication of crime through electronic surveillance. Some of these predictions can be read in this reproduction of a Reader's Digest article, entitled Beyond 2001 (via arthurcclarke.net, a research and discussion site dedicated to Clarke).

The future was generally viewed by Clarke with optimism, made better by responsible use of technology for the betterment of mankind. The world has just lost not only a brilliant futurist - but one who saw a positive tomorrow.

But perhaps Arthur C. Clarke's demise shouldn't be seen simply as a passing on, but as a transcendence from this mortal realm, and the possible beginning of a new adventure into the great beyond...

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

Custom Cabinet Modifications

Technorati tags: Politics, Cabinet, Malaysia, Cabinet Announcement

Related post: Shopping for the right Cabinet

Well, Walski's started this post while still on the road, after work was done for the day. He's just been reading about the new cabinet line up, and here are some preliminary thoughts... more later, maybe. Or maybe not. We'll see.
(Update @ 2319 hrs: having given this some more thought, you'll definitely be hearing more about this from Walski)

There were indeed some surprises in the line up, and some expected placements and exclusions... the good, the so-so, and the butt-ugly, all rolled into one trimmed down cabinet. No surprise, however, as to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and Najib Abdul Razak, both retaining their roles and ministries. What? Expecting otherwise? Well, Walski wasn't.

Bingo, anybody?
(based on the 2006 Cabinet - pix from The Star)

The Good
The biggest nice surprise has to be the inclusion of Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim (Minister in the PM's Department), whom, to Walski, is slated to become the de facto Law Minister. According to Malaysiakini, Zaid will be put in charge of legal affairs and oversee the reforms in the judiciary. Good call, Walski thinks. Definitely will do much better than Nazri "Get OUT" Aziz, who is retained as Minister in the PM's Department, but with no specific purpose announced.

Making a return to the Cabinet is Datuk Shahrir Samad, the new Minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. Datuk Shahrir is one of those politicians whom Walski does hold in some esteem, and it's good to see him back.

The bulk of the "Good" list is actually the exclusions. And there were quite a few.

Most notably: Khairy Jamaluddin - KJ - not named at all, contrary to speculations. Another good call... However, let's see what happens... particularly with regards to the 4th Floor.

A whole bunch of stalwarts did not see a return to the cabinet - Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz (former International Trade and Industry Minister - whose exclusion Walski is sure many people will be AP with), Datuk Azmi Khalid (former Natural Resources and Environment Minister), Radzi Sheik Ahmad (former Home Affairs Minister), Datuk Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis (former Science, Technology and Innovations Minister) and Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor (Tourism Minister). Walski is somehow not entirely surprised, and once again thinks the exclusions are valid (Pak Lah wisely chose not to discuss the why's during the announcement).

Perplexing, some of them, though... since they won their respective constituencies. Maybe it's because they've been around for too long. Like Uncle Samy. Okay, no one on here has been minister for that long... but you catch Walski's drift.

A good start? Maybe. We'll see... we'll see...
(the so-so and the ugly, in the full post)

The So-So
For those who were retained from the previous cabinet, not all were returned to their old roles. Syed Hamid Albar, formerly the Foreign Minister (replaced by Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim), now helms the combined Home Affairs and Internal Security Ministry. Commenting on his appointment, via The Star (emphasis by myAsylum):

"I am still surprised with the post although I was sure I would be moved from the Foreign Ministry," Syed Hamid said.

"I have to learn fast to regain public confidence in security related matters. Judging from the election results, Malaysians expect some things to be done," he said.
(source: The Star)

Gee.. you think? For one thing, Walski's hope is that your ministry stops being so trigger-happy when it comes to book banning. We are not exactly the "mindless sheep" that your predecessor treated us as.

Another important portfolio change is the one for the Ministry of Higher Education, now helmed by Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin (formerly Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister) - let's hope our public institutions of higher learning regain the stature that had been lost during the previous administration. His predecessor, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, now heads the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry. Unless the livestock start revolting, this is probably a good move.

"I know the challenges in this ministry are very big and the expectations of the rakyat are very high, particularly in trying to make Malaysia the centre of excellence for higher education.

"What I know is that the work is going to be very different from the ministry I was heading before, but I will reserve my plans for the ministry until I have been briefed by the ministry staff," said the Pasir Gudang MP.
(source: The Star)

For one thing, the public institutions need to have less stiffling environments, both for the faculty and the students, and need to be more research orientated - oh, and more emphasis put on qualifications (of its faculties) and less on racial quotas. Let's see exactly what changes...

There are a few others that Walski can comment on, but he'll save that for later...

The Butt-Ugly
One person that Walski really has to ask "WHY?" is Muhammad Muhd Taib... yes, the man with 2 Muhammads in his name... who is now Minister for Rural and Regional Development. Okay, so it's a not-so high profile ministry (which is a consolation)... Ministry of the Boondocks... but really... Why? Why?

And why on Earth has Kerishamuddin been retained? In the same all-too-important portfolio of Education, no less? Unless his performance assessment has been solely been based on the ever increasing A's achievement in the public exams. Which is a dumb KPI to use, in the first place.

Again, Walski cannot help but ask why? Why? WHY?

~ ~ ~ o O o ~ ~ ~

In any case, the full listing for Pak Lah's new Cabinet can be viewed at Politickler, and commentaries (loads of 'em) from other blogs can be read via Google Blog Search.

It's early days yet, for this Cabinet, all things considered... and Walski will give it the benefit of the doubt. The next step for Walski's evaluation? How they perform in Parliament, and what they have to say in the press.

One thing is for sure, though - this new Cabinet's performance will be scrutinized very, very closely by all Malaysians. And of course, by us bloggers...

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

Shopping for the right Cabinet

Technorati tags: Humor, Cabinet, Furniture, Ministerial

One of the wacky things Walski has to for work includes driving 300km for a lunch appointment. And this he has to do in a short while this morning. Which means that in all likelihood, he's going to miss the announcement of this new cabinet everyone seems to be talking about.

Walski remembers the time before he moved into his new house, a couple of years ago, a lot of time was spent with the Mrs going around furniture shops to select the right items for the house. We had to weigh style vs affordability, suitability vs budget, and a myriad of other considerations.

All in all, it was a very time consuming process, and you wouldn't believe the number of different places we went to until we could come to an agreement about what we were going to get. But in the end, the time and effort spent was well worth it. Those of you who've moved into a new house or apartment will probably agree with this.

Like shopping for the furniture variety of cabinets, deciding on the ministerial kind is also a time intensive process. Or at least, it should be.

Now here's the thing. It could be generally agreed that Malaysia voted for change on March 8th. And Walski believes that Pak Lah is well aware of this. Unless he really is that dense, and gets bad advice from equally dense people.

Because this time around, it's not going to be at all straightforward selecting the right mix for the next Malaysian Ministerial Cabinet - it's literally an exercise of the damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't kind.
(the difficult process of selecting cabinets, in the full post)

So, is it going to be an antique, heavy teak kind of cabinet? You know, the old is gold kind... In other words, not much change from what we've had for the past four plus years. We already know that Uncle Sam has declined to be part of this new cabinet, via the back door, by being appointed a Senator to the Upper House of Parliament. Good for you, Sam. But what about the other hangers-on? In particular, Walski would be interested if ZAM will find a place in the new cabinet, despite losing the constituency he stood in. Walski certainly hopes not. Not even if he's put in a cooler part of this new cabinet... for cold storage.

You see, the thing is, if Pak Lah drops those veterans who really want to hang on to becoming ministers, there is a possibility of numerous little Napoleon revolts within BN, particularly within UMNO. Already, there's all kinds of talk going around that factions within UMNO about how they're not happy with Pak Lah's leadership. First, Mukhriz Mahathir dropped the bombshell of a letter, and now stalwart Tenjgku Razali Hamzah has entered the picture, calling for an UMNO EGM...

Or is the next cabinet going to be one of those sleek avant garde ones? In other words, with lots of new, fresh faces that will give a new dimension to the cabinet. That said, there is the big question of one Khairy Jamaluddin. Is he going to be part of Team Lah 2008? And if so, in what capacity?

One thing's for sure, though - this time around, the new cabinet is going to face a formidable team of challengers in Parliament, unlike any other time in this country's history. And that, to Walski, sounds really exciting.

But that means it needs to be a Cabinet with real capability and dynamism. Definitely not the creaky antique kind of Cabinet, only good for storage (some would say cold storage), and perhaps some long-forgotten aesthetic value.

And then there's the question of size... is it gonna be lean and mean, or one of those bulky space-eaters?

Unlike furniture, which if you get tired of (or once you realize you've made a lousy choice) can be easily replaced with new ones (with the old ones handed down, or given away to charity), the ministerial kind's gotta be selected correctly, right from the get-go. Because ministerial damage control ain't nowhere as easy as rectifying mismatched furniture...

Well, truth be told, we can speculate till the cows come home - and will still probably not guess correctly. Ultimately, it's Pak Lah's decision, but one which Walski hopes will be made wisely. After all, it's only the nation at stake... at least for the next 4 - 5 years.

Oh, well... Walski's gotta get into the car pretty soon to start his 3-some hour journey for the lunch appointment. By the time lunch is over and done with, Malaysia will probably already have a new Cabinet announced... unless somebody decides to flip-flop... again... by which time, all the questions of size, style, and finishing of this new Cabinet will be made known to the nation. And the world.

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

Clueless UMNO-putera mis-Adventures

Technorati tags: Humor, Politics, Clueless

Updated @ 1621hrs: Thanks to Mob1900 via a comment to this post, Walski is able to confidently state that cluelessness is not only limited to the puteras, but also to the other gender-half. Don't you just love equal opportunity cluelessness? The extra bit is in the full post, after the break.

UMNO-puteras (and puteris) - you have to love their simple-minded cluelessness, sometimes. Always a good laugh reading about their exploits in the press.

Walski couldn't help but notice some of this clueless behavior today and over the weekend. And what better way to celebrate this exhibition of clulessness than to share the joy with you folks.

Hang Clueless
Contrary to popular belief, Hang Tuah is alive and well, and living in Perak. But the ravages of time has left him somewhat clueless. Particularly as to how a democracy works.

This modern day Hang Clueless Tuah should really look up the word coalition, and learn what the word means. Granted the DAP/PAS/PKR coalition may not be as established as the BN one - yes, BN is a coalition, too, surprise, surprise.

He probably also got a little confused to the fact that it is a different sultan than the one whom he gave his undivided loyalty to. Or does any sultan do? If that's the case, then it could be that he's been under the influence of the many CON-sultans running about these days.

Many would agree, based on legends about this historical figure, that Hang Tuah during his time was equally clueless as to right and wrong. And really got his priorities screwed up. But this screwed up-ness has been the traditional Malay benchmark for unquestioning loyalty. Which probably explains the continued cluelessness centuries after he walked the earth...

Walski can only hope that this is NOT representative of how youth in Malaysia think...
(high profile cluelessness, and more, in the full post)

Mat Clueless
More popularly known as Mat Tyson - for reasons unknown to Walski (and frankly doesn't care) - former Selangor Chief Minister Tan Sri Muhammad² Taib has labelled Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, newly sworn-in Chief Minister of Selangor, as ungrateful.

SHAH ALAM: Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib yesterday described Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as an ungrateful person for making disparaging remarks about the New Economic Policy (NEP).

He said Abdul Khalid seemed to have forgotten that the policy had helped many Malays, including himself, to become successful on a par with other races.

Abdul Khalid had also played an instrumental role in implementing it when he was the chief executive officer of Permodalan Nasional Berhad and Amanah Saham Nasional.

"I am surprised he could make remarks that the NEP had not benefited Malays when, in fact, it did a lot to uplift the community. Furthermore, he was involved in its planning and execution." -- Bernama
(source: NaSTy Pee)

Interestingly enough, although the NaSTy Pee article makes a reference to Bernama (the Malaysian National News Agency), Walski couldn't find it anywhere on the agency's site. What Mat Clueless doesn't seem to realize (or care) is the abuses that have happened in the name of the NEP. Like closed-door tender exercises. And in any case, isn't it more important that Khalid has pledged that no community will be sidelined?

Funny, but it appears as if this sentimentality over the NEP is primarily being voiced by the UMNO-puteras and those closely associated with the party. Threats to the Never-Ending gravy train, perhaps? Or just plain clueless?

Elfi the Clueless
What is it with people named Elfi? (Hat-tip to The Malaysian, emphasis by myAsylum)

IPOH, March 16 - A group calling itself "Suara Rakyat Perak" (Voice of the People of Perak) Sunday handed over a memorandum to Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak objecting to a statement by DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang which called on DAP assemblymen in the state to boycott the swearing-in of the Menteri Besar.

Lim had on Thursday instructed all 18 DAP assemblymen in Perak not to attend the swearing-in of the menteri besar that was to be held on Friday. However, due to certain developments the ceremony was postponed.

Also on Friday, Lim made an apology to Sultan Azlan Shah and the Regent of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah and explained that it was not meant to question Sultan Azlan Shah and Raja, both whom he said he (Lim) held in high regard.

The group's spokesman Elfi Mat Noor said the memorandum was received by Raja Di Hilir Perak, Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa, who represented the Sultan, at Istana Kinta at 9am.

"In it we stated our undivided support for the royal institution in Perak and our exception to the statement made by Lim Kit Siang," he told reporters.

The group had earlier held a peaceful protest at the Ipoh Padang here.
(source: Bernama)

A couple of reasons why Walski finds this totally clueless - first of all, Uncle Lim had already apologized. Fine, Elfi was probably asleep on Friday and Saturday. But even more clueless is the fact that the People of Perak had already spoken one week earlier!

Unclear on the process of democracy? Asleep for the whole week? Or just plain clueless?

And finally... (hat-tip: poster maestro Mob1900)

Updated: Minah Clueless
It would appear that Walski had earlier been unfair to the fairer sex, highlighting only the putera antics... In any case, Walski's discovered a whole new meaning to the term Non-Government (as in NGO). And wouldn't you know it? This, too, came via NaSTy Pee (surprise, surprise, surprise).

Nine women NGOs have made an urgent plea for the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah to postpone the swearing-in ceremony scheduled tomorrow and to consider instead the option of a minority BN government.

In a hastily called press conference leading to it being held at the coffee house of a hotel here, the group representatives said they were worried and had no confidence that the coalition government of DAP, Parti Keadilan Rakyat and PAS would be able to achieve a stable state government.

The group, naming themselves the Perak Malay Women NGO Meeting, cited the much-publicised bickering of the three parties as a pointer to this assumption which they reached in a meeting on Saturday. The nine organisations are the districts Perak Women and Family Development Council, the (WI) Women Grouping, Gerakwanis Belia 4B, Perak Malaysian Muslim Women Welfare Body, Perak Women Cooperative, members of the Pertubuhan Peladang Kawasan (PPK), Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JKKK), the Henry Gurney Alumni and the women members of the Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS).

No big deal, right? Just a bunch of concerned women citizens expressing their lack of confidence in the newly formed state government... right? Well, guess what's further down in the news report?

The group’s chairman Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim, who is also Wanita Umno Exco member, said the respective organisations undertake to submit their individual memorandum on the matter to the Sultan Azlan Shah as soon as possible.

They also agreed to submit written legal submissions from both lawyers and constitutional experts to Sultan Azlan Shah on the matter of the minority state government proposal.
(source: another bowl of NaSTy Pee)

Bingo! That wonderful four-letter acronym again... Nice to know that UMNO doesn't practice sexual discrimination... at least when it comes to cluelessness!

Walski's "no, it's not a footnote reference" footnote - as some of you smarty-pants readers would've noticed, there is no #2 footnote reference. "Muhammad²" is Walski's abbreviation for "Muhammad to the power of 2"... Just in case you were wondering...

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

Caution: Invisible Workmen

Technorati tags: Blog Layout, Work In Progress, Announcement

This is what Walski would call a "weekend sticky"... you'll be seeing this post on top spot until Sunday late night.

(what the heck all this is about, in the full post)

It seems that most of those who've participated in Walski's latest poll think that this blog needs a makeover. Well, you've spoken, and Walski listened. 90-plus percent is an overwhelming majority... So, yeah... Walski's working on it. Oh, and thanks for the suggestions some of you have left in the comments section - Walski will take them all into due consideration.

Well, the point of this post is to tell you that changes are afoot, and come next month (God, work and time willing), a new-look myAsylum will be unleashed upon you. But for this weekend, Walski may be a little tardy in the posting department, so that he can work on revamping this blog's layout (as of the time of posting, humans have not been successfully cloned yet).

You won't actually see the workmen running around (at least Walski hopes not), but be careful when you navigate the site... Safety first, and all that. Plus, you don't want Walski's Workman's Compensation premiums to sky-rocket just because of reader-inflicted accidents now do you?

Having said that, if something important does crop up, then yes, as usual Walski will attend to it ASAP. As per standard operating procedure, content is the most important thing that fuels myAsylum... Enjoy the weekend!

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

Chasm-ic thoughts...

Technorati tags: Politics, Technology Adoption, Geoffery Moore, Chasm, Race, BN, UMNO

If you think about it, all disciplines are inter-related at some levels. There certainly are phenomena that can be studied from a mathematics, physics or chemical point of view - or all three at once - like osmosis, for instance. Oh, and from a water filter marketing point of view, too - but that's a totally different story.

But what about other, not so pure scientific fields? Like political science and the study of technology adoption? Is there a point where these two different areas could meet?

Before Walski delves deeper into this, allow him to digress a bit (don't you hate it when he does that?).

As some of you may know, Walski's involved with the Oil & Gas industry. More specifically, however, Walski's career (the real life one) actually revolves around industrial process control, and more recently process safety as well. Even more specifically, it revolves around the niche IT aspect of this discipline - control and safety systems. So you could say, in a very broad way, that Walski's an IT person.

Since migrating from the engineering side of the business, to a more sales/marketing-centric role, some nine years ago, Walski's been exposed to a lot of marketing sciences (or pseudo-science, as some purists may claim). While Walski maintains that Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook is one of those must have-books for every business manager, a more notable serious work is that of Silicon Valley tech consultant/guru, Geoffery Moore. In particular, the book where he writes about The Chasm.
(moore orChasmic thoughts [pun & misspelling intended], in the full post)

The word "chasm" quite simply means a deep opening in the Earth's surface. And what does this have to do with the adoption of technology? Rather than verbally explaining this, have a look a the diagram below.

Geoffery Moore's chasm explained
(picture taken from Kitten Lulu)

The chasm in Geoffery Moore's observation is the acceptance gap between early technology adopters and the early mainstream, which essentially gives the technology in question critical mass, and momentum, before it gains an even wider acceptance.

Walski realizes that this has been a rather long digression - but a necessary one, he thinks. So anyway, here's what occured to Walski this morning.

What Malaysia is now witnessing is a chasm-crossing of another kind - politically. Transitioning from a race-based political landscape, to a more issue orientated, race neutral one. And the chasm crossing event? The recent 12th General Elections - that singlular kick-butt event that's gotten all sides of the political divide reeling. Sorta like the Malaysian political Big Bang, if you would - in more ways than one, actually - since, along the way, a few political stalwarts really got fucked in the process...

If Walski were to re-draw the Moore Bell-curve, based on what's happening here, it would look something like this.

In other words, the idea of race-neutral politics is that one key thing that BN needs to adopt - UMNO in particular. Or at least, what UMNO's grassroots memebership and their RM50-a-shot supporters need to get thru their thick skulls. If they want to remain relevant, that is.

Now, Walski certainly is no political scientist, or scientist of any kind, for that matter. Unless you want to take into consideration the honorific title of doktor ayam that his pub-kakis gave him many years ago... But let's not go there.

One thing Walski does have is a keen observation, and a knack of putting 2 and 2 together, and arriving at 6 - the extra 50% being the hidden obvious that most people don't see.

Seriously though, as much as politics based on race may have been relevant once upon a time, that time is no longer. After 50 years of nation building, we're faced with new challenges like globalization and crime - challenges which have nothing to do with race, per se. And to remain relevant, one has to adapt to his or her environment. The socio-political environment of today is certainly different from that in 1957, or even 38 years ago, in 1969.

So why are we still persistant on running our country based on irrelevant paradigms?

You'll notice that in Walski's redrawn chart, the lighter orange shaded area transcends into the "Pragmatists" part of the Bell Curve. Walski believes that there are those within BN who would agree that to remain relevant, their political mindset has to change. But for that to happen, UMNO has to come to terms with what really is going on. In Walski's mind, UMNO, for the most part are still stubbornly clueless, clinging on to the ketuanan mindset that the voting population has clearly rejected - and it's not Walski alone who thinks so (via Ktemoc Konsiders).

And the culture of ampu-titis within BN, and UMNO in particular, has to change. It's no big secret that UMNO is the lynchpin that keeps BN intact. Mukhriz Mahathir has tried to buck that entrenched way of thinking - but Walski fears that because the prevailing mindset is so entrenched, his political career may suffer as a result.

Walski's introduction to Geoffery Moore's chasm insight came via a video from Harvard Business Review on Disruptive Technologies. Among other things, the video presented how the 5¼" disk drive business was just about totally displaced by the advent of 3½" technologies, despite a very low acceptance of the latter initially.

What Walski sees is a similar trend in politics, here and now. The stupid stunt pulled by UMNO this past week in Penang, Shah Alam and Kuala Kangsar doesn't bode well for the party, or for the BN coalition. Keep it up, and they too, like the 5¼" disk, will one day become obsolete.

In truth, our own Chasm offers one of two simple choices - cross over, or fade away into its abyss...

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

Komtar in chaos?

Technorati tags: UMNO, Protest, Penang, Race Clashes, Rumors

Updated: see in the full post (i.e. after the break)

Original Post:
"Not in our culture"? Well, those UMNO neanderthals up in Penang have really outdone themselves this time.

Walski has received unconfirmed reports that some fights have erupted near the Prangin bus terminal, and that the police have set up roadblocks on the Penang bridge coming onto the island.

Some blogs have reported "rioting", but Walski takes that with a large grain of salt (see Lil Something and Plazzy's Crib), as the definition of rioting that Walski uses simply doesn't jive with the images posted. And as usual rumors about possible widespread racial clashes aren't helping matters one bit. Please - stop spreading them rumors!

Scenes from Komtar earlier today
(image taken from Lil Something)

In any case, Walski wants to ask a small favor from you Penangites reading this: can you provide him some information/confirmation on whether there is any truth to the fight story and Penang bridge roadblock, or if any curfew is being imposed?

As you may know, Walski has family up there, and friends, and so is naturally concerned. If you hear anything, please leave a comment, or better yet, send an e-mail to Walski (address is on the right side-bar under the profile).

Walski thanks you in advance. Updates (if there are any) will be posted in the full post, after the break.
(updates in the full post)

Updated @ 2147hrs
As promised, here is an update, not from anyone that's given feedback, but from reading Lucia's post on the idiotic move by UMNO up in Penang.

Lucia also published a letter from a concerned citizen, K. Sudhagaran Stanley, urging everyone to not get involved witht he demonstration, which was staged by UMNO. Mr. Stanley further stated that this move was to instigate racial hatred so that a repeat of you-know-what would happen, bringing in the army, and ultimately handing Penang back to UMNO. He also said that this demonstration by UMNO - that's UMNO, not the Penang Malays - has been condemned by DAP, PKR and PAS as trying to stir racial hatred.

It seems that this protest was probably orchestrated by factions within UMNO - similar protests were held in Shah Alam, Selangor and the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

Here's the question Walski has: if Hindraf's rally, where the police came down hard, and 5 of their leaders put under detention under the ISA, was supposedly so damaging to Malaysia and her economy, what the fuck is the Malaysian Government going to do about Penang Umno secretary Azhar Ibrahim? On the damaging scale, this probably rates worse. And if nobody has the fucking guts to do something about this irresponsible idiot - then Pak Lah, as head of UMNO, should step down. Pronto!

Beware the Ides of March? As it is, many suspect that the feigned support senior BN members (particularly UMNO) for Pak Lah is so that he may be removed unceremoniously during the UMNO general assembly (it's election year for them, too) later this year. That's provided, of course, there is a contest for the UMNO supremo's post. And if there's not? Well, Walski's certain that there's more than one way to skin a cat. Oh, and today is the Ides of March-minus-1. Guess, UMNO couldn't even get that right... one day early, knuckle heads.

Word has it that getting rid of Pak Lah will put a major speedbump to block the ambitions of a certain Khairy Jamaluddin - the real target. Walski cannot confirm any of this - just relating to you what the grapevine's told him...

But more importantly, what Walski urges you people out there is to remain calm. This is not a "Malay against Chinese against Indian" kinda thing. What happened in Penang earlier today is the fault of no one else but UMNO, upon whose head Walski places full responsibility.

More than at any other time, we need to remain united as one Bangsa Malaysia.

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