The Genius Activist: Aaron Swartz

I was touched by the story of this guy.

He was an activist -- a very clever one who knew how to hack into systems to get the information he needed.

But he was caught by the authorities, who came down really hard on him. The stress took a toll on him and he ended his life.

"In an age when our frontiers are digital, the criminal system threatens something tangible but incredibly valuable," Tim Wu, a professor at Columbia Law School, wrote on The New Yorker's website. "Swartz was a passionate eccentric who could have been one of the great innovators and creators of our future. Now we will never know."

His death was a shame. He was a genius who made a difference.

Read it in its entirety at: The Brilliant Life and Tragic Death of Aaron Swartz

Watch: Anonymous - The Story of Aaron Swartz Full Documentary

The 'Security Risk' Is Sent Home

I was briefly browsing through Facebook when I saw a link on my mate Tim's site: Nick Xenophon Detained In Malaysia

Now the good senator is no stranger to controversy, having been tear-gassed during one of the public demonstrations in Malaysia calling for free and fair elections.

Apparently he hasn't endeared himself to the BN government by meeting with the Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, whom the BN government has attempted to defame with sex videos numerous times -- to no avail.

So he actually got deported!



Bear in mind that immigration was very helpful and even apologetic at having to detain him.

In 2011, I was due to fly abroad when at the boarding security screening, I dropped my mobile phone. Unbeknownst to me, the keypad on my phone had dislodged upon impact.

I merely picked up the phone and shoved it back into my pocket without noticing the absence of said keypad.

When I'd settled myself inside the plane, I took out the phone to turn it off, only to discover that I couldn't, because the keypad was missing.

I quickly ran back out -- much to the chagrin of the flight attendants -- to look for the keypad.

Somewhat panicked, I asked one of the immigration officers if she had seen a keypad lying around. I cannot begin to describe how odd and embarrassing the situation was, and I would not have bothered had I not required my phone to get in touch with the person who was picking me up from the airport abroad.

But the immigration officer, upon hearing my explanation, started looking on the floor for my keypad and even alerted her colleagues. Which was a good thing because one of them had spotted it on the floor and picked it up.

Phone and keypad finally reunited, I dashed back to the plane in almost McGyver-type moves after thanking the helpful officers.

As the aircraft was taking off, I thought of how the immigration officers could have ignored me but chose to help instead.

Because essentially, while immigration comes under the purview of the government and may be seen as the 'enemy', the individuals are actually good people who are only doing their job.

In the case of Senator Xenophon, the orders evidently came from very high. Possibly up to the guy who ludicrously asked a crowd, "Are you ready for Psy?" before being flatly rejected when he attempted the same for "BN".

So what does the deportation of an Australian senator mean to us?

I think we're going to see the toughest battles fought out between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat because the BN government is frightened as anything by threats to themselves.

Yet Again A Claim To Sulu Sultanate

I guess it is only fair for a country that harps on bumiputera status to be continually plagued with claims of "rightful ownership"!!

Is that divine retribution or what??!

From BBC:

Malaysian troops are negotiating with about 100 men from the Philippines holed up in a remote part of Sabah on Borneo island, officials say.

The men, some reportedly armed, landed in Lahad Datu town earlier this week.

Police say they have identified themselves as the "royal army" of the Sulu Sultanate, which has a historic claim to the area.

Malaysian and Philippine officials are in discussions over the incident, many details of which remain unclear.

Some reports said that the men had denied links to militant groups in the southern Philippines, and had raised the Philippine flag in the village.

Read the rest here: http://bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21469146

We have more than our share of fruit & nuts!!

Are You Ready For ... Errr Maybe Not!!

You would think that Najib should know better.

More Info About Rare Earth Refining In Malaysia

It turns out that the Germans have done some research on the rare-earth refining in Malaysia.

And as we suspected, it's not good news. An excerpt from the press release states:

The scientists at Oeko-Institute evaluate the detected deficiencies as very serious. Those deficiencies should have been already detected in the licensing process, when the application documents were being checked. However the operator received a construction license in 2008 and a temporary operating license in 2012.

You might be curious to know what Thorium is, if you've never heard of it.

Read the press release HERE.

Say No To Racism

It's about time.

How To Deter Those Pesky Migrants

Do you remember how enraged we got when we discovered that Old Nyanyuk had been giving out citizenships to Filipinos and Bangladeshis in Sabah in exchange for votes under Project M?

It turns out that Malaysia isn't the only country that everyone and his pet goldfish wants to migrate to.

The UK has been hounded by all sorts from all over Europe.

And this time, the Brits are taking matters into their own hands, by coming up with posters to discourage those annoying foreigners from coming in.

The Guardian asked, "How would you put people off Britain?"

Talk about an effective foreign and internal policy rolled in one.

Interestingly, they did come up with some answers and creative responses, you'd be pleased to know.

Most of them seem to revolve around bad weather, awful politics and rubbish .... well, just rubbish.

Malaysians certainly can't complain of bad weather, most actually enjoy the heat and humidity (gives us an excuse not to have to walk anywhere!!!).

But we certainly have awful politics and plenty of rubbish all over the place. I'm not going to produce any photographic evidence for now, but let's just say a significant population of Kuala Lumpur consists of rats. All 4.4 million of them in 2010 (three years ago).

I doubt that they are our biggest migrants. Most rats are probably KL-born-and-bred. But we do need to clean up our act, unless we're doing it to discourage migration.

Malaysia And America

It is no secret that the American government has somewhat unconventional torture methods when dealing with potential or suspected terrorists.

Guantanamo Bay is probably the most famous holding centre.

But what is truly surprising, is the Malaysian government's involvement in detaining suspects in collaboration with the CIA.

The BN government has always been very vocal in opposing Washington, mostly in attempts to posture before the predominantly Muslim public.

Every time there is an issue regarding Palestine in particular or Islam in general, there is a public demonstration (this time, without the tear-gassing and chemical-laced water being sprayed all over the participants) outside the American Embassy.

It is no secret that the average Malay Muslim does not like the US and is not keen on cooperating with the Americans.

In fact, the most common (and possibly effective) form of smear campaigns in Malaysia is to associate any organisation or person with the Americans.

Anwar Ibrahim was accused of being an American spy, when he met William Cohen (U.S. Secretary of Defense). Subsequently the accusation was toned down to being just a "tool of America to gain control over Malaysia".

Anwar did get to turn the tables when he linked APCO to Najib's 1Malaysia slogan. Which goes to show that America and its support of Israel is a rather sensitive topic in Malaysia.

More recently is the accusation of Suaram, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) as well as news portal Malaysiakini as being tools for foreign hands to destabilise the Malaysian government.

This came about because the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has provided funds for those NGOs.

The allegations are ludicrous, but they are useful as smear campaigns, especially for those who don't bother to check the facts.

So for all the smearing that the BN government of Malaysia does against the USA, it is actually in cahoots with them.

The irony.

Radio Free Sarawak

The Stripper

Okay, I concede that the title was a cheap stunt to lure readers!!

But you must admit, that under the circumstances, Old Nyanyuk does deserve the title of "The Stripper".

Awhile ago, Old Nyanyuk along with the Indian Muslim organisation called Kimma made an appeal for BERSIH co-chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan to be stripped of her datukship.

Now, I personally don't think much of datukships -- anymore than I do knightships or OBEs or MBEs (if you're British). They are meant to be an honour, but if the body or person who bestowed it upon you is not honourable, it means nothing at all.

However, citizenship is a completely different thing altogether. No one really has the right to strip anyone of their citizenship, certainly not an unelected government who unlawfully sits in office by having cheated and rigged elections for decades.

This line of thinking obviously does not sit well with Old Nyanyuk, as he believes that voters should give two-thirds majority to the BN government so that they can amend the constitution to enable them to strip Ambiga of her citizenship.

BERSIH has come back with a disappointingly weak response, saying merely that Dr M must apologise to Ambiga, Bar Council.

But then again, perhaps they are a lot more professional than to suggest in turn that Old Nyanyuk be stripped of his citizenship for treason in randomly giving out citizenships to foreigners in exchange for votes to keep his party in power.

I digress. Ambiga has done the nation justice by trying to set straight what is crooked and corrupt.

Any person capable of logical thought would see that in a democracy, calling for free and fair elections is a very noble and responsible gesture.

I am personally in favour of free and fair elections, and am in sound mind to recognise that Malaysia does not have free and fair elections hence the constant need to demand them especially by taking to the streets.

The last time I checked, BERSIH 3.0 attracted a crowd of 200,000 to the streets. This, in spite of knowing that they could be arrested and charged under draconian laws.

Would Old Nyanyuk and the BN government like to strip those 200,000 people of their citizenship too?

For Overseas Malaysians

BERSIH 2.0 Voting Advisory for Overseas Malaysians

via Bersih 2.0 | Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil by Bersih 2.0 on 07/02/13

Together with Global BERSIH, Tindak Malaysia, and MyOverseasVote, BERSIH 2.0 has developed an advisory for overseas Malaysian voters. Please keep yourself informed of any changes to postal voting procedures through the Election Commission’s main website and a special website for GE13.

You can also contact us at overseasvote@bersih.org.

Spread the advisory far and wide!

ENGLISH version: PDF  (right-click and save) | JPEG

CHINESE version: PDF (right-click and save) | JPEG

She Got Pwned!!

Folks, it's always nice to learn a new word.

And today, the word is: Pwn

From About.com, "Pwned" means "to be controlled against your will", or "to be defeated by a superior power".

This is precisely what has happened to Suara Wanita 1Malaysia (SW1M) president Sharifah Zohra Jabeen, who absolutely had her blinking ar$e handed to her on a plate when she attempted to intimidate UUM law student KS Bawani into silence.

Now I have had the dubious experience of attending a Malaysian university. The amount of propaganda that is fed to students is staggering. It takes a lot of willpower to withstand the smarmy facilitators and their blithering opinions.

It possibly takes a lot more willpower to get up and take the bull by the horns.

I'll admit this -- I was a coward. I grinned and bore it with fortitude but also with a sense of humour (what depths one can sink to in efforts to defend one's cowardice).

But KS Bawani does not shrink from her adversaries. The youtube video that went viral is proof of that.

And since then, Sharifah Zohra Jabeen Syed Shah Miskin (she's not worth the paper on the birth certificate that it takes to write her name) has made numerous attempts to engineer a comeback and restore some semblance of dignity.

But her efforts are in vain.

Her arrogance and overbearing attitude were out in the open for everyone to see.

She may allege that KS Bawani flipped her off -- showed her the middle finger -- before walking out of the forum. The whole thing was captured on video. It's going to require a bit of photo-shopping (ala the Anwar Ibrahim video) before Sharifah Zohra Jabeen can show her "proof".

From FMT: Sharifah is a liar, says Bawani

“I categorically deny ever making such a gesture. Sharifah is a liar. Her statement has tarnished my name in the public. Her allegation is false and defamatory,” Bawani told FMT today.

She lodged a report against Sharifah at Kajang district police headquarters yesterday.

“Sharifah also told FMT that SW1M would be uploading a full version of the video which would reveal that I showed the middle finger. I’m waiting to see it. I want the police to investigate and get to the bottom of her preposterous claim,” she added.

Sharifah, in an exclusive interview with FMT on Feb 1, made the claim for the first time since she was lambasted for her treatment of Bawani at the forum, a video clip of which was first uploaded three weeks ago on YouTube, titled “Forum Suara Mahasiswa Part 4″.

After a storm of protests from netizens, Sharifah issued a statement saying she forgave Bawani and stressed that she was neither contemptuous of university students nor against their right to exercise free speech. She then apologised to UUM, but not to Bawani.

Very few people are convinced that Sharifah Zohra Jabeen has been wronged.

Most see her as the attacker and the villain.

I personally see her as a bully who always got her way.




Maybe Ms Listen ought to take a bit of her own advice and perhaps ... listen?

After that, perhaps ... shut up?

Nothing Much Has Changed

The BN government still appears to be kow-towing to the Chinese government.

They are secretly forcing the Uighurs to return to China.

This is in full knowledge that they will be mistreated.

Uighurs by James Fallows

I wrote this a year and a half ago, and nothing much has changed today.

I even think my postulations back then on Malaysia's foreign and internal policies are still valid.

Malaysians Are Hardcore! :-)

Salmon fish are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water -- to the exact spot where they were born to spawn.

Who knows what inspires this homing behavior.

Like salmon making its way upstream the river, a significant fraction of the million or so Malaysians living abroad will be returning home for the general elections.

Some will be missing their traditional homecoming for Chinese New Year.

Many others will be planning their holidays around the general elections.

From Asian Correspondent:

From Singapore, Australia and across the region, to the US and UK, voters will be travelling by car, bus and plane to vote in an election ear-marked as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for change.

There are more than a million Malaysians living overseas from a population of about 28 million people – enough to make a real difference come election day.

There may be thousands of miles between the expat Malaysian and his voting booth.

But that's not going to deter him. Most Malaysians are going to be coming home this year -- to vote.

And you know what? That makes me proud to be Malaysian.

Zombie Run In Malaysia

Just over 3 years ago (how time flies), I wrote a somewhat tongue-in-cheek post about zombies, being brain-washed and death-in-custody.

All the puns you'll ever need are in there.

It came about because the Australians (it's always their fault, isn't it?) had organised a Zombie Walk to raise money for the Brain Foundation.

I had no idea that it would take root in Malaysia.

After all, Malaysia is a conservative, Muslim country, where zombies are considered a deviation from Islamic teaching.

But to my surprise (though not horror), some Malaysians actually organised and held it in a “creepy jungle” at Canyon Paintball Park, Bandar Utama. It has been described as a cross between an obstacle course and treasure hunt.

Now if you had the social and political activist types (like yours truly) organising this, we'd have every single atrocity committed by the ruling coalition up on display.

I am talking Altantuya Shaariibuu (pregnant model), Teoh Beng Hock (groom plunging to his death from a few storeys high), and all those men and women who died in police custody.

The Malaysian political scene surely has more zombies than any government ever needs.

Even the American government.