Holy cow! What a knockout!
Dec 18, 2008 News Breaks
I saw this article on the main page of Yahoo! earlier and thought I just needed to share it!
A pilot crashed into a cow during an emergency landing, and apparently, the cow - while it was flung and rolled off its legs - survived as is uninjured.
The article mentioned a YouTube video, so I did some nosey-ing and look what I found?
Hilarious!
Whee! Internet Explorer has a bug
Dec 17, 2008 News Breaks
Well, it’s no big surprise but when I received this from The Star’s SMS News Alert at 5.12pm today:
Serious flaw in Internet Explorer browser leaves users completely open to hackers, experts say; Microsoft says will have patch out soon.
I went online and found this article which talks about how Microsoft will be issuing an emergency fix for the security hole. When I first saw the SMS though, I thought to myself, “Thank God for Firefox!”
Then I remembered this ad I saw on YouTube once. Thought I should share it here ‘cos it’s hilarious!
5.41pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: firefox, internet explorer, microsoft, youtube
You know you’re not very well liked when …
Dec 15, 2008 News Breaks
You get a shoe hurled at you!
I’m sorry but in a totally schadenfreude (getting pleasure from the misfortune of others) manner, I thought this was really funny (President George W Bush’s response to the shoe throwing is funnier though!). Okay, okay, so it’s not the nicest thing to wish to anyone but this goes to show that security personnel would need to worry about more than just checking for arms and weapons.
Now, will there be a ban on shoes to press conferences and future events involving world leaders?
Seriously though, the couple of news report I’ve read (and here) mentioned that there was blood on the carpet (but the source of it is unknown) and that the media organisation that shoe-thrower comes from has not heard from the reporter and that his mobile phone is switched off.
I hope he is fine.
p/s Sorry I’ve been so quiet folks. Between work, the show and my flu, I’m absolutely knackered!
7.28pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: George W Bush, iraq, president, shoe, shoe throwing
Fatwa against yoga
Nov 24, 2008 News Breaks
Expecting a backlash from Malaysians on the decision, Shukor reminded non-Muslims not to question the fatwa.
“We respect the harmony and freedom of practice of other races. This is not something for non-Muslims to interfere in or question as this matter involves Muslims and their faith. (From NST)
Since there is a reminder, I shall not say much about the issue. So, why don’t you click here instead.
And here are just some of the many reports in the papers over the past couple of days.
In case you don’t know what I am not talking about, the National Fatwa Council has declared yoga as haram for Muslims in Malaysia. The Hindu Sangham has asked for the Council to be more “sensitive”, while cancer survivors are not happy. The Perak Religious Department said that they will abide by the Fatwa, while The Star just sent an SMS news alert stating that the Sultan of Selangor has said that ban in his state has yet to be implemented as it has not been brought before the state fatwa committee.
Also, Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zaid Hamidi has asked non-Muslim NGOs not to challege the Council’s credibility. Meanwhile, Malaysiakini reports that MIC President Datuk Seri Samy Vellu said that he will meet with PM Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to discuss the yoga ban.
1.37pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: fatwa, Islam, malaysiakini, Malaysian, nasional fatwa council, new straits times, The Star, yoga
Former UM Vice-Chancellor speaks out in Malaysiakini
Nov 19, 2008 News Breaks
Woah! Talk about spilling the beans.
Days after Datuk Rafiah Salim - who was replaced earlier this month by Prof Datuk Dr Ghauth Jasmon - made headlines after lots of talk in Parliament about the lack of gender equality when it came to choosing VCs (among other things!), the ex-Universiti Malaya VC has spoken up in a one-hour interview with Malaysiakini (Part 1 and Part 2).
These articles are not free - you need to be a subscriber of the online news portal to read them - but among the points she brought up are:
1. Rafiah claims that it is gender bias which led to her not being re-appointed as Vice-Chancellor. The article read:
Explaining her allegation of gender bias, Rafiah said she recently learnt that the women VCs were only given a two-year contract while male VCs were given a three-year contract. This included her successor Prof Dr Ghauth Jasmon.
“Doesn’t this [show they are] more confident in men than in women?” she questioned.
2. She claims that there was many political influences with regards to many decisions a VC must make, including who gets invited to speak at the University.
“Things like who can we bring in to speak to the students, who we can’t - even among the Barisan Nasional people,” she revealed during an hour-long interview with Malaysiakini yesterday.
And later said:
To a question, she admitted that one recent case of such political interference was UM’s decision to cancel a speech by Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi who was to speak there early this month.
The university had withdrawn its invitation to Ebadi, an outspoken critic of the human rights situation in Iran, two weeks before she was to deliver a speech on Islam and cultural diversity.
3. On student politics, Rafiah said that she had no issues with students getting involved with politics, unless it interfered with their studies.
On students’ freedom, Rafiah said she did not mind her students being active in politics provided that it did not come at the expense of their studies.
“Join-lah (politics), what the heck man, except that I am very firm with students that if they are so involved in politics and not focused on their studies, that would get me very angry,” she said.
I don’t think many people will be at all surprised at any of these revelations. But I suppose it is good that people directly involved in it are speaking publicly, instead of there being rumours and stories floating around which is hard to substantiate (grapevines, as efficient as they are, cannot be trusted 100%, I suppose).
The article also mentioned that Rafiah will soon be writing a book about UM. Wonder if more dirt emerge.
11.08am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: Ghauth Jasmon, malaysiakini, Rafiah Salim, Universiti Malaya, Vice-Chancellor
