Our new PM, Pak Lah, has just turned 64. Here's wishing him 64 more. May he have many many more years of truth hearing and acting on them for the good of Malaysia and her people. May he receive the divine guidance he has prayed for and may the nation and her people benefit from this. Many Happy Returns.
Finally the issue has been laid to rest. Officially, from the horse's mouth (I mean Pak Lah's), it is okay to Pak Lah when done informally. Pak Lah quips :: "After all, referring to me as Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi needs almost 14 syllables, while calling me Pak Lah needs only 2." (There are actually 12 only :: Da-tuk Se-ri Ab-dul-lah Ah-mad Ba-da-wi) There you have heard it from the man, himself. When talking about another Dollah's problem ie the sacking of Dollah KL, Pak Lah was asked if he took offence to being referred as "Pak Lah". His answer :: "It is difficult to talk anout myself...if an official function, maybe not, but if it is informal, I suppose "Pak Lah" is okay." This was quoted in an NST report. The same report also said that Pak Lah said, the decision to sack Dollah KL was taken by the NSTP management following protests received by Wisma Putra from the Arab Saudi Government over Dollah KL's article "Freeing the Prophet's Land". According to the PM, "The decision is nothing personal. If it was , we would have acted against Abdullah Ahmad long ago." So here, you have it, Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz, or would you now like it to be informally "Mak Cik Pida".
Move over Rin Tin Tin and Lassie, here comes Chip Dog which can combine the benefits of technology and nature by not only detecting dangerous or illicit substances but by providing the electronic equivalent of a drug sniffing dog. The dog-on-a-chip works with antibodies by looking at their molecular structure. In this case the researchers tested cocaine antibodies, which change in structure and mass if they come into contact with cocaine molecules. This device can be miniaturised and is said to be penny sized, so it can then be housed in a nose-shaped model which can then be attached to those robotic dogs made by Sony. Such "dogs" with the electronic noses can then be handled by handlers of all religious types. Even our Mak Cik Pida may have no complaints when approach by such "sniffer dogs" the next time she goes to Australia. Such electronic "sniffer dogs" will also not get bored and tired as long as their batteries are fully charged and can function 24/7. But already, the low-tech natural dogs have their supporters, these say that these dogs are more cost-effective. Lee Titus, director of the dog training program in Virginia said :: "In 2002, the narcotics teams of dogs and their handlers that cost about US$60,000 per year, found nearly US$600,000 worth of drugs." A dog can go through about 500 packages in a mailroom in a few minutes, Titus said. "How long would it take you to go through and check each little package with a machine?" Titus asked. He concluded :: "I think that a well-trained dog is more versatile than a piece of machinery." Other plus points are these dogs can sniff smuggled money and people. Let's ask Titus, how many times does his dogs need to pooh-pooh and pee-pee a day and hwo often are they bathed? The high-tech ones--zero. The Sony dog, at the moment without the electronic nose, is already finding competition for a place under the christmas tree next month but that is another story, anyway read about it here
MPs are in uproar about the naked turnip on display at Fajar in Bandar Baru today.
'Anyone could knock one of those up in ten minutes,' said angry Jim Bowie, leading the protest. 'Even me,' he added.
'It's my turnip - I can do what I like with it,' said artist James Bond, and acknowledged expert in Pumbling wood work who has twice been awarded an Oscar. He described the controversial show as being 'pink as a gooseberry'.
Police Baffled By Seed
Elsewhere in Bandar Baru, police are investigating the theft of 14 seeds. David Bowie will be helping police with their inquiries, which have led them to an upturned bucket in What The Papers Say.
Thieves dumped the stolen seeds in the bucket, which was being used by kippers to store custard for the winter.
'You get nothing in this game for two in a bed,' said a police spokesman, before being wheeled away on the back of a chopper.
This issue first surfaced soon after Pak Lah became our PM, a letter writer to the NST paper questioned whether we should Pak Lah Pak Lah now that he is the CEO of this nation. See this blog and read the letter entitled :: Addressing the PM right and proper. Now someone else, none other than our International Trade and Industry MINIster Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz, has taken up the issue. She has suggested that we should stop addressing our new PM as "Pak Lah". The reason why maybe seen in what she had to say further :: "I don't want outsiders to call him Pak Lah, foreigners should never belittle our leader by calling him Pak Lah...it appears to be disrespectful, for example, the foreign journalists." Pak Lah has mostly been used as a term of endearment and a show of respect and love for our former deputy CEO and now CEO of the nation. Surely to continue cannot be in any way construed as disrespect. In the papers even the PM has been quoted to refer to himself as "Pak Lah". For what bloggers have to say, read thisScreenshots blog. Maybe it is the said MINIster's fears that she may one day be referred to as "Mak Cik Pida" or "Mak Fidah" that is worrying her.
You should have NO answers as you were told :: Answer them as fast as you can. You can't take your time answering. Answer them immediately. No pencil or paper! OK?
But I am quite sure you must have answered them anyway or may have taken a peep at Blip's Blog.
Go here if you must for the answers really and for those who have not seen the Questions go here.
Remember the 1997 John Woo film :: Face/Off where there was an exchange of faces between John Travolta and Nicholas Cage? In this film the then 'absurd premise'--hero and villain exchange identities by literally swapping faces in science-fiction plastic surgery-- is about to become reality. Face transplant was in the news about a year ago when plastic surgeon, Peter Butler said surgical techniques would allow the procedure to take place soon. Butler had then call for debates regarding the ethical issues associated with such a procedure. Present techniques of skin grafting for face reconstruction do not allow movement or sensitivity, creating a mask-like effect, Face transplants which would involve muscle and nerves as well as skin, would allow animation. The transplanted face can convey expressions and feelings, particularly the lips, eyes and cheeks. Obviously the transplant face would have to come from a cadaveric donor and not like in the film. Patients whose faces have been seriously disfigured by cancer, burns or accidents could be helped by such transplants but they are believed not to be in great numbers. Apart from Butler's team which is based in London's Royal Free Hospital, there is another team working on face transplant, and in the race to be the first, the American team is led by John Barker, director of Plastic Surgery, Louisville University, Kentucky. What can the face transplant recipient expect :: a new face which will work better than the old and capable of animation and expressions of emotion to varying degrees. Surgeons think after surgery, the recipient will look different from the donor as their facial bone structures are different. So if Sophia L agrees to donate her face to you when she goes to the sweet bye and bye, you would still be unlikely to look like her after a face transplant!
I, Mr Sin-Pe, hereby request a raise in salary for the following reasons: I do physical labor I work at great depths I plunge head first into everything I do I do not get weekends off or public holidays I work in a damp environment I don't get paid overtime I work in a dark workplace that has poor ventilation I work in high temperatures My work exposes me to contagious diseases
Dear Mr Sin-Pe,
After assessing your request, and considering the arguments you have raised, the administration rejects your request for the following reasons:
You do not work 8 hours straight You fall asleep on the job after brief work period You do not always follow the orders of the management team You do not stay in your allocated position, and often visit other areas You do not take initiative - you need to be pressured and stimulated in order to start working You leave the workplace rather messy at the end of your shift You don't always observe necessary safety regulations, such as wearing the correct protective clothing You'll retire well before reaching 65 You're unable to work double shifts You sometimes leave your allocated position before you have completed the day's work. And if that were not all, you have been seen constantly entering and leaving the workplace carrying 2 suspicious looking bags.
Obviously with so many things being digitised these days, "Miss Digital World" had to come soon. So move over you human beauty queens and make way for the coming of "Miss Digital World". Reuters reports that a new beauty contest kicking off in Italy next week will give pixel-perfect pin-up glamour ladies, the likes of this Lara Croft and not this , a chance to be a beauty queen. Franz Cerami is the man with the plan for such a contest and his artistic vision :: "Every age has its ideal of beauty, and every age produces its visual incarnation of that ideal from the Venus de Milo in ancient Greece to Marilyn Monroe in the 1960s. Miss Digital World is the search for a contemporary ideal of beauty, seen through virtual reality." Any digital artists interested are invited to send their buxomy, angelina-lipped and leggy lovelies - complete with date of birth and body measurements - to the organisers here -- Miss Digital World website. For pointers regarding the creations of their lovies, they can go here. Oh yes, before we forget, there are ethical rules :: "They should not have taken part -- not even as extras or cameos -- in porno films, shows or plays nor have made statements...in any way out of tune with the moral spirit of the competition," organizers said. These digital contestants will have to parade along a virtual catwalk, and there'll be a virtual presenter and virtual guests who will help create the atmosphere of a beauty contest.
This blog is supposed to be for the funnies, so where is the funnies. The web is being surfed regularly to turn up sites which can provide the laughs and to cheer visitors a little here and there. Links have been added to the right column and you can try them out. So on those days when you are feeling down and out and feeling low, do try those links. And hopefully they will help to lift your spirits up a little. For starters go here and remember you have a friend online, namely Lone, go here and you will find your daily dose of cartun fun. If you find that funny news is what cheers you, create your own by trying out the Newsbot. Here you might laugh till "your feeble brains turn to mash or custard", be warned, also remember to empty your bladder if you have weak ones. Here's another site for reading the news funnies Remember many moons ago our late Joe, turned his blog into the pornolized versi, you can also do yours here, those who are allergic to porn text and those four, five , six letter words please do not try. If you don't wish to turn yours into likewise see these samples here and there. Be warn, those who are thinking of trying, once you pornolize , it keeps updating itself! Can anyone please help to cut the links or Joe and Me will be forever pornolized????
The uniforms, logo and song for the National Service Programme. trainees have been unveiled by the Chairman. According to this report, the programme is adopting a “young, cool and fun” image. See for yourselves whether this is true ::
Young, Cool, Fun Uniforms or Off to the Pyjamas Party Outfits
The three sets of uniforms comprising a set each for physical training, classroom activity and outdoor community service are designed by Limkokwing University College of Creative Technology. They have been described as "cool" by the Chairman. "The choice of colour and design for the uniforms are deemed as "cool", a popular theme among teens and the younger generation,” he said. The logo, the winning entry of a competition, is dominated by three red flames symbolising the burning enthusiasm of patriotism and a Malaysian national flag crest representing inter-racial unity. Its creator is 27-year-old graphic designer Mohd Faizal Ahmad. The anthem, which departs from military marching tunes and sounds radio-friendly, is the winning creation of Datuk Wah Idris. Islahuddin Ibrahim from Malacca wrote the lyrics. Datuk Wah previously composed the Commonwealth Games theme song “Standing in the Eyes of the World” and re-arranged the NegaraKu recently.
the first batch will consists of 28,000 youths and willl starrt on 10th Feb 2004. Those selected will be notified by December 2003.
next will be a double batch of 56,000 youths who will know by March 2004 if selected.
the 3 month training programme will consists of one month each of military trainiing, motivational courses and community service work.
presently, just 3 months away from the start of the NSP, not all the 5,000 instructors have been recruited as the response to this recruitment hass not exactly been "hot". These instructors, themselves have to undergo 2 weeks of training. These instructors are expected to have skills in physical activities, community services, character-building, academics and the like. They will be paid an allowance. Now where is the stumbling block in finding them, will the Chairman be able to do so? Will these 5,000 be trained in time for the start of the programme? Questions, questions, questions?
Now what one finds on many a blog and in the local and world mass media, is that our new PM, Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who became the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia on 31st October 2003, is referred to as Pak Lah more often than not. It is believed that this is used rather in an affectionate manner, our new PM is also referred to as Mr Clean pretty often. Today it was pointed out(thanks CSH for the pointer) to this blogger that it may not be proper (at least to one letter writer to the NST) for the common people, like this blogger to continue "pak lahing" the new PM. The said letter runs like this ::
Addressing the PM right and proper Now that Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi is the Prime Mnister, the least the common people can do when addressing him is to uphold the sanctity of the position he is holding. I find the moniker "Pak Lah" rather repulsive and out of place. It is not suitable for all and sundry to refer to him as such. The Prime Minister is not in a position to object. The onus is on us to address him right and proper. We can address him simply as Datuk Seri Abdullah. Anything less than that does not sound sweet. We shall maintain the culture of respect, especially to the CEO of the nation.
Now is this writer saying that it was okay for the common people to address our PM as "Pak Lah" up till when he was the DPM and not so now that he is the PM? Has the new PM made any suggestion that he disliked being referred thus? A check with the new official PMO website, which incidentally is truly up-to-date, (it even lists events up till the 7th of November), does not answer this question :: To Pak Lah of Not?. What do fellow bloggers say?
For the said writer's info,to be collect, collect, the new PM should be addressed as "Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi" and not Datuk Seri Abdullah, now what's the diff? As for this blogger till further notice the new PM shall continue to be Pak Lah as least on this blog.
A belated Welcome & Congratulations to our new helmsman who will steer HMS Malaysia to a better horizon through whatever storms she may face in the future. Waited to read hear his maiden speech in Parliament as our topgun. It appears it is back to the "Bersih, Cekap & Amanah" slogan with his promise to serve HMS Malaysia with "integrity, trustworthiness, efficiency and fairness". How disappointing, what not "Keadilan for All? He also promised to continue with policies that had been laid out by Tun Dr Mahathir and leaders before him as a way of showing his (Abdullah’s) gratitude for their efforts in leading the country. What's surprising is that Pak Lah wants to continue with this slogan which the new Tun had discarded long long ago. He should really come out with a new and more inspiring one. Hopefully he will not continue with the PM knows Best policy, That will speak volumes of what we can expect in the future, how boring more of the same. Pak Lah seems to be following too closely, his predecessor's theatrics complete with hum pow man too. Are we going to witness more of that in the future? On the brighter side, the new PM has these to say ::
“In fulfilling my responsibility, I shall take stock and guidance from the successes of the leaders before me and seek co-operation of Cabinet colleagues and from all segments of society.” (Hey, we are included lah)
“I have inherited the responsibility of governing a successful country. The responsibility is heavy and I cannot do it alone.” ( Are you saying less of the "I know Best" lah?)
“We must cultivate an image that is clean, incorruptible, modest and beyond suspicion. Democracy will flourish if all its participants behave responsibly. Democracy does not mean absolute freedom.” (Just cultivating an image is no good lah, you gotta be truly and really "clean, incorruptible and beyond reasonable doubt" to be relevant lah.)
“We must bring comprehensive human development in the areas of politics, ethics and morality. The National Vision Policy will continue to underpin our national economic policy.” (Now, what's this :: National Vision Policy, is it the 20/20 one lah?)
“I am aware that I will be assessed by the members of this House, by the people and, above all, by the Almighty". (A God fearing politico and PM, that's great and very refreshing lah)
“We need to ensure that women, making up half of our population, are accorded equality and are not discriminated against in the formation of policies, in the enforcement of these policies and in levels of participation.” (Lucia and half of those holding up the heavens, should be very happy, lah)
For all that he had to say, the new PM received the traditional table-thumping of approval from fellow MPs, hopefully his performance from now on, will eventually also receive similar table-thumping of approval from the Rakyat.
The Funnies, The Spins, The Humourous and The Humourless......
"I do not aim at fusion. Each religion has its own contribution to make to human evolution.
I regard the great faiths of the WORLD as so many branches of a tree, each distinct from the other though having the same source.----Mahatma Ghandhi.
Face transplant was in the news about a year ago when plastic surgeon, Peter Butler said surgical techniques would allow the procedure to take place soon. Butler had then call for debates regarding the ethical issues associated with such a procedure. 
bravenet.com
