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loudI haven't wrote in this blog for ages due to the difficulty of login. Each time I tried to do so, with some luck, it will take more than 10 mins for the page to load, but most of the time what i got was staring into a blank screen, my pc hang.
Now I see there is a new setting. More user-friendly and suprisingly, it took me less than a minute to view the entire page....
Welldone!
Leman Mali (left) is seeing an upward trend in the number of customers buying firewood from his stall at Kampung Darau Lama, 20km from Kota Kinabalu. Leman said since the increase in gas prices, many have turned up to buy firewood, which they use to boil water and cook meals. "I look for the wood in Telipok and sell a bundle of 10 sticks for RM2," he said. He makes RM30 a day. NST pix by Edmund Samunting.
(sources : New Straits Times)
Dear Sir,
Firstly, allow me to congratulate you on your new posting. It must be said though that you are not to be envied, for you are now faced with a Herculean task.
But, where are my manners? You have no idea who I am. I could be a complete nutcase.
Well, I’m an academic in a Malaysian public university. Which some people might consider a nutcase, anyway. But I’m very proud to be an academic.
It’s a noble profession, and it matters not that my students earn more than me within a few years of graduating and that little children run screaming from my hideously outdated clothes. It’s a calling to be an academic, and I care passionately about it.
That is why I’m writing to you. You see, there is much that is wrong with our universities and much that can be done by the Ministry to put things right.
You may not believe that my one purpose in writing to you is the improvement of our institutions, but let me assure you, we true academics (as opposed to wannabe politicians in lecturers’ clothes) don’t have hidden agendas.
Over the past few years, there has been this mantra chanted by the Government and university leaders: “We want our universities to be world-class universities.” Unfortunately, this mantra does not have any explanatory notes, so we don’t really know what “world-class” means. However, let us assume that a world-class university has the following:
* Graduates who are employable, not only here but also abroad;
* Academic staff who are respected worldwide;
* Research and publications that are recognised by reputable international journals/publishers;
* An academic programme that is recognised worldwide;
* An academic atmosphere that can attract quality national and foreign students and staff.
If we accept these criteria as valid, what then can be done to achieve it?
Universities are not hampers
Universities are not rewards to be handed out. It has happened in Terengganu and the same has been promised to Kelantan. “Vote for us and we will give you a university.”
This may make political sense, but it does not make any academic sense. A lot of planning is needed to ensure that the resources are sufficient to create a university of quality.
Malaysia is not a very rich country – we can’t afford petrol subsidies, for goodness’ sake – and we definitely can’t afford to stretch our limited economic and intellectual resources to build universities in such a blas? manner.
Universities are not fast-food joints
They should instead be high-class restaurants. Universities have to be elitist in order to produce quality research and graduates.
An elitist university means that only the best candidates are taken in as students and only the best staff are hired. Classes and exams can then be pitched at a higher standard.
Furthermore, the resulting smaller student numbers mean seminars and tutorials can be truly conducive to discussions, and lecturers will have less of a teaching burden in order to concentrate on research.
This is not to say that higher education as a whole must be elitist. There are other forms of higher education institutions that can cater to school leavers who don’t make the cut, such as polytechnics and community colleges.
If you love your universities, you must set them free
Academics and students must be free to think and to express themselves.
Yes, I understand that this is Malaysia and freedom is seen as a dirty word by some, but without it, there is little hope of achieving “world-class” universities.
Intellectualism cannot grow in a repressive atmosphere.
We all know that in this country, there are many laws that restrict our freedom to express ourselves, but the irony is that for lecturers and students there are additional laws levelled at them.
You must be aware of the University and University Colleges Act – that wonderful piece of legislation designed to ensure that university students are little more than secondary school pupils.
You may not be aware, however, of the Statutory Bodies Discipline and Surcharge Act which affects academics who are the employees of statutory bodies.
According to this law, we can’t say anything for or against government policy without getting ministerial permission first.
Now, this may be all right for a mathematician quietly thinking up new formulae with which to calculate the possibility of Malaysia ever qualifying for the World Cup.
But for social scientists, it is akin to having the Malaysian football team play football without using their feet (which is perhaps something that they do anyway, looking at previous results).
The simple fact of the matter is that universities should first and foremost be the birthplace of ideas and original thought, discussion and debate, and this can’t be achieved with such laws hung around our necks.
And in case you’re worried that greater freedom will make our campuses hotbeds of radicalism, please let me put your fears to rest.
The number of students in this day and age who really care about matters beyond Akademi Fantasia is very small indeed.
Most students just want to graduate and as quickly as possible get into debt to pay for their three-bedroom flat and Proton Waja.
Universities need Mandelas
If there is one thing that Malaysian universities need, it is good leadership. And by a good leader, I mean a Vice-Chancellor who has the qualities of an outstanding intellectual, manager and diplomat, who can ensure that academic principles are paramount, not political expediency.
That promotions are given based on merit, not patronage. That students are treated like adults, not children. And finally, that the university is run on the highest ideals of civilisation and intellectualism, not self-aggrandisement and base toadying.
An outstanding academic leader, someone who can efficiently organise the place, represent the institution with dignity and command the respect of those working under him, or her, is a rare creature indeed.
To seek out such a person, may I suggest that the search committee your predecessor was talking about be made a reality.
This search committee, however, must be independent and transparent. It must not be hiHndered by any political agenda and must instead pick the candidates based on ability – and ability alone. Factors such as race, creed, gender and nationality should not be a consideration.
Perhaps we’d like to take lessons from elsewhere. Oh, before you think I’m suggesting a “study trip” abroad (with the usual sightseeing and cultural diversions), let me make it clear that I think the taxpayers’ money need not be wasted in such a fashion. After all, writing an e-mail is probably all you need to do to get the necessary information.
You may wish to start with New Zealand universities. I say New Zealand because the VC of Auckland University was recently poached by Oxford to be its Vice-Chancellor. The first non-English VC of Oxford since, well, since forever.
Now, that’s world-class, don’t you think? And from a country much smaller than us where the sheep outnumber the humans. Amazing.Well then, Sir, I think I’d best sign off now. You must have loads to do. Oh, before I forget, if you want to lighten the workload of your officers, may I make a last suggestion?
Why don’t you just leave the day-to-day running of the universities in the hands of the universities? I bet the Ministry has enough on its plate without having to decide about trivial things like professorial promotions and the approving of leave for academics to go to conferences and holidays overseas.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read my letter. Good luck with your endeavours. Until next time, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
AZMI SHAROM
Dr Azmi Sharom is an associate professor of the Law Faculty of Universiti Malaya
Gubra is basically about love and betrayal, and the inevitable question of whether or not to forgive the people who betray us and why is it that we tend to hurt the people we love most: Yasmin Ahmad.
OST from GUBRA
WHO FOR YOU?
If I could paint a sad goodbye
I?d paint your eyes a clear blue sky
Pluck you grace from a pale-faced moon
And slumber down this tattered room
If I could find an amber train
Lord I?d ride it to the bitter end
Passing hope in the summer bloom
Passing dreams and a fading tune
If I should stray amid crimson rose
Whither angels on wings of gold?
Who for flowers in the month of May?
Who for you on your winter?s day?
Who for flowers in the month of May?
Who for you?
I think i'm going to love this one just as her Sepet. I can't wait...!!!
| Greed: | High | |
| Gluttony: | Medium | |
| Wrath: | Medium | |
| Sloth: | Medium | |
| Envy: | High | |
| Lust: | High | |
| Pride: | Medium |
Valentine's Day
by Timmy Mims
What is it about Valentine's day that makes us care
Maybe its that special person whom we have to share
Remembering things like our first hug or first kiss
Knowing on this day your love is to important to miss
Nothing is better than receiving a chocolate delight
Although it is not much it is the thought that is right
And to some it is acknowledging their loves start
Hoping that forever this day will stand out in their heart
Valentine's is about love, roses, and sharing your romance
And it is the one time in the year we are all encouraged to state our chance
Beleiving we should bestow to our lover our hearts greatest display
Never for one moment hesitating to say you love them in every possible way
This was found in his diary ,
Dear God, I promise I will never waste my food no matter how bad it can taste and how full I may be. I pray that He will protect this little boy, guide and deliver him away from his misery. I pray that we will be more sensitive towards the world around us and not be blinded by our own selfish nature and interests.
There's been an outrage over the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad which was featured in the newspaper in some European countries (Denmark, Belgium, France).
The drawings were insulting because they seemed to ridicule Prophet Muhammad. In one of the drawings, Prophet Muhammad was shown wearing a turban shaped as a bomb which most probably were meant to link Islam to terrorism.
(Islamic law, based on clerics’ interpretation of the Quran and the sayings of the prophet, forbids depictions of the Prophet Muhammad and other major religious figures — even positive ones — to prevent idolatry)
Reading thru all the comments given by individuals, heads of countries and organisations, I particularly like the statement by France’s Grand Rabbi Joseph Sitruk who said, "We gain nothing by lowering religions, humiliating them and making caricatures of them. It’s a lack of honesty and respect. Freedom of expression “is not a right without limits.”
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Malaysia plans to send two teams of scientists to scour its southern rainforests and track down a huge ape said to have been spotted there, a government official said on Friday.
"Bigfoot" fever has dominated Malaysian newspaper headlines for several weeks now, with several dramatic sightings of a hairy, gorilla-like creature reported in the thick forest in the southern state of Johor.
One local man said he saw a 10-foot (three metre) tall ape standing on two legs beside a river, according to one report.
"Yes, the state government has decided to send teams of scientists to try and track it," said a state official who declined to be named. But he gave no further details.
The country is home to the orang-utan, a large red-haired ape that can grow the size of a small man, but they are not found in peninsular Malaysia -- although monkeys and gibbons are common.
National news agency Bernama has said the Johor state government intends to set up two expedition teams, one to explore the forests and a second to try and study the animal itself. "We hope the expedition will be able to prove its existence," the agency quoted Chief Minister Abdul Ghani Othman as saying.
Bigfoot sightings across the world have featured mysterious and reclusive animals such as the north American sasquatch or the Himalayan yeti, whose existence has never been proved, but the Malaysian sightings are worth investigating, an environmentalist said.
"The national park is as big as Singapore island," said Vicent Chow, who works in the area and has often lobbied the state government to investigate past sightings. "It's quite possible there is something there."
The Endau-Rompin national park, where the sightings were reported, sprawls over an area of about 49,000 hectares (490 square km).
"Natives who live in the jungle have seen it for generations and their legends call it the 'snaggle-toothed ghost'," said Chow. "Now we need forays by scientists to find it."
This has been in the news for few days but i never really paid attention over it. Though i'm a follower of paranormal things, this one news didn't really attract my atention. Maybe it's because i'm more interested in knowing about the unseen, ghosts, aliens than what might seems to be just giant animals.
Anyway...Happy hunting folks!!!
The difference between....
"I Love You",
"I LOve You Very Much" and
"I'm So Much In Love With You."
I love you ...is an everyday expression. We say these 3 words to almost everybody that is dear to our heart be it our family or friends. It can be someone that we are very close to or to just an ordinary friend. It means we do not have any grudge or anything against that person. Sometimes when we say it out too much, too often, it becomes cheap and lose it values. Sometimes people say these words without really mean it.
I love you very much...when there is doubt about someone's love, VERY MUCH, is used as an emphasis. It's stronger than the ordinary "i love you'. It will be used with carefu thought and not everybody would get the chance to hear it. However, sometimes it can be used to manipulate other people's feelings when one started to feel guilty towards the other party/partner.
I'm so much in love with you...when someone says these words to you, you'll feel like the sun is shining on both sides. The expression of love that is so deep that could melt your heart....Grrrrr....
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