Author: Hafiz Noor Shams

For more about me, please read this.

Categories
This blog

[1074] Of beware of impersonator running around; Garyism

I would like to warn everybody that a person is masquerading as me and is posting inflammatory comments at several blogs. In many ways, he is damaging my reputation with clear intent.

It is highly likely that the impostor goes by the nick Abdullah Gul. One proof to back my allegation is his IP address. At Politics 101, a person masquerading as me was caught by John. The admin of Politics 101 later contacted me to confirm whether the impostor was me. Upon my confirmation, the admin deleted the impostor’s inflammatory comment and revealed the impostor’s IP address, which is 218.111.39.55. The following is a screenshot of the comment:

Screenshot of Politics. By Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Fair use.

The IP is associated with each and every one of Abdullah Gul’s latest comment.

Sometimes, it seems that Abdullah Gul (masquerading as some other person; usually in a hybrid pseudonym like Juferi Ooi Abdullah or Muhammad bin Merah) is masking his IP to post inflammatory comments. I am unable to confirm that but WordPress records all commenters’ IP address as well as the time any comment was made. The IP differs from 218.111.39.55. Nevertheless, I have several other recorders on my blog and those recorders state that 218.111.39.55 did visit my blog and that the time of the visits coincided with posting of the inflammatory comments.

I am currently contacting TMNet to find out more of that IP address 218.111.39.55.

The person Abdullah Gul has been posting many ridiculous comments at my blog. You could read some of his comments at various of my entries ([1050], [1048], [1036], [988], [979], [976], [973], [948], [952], [850], [695], [435] and [456]).

According to John, the same person had tried to impersonate Menj. At this blog itself, he had used Jeff Ooi and Mack Zulkifli with the obvious intent of misleading others.

The latest case of impersonation, which I suspect done by the same person, occurred at Ktemoc. There, the impostor used my nick to hit out at Rajan. At Ktemoc:

Screenshot of Ktemoc. By Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Fair use.

The person with the nick “__earth” is not me.

I am gathering information on the person and if I have enough evidence, I plan to make a police report. I am not sure how serious the police would take it but at least, it would get the ball rolling. After all, if left unchecked, the impostor’s comments would, sooner or later, get me into undeserved trouble.

Finally, I suspect that the person behind Abdullah Gul is also Garywbush. Several bloggers like Rajan, Bobk and even Menj are probably more than familiar with Garywbush. Garywbush has an account Wikipedia and I as well as admin Robdurbar suspected Garywbush of socketpuppetry. Both of us built a case against Garywbush but it has been left hanging after Garywbush ran away.

Recently I edited Garywbush’s user page; I was placing a bait to lure him in and it worked. After leaving Wikipedia for almost a year, he came back to undo my edit on his talk page. His latest edit at Wikipedia might be the smoking gun that I need to connect Abdullah Gul with Garywbush. I have contacted several Wikipedian admins to cross match Garywbush’s IP with 218.111.39.55, if indeed that IP address is static, or that his terminal is dynamic but always connected to internet.

Another reason why I suspect Abdullah Gul is indeed Garywbush is the fact that both had invited me to establish a Liberal Islamic Party. By the way, that is a ridiculous suggestion.

Currently, I am holding back all comments that I suspect made by Abdullah Gul as proofs.

So, be warned. Please be careful of you find the nick “__earth” posting any comment anywhere. It is possible that that is not me.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

p/s — More impersonation:

Screenshots by Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Fair use.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

pp/s — yet another:

Screenshots by Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Fair use.

The impostor seems to be impersonating John too.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

ppp/s — impersonation at My Asylum:

Screenshot. Fair use.

And impersonation at The Scribe A Kadir Jasin:

Screenshot. Fair use.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

p4/s — and yet another:

Screenshot. Fair use.

The nick “__earth” here is an impostor. The other two are possibly done by the same sad person. One trend that I learned is that the impostor loves to make an stupid comment and then uses another nick to question that stupid comment.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

p4/s — I think I gonna call this Garyism. The ideology of Garywbush. Impostor in action at blog Where is god:

Screenshot. Fair use.

You could see the real John making a statement about the impostor.

More:

Screenshot. Fair use.

Ah. The talk of “Liberal Islam Party” again…

Also, at Ktemoc:

Screenshot. Fair use.

This is how to look for the real “__earth”. An avatar of me and a link linking to my blogger profile at Blogger comment window. A fake “__earth” will not have the avatar at the comment window. At least, so far.

And yes, that Jeff and John’s comments are really the impostor’s.

Remember, Garyism is a crime. My lawyer friend says it is.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

p5/s — more:

Screenshot. Fair use.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

p6/s — more:

Screenshot. Fair use.

Further, I have contacted TMNet and they say they could trace the IP, even if it was dynamically-assigned. So, all I need to do now is a police report. Once a report is lodged, it will not take long to trace the impostor.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

p/s — it is never ending:

Screenshot by Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Public domain.

Categories
Environment Photography Travels

[1073] Of farms of Brinchang, Cameron Highlands

Most people recognize Cameron Highlands of its tea production. And occasionally, strawberries. The stress on tea and strawberries is really misleading. It is more than that; Cameron Highlands is a major agricultural center in Malaysia. In fact, I probably would not be guilty of exaggeration if I stated that without Cameron Highlands, Singapore would have a serious shortage of greens.

I stayed in Brinchang — one of the major settlements there — for two days last week and in front of my room was a valley of farms:

By Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved.

This is really in the middle of a huge jungle complex:

By Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved.

The environmental damage here seems to be minimal. This is probably because this area has been opened long ago. For areas such as the Bertam Valley however, the disregard for the environment is hard to miss.

Categories
Environment Politics & government

[1072] Of rebirth of environmentalism

Not too long ago, an essay entitled Death of Environmentalism was published. It is influential among greens for so many reasons. Now, like a phoenix, environmentalism, if it had died, is experiencing a rebirth in the United States. The green movement is regaining the popularity it once had.

One of the contributing factors for the rebirth is the support coming from the Republican party in the United State. According to The Economist:

Many factors lie behind the party’s shift. Most have to do not with sudden sentimentality in the face of Nature, but with national security (a motivation that lies, too, behind Ms Pelosi’s new committee and Mrs Clinton’s patriotic posturing). Fiscal hawks fret about the impact of growing oil imports on the dollar. Military types fear global conflict for dwindling resources in the event of catastrophic global warming. Neoconservatives worry about America’s dependence on oil imports from unstable if not openly hostile countries in Latin America and the Middle East. Some think the solution is simply to pump more oil at home, but others argue that America needs to move away from oil altogether. One such figure, Jim Woolsey, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, pointedly drives a Toyota Prius, a famously fuel-efficient car.

At the same time, a growing number of evangelical Christians are beginning to see global warming as a moral issue. They argue that mankind, as steward of God’s creation, has a duty to protect the environment. One outfit, the Evangelical Climate Initiative, encourages prominent pastors and theologians to sign a “Call to Action”. Another group, the Evangelical Environmental Network, runs a website called “What would Jesus drive?” Last year Pat Robertson, a prominent televangelist, told his flock, “We really need to address the burning of fossil fuels.”

I think modern environmentalism have undergone three revolutions. In my opinion, the three revolutions could be associated with certain personalities.

The first: John Muir.

Second: Rachel Carson.

Third and current: Al Gore.

Categories
Sports

[1071] Of welcome back Edgar Davids!

A member of the glorious 1995 Ajax team returns home:

30 January: It’s official: Edgar Davids will return home, to the city where he was born – and to the club that made him a star. The 33 year-old midfielder, who spent the last season and a half at Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premiership, penned an 18-month contract at the Amsterdam ArenA, which will expire on 30 June 2008. According to most press reports Ajax will not have to pay Tottenham a transfer fee. Davids’ contract at White Hart Lane would have expired this summer.

The first reports claiming that the transfer was a done deal appeared in Dutch and English media on Friday, but they were very premature. Ajax and Davids did not need much time to agree on the terms of the player’s contract, but Ajax and Spurs were still talking yesterday, while Davids was in Amsterdam to undergo his medical at the V.U. Hospital. Davids will be officially presented at 14:30 CET today, at the Amsterdam ArenA.

Another good news is that Ajax sensationally beat Groningen:

GRONINGEN, January 28 (Eredivisie) – A stoppage-time goal from Leonardo Santiago sealed a stunning second-half comeback for Ajax as they edged past FC Groningen at the Euroborg stadium.

Yevgeni Levchenko and Luis Suarez had given the home side a two-goal advantage at half-time, but Henk ten Cate’s side produced a magnificent second-half comeback to steal all three points.

Veteran defender Jaap Stam and Johnny Heitinga pulled the visitors level before Leonardo netted his first goal for the club following his recent move from NAC Breda in dramatic circumstances.

Yet another good news is that PSV lost to Roda JC!

KERKRADE, January 28 (Eredivisie) – PSV Eindhoven suffered only their second defeat of the Eredivisie season on Sunday as the leaders were stopped in their tracks by a rampant Roda JC.

Goals in either half from Jan Paul Saeijs and Andres Oper earned the hosts a surprising three points to move them up to seventh in the standings.

Ajax is now second in the Eredivisie, eight points behind PSV, a point above AZ Alkmaar.

PSV will host AZ next Saturday while Ajax is set to face Feyenoord at home. I hope AZ and Ajax will come up on top.

Categories
Kitchen sink Society

[1070] Of Metroblogging Kuala Lumpur

When I left Kuala Lumpur for Ann Arbor years ago, I failed to appreciate the Malaysian capital as much as I do now.

To me, earlier, the city in the Klang Valley is so chaotic that it is hard to make sense out of it, especially if one is driving. As a freshman as Michigan, I was asked to write an essay about Kuala Lumpur. I wrote “it is easier for an ant to get through a plate of spaghetti than a person to survive the city”.

By the time I was a sophomore, I found myself walking the street of the world’s capital, New York. New York strengthens my perception of Kuala Lumpur — an unplanned city under the merciless sun. Place me anywhere in Manhattan and I will not lose my sense of direction. Place me anywhere in Kuala Lumpur and half the chance, I would probably seek direction from a stranger more often than a tourist would.

My travels, limited it may be, later told me that every city is unique; each city has its own appeals. San Francisco can never be Los Angeles and Los Angeles can never be New York. Or Singapore or Bangkok. Or Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur is my home. I have probably spent almost 19 years here. Despite that, I do not dare to claim that I know every nook and cranny of the city. In some way, that is sad.

Sometimes, it is odd that while I love traveling, seeing and experiencing new places, I have yet to become familiar with my home city. For instance, I have been to the Yosemite National Park but I have yet to explore the Klang Gates Ridge that dominates the eastern frontier of Kuala Lumpur. I have been to many museums in the United States, including the famed Met but I cannot remember when was the last time I visited the National Museum in Kuala Lumpur. I have been to the top of the Empire State Building but I have yet to cross the skybridge of the Petronas Twin Towers.

While I was frolicking by the Dungun River almost a year ago, Patricia, an Englishwoman that has been in Malaysia longer than I have lived my life, told me something to the effect of “we usually take things that we often see for granted.” She is right. She is absolutely right.

Since then, I do think I have come to appreciate Kuala Lumpur more. And in effort to know more of Kuala Lumpur, I have approached the moderators of Metroblogging and am persuading them to create Metroblogging Kuala Lumpur.

Metroblogging is a city-specific blog. Or rather, a sort of a confederation of city-specific blogs. It has its own entry at Wikipedia if you need to know more about it. Or better, go to the about page at Metroblogging.

As a requirement to establish Metroblogging Kuala Lumpur, I need to find a minimum of 8 regular bloggers living in Kuala Lumpur to blog about the city. The topic of the posts at the blog could be anything. It could be art, history, places of interest, routine or even odd news about Kuala Lumpur. I already have two volunteers, including me, to support the Metroblogging Kuala Lumpur. I need another 6 people to join me. Each person will need to post at least once a week. The mod said thrice weekly but I think an update per day at an 8-person group blog should be great.

So, if you are interested in starting up Metroblogging Kuala Lumpur, leave me a message at the comment section or email me. I will get back to you.

C’mon. Let us do it. I find it insulting that Azeroth has its own Metblog but not Kuala Lumpur!

And yeah, Hari Wilayah is a little over 49 hours away.