Categories
Earthly Strip Politics & government

[742] Of Earthly Strip: PKR’s Demand

Youth division of Parti Keadilan Rakyat declares Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as the weakest of all five Malaysian leaders. Malaysiakini has a writeup on it. But, here’s how I see it:

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

Keadilan is going over its head. This one is a bluff – just like the party itself.

Categories
Earthly Strip Economics

[741] Of Earthly Strip: False Authority

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

Malaysian blogosphere is refreshing. Despite having little knowledge on a subject, suddenly, everybody’s an expert. When Public Works Department produces flawed bridge, everybody’s an engineer. When there’s inflation, everybody’s an economist. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?One important thing – opinion is not necessarily based on fact. Especially when it comes from false authorities.

Anyway, I heard there will be a protest over the recent price hike. These protesters must have a short attention span, given their inability to appreciate how prolonged subsidy is bad for Malaysia. Funny actually. People demand efficiency but when efficiency is introduced, some vehemently denounce that efficiency.

One frequent argument against price hike is this: public transportation in Malaysia needs serious upgrading before partial or complete removal of gas subsidy.

Well, question: where do you think the cash gonna come from? Answer: Resources from reduction of subsidy.

What? Surprised? Did you actually think money grow on trees? Do you actually think, we face unlimited resources? Wake up and smell the roses.

Categories
Activism Earthly Strip Economics Travels

[740] Of Earthly Strip: Jeff Ooi and DDoS

As you can see, I’m quite bored.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

I wonder who launched the attack, if it was an attack…p/s – hurrah for Prof. Johnson. LOL! At Econ:

Professor George Johnson received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Undergraduate Program Committee which bestowed the honor “by acclaim and unanimously.” Johnson received his award from Professor Jim Adams, director of Undergraduate Studies, during a surprise presentation at the end of his final Econ 102 lecture during the Fall term.

Yup. He played golf in lecture.

pp/s – as a supplement to [731] Of the great flood of Pasir Kumpal, read Pelf’s The great flood entry. Great pics.

Categories
Earthly Strip Economics

[739] Of Earthly Strip: Irony of Subsidy

First ever self-produced strip: Earthly Strip!

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

This strip is dedicated to Malaysians that have selective reasoning whenever it comes to subsidy.p/s – whoa! Yahoo! has a new look!

Categories
Activism Environment Humor Photography Travels

[730] Of a little log at Pasir Kumpal

More of Pasir Kumpal.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

That calm water was Dungun River before the flood .

To me, Pasir Kumpal is an amazing geographical feature. The place is actually a sandy bank by the Dungun River, a little over ten miles inland. It’s huge with more than a kilometer in length, about maybe 50 meters in width on average. Never had I ever imagined such place exist at such size. It’s like a big beach in the middle of a jungle!

Don’t trust me? Well, take a look at these pictures.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

This is at one end, roughly looking east.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

At the same spot, looking north.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

West. Notice the distance between vegetation (left) and water edge (right).

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

At the other end, looking northeast.

Due to the importance of the place to the survival of river terrapins – Batagur baska, an endangered species; tuntung in Malay – it’s been gazetted as a conservation site by the state of Terengganu. This place might as well be the largest nesting site for this species in the world given that Malaysia is “last stronghold of the terrapins“, “Dungun River probably represents the largest remaining wild population in Malaysia” and that Pasir Kumpal is most likely the largest of all sandy banks of Dungun River.

The only drawbacks about this place are; one, no or little reception – believe it or not, only Celcom works there no matter its signal strength; two, some sort of parasites that eat your blood, known as tuau tungau in Malay; three, leeches. An army of leeches. Four; a little hard to get to. Much harder to get out in my case.

p/s – I knew one of these days Ann Coulter would get into trouble. Right now, her fellow conservatives are shying away from her due to Coulter’s recent racist remark. Suddenly, association with her is a sin. LOL! She may have committed fraud too! Hahaha. Republicans have too many problems. Cheney, DeLay, Abramoff. The list is endless.

pp/s – Been going on for a few days now but it will never get old.

Stewart was on fire tonight:

“Whittington was mistaken for a bird.”

“Harry Whittington, seasoned to an inch of his life.”

“Don’t let your kids go hunting with the Vice President. I don’t care what kind of lucrative contracts they’re trying to land or-energy regulations they’re trying to get lifted. He’ll shoot them in the face.”

Rob Corddry joined in.

Corddry : “Jon, tonight the Vice President is standing by his decision to shoot Harry Whittington. Now according to the best intelligence available, there were quail hidden in the brush. Everyone believed at the time-there-were-quail in the brush. And while the quail turned out to be the 78 year old man. Even knowing that today, Mr. Cheney insists-he still would have shot Mr. Whittington in the face.

Jon rocks! (via)