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Conflict & disaster Liberty Photography Science & technology

[770] Of old train station in Kuala Lumpur

It’s been clear in the morning for the past few days. The sky has been blue, dark turquoise or something similar, dotted with some clouds but clear nonetheless and it inspires me to go out more often. That means more photos!

When I went out yesterday, I knew exactly where I wanted to be – Jalan Hishamuddin. It’s past beyond the Sultan Abdul Samad Building where the National Mosque, the old railway station, Malayan Railways headquarters and a few other prominent architectures of federal capital stand .

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

This facade belongs to the old Kuala Lumpur railway station. Since all but one rail system have been diverted to the ultramodern KL Sentral that tries to centralized Kuala Lumpur mass transit system, life at the old station is becoming really quite. The only exciting events there are tourists, the building itself and electric trains that jog pass the old station towards KL Sentral.

Looking back, I kind of missed the olden days when I was younger, when this building was busier with life. But progress is necessary. Still, I very much wish to see restoration done on this building. The last restoration was done in 1986 and from the condition of the building, another comprehensive work is due.

This building needs to be preserved. It survived the Second World War. It would be a shame if it does not survive us.

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

p/s – I learned through CNN earlier today that another suicide attack had occured in Israel. I’m relieved that it wasn’t done by Hamas. If it were, it’d only validate what the US, EU and Israel’s position. If it were, I’d have to throw my current trust of Hamas that I found a couple months ago away down the drain.

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

pp/s – I want to stress this again: TMNet sucks!

Categories
Conflict & disaster Liberty

[713] Of passing deadline and Jill Carroll

In the United States, in Ann Arbor, Friday has just passed. In Iraq , it’s been many hours into Saturday and in Malaysia, it’s half way to Sunday. Friday was the deadline for Jill Carroll.

Fair Use. Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0110/p01s04-woiq.html?s=rss

This is dedicated to Jill Carroll. I’m hoping not for the worst. There is too much madness in this world.

Categories
Conflict & disaster

[697] Of U.S. embassy closes after threat

Reuters reports:

The U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur was closed on Friday due to a security threat, a spokeswoman in the Malaysian capital said.

“We got some information indicating there was a threat to the embassy and decided to close at 11.40 (22:40 EST) this morning,” Kathryn Taylor said. “I’m afraid I can’t be more specific.”

Two possibilities.

One: another stupid braindead you-know-who zealot(s) is/are trying to spread his/her/their ideology of hate and fear to Malaysia , while in the process, disturbing the peace. Worse, making life harder for the people that they claim to “fight” for.

Or: The people at the US embassy just wanted to get an extra day for themselves. Hey, if Monday is a holiday, it doesn’t hurt to declare Friday as a day off too. Four-day weekend dude.

Pick one.

Categories
Conflict & disaster Economics Environment Politics & government

[664] Of Karam Singh Walia for president!

Mr. Karam Singh Walia, by all standards, is definitely Malaysia’s most well-known environmental journalist. Almost every week, it seems almost everyday to me, a less-than-popular Malay idiom will come out of his mouth with his hands flying in the air relentlessly, comically.

For at least five years now, he has been highlighting all the little local environmental issues on Malaysian air. By little, by no way do I mean insignificant. In fact, he’s the one that is doing more to green’s cause than anybody else that I could think of at the moment. More importantly, he is perhaps one of the few that are fostering green grassroots in the country.

According to World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia, two of his notable works are:

Of particular note, in October 2000, Karam’s coverage of Cameron Highlands placed highland forest conservation issues firmly in the public eye. His efforts in Cameron Highlands resulted in the Federal Cabinet’s freeze on development in the highlands. Subsequently, a special Cabinet Committee on Co-ordination of Highlands and Islands was formed to help plan and manage developments of highlands and islands in the country.

In 2002, Karam took up the issue on the threats to the Bukit Gasing green belt in Petaling Jaya. There was an immediate response from the government and within 24 hours of the first newscast, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur had promised to gazette its part of the hill as a protected area.

A net search reveals that he has won several awards. Last year according to WWF-Malaysia further, the Sultan of Perak, which is the organization patron, conferred Mr. Karam Singh Walia with Patron’s Award last year.

So, yeah, if there is to be a green party in Malaysia, I’ll nominate Karam Singh Walia as the party’s president!

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

Yeah! And the __earthinc welcomes Mr. Annan back from his prolonged vacation over the Pacific. He’ll be visiting Pengkalan Pasir soon to investigate current influx of aliens into the area. Rumors have it that these aliens have more than doubled human population there. Worse and to many’s horror, these aliens, allegedly, are stealing people’s genital in the open!

p/s – damn. should end this entry with a pantun?

pp/s – whoa! Zarqawi, that alleged Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, might be dead! (via Iraq The Model via Pito’s Salas via Technorati).

If the leak is confirmed, what an achievement it is – it hasn’t been too long since Southeast Asian bomber was killed in Indonesia. This might demoralize all those terrorists. Osama Bin Laden, the real wanted man, is still somewhere out there, however.

Then again, which GM workers care about Zarqawi and all the hocus-pocus when GM plans to cut 30,000 jobs, eh?

Categories
Conflict & disaster Economics Liberty Politics & government

[679:448] Of negative real interest rate?

Apart from Bucking the Fuckeyes, something odd came across my mind earlier.

If Malaysian nominal interest rate currently hovers around 2.7% according to Bank Negara (Interbank interest rate), as it has been for many months now while inflation for October is around 3.2% according to Business Times, then wouldn’t that mean, according to Fisher equation, Malaysia had a negative real interest rate a few weeks ago?

Something is wrong here. Am I taking the right interest rate?

Base lending rate (BLR) however is 6%, according to Maybank while ABN Amro Malaysia offers 5.5%. If BLR is the benchmark, then it’s my mistake.

Nonetheless, if indeed Malaysia had a negative real rate just a month ago, then our current capital outflow might not entirely due to the current huge rate differential between the US dollar and the Malaysian ringgit.

p/s – dirty Republicans at work. But nothing less than an ingenious political maneuvering:

House GOP Seeks Quick Veto of Iraq Pullout

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer 4 minutes ago

WASHINGTON – House Republicans maneuvered for swift rejection Friday of any notion of immediately pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, sparking a nasty, sometimes personal debate over the war following a Democratic lawmaker’s own call for withdrawal.

Just a day after Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record), D-Pa., stoked a surging political fire over President Bush’s Iraq policies by proposing that troops return home now, Republicans brought a measure to the House floor urging that a pullout begin immediately.

The symbolic vote was intended to fail, and furious Democrats accused the GOP of orchestrating a political stunt.

Republicans’ call for vote for an immediate withdrawal of US troop from Iraq forces Democrats into a corner with no safe way to go.