Little Red Riding Hood; the folktale now commonly ends with a woodsman saving her, as opposed to earlier versions which include her escaping via her own cunning (public domain/wikipedia) I HAVE little affection for fairy tales, especially with regards to the moral lessons they purportedly teach. What I got from the stories I read as […]
Columns
My ideal politician
By Dr Farish A NoorTHE historian’s lament is that he or she is often witness to mistakes of the past, and yet is unable to prevent them from recurring. In the end, the historian is cursed with the Cassandra complex and accused of being a tiresome doomsayer. At the risk of being black-balled from dinner parties, I would like […]
Who’s afraid of Indonesian maids?
By Yow Hong ChiehChua Soi Lek questions the impact of giving a day off to domestic helpers MAIDS are people too. But you would not think so judging from the shockingly negative response from employers of domestic helpers to government legislation making one day of leave per week mandatory. Opposition to this law has laid bare the knee-jerk […]
What would Toni say?
By Jacqueline Ann SurinToni Kasim in Turkey, November 2007 (© Julian Lee) “WHAT would Toni say?” It’s a question I’ve asked myself quite frequently in recent times, especially with the constant and new challenges one faces in running an office and being an online journalist. “What would Toni say”, I guess, is my version of Christians who use […]
Why did MBPJ spend so much?
By KW MakMBPJ is spending RM1.2 million on this walkway with tactile indicators (pic by KW Mak) IT was recently reported that the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) spent RM1.2 million on a pedestrian walkway in Section 5, Petaling Jaya. There was uproar from residents because of the exorbitant cost involved. In the report, MBPJ Mayor Datuk […]
Supporting shorties online
By Cindy ThamThe 2008 winner, Nazim Mohammed Esa (Pic courtesy of BMW Shorties) AS the BMW Shorties enters its third season, it is throttling up its use of the internet to promote the annual short film competition aimed at nurturing young filmmakers in Malaysia. One telling sign is the range of social media tools on the BMW […]
Staying competitive, but for whom?
By Michael Jeyakumar DevarajON 16 June 2009, the government tabled an amendment to the Inland Revenue Board Act 1995 — a minor amendment that enables the board to meet once every two months, instead of once a month as in the original legislation. However, as is the practice in the Malaysian Parliament, when any amendment is opened for […]
Hiding behind “secrets”
By Gan Pei LingShhhhh… (© Paul Brunskill / sxc.hu) “YOU cannot quote me…I’ve discussed with my superior, we’ve decided that the progress is slow, so we don’t think it’s a good time to publicise it now, why don’t you write on other issues?” That was the response from an officer from the Ministry of Women, Family and Community […]
Haram dan lain-lain
Oleh Shanon Shah“BAGI lelaki mahupun perempuan diharamkan, dilaknat dan dikutuk oleh Allah dan rasul jika mereka menyerupai lawan jenisnya dalam pelbagai penampilan, lakonan, perbuatan, perkataan, pakaian, cara berjalan atau dalam kegiatan seharian walaupun dengan alasan dakwah.” Al Islam edisi Jun 2009Nauzubillah. Inilah kata putus Penasihat Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Johor, Datuk Noh Gadut, seperti yang dilaporkan dalam […]
Why class matters
By Farish NoorA class successfully avoided (©Tiffany Szerpicki / sxc.hu) AS a teacher, I can tell you that students can and will find any excuse under the sky in order to escape classes, and to not study. What is odd for me is that in Malaysia, there are also politicians, political activists, ideologues and public commentators who […]
