30 September 2011

Nik Aziz calls on to the non-Muslims

"My non-Muslim friends, can I know which part of the punishment is frightening to you,"

"I hope you are not afraid of hudud due to misunderstanding or misinformation because that could be the only reason for your fear - because of false perceptions or because you do not know or are not sure. And I would like to understand your concern more clearly and to this end, I have prepare many answers to help you overcome your worries."

Read more here.

26 September 2011

The Secret to Living Well on $40,000 a Year

by Kimberly Palmer

As Washington politicians debate whether earning $250,000 a year makes a family rich, special education teacher Danny Kofke has come up with a much lower threshold for wealth: The father of two says that his family of four can live well on his $40,000 a year salary — and you can, too. He explains how in his new book, "A Simple Book of Financial Wisdom," a follow-up to his first book, "How to Survive (and Perhaps Thrive) on a Teacher's Salary." US News spoke with Kofke about how he manages to stretch his income and his tips for others trying to do the same. Excerpts:

It's pretty impressive that you have supported your family of four on less than $40,000 a year. How did you do it?

This took long-term planning. Raising a family of four on my teacher's salary would be next to impossible if we had a huge mortgage and a lot of debt. Before we had children, my wife, Tracy, was a teacher, too. We had a plan for her to be able to stay at home once we had children. We weren't exactly sure when this would happen (this is for The Man Upstairs to decide), but we had an idea on when we would start trying.

We ended up being married four years before Ava was born. During this time, we tried to live off one of our teaching salaries and used the other one to pay off debt and establish an emergency fund. We were not sure how long Tracy would be able to stay home — we initially aimed for one year — but were able to have her stay home for six years and work part-time for one. We were able to do this even after having our younger daughter, Ella, three years after Ava. The key for us was the long-term planning.

Can anyone really succeed at this?

I do feel that almost anyone can. I know there are some that earn a lot less than I do or have more debt but I feel they can work towards this, too. I am not a financial major or a chief executive of a company. I have never even taken a financial class in my life. If this 35-year-old school teacher can learn the basics of money management and finances, then others can, too.

Tell us some of your more unusual advice, that we might not have heard before.

I think the biggest thing I have learned is if broke people are making fun of you and laughing at your ways, then you are doing something right. It was difficult to get mocked when Tracy was working and we chose to live off one salary while others were spending like there was no tomorrow. Many people told me to get off my wallet and spend money.

Pride is sometimes a hard thing to swallow, but I knew that many of these people were not making smart financial decisions and these decisions would eventually come back and hurt them. I don't know if it is unusual advice but, when making financial decisions, you have to do what is right for you and not be influenced by the many temptations that surround us.

What's the hardest financial rule for you to follow personally?

Living below my means is the toughest rule for me to follow. There are so many temptations — Madison Avenue spends billions of dollars each year to get our money — and sometimes I want to buy things I know I should not. When this occurs, I allow myself a 24-hour breather and, if I still feel strongly about buying that object after this time, I will discuss it with Tracy. The great thing is, after I let the emotional aspect have time to go away, my more rational side speaks to me and I make a sound decision.

How are you teaching your children about money?

Once my older daughter, Ava, turned three, we had her do simple household chores so we could teach her how to handle money. I am not a fan of rewarding others for things they should be doing anyway, but I did make an exception with Ava since my initial goal was to teach her money management skills.

We started with chores that were easy for her to complete: cleaning her room, brushing her teeth. Every night, we would check off the chores that were completed, and every Friday we added them up and she was paid. We called this money what most parents do: an allowance. No matter what you call it, make sure your child does the work to earn the money.

After Ava got paid (she could earn up to $1 each week), she had three jars: Give Away, Savings and Spending. She first put 10 cents in the Give Away jar, 25 cents in the Savings jar and the remaining amount in the Spending jar. This worked so well for us. When we were at the store, often Ava would see something she wanted. We never had any arguments; we would simply say, "We'll have to go home and see if you have enough money in your spending or savings jar to buy it."

Ava has used the money in her Give Away jar in numerous ways. One year there was a little girl at my school who lost her father shortly before Christmas. Ava used her Give Away money to buy this little girl a stuffed animal. Ava actually came to my school and delivered this to her personally. Another year, Ava used this money to buy canned food for needy families in our community. This past Christmas, there was a family at her school that was struggling. Ava used the money in her Give Away jar to buy them a gift card to a local grocery store.

If Ava continues to apply these lessons in life — gives away 10 percent of her money, then saves 25 percent of it and uses the remainder for spending — and goes above and beyond in her job, she will be wealthy in more ways than a fat bank account can show.

Read more here:

___

25 September 2011

Jijik


Mantan perdana menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad menegur wakil rakyat BN supaya mengubah imej mewah yang ditonjolkan sehingga menyebabkan rakyat berasa jijik dengan parti itu.

Baca lagi di sini.

Relook Einstein's Theory of Relativity - Neutrinos Travel Faster Than Light

Einstein was wrong: relativity theory busted

Einstein was wrong: relativity theory busted

PHYSICISTS have reported that sub-atomic particles called neutrinos can travel faster than light, a finding that, if verified, would be inconsistent with Einstein's theory of relativity.

In experiments conducted between the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland and a laboratory in Italy, the tiny particles were clocked at 300,006 kilometres per second, slightly faster that the speed of light, the researchers said today.

Read more here.

Kah..Kah..Kah... MCA, You Did An Usain Bolt!

Dr M chews out MCA over quit threat

Kasihan, padan muka MCA.... jumped the gun too fast, mau jadi hero Cina konon,
now got scold from Mahathir! Apa lagi mau cakap sama Mahathir?

Read more here.

18 September 2011

Robert Kuok - A Humble Man Who Love His Mother Forever


Tan Sri Robert Kuok, the man who has held pole position as Malaysia's richest man since 2006 when Forbes Asia began ranking the 40 richest Malaysians, said he did not like money. Nevertheless, he hopes his companies would continue to make profits so that all the employees would have bonuses. This year's bonus for his employees was considered "okay", he said.

Kuok speaks fluent Mandarin, attributing this to his mother who, he said, always taught them to remember their roots. He also singled out his mother as the person who had the most influence on him. She always advised him to be humble and to help the poor, and she hoped he would be a businessman with good ethics.

Kuok recalled the day he bought a Mercedes as a surprise birthday gift for his mother who was in her 80s then. "When my mother saw it, her face changed. She asked me why I had bought a luxury car when I could have just got a Japanese-made car," he said, adding that he sent the car back at his mother's behest.

Kuok said his mother recognised his talent for business and knew he would be successful one day. But she was worried that he would become an irresponsible businessman and had given him valuable advice, including reminding him not to be greedy.

She would be very happy with his achievement and if she were still alive now, she would remind him to "continue to be humble, continue to help the poor".

"My love for my mum will be forever," he said.

Read more here.

17 September 2011

Who Take Care of You When You Are Sick!


Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.


by Regina Brett,
a nonogenarian(?) ,
Cleveland, USA

P/S: Partly true. Parents sure yes, cut out friends because many are mere green monsters behind your back, replace with genuine friends, then that might be true.

16 September 2011

No More I.S.A but....

Najib's Malaysia Day 'Gift'

Promises to repeal ISA, other Acts but new laws will be made in their place

Read full text here.

11 September 2011

9/11 - 10 Years On








08 September 2011

Perhaps This Also Apply To Chinese Malaysians

by Malaysia Chronicle

"It was very embarrassing", says a PhD student, age 27, questioned by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew

She had a burning question for former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew last night. Given the big influx of immigrants here in a short time, and a dilution of the national identity, what can we do to create a sense of belonging and foster social cohesiveness, she asked.

She told The New Paper last night: “He’s Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Of course, I expected him to ask me questions. But I thought he would ask what I would do to create a sense of belonging.”

Little did she expect the elder statesman to turn the tables and fire a string of questions at her instead. And rather personal ones at that.

Following her question, Mr Lee spoke about the fast ageing population. That, plus the drop in the fertility rate, are major worries for Singapore’s leaders.

Last year, the total fertility rate – which measures the average number of children born to a woman over her childbearing years – was at an all-time low of 1.15.

Mr Lee said: “The birth rate today, the fertility rate, is 1.01. In other words, for every couple, you have 1.01 babies.

“The Institute of Policy Studies has the grim statistics of 60,000 migrants a year to keep our economy young. We can’t digest that. 20,000 maybe, 25,000 – that’s a stretch – but certainly not 60,000.”

The answer, said Mr Lee, is to get couples to have a fertility rate of 1.8 babies or better still, 2.1 babies. Then the population can replace itself.

Mr Lee paused and looked at her.

“How old are you now?” he wanted to know.
“Twenty-seven,” she replied.

The queries came thick and fast: Are you married? (No) When will you finish your PhD? (In two years) So you’ll be 29 then. Do you have a boyfriend? (No)

That was when Mr Lee drew attention to the biological clock and a woman’s child-bearing years.
After 35 (years old), the dangers of having children with Down syndrome rises, he said.

“My advice, please don’t waste time. I hope you get your PhD and your boyfriend,” he added.

The audience laughed loudly and she turned red.

She told The New Paper: “It was very, very embarrassing. At that moment, I wanted to hug myself and disappear.

“My mind turned into a total blank when he started asking those questions.”

Almost an hour later, she still looked shocked when we spoke to her.

“I agree with what he said about how people are getting married later and postponing having children. It’s unavoidable,” she said.

After attending the forum alone, she went home and told her parents what happened.

What did they say?

“They told me, parents will naturally want their kids to get married... but I’m not in a hurry (to get attached). Let things take their natural course,” she said.

Read more here.

P/S: Numerous sectors of Chinese Malaysians have talked about the dwindling number of Chinese population in respect to the other races in the country. Perhaps Mr. Lee KY has hit the correct button which may also apply to the Chinese in this country whom ever growing kiasuism mentality created the scenario.

07 September 2011

What Young Malaysians Think About Racial Politics

by Moaz Nair, Malaysia Chronicle

There is a newfangled trend in the country where the younger generation are becoming more anti-establishment in their political thoughts. This bodes well for our present social and political milieu.

It’s a glib generalisation by some politicians that the younger generation do not have ideals and vision for the country. This erroneous supposition demands for a scrupulous analysis of the real state of affairs on the grounds. The younger generation observe that the ideal way to unite the people is through the schooling process.

Ahmad Mustapha (21), a first year local university student has this say: “I am Malay by birth. I only had the chance to mix with friends from other races after enrolling at this university. I see many good values in them. I think our education system is flawed. All Malaysians should go through a single education system. We should all grow up studying in a multi-racial school. Flaunting religious cosmetics in school does not help. Keep religion as a personal matter. There should not be schools or universities meant only for a single race. Children of all races must be treated equal as Malaysians. I feel that national schools must use English as the medium of teaching to attract people of all races.”

Failure of the education system

After independence the vernacular schools in the country were retained and many Chinese, rural Indians and Malays chose these schools for their children’s education. As time lapsed and with national schools not perceived as neutral by many parents and less Islamic by the Malays, the plan to lure more Malaysians to the national school became a vain attempt. To the younger generation they feel that the serving government has failed to make the national school the definitive school of the country. It has failed to make the national school the school of choice. Unfortunately, some zealous and bigoted politicians – for their political survival - would still prefer the divide-and-rule approach to education in the country and make most schools exclusive for a single race. The younger generation do realise this defect in our education system and they do not seem to be of the same mind with these politicians.

The younger generation also seem to be more liberal when it comes to politics. They seldom talk about their rights and special privileges as they realise that tuning oneself to healthy competition in life would be the best option if one were to excel in one’s career. To them the insight is that all Malaysians born in this country should be regarded as people of one nation.

Quoting Arshad Iqbal (23), a young Malay executive with a Japanese company: “I stayed in the US for four years. I studied there. A child born in the US naturally becomes the lawful citizen of the country. He is an American national. He enjoys the rights of a citizen just like any others born there. Race and religion are not national issues but personal matters to an individual. As Malaysians, we should work towards this direction to see that there is no more politics that stick their nose on race and religion. Stay away from all divisive issues and just treat every one of us as equals.”

The younger generation of mixed parentage

Almost 68 percent of our young Malaysians are of mixed parentage and their roots could be traced to the Malay Archipelago, India, China, the Arab countries and elsewhere. These are the people in the main who feel that racial politics is not the solution for a harmonious Malaysia. Despite the diverse cultures they inherit these young Malaysians are proud to be called Malaysians. They feel that only their official documents are made to define them as different from others. Mentally they feel they are all Malaysians.

Alias Diwan (25), a young scientist attached to a local research institution said: “I belong to the ICC (Identity Crisis Club). I do face an identity crisis when I live in this country, but I’m not the least bothered. My mother is Malay and my father Indian. I also have a maternal grandmother who is a Chinese convert. My fiancée is from Sabah and she is Kadazan. I have no prejudice against any race and I’m proud to be called a Malaysian. I have many friends who are of mixed parentage, as well as Malays, Chinese, Indians and I get along with them fine.”

Politics based on race and religion is perceived as antiquated by the younger generation. It’s no more practical when they see so many in their generation are of mixed parentage. Being of mixed parentage makes them have a better bond with people of different races and they feel the more that Malaysians should be treated equal irrespective of their race, creed, religion or political affiliation. They have the ideal that talents of all Malaysians should be honed and acknowledged by the government to bring progress to the country. Talented Malaysians should be encouraged to stay in the country and not shooed away just because they belong to a different creed.

Rizal Anuar (24), a professional attached to a foreign engineering company observed: “We the younger generation feel that politicians are trying to poison our minds by the divide-and-rule kind of politics. This we feel is no more of interest to the young minds. I have friends among all races. These blinkered politicians are contributing less to the people with their kind of politics. They are nothing more than the self-absorbed type. They just cannot think out of the box.”

54 years have lapsed since independence and over 95 percent of the Malays, Indians and Chinese of today in this country are local born. Those born in this country should rightfully be treated as citizens of equal status. This is what the younger generation dream of.

Those born and bred in this country know less or nothing about their ancestors’ homeland but they know a lot more of this country. They have no other country to turn to, unlike their ancestors who came to this country during those dark days. The younger generation have by birth and loyalty taken this country as their motherland. They all share a common aspiration to see a successful Malaysia. They learn the national language even though they speak their mother tongue. The lingua franca or the most used language for social communication for them is still the Malay language. Even though Malaysians are of diverse cultures they posit well as a nationality.

Alvin Chong (23), an optician has this to say: “Though I don’t speak very fluent Malay as I left for England at the age of12, like many other children born to well-heeled Malaysians, to study. Today over 90 percent of my communication with my customers is in Malay. I cherish the language. I use the language as it is our national language.”

The younger generation Chinese and the Indians of today - including those who came from close neighbouring countries before independence – are the third or fourth generation people of Malaysia. They have evolved into inheriting a unique Malaysian identity. Born and bred here, they do not show loyalty to the countries their ancestors came from. Unfortunately, some hidebound politicians would prefer to ignore this fact for their own political mileage and suitability.

Non-Malays should not be treated as second-class

The present younger generation of non-Malays should not be treated as second-class to any other race in the country for political convenience. The present breed of Malaysians has evidently shown their loyalty to this country. They have learnt the definitive language of the country and their loyalty to the King and nation is unquestionable. They have evolved into a nation of people with shared values, together contributing to the economic well being of the country. They have patriotically defended the country against undesirable elements in the past and present. They have safeguarded the country from dissident groups to hopefully bring peace and prosperity to all and sundry. Many have even sacrificed their lives for the love of this country. These people should not be pigeonholed as second-class citizens.

The younger generation have sensible views on what future Malaysia should be. They are the people who are more exposed to information and they have observed the success and the failure of multiculturalism in many other countries. They are generally repulsed by racial politics. This generation of Malaysians are wise enough not to be dissuaded or influenced by the local media propaganda that highlights racial and religious issues to favour the serving government. They have their own vision of what elements constitute a progressive nation in a multi-racial set up. They tend not to favour politicians who use race and religion to score brownie points in politics. This to them is hypocrisy and smacks of ignorance. The younger generation want to be more gregarious and they have a higher tolerance threshold to see a broad-based political party system to represent all the people irrespective of their race or religion. They aspire for an ultimate congenial Malaysia for everyone.

When the pro-government media unceasingly instil fear in the people concerning race and religion, we see on the grounds the young educated people of all races mix freely despite their inherent differences. Self-centred politicians who are for racial and religious issues to win support from this cohort of Malaysians are facing a losing game. These are the unwise politicians who would be rejected by the young electorate as their only aim in politics is to ceaselessly divide the people and to stay relevant in politics.

Obviously some serving politicians are not playing the right role to see that racial and religious discords have not become pervasive in the country. The younger generation are averse to this divide-and-rule approach in politics and would never support such a stance – a telltale sign that the incumbent government would soon end up losing their grip on power.

Better options in politics

The idea than race and religion are inseparable in Malaysian politics is farcical. For the country to progress in harmony we need this political myth to be corrected. The last General Election (2008) saw a revolt of some sort by about 52 percent of the electorate who felt that the use of race and religion to delude the people are no more the recipe for our political and economic woes. The younger electorate are now seeking better options in politics.

The country now needs a better breed of politicians and an unyielding mechanism that could put a stop to racism and religious intolerance. The younger generation is a new force that could see politics of race and religion nipped in the bud. They do not expect changes to come from the incumbent government when they observe the pro-government media unremittingly spinning and highlighting racial and religious issues for the purpose of dividing the people. They are all aware that the more the blitz is by the media the more the younger generation are alienating themselves from those slick politicians.

The political party that could diffuse racial and religious sentiments would be the next team to govern this country. Pas being a party dominated by Malays and Muslims has thus far shown the right path to this effect. DAP that was once perceived as a party only for the Chinese is now being accepted by people of all races and religions in the country. These are political forces to be reckoned with in the future to bring changes to the governance of this country.

The country has evolved much in history but politically we have failed to achieve what is ideal for a progressive country after 54 years of independence. We are still divided for political convenience. There are still some unfashionable politicians who still want to engage in insular or parochial politics at their own peril. Some serving politicians have failed the people with their small-minded ways of dealing with the many national issues confronting the young generation. This political fallacy has however given rise to a new paradigm in Malaysian politics. When the incumbent are politically wrong the people would diligently look for an alternative platform and it seems like, it has to be an alternative government that could put all national issues on the right track to win the hearts of moderate Malaysians.

In time to come we would presumably see a generation of people who would proudly call themselves as Malaysians and not Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indigenous or Others. This is the dream of our younger generation which politicians cannot ignore.

- Malaysia Chronicle

Read more here.

06 September 2011

The Other Side Of Mathematics





05 September 2011

Watch Awesome Jamaicans Set New World 4x100m Record


Watch Usain Bolt in 200m 2011 IAAF World Championship


04 September 2011

Are You At The Right Place?










MORAL:

Source: An email from Mr. Tan E.H

When You're Getting Old (1)





























Source: An email from Mr. Tan E.H.

Hypocrite?

by glacier_25

A person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions contradict stated beliefs.

A person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions or statements contradict his or her public statements.

Kind of a bluffer or a poser.

PS: Then safe to say almost all are so, what to fuss about?
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...