Spanish Town Bans Black Cat Adoptions During Halloween

The Spanish town of Terrassa in north-eastern Catalonia has temporarily banned the adoption of black cats from animal shelters to prevent potentially sinister "rituals" during Halloween. 

All requests for the fostering or adoption of the felines will be denied from October 06-10 to protect them from being hurt or used as props, said the local animal welfare service. 

Deputy Mayor Noel Duque told broadcaster RTVE that adoption requests for black cats usually increase around Halloween. While black cats are often associated with witchcraft and seen as bad luck in Western culture, many other cultures, including Japan and Egypt, see them as symbols of prosperity and fortune. 

Terassa's city council said there had been no record of cruelty towards black cats in the town, however there have been incidents in other areas and the decision was taken after warnings from animal welfare groups. 

"We try to prevent people from adopting because it's trendy or impulsively. And in cases like these, which we know exist, to prevent any macabre practices", Duque said. 

Terrassa is home to more than 9,800 cats, according to local authorities, and the town's adoption centre houses around 100 felines, 12 of which are black, the Catalan News Agency reported. 

The city council emphasised that the measure is "temporary and exceptional" and represents an extra precaution for animal welfare, but did not rule out repeating the ban in the future. Exceptions during the ban period will be assessed individually by the adoption centre and normal fostering requests will resume after Halloween.

Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam has climbed two places to a career-high world No. 6 in the women's PSA Tour rankings after reaching the final of the Silicon Valley Open in the United States – refer my October 17 post. 

Her previous best was No. 7, achieved after winning the Cincinnati Gaynor Cup title on February 17. 

It is the perfect Deepavali gift for the 26-year-old, who will not be in Malaysia to celebrate with her family as she begins her US Open campaign in Philadelphia on Sunday. 

Based on the all-time rankings of Malaysian women players, Sivasangari now trails only former world No. 1 Nicol David and former world No. 5 Low Wee Wern. 

If she continues her upward trajectory, she could soon break into the top five.

On The Precipice of Defeat

Kiev panic deepens. Ukraine may well be on the precipice of defeat. 

 

Since my last post "Ukraine is Beyond Saving" published May 05, even more settlements have fallen to the Russians, among them are Borysivka, Buhruvatka, Gatische, Hatyshche, Heorhiivka, Hlyboke, Hoptivka, Klishchiivka, Krasnoe, Miasozharivka, Morokhovets, Ohirtseve, Oleynikovo, Pervomaiske, Pletenivka, Pyl'na, Staritsa, Strilecha, Tykhe  and Zhuravlevka.

 

And reports are filtering in that Ukrainians are surrendering in big numbers.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is anyone laughing now about Russian shovels, washing machine chips, turtle tanks and motor bikes? 😂😂😂😂

 

It's still not too late for the Ukrainians to admit defeat!

 

S Sivasangari (left) has become the first Malaysian since Nicol David and Low Wee Wern to crack the top 10 of the women's PSA Tour rankings. 

 

She moved up one rung to her career-best ranking of No. 10 after reaching the third round of the just-concluded World Championships in Cairo, Egypt.

 

The 25-year-old is the third Malaysian to be ranked in the top 10 after David, who was No. 1 for a record 108 months, and former world No. 5 Low. Sivasangari's career-best victory was achieved in April when she won the London Classic.

 

The challenge now is not only to maintain her top-10 status but to do better and climb further up the rankings.

Apple's iPhone Sales Plummet in China by 24%

Apple's iPhone sales plummeted 24% in mainland China and market share dropped to 4th after Vivo, Huawei, and Honor.

According to the report by research firm Counterpoint, Apple’s share of the Chinese smartphone market dropped from 19% to 15.7% in the first 6 weeks of 2024. Meanwhile, Huawei, saw unit sales rise by 64% in the period and rose to 2nd place as its market share expanded from 9.4% to 16.5%. 

Counterpoint said Huawei benefited from strong demand for their flagship 5G-capable Mate 60 series, launched late last year with a powerful home-grown chip, the Kirin 9000S. Chinese netizens have hailed the smartphone as symbolic of China’s ability to defy tough US sanctions. 

Some analysts say Apple have been slow to adopt generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools into their devices compared with domestic brands, as competition intensifies in the high-end market segment.

And Apple know a slowdown in demand in China could affect their revenue which already disappointed investors when the firm released their earnings last month. The firm said sales in China were $20.82 billion in the last three months of 2023, down from $23.9 billion in the previous year.

Malaysia's Low Wee Wern is off to a new adventure in her squash career.

She is embracing a new role as the chief coach of the Philippines team, marking a historic milestone as the first female to hold such a position for a country. The 33-year-old officially signed a one-year contract in Manila yesterday.

 

Forward is Forward

I did say on November 24 in my TDIYS update that forward is forward! At that point in time, we had 497 copies of “The Diamond in Your Speech”. 

 

Since then, we have inched forward. Yesterday, when we tallied our sales, we had managed to reduce our stockpile to just 459 books.

 

And nearly 40% of the thirty-eight books sold during this period came from our mini workshop "Communicate with Power" at Shell Cyberjaya yesterday. We had a whopping attendance of 192 participants – twenty in-person and 172 online.

A good session overall!

Malaysia's former World No. 5 Low Wee Wern announced her retirement from professional squash yesterday, calling time on a 18 year career. 

 

The biggest titles that Low won both came in China as she captured the China Open in 2012 and 2014, a 50k World Tour event. Low defeated New Zealand’s Joelle King in 2012 and France’s Camille Serme in 2014. 

 

Unfortunately, Low’s career was plagued by injuries, resulting in lengthy spells away from squash as she recovered. 

 

The 33-year-old continued to come back and showcase her quality on the PSA tour including recording a 16 match winning streak as she claimed four titles in a row after a spell of nearly 2 years away from the sport. 

 

Low played in seven events in 2023, last featuring in the Barfoot & Thompson New Zealand Open (December 05-10) where she lost out to eventual champion Nele Gilis. 

 

 

True Grit

Low Wee Wern (right) has done what no other squash player, for that matter any other Malaysian athlete, had done in their career – make a comeback after four surgeries and still play in four tournaments in as many weeks. 

 

Once touted as the next Nicol David, Penangite Low followed her idol’s footsteps and reached world No. 5 in 2015 when disaster struck as the dreaded anterior cruciate ligament injury (on her left knee) struck a killer blow. 

 

The injury to her right knee and four surgeries, the last done 14 months ago, were a grim reminder that Low’s professional career may have come to an end. 

 

However, her determination knows no bounds and with the help of the medical team, physiotherapists, her coach Aaron Soyza and her ever supportive fans and friends, the 32-year-old returned to competitions at the Singapore Open three weeks ago. 

 

Playing world No. 21 Nadine Shahin in the first round, the 444th-ranked Low surprised the Egyptian to take the first game before eventually losing in four (12-10, 8-11, 11-13, 7-11). 

 

“No matter how many injuries or years (away from competition), you cannot take away this talent or skills”, Shahin had praised Low. “She has always had those skills and showed great athleticism – you wouldn’t (even) know that she was (actually) injured”. 

 

However, people closely attached to Low know the pain she had gone through and it was practically for those, the Malaysian said she had been fighting for. 

 

She continued to play in the home event, the Malaysian Open where she lost to compatriot Chan Yiwen (4-11, 9-11, 4-11) in the first round before her third exit in the Hong Kong Open on Tuesday to local player Tong Tsz Wing (9-11, 9-11, 7-11) to end a run of three consecutive tournaments without worrying about her battered knees. 

 

“Squash is a tough sport, especially when the body isn’t quite there yet. I’m grateful to be able to step back on court, against all odds. If we don’t try, we wouldn’t know”, said Low after her exit from the Hong Kong Open this week. 

 

“Barely a year ago, I could barely walk and it feels so good to be back on court again", she added.

 

Low’s efforts, despite not being able to win a match on her comeback, has helped her ranking to rise to No. 121. 

 

The most important thing is that her knees have withstood the burden and the Malaysian fans should see her back in action on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) world tour soon.

Low Wee Wern Spells Determination

Keep going, Low Wee Wern!

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has filed a petition on Friday seeking a royal pardon for his conviction in the SRC International case.

Interestingly, Bernama reported a speech (unrelated) made by the King on Monday as saying that Islamic justice does not at all give any privilege or exception to anyone who commits wrongdoing.

And yesterday, Celtic were outclassed by Real Madrid in their Champions League opener, despite a lively and encouraging start in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Five years after they last featured at Europe's top table, Celtic gave the 14-time kings of Europe a fright in a frantic first half by creating a series of chances, including a shot off a post from Callum McGregor. 

But after the break, La Casa Blanca roused themselves, and three goals (56, 60, 77) showed their class and secured victory.

NSC Apology to Low Wee Wern

Malaysia’s National Sports Council on Tuesday said sorry to squash player Low Wee Wern (right) for any "unpleasant" feelings she may have had as a result of her being dropped from the Podium Program. 

The former women's world No. 5 was amongst the 144 full-time athletes culled by the NSC due to the government's funding cuts. 

Besides the apology, NSC even offered an explanation. 

"Wee Wern's contract as an athlete under the Podium Program ended on December 31, just like the other athletes who were under the same program. Without the allocation in the 2022 Budget by the Finance Ministry, NSC do not have the ability to continue with the same training program, the same benefits and allowances. 

This forced us to re-evaluate and make necessary adjustments to ensure that the best athletes would be retained to tackle the immediate challenges such as the SEA Games in May, the Commonwealth Games in July and the Asian Games in September. 

Consequently, NSC held engagement sessions with squash athletes on December 12 to highlight the expiry of the contract by December 31 and that the offer for 2022 will only be decided during the joint committee meeting on December 17. 

The joint-committee meeting, that was attended by NSC, National Sports Institute, SRAM representative as well as officials from the Olympic Council of Malaysia, collectively decided not to offer a contract to Wee Wern due to the fact that she would require more time to get back to her best and would not be ready for the three games”. 

Still, it's good to know NSC had indicated that they’re willing to discuss future plans with Wee Wern. 

Of course, this episode earned NSC a lot of brickbats – but what’s important is that an apology accompanied by an explanation was given. It’s never too late to say sorry.

Ten-man Gunners frustrated Liverpool in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final at Anfield yesterday.

The Reds couldn’t make their numerical advantage count – in fact, they were a real disappointment. It shows that in the absence of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, Jurgen Klopp's side were only mediocre at best. 

And Arsenal deserve huge credit for a disciplined performance that ensures they have every chance of reaching the final. 

What more is there to say? 

The second leg takes place next Thursday. At Emirates Stadium.

NSC Forsake Low Wee Wern and 9 Others

I was very much aggrieved when I read the news in the New Straits Times that Low Wee Wern (right) and nine of her fellow squash players had been unceremoniously axed from the Podium Program following the National Sports Council's directive to downsize full-time athletes from 432 to 288 due to budget cuts. 

The former world No. 5 was the highest-profile casualty and it was the manner in which she was cast aside that was so wrong! 

Wee Wern is, after all, only one of two players in Malaysia who has ever reached the top five in the world – the other being eight-time world champion Nicol David. 

Apart from being a consistent top-10 player before an unfortunate anterior cruciate ligament injury to her left knee in 2015, Wee Wern was also the only other Malaysia who had tasted success on the PSA World Tour with her 2014 China Open triumph. 

Not to mention that she was a key figure in Malaysia's success at the Asian Games for many years and played an important role in the nation's historic run to finishing second at the Women's World Team Championships in 2014. 

Wee Wern, however, suffered another injury, this time to the right knee, and was forced to undergo another medical procedure in a bid to be fit for this year's Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. She is currently in her rehabilitation stage following her surgery. 

Anyway, her sacrifices are now in vain as the NSC have deemed her surplus to requirements. 

You can’t blame her for feeling really upset because as she said: "It definitely feels like I've been used and then tossed away". 

She added: "I have given up so much for the country and made so many sacrifices throughout the years. I had scholarships to study in the United States when I was young, but I turned them down because I wanted to play squash for Malaysia. 

And it's just really frustrating the way the NSC have done things as they didn't even have the decency to sit down and have a discussion with me about it. 

I'm not feeling bitter. There is no point to be bitter, but I just feel disrespected after everything I've done. After all, I've proven that you can reach the top five in the world despite training in Malaysia and not going overseas. 

That has certainly opened the doors for local players and coaches, but now the NSC have shown that there is no point wanting to do well". 

As Wee Wern's coach, Aaron Soyza said: "She has made her mark and has been one of the elite players who has been on the leanest budget. We understand the budget cuts, but the least they could do is to have a dialogue with us as we are not even asking for much. There was zero communication right until after the decision was made”. 

She and the others don’t deserve to be treated that way! Shame on you, NSC!

Don't Call Them Shark "Attacks" Please

Australian scientists and government agencies are officially discouraging the use of the phrase of "shark attack". 

Rather, they are "negative encounters" that might result in "bites". The Queensland government and New South Wales Department of Primary Industries is updating the language in their reports to reflect the new preferences. 

A change in language matters "because it helps dispel inherent assumptions that sharks are ravenous, mindless man-eating monsters", said Australian Marine Conservation Society scientist Leonardo Guida. 

The terminology can also be important especially if words such as "attacks" prompt people to demand culls of what are already often protected animals. Shark numbers are globally in decline because of over-fishing, pollution and the increasing impacts of climate change, including around Australia. 

Malaysia’s hopes of going far in the PSA World Championships 2020-2021 held in Chicago, USA evaporated when all remaining players crashed out of Round Two of the squash tournament on Friday. 

In the women’s category, Low Wee Wern (left) failed to progress further when she lost to home player Olivia Clyne 9-11, 11-4, 9-11, 8-11.

It's one of those days, I guess.

Giant Goldfish Cause Havoc

It might seem perfectly natural to release unwanted pet goldfish into ponds and lakes. 

But the US city of Burnsville, located just south of Minneapolis in Minnesota discovered 10 fish, some a foot long, in Keller Lake early this month while surveying the fish population as part of a water quality project. 

On Monday, a second trip yielded 18 more fish and some were even bigger specimens and estimated to weigh about 4 pounds. 

The proliferation of the bright orange fish – a smaller cousin of the common carp – which don't naturally live in Minnesota waters, is a problem that's plagued communities around the metro as pet owners seeking a humane next chapter for their pets. 

Although people might think of goldfish as harmless little fish that grow to just an inch or two in length, that's when they live in aquariums. When placed in the wild, they can grow up to 14 inches long.

Goldfish, which reproduce rapidly and have few natural predators, impair water quality by feeding along lake floors, disrupting plants and stirring up sediment, which in turn releases phosphorus into the water, encouraging algae growth. The fish also compete with native species for food. 

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources list goldfish (Scientific name: Carassius auratusas) a regulated invasive species, which while legal to own, sell and transport, must not be not be introduced into a "free-living state" such as being public waters. 

In the meantime, goldfish own­ers who no longer wish to keep their pets are ad­vised to find them a new home with another person, or at a pet store – just don't release them into local waters.

Malaysia's Low Wee Wern (right) is competing in the 2020-21 PSA World Squash Championships (July 14-22) in Chicago, USA. 

In her first match in Round One yesterday, she demolished Switzerland’s Nadia Pfister 3-0: 11-2, 11-4, 11-2 in 20 minutes. 

Great job!

Low Wee Wern, The Fighter

National squash No. 1 Low Wee Wern (right) is a fighter! 

The 29-year-old Penangite had taken a big knock on her left knee as she subsequently lost to compatriot Rachel Arnold in last month’s Malaysian Open final in Bukit Jalil. And she had been undergoing treatment at the National Sports Institute. 

In fact, she wasn’t fully fit – but she still insisted to participate in the US Open Squash Championships (October 05-12, 2019). There, she still managed to pull off a hard-fought win in the first round to a 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 7-11, 14-12 win over Egyptian Mariam Metwally three Saturdays ago. 

But she lost in the second round to another Egyptian, Salma Hany in straight sets two days later. 

Then, she decided to compete in the women’s World Squash Championships in Cairo, Egypt, starting on Oct 24 – despite her injury. 

She had a tough route as she was drawn against world No. 5 Nouran Gohar in the first round – but the Malaysian took the opening game on the tie-break, before the US Open champion stormed back to win 11-13, 11-5, 11-1, 11-0. 

I liked Low's fighting spirit. And she is right: “Just because you are struggling, it doesn’t mean that you are failing”! 

Keep on fighting, Low Wee Wern! Lawan tetap lawan! 

On Thursday, I was at the KPP Toastmasters meeting – where, again, I delivered a speech. 

It was a CC#5 speech titled “Kesakitan Menjadi Motivasi”. 

Two more speeches before I complete my Competent Communication manual in Bahasa Melayu for the second time. 

If the previous meeting saw an attendance of ten – yesterday's meeting had twelve people attending. A good omen! 

Let’s keep the momentum going.

Jag är Greta!

YouTuber John Mollusk took Greta Thunberg's biting address to the United Nations and turned it into Swedish Death Metal:

Jag är Greta! (Swedish for I Am Greta!) 

And, of course, it's EPIC! 

At Sunday’s final of the Malaysian Open Squash Championships, regretfully, Low Wee Wern (left) was beaten 7-11, 13-11, 12-10, 8-11 and 5-11 in sixty-one minutes by another Malaysian, Rachel Arnold. 

Never mind, never stop, never give up!

Boris Johnson Receives a Second Thwack

Boris Johnson has now received a double thwack in two days. 

The UK prime minister (left) couldn't have his way on Tuesday and then MPs shunned his motion for a snap general election, which is his escape route from the crisis, on Wednesday. 

First, MPs had backed a bill aimed at blocking a no-deal Brexit if the prime minister hadn't agreed a plan with the EU ahead of the ‘Leave’ deadline. 

(You may read more from my post on Wednesday titled “Brexit is Messing Up the UK”).

Second, the prime minister pushed for an early election, saying the Tuesday vote had scuppered negotiations and left him unable to mediate a deal. And he chose October 15. 

Labour’s leader Jeremy Corbyn scoffed at Johnson’s snap poll proposal as being “a bit like the offer of an apple to Snow White by the wicked queen”. 

Anyway, Johnson needed two thirds of all MPs to vote in favour under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act – but the outcome only saw 298 say “Aye”, 56 say “Nay” and 288 abstained. Meaning, 136 short of the number he needed. 

Labour sources had informed the BBC the party had sat on the fence – although three MPs did vote for and 28 against. 

The SNP too rightly abstained. 

Boris Johnson is painting himself into a corner. After only 43 days in office.

On a side note, a general election is still likely because Labour have already signaled that they would back Johnson’s call for an early poll – BUT only once the bill opposing a no-deal Brexit bill has been passed. 

The China Open (September 04-08, 2019), which is the first PSA World Tour event of the 2019/20 season isn’t a good hunting ground for Malaysia’s Low Wee Wern (right) this time around.

The Dutch Number 1, Milou van der Heijden vanquished her 3-0 (16-14, 11-9, 11-3) in 31 minutes on Wednesday.

Never mind, just move on! There's always another tournament. There's always another time to stage a comeback. Believe!

Make Your Toilet Great Again

Amid the escalating trade war between the US and China, Donald Trump toilet brushes have exploded in popularity. Where else but in China! 

Chinese citizens are understood to be rushing to snap up the 20-yuan (£2) loo scrubbers as a way of showing their support for Beijing. They are popular on Taobao, the Chinese equivalent to eBay. 

One seller on Taobao is even chucking in a free roll of toilet paper with Trump's face on for those who buy the 'Trump' loo brushes. LOL!

Malaysian squash queen Nicol David got off to a good start at the 2019 British Open Tournament (May 20-26) in Hull, UK on Monday when the five-time British Open champion beat HK’s Ho Tze-Lok, 11-7, 11-5 and 13-11 in 32 minutes. 

The following day, world number three, Nour El Tayeb had the upper hand in the second round when she bested David 11-4, 11-7, 11-13 and 11-5 in 41 minutes. 

The 35-year-old showed glimpses of her brilliance and fighting spirit but it wasn’t enough. The British Open is her final outing. 

Likewise, in the first round, former world number five Low Wee Wern did well to dispose Fiona Moverley of England, 11-6, 11-3 and 11-6 – but in the second round, NZ’s Joelle King was simply too good, beating Low 11-6, 11-4 and 11-9. 

Never mind, what’s important is the never-say-die attitude. And both gals have loads of it.

Still, for David (left), her competitive squash-playing days may be over – but for Low (far left), there’s another day and another tournament to look forward to. 

Keep up the good fight!

En Garde

Anyone who grew up on Star Wars is likely to have imagined challenging their nemesis to a duel with a lightsaber.

And now, in France at least, the dream can come true and the force can be with you – after the French Fencing Federation registered lightsaber dueling as an official sport. 

Fencing already has three very different weapons – foil, epee and sabre – which are disciplines up to Olympic level.

But now the lightsaber offers a fourth, which the national fencing authorities hope will win new converts to the sport.

“When the world of fiction transforms into sport, it can only be positive”, said Olivier Hanicotte, head of the lightsaber project at the FFE. 

He said the idea first came from the United States in 2013-2014 before becoming popular in French fencing halls. 

“Then the federation took over to secure and regulate it, because at one point, there were a lot of security concerns, with people not necessarily wearing masks or protection”, he said. 

The FFE has even created its own lightsaber academy to structure training, organise competitions and ensure safety. Hanicotte said the idea was not to find a novel way to attract people to traditional fencing but to develop a specific sport. 

The strategy seems to have paid off – in just two years, the number of participants counted by the FFE has quadrupled, with some 1,200 people now training in 92 clubs. 

Malaysian Fencing Federation should take up the challenge too!

And here’s news on a sport that I’m following – more so if it involves Nicol David and Low Wee Wern.

National squash player Nicol David’s challenge in the Manchester Squash Open (May 09-13, 2019) ended in the second round. The 35-year-old legend (left) went down 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 6-11 to world No. 6 and home favourite Sarah-Jane Perry in 43 minutes on Friday in England, UK. 

Prior to the above, Nicol David also crashed out in the second round of the El Gouna International Squash Open (April 17-26, 2019) in Egypt – going down in straight sets 4-11, 9-11, 8-11 to Egypt’s world No. 1 Raneem El Welily. 

The pair have met 27 times since 2001 with David winning 18 times. 

One more event for Nicol David before her retirement – she plays in the prestigious British Open in Hull from May 20-26.

Meanwhile, Low Wee Wern (right) lost 6-11, 13-11, 11-13, 4-11 to Hong Kong’s Annie Au of Hong Kong at the Asian Squash Championships individual event in Kuala Lumpur (May 01-05, 2019), 

The previous month also saw her coming unstuck at the final hurdle of the Macau Squash Open (April 10-14, 2019). Low’s bid to win her biggest PSA final in seven years ended with a 5-11, 11-13, 8-11 defeat again at the hands of Au, the current world No. 11.