Student Movement to Abolish UUCA

Public university students want two Acts – the University and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) and the Educational Institutions (Discipline) Act 1976 – to be abolished. These antiquated laws repress students rights and because of them, 25 students from three local universities have been suspended on frivolous charges. 

Among the charges were participating in a supposedly “illegal” demonstration and tarnishing the universities' names in Facebook. This included protesting the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) during the townhall meeting with US president Barack Obama at UM on April 27, 2014. 

The Student Movement To Abolish UUCA handed over a memorandum to the BN and Pakatan Rayat MPs on the matter in Parliament on June 10. Group chairperson Khairol Najib Hashim said that the charges were carried out under both the said Acts at Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM). 

According to Khairul, although there were amendments made to the UUCA in 2012 but it is still not enough to release the students from the university's iron grip. Thank goodness, private university students don't have to experience this! 

On Monday, I was at Cititel MidValley in KL for the MidValley Toastmasters meeting. I was an evaluator for a member who was completing her CC speech #10. Good time management and it was great to see this discipline being enforced. Good job, MidValley Toastmasters!

Lighting Giants

 

An industrial shipyard in Croatia has been transformed into a work of art by architectural lighting designer Dean Skira. For his installation Lighting Giants, Skira arranged spotlights to create a light performance synchronised to music that turns eight cranes into colourful folded origami.

 

He came up with the idea in 2000 when he heard the town of Pula was considering relocating the shipyard, but it has taken since then to collect enough funding and gain the support of authorities

 

Two epic events are unfolding in this month of June!

 

First, the World Cup. It’s just around the corner. I see the signs everywhere – more so in the mornings, when I have my daily Coke!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 20th edition of the FIFA World Cup heads to Brazil between June 12 and July 13. Sixty-four matches played by 32 national teams and the whole world will go crazy.

 

Second, the Transformers movie. Official Malaysian release date: June 26. The fourth installment titled “Transformers: Age of Extinction”.

 

The Transformers began life as a succession of animated television shows, depicting a war among giant robots that can transform into vehicles and other objects. The entire series was based upon the Diaclone and Microman toy lines originally created by Japanese toy manufacturer Takara, which then developed into the Transformers toy line by American company Hasbro. Today, the Transformers have become even bigger and more successful because of the movie franchise.

 

The Megamall @ MidValley showcased these herculean robots – check out these photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For sure, June is going to be an extraordinary month!

Usagi Prince's Sketches

 

My DIBA student at Sunway University, Low Ern Chee ("Usagi Prince") made drawings of me – check out the above illustrations. 

Nice!

  

Last Sunday, I was in Petaling Jaya to listen to twenty-eight speeches by participants in the MIMPJ’s Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program. I was one of eight judges and two of the winners I picked won first and third places in the speech competition. 

The Petronita office on Level 3, Petronas Tower 1 @ KLCC serves as the venue for another Youth Leadership Program, June 02-04, 2014. It was organized by Persatuan Isteri-Isteri Kakitangan dan Kakitangan Wanita Petronas (Petronita) and supported by Toastmasters International – five Toastmasters volunteered their services: Gerald Quinten, Thiagarajah Nesan, Emil Anthony, Stephen Fernando and I.

Great learning!

Porky Chocolates are Porky No More

The issue about the porky Cadbury chocolates is going to confuse Malay-Muslims even more. 

Yesterday, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Jamil Khir Baharom who is in charge of Islamic affairs, said tests carried out by the only lab accredited by Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) on 11 samples of Cadbury dairy milk hazelnut and Cadbury dairy milk roast almond showed that they did not have any traces of porcine DNA. 

So, Muslims can now consume Cadbury chocolates without fear. 

One party said there was non-halal DNA in the said products. Ten days later, another party disputed the claim. 

Who to believe? What to believe?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image credit: http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2014/06/bamboo-panda-exhibition-opens-in-shanghai/
 

One hundred panda bears made of recycled bamboo are on display at a Shanghai exhibition called "1st Panda" (June 02-08, 2014) – before proceeding on a nationwide tour of 32 other cities in China.

The purpose is to raise awareness of the decrease in panda numbers as well as the importance of environmental protection. 

Ridhuan Tee Rants Against The "Ultra Kiasu"

The fool has struck again! 

In his Sinar Harian column yesterday, Ridhuan Tee Abdullah (left) had demanded Putrajaya shut down Cadbury following the discovery that two of its products contained porcine DNA. He wanted tough action to be taken against the company to teach a lesson to the "ultra kiasu”. 

"Ultra kiasu" is Ridhuan’s favorite euphemism for those deemed as going against the Malay-Muslims. 

Specifically, he asked for Cadbury’s business license to be revoked. He claimed that Malaysia will not be bankrupt if it shuts down the chocolate factory. 

In the same write-up, Ridhuan also called on Muslims to boycott eateries run by non-Muslims to ensure that they did not end up consuming food which might be contaminated by porcine DNA. 

Ridhuan said based on his previous experience in rearing pigs and eating pork before he converted to Islam, porcine oil was among the "best" ingredients to be turned into seasoning and stabilizers compared with other oils and fats. 

Ridhuan said the best way to avoid any possibility of consuming pork or any of its related products was to just frequent food premises owned by Muslims. He said he couldn’t understand why Muslims are “excited about going to non-Muslim food premises” although they might not display the halal logo. 

He said: “Look for Muslim food that is guaranteed halal. Whether it is delicious or not is a question of putting it in our mouths. When it goes to the stomach, the deliciousness dissipates”. 

In other words, his advice is to eat to sustain oneself, not to enjoy. I think it's best that he insists Malays avoid mixing with non-Muslims in order that the former is not sullied in any way by pork-eating Chinese. Haram lah, these Chinese!

Sabah & Sarawak Thanksgiving Celebrations

Since Friday, East Malaysia is witnessing thanksgiving celebrations. 

Tadau Kaamatan (May30-31) celebrates the cultural lifestyle of the Kadazandusun community in Sabah. And Gawai Dayak (June 01) is the Dayak equivalent in Sarawak. The word “Gawai” means a ritual or festival whereas “Dayak” is a collective name for the natives in Sarawak: the Ibans, Bidayuhs, Kayans, Kenyahs, Kelabits, Muruts and many others. Thus Gawai Dayak literally means the Dayak Festival. 

Showcasing these two festivals of Kaamatan and Gawai respectively, this short film invites all Malaysians to celebrate the national bond that unites us one and all by sharing the festivities of our fellow countrymen in Sabah and Sarawak.

Germany's Solar Power

 

Solar panel installations in Germany. Flickr/CC BY-SA2.0 

Germany is saying "nein" to dirty energy by investing massively in solar energy, and the results are stunning: the country just broke the world record by producing 5.1 terrawatt hours of clean energy in July 2013 – that's more than 6 times the entire amount produced by the US of A! (Note: This is the most recent data I can find). 

If Germany can do it, why can’t a country like Malaysia where it is very sunny almost all the year round? In Malaysia, our priorities are always screwed up. While we continue to subsidize fossil fuels and embrace wasteful spending – we could have followed Germany's example. 

The country is showing the rest of the world including Malaysia what smart policies can do. 

Germany's not a very sunny place, yet it leads the world in solar power, showing that you don't have to sit on the equator in order to generate lots of clean power from the sun. 

In terms of total solar power capacity per capita, Germany overtakes every other country. At the end of 2012, it had approximately 400 MW of solar power capacity per million people, considerably more than #2 Italy at 267 MW per million people, #3 Belgium at 254 MW per million people, #4 Czech Republic at 204 MW per million, and #5 Greece at 143 MW per million people. The US of A came in at #20 with about 25 MW per million people! (Webpage http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/19/germany-breaks-monthly-solar-generation-record/) 

Another amazing thing to note about Germany’s huge solar power capacity is that it’s mostly on the roofs of homes and businesses.

Coca-Cola Promotes Friendships

It is said that the first day in college can be unnerving. To help promote friendships and foster communication, Coca-Cola invented a special soda bottle cap they call ‘Friendly Twist.’ Drinkers can only open their bottle by finding another bottle with a matching cap to unlock their Cokes, and hopefully, become friends. 

This commercial has just gone viral with over one million views!

 

On Saturday, I was at the MIMKL Toastmasters meeting. Again, attendance was lackluster. Nevertheless, I made a speech, CC #2 titled “It’s Me Again!” – This title was contributed by the Toastmaster-of-the Day on the morning itself and as usual, I challenged myself into doing an impromptu speech. And it must have been good since I was voted Best Speaker. 

My dedicated evaluator Grace Chan told me that I frowned a lot! I must solicit fellow Toastmaster, Solmaz Parpaei's help to teach me how to smile – after all, her last speech at the Premier Advanced Toastmasters meeting was all about the importance of maintaining that curve called a smile.