World Carfree Day : Are We Ready For It?

First off....World Carfree Day is not to be mistaken for World Carefree Day (none yet) or World free Car Day (none yet either...).

A little bit from its website:

"Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets, intersections, and neighbourhood blocks to remind the world that we don't have to accept our car-dominated society.

But we do not want just one day of celebration and then a return to "normal" life. When people get out of their cars, they should stay out of their cars. It is up to us, it is up to our cities, and our governments to help create permanent change to benefit pedestrians, cyclists, and other people who do not drive cars.

Let World Carfree Day be a showcase for just how our cities might look like, feel like, and sound like without cars…365 days a year."

So today, we're supposed to do that. You know, get by with our lives, our routine sans those smoke-spewing vehicles we call automobiles.

We can either stay at home (lucky you if you could!), cycle or take public transport. However, in order to do that on this day, we need some months of planning to actually make it work for ourselves and everyone else.
In fact, we're supposed to also organize activities in our neighbourhoods.

Are neighbourhood residents' associations aware of this Day?

I bet they are not.

Are our transport and traffic systems ready for this? Well, not where I'm staying and working. No.

The reality is, this Day ain't working.

In fact today, especially today, the roads were congested. Could the heavy rain in the morning be the cause?

It seems Malaysians in this part of the country are just not bothered. They need their cars. They do. And I don't blame them.

Take me: cycling to work or to the nearest LRT station is out of the question. Apart from the distance, I'd get killed on the very busy LDP, celebrating World Carfree Day. No thank you.
(I have two kids who need me, you know).

Without the bicycle, I'd have to depend on RapidKL to get to the LRT station or to get a connecting bus to Bangsar.

I'd need walk to the bus stop which is a five-minute walk (near the school) or a 15 minute-walk (at another location) just after Subuh because the entire journey takes two hours, what with the rain and traffic.

(Note: In my neighbourhood, we have security guards manning entrances at certain roads. Despite this, there have been reported burglary and robbery cases committed early in the morning.)

So. How?

In other countries, people have been celebrating it on a wide scale. They started small - in neighbourhoods or sections of the towns or cities - and grew from there as people realize the benefit of going about their lives without automobiles.

It's all towards having a greener world.

So we - the people, the government, everyone-lah -- should do our groundwork if we want to take it seriously and celebrate it.

Certainly, we will all benefit from this.

I'm all for the cause. But with present circumstances, it just ain't happening.

I'm not alone, mind you.

Read THIS in the Malay Mail.

What about you? Are you ready?

"You've Got Your Facts Wrong, Fuziah"

..so says an expert.

I'm no expert in radiation. But Mr Nick Tsurikov is. He is a consultant with Calytrix Consulting Pty Ltd, based in Western Australia.

He sent Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh an open letter, in response to an interview she gave TV Pas with Gilbert Almeida on July 29 with regards to the Lynas rare earth processing plant project in Gebeng, Pahang.
The plant will process ore from its Mount Weld mine to produce rare earth products essential for making hi-tech gadgets.

Tsurikov said Fuziah was misleading her constituents with flawed and inaccurate technical comments on the proposed Lynas rare earth plant.

"I consider several statements made by Almeida that you (Fuziah) appear to agree with, such as 'Australia exporting radioactive earth' and that some people (presumably associated with Lynas) should be tried for crimes against humanity, as ill-informed and offensive."

Tsurikov said: "On radiation protection issues, I believe that as a member of the Malaysian Parliament, you would not intentionally seek to mislead the people of Kuantan.

"I, therefore, assume that you have been poorly and inadequately advised on the issues of rare earth processing."

This is his letter:

Dear Madam,

This letter relates to your interview with TV PAS, Mr Gilbert Almeida, on 29th of July 2011, and provides a follow up to comments that I posted on YouTube within days of its broadcast.

Firstly, I would like to state upfront that I am not an employee of Lynas Corporation; however I have been independently advising Lynas on the management of radiation protection issues for some time.

I provide this kind of technical advisory service to a large number of mining and mineral processing companies, national and international organisations and government departments around the world.

With all due respect, I find many of your technical comments in the abovementioned interview to be fundamentally flawed and inaccurate.

In addition, I consider several statements made by Mr Almeida, with which you appear to agree, as ill-informed and offensive.
I refer particularly to comments such as Australia exporting ‘radioactive death’ and that some people (presumably associated with Lynas) should be tried for ‘crimes against humanity’.

On radiation protection issues, I believe that as a Member of the Malaysian Parliament, you would not intentionally seek to mislead the people of Kuantan.

I therefore assume that you have been poorly and inadequately advised on the issues of rare earth processing, and I provide the following comments to specifically address the seven issues you highlight in the interview.

ISSUE 1: BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES
The very first finding of the IAEA mission to review the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant is that “the review team was not able to identify any non-compliance with international radiation safety standards”.

These same standards are applicable to the treatment of radioactive ores – uranium, tin, titanium, phosphate, rare earths, zirconium, tantalum, niobium, etc.

The list of seventeen international (IAEA) documents that are applicable is provided on pages 8-9 of the IAEA Report.
Therefore, your comment that there are no benchmarks or best practice guidelines is incorrect and invalid.

ISSUE 2: ALLEGED USE OF THE STANDARDS OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA BY LYNAS
You state that “I have the evidence that Lynas is going to use China standards”. This allegation is quite extraordinary, as no document from Lynas or the IAEA has ever mentioned the use of standards other than Malaysian, Australian or International standards.

If you do have such evidence, it would be appreciated if you would make it public.

Until then, your statement cannot be taken seriously. It is clearly nothing more than an unproven and unjustified assertion.

ISSUE 3: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN RARE EARTH OPERATIONS AND RESIDENTIAL AREAS
The statement that “in Australia even to extract the rare earth elements it is mandatory for the operations to be located 35 km from residential areas” is a fabrication.

There is no law, regulation or even a guideline anywhere in Australia containing this requirement. Even the research nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights on the outskirts of

metropolitan Sydney, is located within two to three kilometres of residential areas.

Your have obviously been misled. Your statement is incorrect.

ISSUE 4: DISCUSSION AND EXPLANATION OF RADIOACTIVITY CONCENTRATIONS
It seems to me that your technical advisers are confusing numbers and different methods for calculating specific activity of materials.

There are two ways of calculating this value: the out-dated method of using ‘total’ activity, versus the current standard that uses concentration of a ‘parent’ radio-isotope.

This international standard has been in use since 1997-1998.

On this basis, if a material contains 400 parts per million of thorium – its specific activity is calculated as follows:

a) Outdated method – 400 x 4.09 (specific activity of Th-232) x 10 (number of radio nuclides in the thorium decay chain) = 16,360 Bq/kg, or 16.4 Bq/g

b) International standard (IAEA, AELB and Australia) – 400 x 4.09 = 1,630 Bq/kg, or 1.64 Bq/g.
The internationally accepted standard for the material to be considered for regulation is 1 Bq/g.

However, if the specific radioactivity of the material reaches or exceeds the value of 1 Bq/g, it does not necessarily mean that material is regulated and/or should be classified as ‘radioactive’.

There is a provision in the IAEA document RS-G-1.7 that the value may be up to 10 Bq/g and material may still be exempted from regulations when certain provisions are met.

Either someone misinformed you, or you have misunderstood the situation.

The Lynas Water Leach Product (WLP) at 6.1 Bq/g is, of course, classified as a ‘radioactive material’.

To the best of my knowledge, there are no documents where it was claimed that the Lynas residue is “under the Chinese standard” and therefore “can be disposed as any other waste”.

Your comment is incorrect. If, as you claim, Lynas is saying that the waste is not radioactive, then why did Lynas develop the radiation impact assessment for approval by AELB in 2007?

ISSUE 5: ABOUT THE DANGERS OF THE LYNAS RAW MATERIAL
It appears that you have again been misinformed - this time with regards to the processing of the Lynas ore. The ore is crushed in Western Australia, prior to being processed at the concentration plant, also located in Western Australia.

The material will then be transported in the form of a wet paste inside double-layered plastic bags, which will be sealed and placed into sea containers.

Therefore, your comment about the danger of dry dust particles is alarmist and misleading.

It also appears you may have misunderstood the danger of different types of radiation.

Contrary to your statement that “alpha is not as dangerous as gamma”, there is only one scientific opinion about ‘radiation weighting factors’ and that is that alpha radiation is actually twenty times more dangerous than gamma radiation.

ISSUE 6: CONCERNING THE POSSIBILITY OF URANIUM ESCAPING INTO WATER AND INTO THE SEA
I feel compelled to point out that your comments on the risk of uranium escaping into water are so outlandish that I would like, once again, to question the competence of your technical advisers.

It is clearly stated in the RIA that any water discharged will not exceed the standard specified by AELB of 1 Bq/L.

The most environmentally mobile, and thus potentially dangerous radioactive element is not uranium but radium, and by a considerable margin. Without detailed quoting:

*The limits set by AELB are within the range of concentrations allowed in the drinking water by both the Australian Government and the World Health Organisation (0.1 – 1.0 Bq/L);

*The limits are significantly below the natural concentration of radionuclides in drinking water in some areas of the world, as reported by United Nations Scientific Committee onthe Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) in its 2000 Report.

Effectively, you are claiming that if someone brings to Kuantan one tanker per year of the drinking water from certain locations in Finland (up to 150 Bq/L of uranium and 49 Bq/L of radium) or Switzerland (around 1 Bq/L of uranium and up to 1.5 Bq/L of radium) and pours it into the river near Kuantan, the fishing industry of all South-East Asia would be destroyed?

As I presented to the International Symposium on Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material in Spain in 2007, phosphate fertilisers commonly used in agriculture normally containbetween 50 and 500 Bq/kg of uranium, with the highest value being over 2000 Bq/kg. So, if we are to follow your logic, then a ship carrying phosphate fertiliser that loses its cargo near Kuantan would completely decimate the fishing industry due to extremely high radiation levels.

Your comment on the possible destruction of the fishing industry in South-East Asia is wide off the mark and I do not believe that you, as a Member of the Malaysian Parliament, would mislead people this way. I therefore suggest that and your technical advisers re-examine data to the utmost detail prior to repeating this kind of extreme and alarmist comment in public.

ISSUE 7 – ON RADIOACTIVE WASTE
I wish to draw to your attention that numerous industries within Malaysia, and around the world, generate radioactive waste. And if your comments are to be taken seriously, by shutting down industries that produce radioactive waste, a vast array of products, goods and services would no longer be available to society.

These include:
* Hybrid cars, energy-saving light bulbs, mobile phones, electricity-generating wind turbines, and almost all electronic and computer equipment

* Petrol and diesel fuel, all other mineral oils and natural gas

* Airplanes, space vehicles, white pigments, toothpaste

* Phosphate fertilisers for agriculture

* Ceramic tiles, porcelain

* Electricity generated by burning coal or geo-thermal sources

* products made from or with an addition of iron, copper, tin, aluminium, zinc, lead, tantalum, etc

* Clean drinking water produced from water treatment.

I am confident that you are “not against progress”; however, in following your own logic, the oil and gas industry in Malaysia should be shut down and people should be banned from using phosphate fertilisers, living in houses with ceramic tiles, driving cars, flying on airplanes, and using any kind of electronic equipment.

This is no exaggeration - simply an extension of your own logic.

As an expert in radiation protection, I would welcome the opportunity to provide you and your technical advisory team with any additional information and clarification you require.

I would also welcome an opportunity to discuss all radiation related issues in an open forum, without any pre-conditions. I am not an employee of Lynas Corporation and do not need to seek any approval to participate in such a discussion.

I am absolutely confident that a frank and open discussion about radiation-related issues surrounding not only the Lynas plant in Kuantan, but also in general terms, will be beneficial for everyone.

If you have any interest, please let me know and I will try to include a stopover in Kuala Lumpur into my schedule in the next few months.

Yours sincerely,
Kind regards
Nick Tsurikov
Calytrix Consulting Pty Ltd
Perth, Western Australia
4th August, 2011

"Towards A Mature, Modern And Functioning Democracy"

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced on TV about 2 hours ago -- the repeal of several outmoded and draconian laws including the ISA and the three Emergency proclamations.

These are historic changes and are being made to "to accommodate and realise a mature, modern and functioning democracy; to preserve public order; enhance civil liberty and maintain racial harmony."

The PM made the announcement on the eve of Malaysia Day -- the first time the country is celebrating the anniversary of the foundation and formation of modern Malaysia.

The changes include:

*Total repeal of the Internal Security Act

The legislation, introduced in 1960 in the wake of an armed insurgency by Communist rebels, gives the police wide-ranging powers to detain suspects indefinitely.

It will be replaced by a new law that incorporates far more judicial oversight and limits the powers of the police to detain suspect for preventive reasons.

37 people are currently being held under the ISA. There will be a six-month transition period while the new laws are introduced, after which their cases will be considered under the new legislation.

*Total repeal of the Emergency Ordinance

Introduced following race riots in 1969, the Emergency Ordinance, which allows suspects to be detained without charge for up to two years if permission is granted by a Minister.

This too will be replaced by a law that will not compromise on national security and terrorism while increasing democratic accountability and judicial oversight.

*Removal of annual renewal of press and publication permits

All licences will now remain valid indefinitely unless they are revoked, in common with broadcasting regulations in many Western nations.

*Government to review Section 27 of the Police Act 1967

The Malaysian constitution guarantees the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. The law requires police permission before gatherings can go ahead, including on private land such as stadiums. This law will now be reviewed to bring Malaysia in line with international standards while ensuring that the police retain the power to prevent violent scenes on the nation's streets.

A host of other laws, including those governing banishment and residence, will also be abolished or reviewed. Any law found to be no longer relevant or justifiable will be repealed.

Please go online for the full text of the PM's address.

And I thought America Has Moved On.....

I thought they don't do this no more. I thought America has wizened up and is paranoid no more. I thought after 10 years, and a hard lesson, America has moved on.

I thought America has come to terms with the fact that Arabs are among its citizens.

Soon after 9/11 when America and Americans were gripped with fear and later, Islamophobia, I told my son that it was not a good idea for him to visit the US, given that he has a very common Arabic name that probably fills the US terrorist database.

My son's name is Adel Hakim. I named him after an Egyptian journalist friend.

It is also a name favoured by Pakistanis.

Sometime in 2004, in a chance meeting with the acting US ambassador to Malaysia, the issue of terrorism and Islam etc was predictably raised. I was reassured (by him) that nothing of the sort (arrest without reason or grounds) that I feared would befall my son if he travelled to the US.
But I was not reassured.
Guantanamo came to mind.

Many times, I have been proven right. US authorities had made many arrests of innocent Muslims.

And now THIS. Shame shame shame.

Read Shoshana Hebshi's ordeal in her blog HERE.

...and the world was never the same again

Someone wrote - "There cannot be many adults in the western world who do not remember where they were on September 11, 2001, specifically @9.03am."

Indeed. How could we?
That was one morning we all cannot forget.

I remember well that lazy Sunday morning.

I was in London (a few days' transit), preparing to leave for Moscow for an assignment.

I was with two other people - NST London correspondent Tony Emmanuel and Business Times editor Ahirudin Attan - at the New Straits Times apartment in Bayswater. To be precise I was watching TV with Tony while Ahirudin was in the kitchen making himself a cup of coffee.

It was so surreal, come to think of it. That morning.

Tony and I was watching the news. Saw the visuals. We thought it was a helicopter flying close to the World Trade Centre building. It didn't look like a huge airplane. Still, we were glued to the TV because the commentator spoke in hurried and excited tone.

Then, wham...we were stunned when everything just clashed, exploded.....like a movie. I think we were momentarily paralyzed.

By then, Ahirudin was with us. The air was then so palpable with our shouts and screams of shock and horror. Reality set in.

If there was a giant loudspeaker in space, earth would have emanated the chorus of the cacophony of shocked voices.

It was one crash after another.

And the world was never the same again.

We had arrived in London and had undergone the routine that visitors to the city had gone through for years. Until 9/11, departures from London were also mundane affairs.

Needless to say, our assignment to Moscow (PM Dr Mahathir's first official visit to Russia) was cancelled. Postponed, rather (because he made the trip a year later).

Our departure from London was nothing short of bizarre. Heathrow seemed like a crazy place. New rules were put in place and immediately effected. Customs checks were
maddeningly long because so many people had to unpack and/0r repacked because a lot of items that were allowed before had been banned in hand-carried bags.
I had to unpack and convert my bag into a checked-luggage. My habit of carrying extra luggage locks helped.

Life was never the same again for travellers, and especially those carrying Muslim names or looking Middle-eastern.

Even 10 years on. We're still picking up the torn and shredded pieces of 9/11.

To those who perished in the attacks - in the US and elsewhere (because of 9/11) - May you rest in peace.

Wahai Mat Sabu, Minta Maaf Saja-lah,.....

...sebelum isu ini menjadi lebih serius. Betul kata Karpal Singh.

Just say you're sorry for saying that thing that you said, and be done with it. And, oh yes, admit that you made a mistake.
It's no longer that you "allegedly" said. It's on Youtube.
You did say what you were accused of saying, as reported by Utusan Malaysia.

So, go sue Utusan Malaysia. I mean, really sue.

Mat Sabu who is PAS deputy president said at a ceramah in Penang on Aug 21 that the communist terrorists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station in the 1950s were the true heroes of the country, not the policemen who defended the station because they were British officers.

I agree with NST columnist and peace activist Shamsul Akmar who wrote:

"Although Mat Sabu disparaged the Bukit Kepong policemen on grounds that they were working for the British, it did not make them any less heroic.

In fact, if the statistics and details of the fateful day of Feb 23, 1950 were to be of essence, how can a company of 200 CPM members attacking a police station and barracks defended by less than one tenth of the attackers be heroic?

Furthermore, if those killed included women and children (some burnt to death), what is so heroic of the CPM bandits who attacked Bukit Kepong?

By any count, it is the 20 odd policemen and their families who defended the station from the time the attack started at 5am until they were murdered and the station burnt to the ground. So who are the heroes.

The sheer fact that they were outnumbered and yet determined to hold their ground to the end, proved courage beyond compare in facing such extreme adversity."

Read his column HERE.

I'm still wondering why he said what he said....

BernamaTV Cameraman Killed In Somalia

...while TV3 journalist Ali Saregar Mazlan is injured.

Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, 41, was killed by stray bullets fired by rebel forces while he was in a vehicle on the way to Mogadishu's commercial centre.

According to media rights watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, the BernamaTV cameraman "joins the long list of journalists killed in the course of their work in Somalia, Africa’s deadliest country for media personnel with 23 killed since 2007."

The NST report:
BernamaTV cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, 41, was killed, while TV3 cameraman Aji Saregar Mazlan was injured, after the Malaysian media team’s truck was hit by stray bullets during an attack by rebel forces in Mogadishu, Somalia, last night.

The two were in Somalia to provide media coverage for the Putera 1Malaysia Club for the humanitarian aid mission in the African country.

The truck they were in was hit by stray bullets.

Khairulanuar said the shots were fired at a government army truck that was accompanying the media vehicle, and a stray bullet hit Noramfaizul, who was seated by the door.

Read the NST report here.

The BBC also has the story .

Reporters Without Borders Here

(Photo of Arwah Noramfaizul)

HAPPY MERDEKA, MALAYSIA!

Hari Raya 2011

It's 12.25am, Tuesday. It's Hari Raya.

How swiftly time flies. Somehow you could feel it this Ramadan. It's amazing.

Also Ramadan has been notably good. Could be the weather. Mostly cool days.

People I talked to agree that this time they could feel how time swiftly flew by.

Hari Raya 2011. Another Hari Raya? Always another Hari Raya.

I am now at Bapak's place. Our customary Raya eve at Bapak's.

There was a time, Raya eve was noisy and riotous. We'd be firing crackers and making a din. It was fabulous.

These days, we play "bunga api". Good enough. Still fabulous.

I usually visit Mak's (and then Kak Piah's, and much later, Bapak's) grave early Raya morning around 7. There'd be people but not too crowded. A little later and the cemetery would be brimming with visitors. And parking would be a nightmare.

This year, we decided to visit the graves a day before Raya. It seems sensible and practical,.

I thought, in all my wisdom, that we should have always done this.

So, at about 10 yesterday morning, we visited Mak, Bapak and Kak Piah. Our other sister, Kak Eda is buried in Subang Jaya.

We all feel the oldness of our lives. In Singapore, we've left with only one aunt and an "aunt-in-law" - Cik Ah and Cik Zai (Bapak's younger sister and sister-in-law).

Bapak's older sisters and younger brothers have all died.

Our older cousins have all passed on.

Mak is survived by her older sister, Wak Nah and youngest sister, Mak Busu.

Now, the kids have all grown up. How they have grown up.

The younger ones still remember Bapak. Soon, he'd be a fleeting memory. That comes with time.

Another Raya. Always another Raya. But never the same.

We miss you Bapak, Mak, Kak Piah and Kak Eda. Al Fatihah.

Anyway, here's wishing everyone a Selamat Hari Raya.

Have a blessed one.

Salam Aidilfitri!

Have a blessed Aidilfitri.

Safe journey and keep well!

JAIS Church "Raid" - No Answers To Questions Yet!

It's no trivial matter that JAIS - the Selangor Islamic Religious Department - gate-crashed a dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya on Aug 3- and alleging that not only were Muslims at the function, but that the church was converting Muslims.

JAIS has claimed that it did not raid the church, as widely reported but went there, and entered the premises within the ambit of the syariah law of the state.

Its director Marzuki Hussin had said the “check” to look for Muslims was conducted together with the police and that this was provided for under the Syariah Criminal Enactment (Selangor) 1995.

Predictably, the incident sparked outrage - largely from the Pakatan Rakyat leaders and supporters and the Christian community.

Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, of course, immediately apologized for such an unacceptable action by JAIS.

He ordered JAIS to submit a report. A preliminary, according to sources, has already been submitted to Khalid, who also issued a gag order to his executive councillors. Tsk tsk tsk.

Khalid had also met with the Sultan of Selangor on the matter.

Then he announced that a "majlis syura" - as advised by the Sultan - would be formed to deliberate on the matter. A boo-boo because the Sultan immediately issued a denial, saying that he had advised nothing of the sort.

A swift fix by the Selangor government. It's not a "majlis syura". So sorry about that. We don't want to confuse the people. Actually, it's a "hearing committee".

Clearly, this is a serious issue. It must be very difficult to resolve because straight answers have not been offered to simple questions.
Was it a raid? Or did JAIS conduct the inspection lawfully? Were the 12 Muslims at the event breaking fast in conjunction with what the church claimed to be a "unity dinner"/attending the dinner in conjunction with breaking fast or part of their proselytising ceremony?
Was the church converting "needy' Muslims?

Frankly, I find it odd that it is taking this long for the state government to wrap up investigations. I know JAIS had difficulty in interviewing the Muslims who were at the function they were all represented by their lawyers.

So, I've come to the conclusion that all's not well....

PAS MP Speaks Out ..

...against Fuziah's scare tactics about the Lynas Corporation rare earth plant.

Fuziah Salleh is of course the Kuantan MP who has been vocal against the construction of the plant, especially as it is located in Pahang.

The PAS MP is Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (Hulu Langat) who is an expert in nuclear science.
He has come out in defence of the Lynas Corp rare earth plant in Gebeng, Kuantan.

He said that Fuziah has been “frightening the public” by misleading and misinforming them about the plant.

Che Rosli has had enough and feels that he has to speak up and speak out.

"As the issue was brought up by the PKR, I've kept quiet and even been given a warning by the PAS information department not to comment.
"I've been silent so far, but this is unfair. They've been making comments in every issue of Harakah in a tone we are uncomfortable with."

Here's the Star report:

“She is frightening the public by saying that Lynas is a nuclear plant when its function is only to process natural materials like rare earth from Mount Weld in Western Australia, which has less radiation compared to an ore mine.

Che Rosli said as a PAS member, he felt embarassed by the stance taken by PKR's Fuziah.

“So, I've made the decision as a nuclear scientist to come forward to comment today,” he said in an interview over TV3 news here yesterday.

He said residents in Kuantan need not worry about the safety of the Lynas plant.

“The accusations made are unscientific and not at all academic.

“The people need not be worried. Once Lynas is built, they can go into the plant and see for themselves the safety measures put into place for both the workers and the public,” he said.

Fuziah had earlier spoken out against the project, citing health concerns and radiation fears from the rare earth plant.

Asyraf Haziq Bears No Ill Feeling Towards His Attackers

Asyraf Haziq, the 20 year-old Malaysian student who was attacked and then mugged by rioters in East London is determined to continue his studies there.

Asyraf who is recuperating after undergoing surgery to his jaw, told a Press conference that he still thinks Britain is great.

He said he bears no ill-feeling towards his attackers and in fact feels sorry for them, especially the kids among them.

Meanwhile, police have arrested a 20 year-old man over the attack.

The footage of Asyraf after the attack and being"helped" by a group of youths (who actually robbed him) is on Youtube.

A website was set up to help him.

A message on the "Let's Do Something Nice For Asyraf Haziq" site said just less than £4,000 had been donated by Wednesday night.

Read more HERE.

Never Seen London Like This...

Zaharah Othman wrote in her Facebook status today:

"Never in 31 years here have we seen anything like this in London. We hear sirens, apparently on police and army on the way to the nearby town of Ealing. Its getting too close for comfort."

Indeed, if you read about what's going on, you cannot imagine that something like THIS is taking place in London.

Here's an excerpt from a news report:

"The riots started over the weekend in London's Tottenham area. The riots originally started as a protest against the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by armed police.

Monday's violence started in Hackney after a man was stopped and searched by police but nothing was found.

Groups of people began attacking the police in Hackney at about 16:20 BST, throwing rocks and a bin at officers.

Police cars were smashed by youths armed with wooden poles and metal bars. Looters also smashed their way into shops before being dispersed by police.

Nine police forces from other parts of the country have assisted in providing support to the capital city, as well as the City of London Police and British Transport Police.

However, eyewitnesses have reported that as trouble spread across the city, there were often few police officers around when violence flared."

(Photo is of a woman jumping for her life from a building. source: Daily Mirror)

Stop The Lies - stopthelies.my

I read everything and anything...including THIS BLOG

..and you can't always be reading about the US debt crisis, or the state of Europe's economy...so sometimes a little gossipy stuff is okay....

Never Before: S&P Downgrades US Credit Rating

Standard & Poors announced yesterday night that it has downgraded the U.S. credit rating for the first time, dealing a symbolic blow to the world’s economic superpower in what was a sharply worded critique of the American political system.

Lowering the nation’s rating to one notch below AAA, the credit rating company said “political brinkmanship” in the debate over the debt had made the U.S. government’s ability to manage its finances “less stable, less effective and less predictable.” It said the bipartisan agreement reached this week to find at least $2.1 trillion in budget savings “fell short” of what was necessary to tame the nation’s debt over time and predicted that leaders would not be likely to achieve more savings in the future.

“It’s always possible the rating will come back, but we don’t think it’s coming back anytime soon,” said David Beers, head of S&P’s government debt rating unit. -Washington Post.

Read more HERE

MB Khalid Issues Gag Order On JAIS Church Raid

Well, well, well....

You don't want your exco members to speak to the media, huh!

JAIS Raid on Church: Evidence of Proselytizing

"There is evidence of proselytizing of Muslims by non-Muslims" : Selangor state Muslim Affairs, Malay Customs, Infrastructure and Public Amenities Committee chairman Dr Hasan Mohamed Ali.

Hasan said this when explaining why JAIS (Selangor Islamic Religious Department) carried out Wednesday night"s raid on Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC).

Read the NST report HERE.

I'd like to know what the evidence is? This is a serious allegation because we all know that it is unlawful for non-Muslims to try and convert Muslims.

Meanwhile, DAP's Lim Kit Siang has accused Hasan of "breaking ranks" with the Selangor government on this, given that Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had expressed regret over the incident.

"What is a matter of concern and must be viewed seriously is the public defence of the JAIS action by the state executive councillor Hassan Ali issued shortly after Khalid's statement expressing regret for the raid and asking JAIS to submit a full report on the incident – as it is an act of breaking ranks in the Selangor state government," he said Lim in a statement.

Berita Harian (today's, page 10) spoke to a single mother who has been actively participating in the church activities after going through serious financial trouble.
The woman, a Muslim, said the church offered financial assistance on condition that she joined all its activities.
She is now financially okay.

"In all honesty, the church had been a great help to me and my three children. To date, I have received RM20,000 from the church", she was quoted to say.

The single mother also said that there are about 100 Muslim single mothers in a similar situation.

My earlier posting:

JAIS Raids Unity Dinner At Church

In the first place, there is no law - Syariah or secular -forbidding Muslims from attending events, including dinners, in churches.

So why did JAIS -- Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor -- unleash its officers (accompanied by the police) to this gracious event?

Did JAIS go too far when its officers interrupted this event (a muhibbah dinner) at the Damansara Utama Methodist centre?

Big mistake...

Somalia Famine

In Somalia, 3.7 million people are in crisis, according to the United Nations.

Out of a population of 7.5 million, 3.2 million need immediate, lifesaving assistance.

Somalia, which has virtually no functioning government, is suffering its worst drought in 60 years.

The UN has declared three new regions in Somalia famine zones yesterday, expanding the area where the highest rates of malnutrition and mortality are taking place, including the refugee camps in the capital of Mogadishu.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said that famine is likely to spread across all regions of Somalia’s south in the next four to six weeks and may persist until December.

International humanitarian response to Somalia's plight has been inadequate, the UN said.

JAIS Raids Unity Dinner At Church

In the first place, there is no law - Syariah or secular -forbidding Muslims from attending events, including dinners, in churches.

So why did JAIS -- Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor -- unleash its officers (accompanied by the police) to this gracious event?

Did JAIS go too far when its officers interrupted this event (a muhibbah dinner) at the Damansara Utama Methodist centre?

Big mistake...

(From Rocky's Bru latest posting)