My alma mater - GONE!!!!!

For those who were schooled in SMK Jalan Cochrane, the one along the main road of Jalan Cochrane and not the present one straddling over Jalan Shahbandar and Jalan Mentri in Jalan Peel, sad news, the entire school is gone - in the name of progress.  My 5 years of memories (1961-1965) of our time spent there, totally wiped clean, demolished.

Then,

Now,

The new MRT terminal will be built here, where the school used to stand

The blogger, wife Heidi and grand kids infront of the famous Cochranean Owl, now relocated at the new premise.

 

May the spirit of the Cochranean live on

Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela!

Today marks Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday. Mandela served 27 years in prison. He came out - rooted and grounded in hope - w...ith a smile on his face, preaching peace and togetherness. Today, the world wishes Nelson Mandela a Happy Birthday or imini emandi kuwe in his native Xhosa language.

Here are are few quotations for your reflection.

- During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for. But, my lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

- I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities and a thousand unremembered moments produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people. There was no particular day on which I said, Henceforth I will devote myself to the liberation of my people; instead, I simply found myself doing so, and could not do otherwise.

- You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution.

- The first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself… Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.

- No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

- I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

- Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.

- We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.

- If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Painting | Nelson Mandela Original Acrylic Portrait Painting by Artist Derek Russell 

Would our UMNO leaders, Hasan Ali, Ibrahim Ali, Zulkifli Nordin and Ridhuan Tee have said the same thing that Malala Yousafzai said

The following is an extract from John Dean's article, "Malala's message to Malaysia".

And if there’s one contemporary symbol and personification of such daring, it is Malala Yousafzai, the young Muslim girl who was shot by the Taliban last October for the “crime” of attending school.

In her recent address to the United Nations General Assembly on the occasion of her 16th birthday, Malala put the advocates and supporters of warring sectarian “truths” to shame by speaking of “the compassion I have learned from Muhammad, the prophet of mercy, Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha... the legacy of change I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela (right) and Mohammad Ali Jinnah... (and) the philosophy of non-violence that I have learned from Gandhi, Bacha Khan and Mother Theresa.”

Later in her eloquent and intelligent address, she criticised those who misuse Islam, “a religion of peace, humanity and brotherhood”, for their own personal benefit, before closing with the clarion call for the world to use education “to wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism.”

Remember Malala Yousafzai?

Malālah Yūsafzay, born 12 July 1997) is a Pakistani school pupil and education activist from the town of Mingora in the Swat District of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. She is known for her education and women's rights  activism in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban had at times banned girls from attending schools. In early 2009, at the age of 11–12, Yousafzai wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban rule, their attempts to take control of the valley, and her views on promoting education for girls. The following summer, a New York Times documentary was filmed about her life as the Pakistani military intervened in the region, culminating in the Second Battle of Swat. Yousafzai began to rise in prominence, giving interviews in print and on television and taking a position as chairperson of the District Child Assembly Swat. She has since been nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by Desmond Tutu and the Nobel Peace Prize, being the youngest nominee in history for the latter. She is the winner of Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize.

On 9 October 2012, Yousafzai was shot in the head and neck in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen while returning home on a school bus. In the days immediately following the attack, she remained unconscious and in critical condition, but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to the  Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in the United Kingdom for intensive rehabilitation. On 12 October, a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwa against those who tried to kill her, but the Taliban reiterated its intent to kill Yousafzai and her father, Ziauddin.
Former British Prime Minister and current U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown launched a United Nations petition in Yousafzai's name, using the slogan "I am Malala" and demanding that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015. Brown said he would hand the petition to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardariin November. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has announced on 10 November that 12 July, the birthday of Malala Yousafzai will be celebrated as Malala Day.

In the 29 April 2013 issue of Time magazine, Malala was featured on the magazine's front cover and as one of "The 100 Most Influential People In The World". Her section was written by Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton.

Monday Humour

Here's something to think about. 

I recently picked a new G.P. doctor.

After two visits and exhaustive Lab tests, he said I was doing 'fairly well' for my age. (Yeh I just reached 65).

A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, 'Do you think I'll live to be 85?'

He asked, 'Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer, wine or hard liquor?

'Oh not much grog these days and don't smoke' I replied. 'I'm not doing drugs, either!'

Then he asked, 'Do you eat rib-eye steaks, fatty roasts and barbecued Ribs?

'I said, 'Not much.... my former doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!'

'Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, boating, sailing, surfing, hiking, or bicycling?'

'No, I don't,' I said.

He asked, 'Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lots of sex?'

'No,' I said....

He looked at me and said,.. 'Then, why in the world would you want to live to 85?

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AT A GAY WEDDING BETWEEN 2 MEN, THE PRIEST WAS CONFUSED AS TO HOW TO DECLARED THEM AS HUSBAND AND WIFE.

  

AFTER A LONG SILENCE HE SAID, "I PRONOUNCE YOU AS "MAN UNITED"

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What deep thinkers men are. I mowed the lawn today, and after doing so I sat down and had a cold beer. The day was really quite beautiful, and the drink facilitated some deep thinking. 

My wife walked by and asked me what I was doing and I said 'nothing'. The reason I said that instead of saying 'just thinking' is because she would have said 'about what'. 

At that point I would have to explain that men are deep thinkers about various topics which would lead to other questions. 

Finally I thought about an age old question: 

Is giving birth more painful than getting kicked in the nuts? 

Women always maintain that giving birth is way more painful than a guy getting kicked in the nuts. 

Well, after another beer, and some heavy deductive thinking, I have come up with the answer to that question. 

Getting kicked in the nuts is more painful than having a baby; and here is the reason for my conclusion. 

A year or so after giving birth, a woman will often say, "It might be nice to have another child." 

On the other hand, you never hear a guy say, "You know, I think I would like another kick in the nuts." 

I rest my case. Time for another beer.

UMNO may like to take note of this

Why does a political party need to cheat at elections so as to rule perpetually?  Would it not be better to turn the country into a one-party state just by emulating China's approach in the way they manage a nation of 1.3 billion people?

The behaviour of our non-Muslim ministers is simply DISGUSTING!

Looks like the country’s non-Muslim ministers are really ‘enjoying’ their work, so much so that they decided to not rock the boat when the controversial Administration of the Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 was discussed at the Cabinet meeting.

Their silence led to the contentious Bill being tabled in Parliament on June 26 for its first reading – but barely a week later, thanks to the uproar coming from many quarters, the Bill which allows the consent of just one parent before a child is converted to Islam, has now been placed on the backburner, with the excuse given by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin that the Bill needs to be studied further.

The truth is that while Muhyiddin knows it is foolish to continue intimidating the non-Muslim Malaysians’, there is no saying whether he or his boss Najib Tun Razak have learnt their lesson the hard way, as seen from the wholehearted rejection of the Bill.

As for the non-Muslim ministers who chose to keep their mouths shut when the Bill was being deliberated at the Cabinet meeting, it is proof that these ministers are first and foremost politicians out to safeguard their own interests, whatever these concerns maybe at this point in time.

Hopefully the chiding from the Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (MIPAS) serves as a wake up call to these non-Muslim ministers who have forgotten that their priority is to serve the rakyat, not to the contrary.

MIPAS secretary S Barathidasan was correct in every way when he said that the non-Muslim ministers were to be blamed for not speaking out against the Bill which allowed for unilateral conversion of minors to Islam.

Maybe Barathidasan had overestimated the commitment of these ministers ie.e to make the rakyat their one and only focus.

Either these non-Muslim ministers are not interested in nipping discrimination against the rakyat in its bud or they are playing their cards well, trying to please their boss, prime minister Najib to keep their politial career going.

That explains why no minister, with the exception of Tourism Minister, Nazri Aziz, had said a word about the controversial Bill which has been in the news since 2009 and which is of big concern to the non-Muslims of this country.

(Clause 107(b) of the new bill states that a non-Muslim can convert to Islam if he is of sound mind, but a subject below the age of 18 can do so with the consent of his or her mother, father or guardian).

Non-Muslim ministers playing politics

When Muhyiddin announced that Cabinet had decided to withdraw the lopsided Bill until approval of all stakeholders was received, MCA Young Professional Bureau chief Chua Tee Yong and MIC president G Palanivel wasted no time in sucking up to their political masters.

While Chua claimed that the Cabinet’s decision not to proceed with the Bill showed that the Barisan Nasional government respected the rights of all races, Palanivel said it was a fair move, one that took into consideration everyone’s sensitivities.

The gracious thanks to the government by Chua and Palanivel over the withdrawal of the Bill is proof that the duo are simply out and out politicians, not leaders who truly care for the rakyat’s welfare.

Had Chua and Palanivel been true to their task of ‘people first’, they would have objected to the Bill when it was discussed at length during the Cabinet meeting.

Did Chua and Palanivel not have the guts to face Najib and express their dissatisfation over the discriminatory Bill? Or did the conversion issue not interest Chua, Palanivel and the other non-Muslim ministers enough to challenge its ‘legitimacy’?

Why then the press statements thanking the government for not going ahead with the Bill when all the noise could have been made at the Cabinet meeting?

If the non-Muslim ministers think they can have the best of both worlds i.e. please their political tauke and hoodwink the rakyat, they are in for a rude shock. '

Five years to buck up or else…

The BN government has five years before the 14th general election takes place to proof its worthiness to the rakyat. However, going by the look of things, it appears that the time at hand is not being used judiciously by both BN and its ministers.

The federal government’s indifference towards the conversion Bill is just one such example.

Remember this picture?  This is what DISGUST is all about.

 

Now, we can understand why there were no objections from the non-Muslim ministers when it was first tabled at cabinet level.  The "YES, BOSS" syndrome is here to stay.