Monkey Business

Sorry, I’ve been away for so long.  There’s a lot going on in my life of late that has been occupying my time.  Medical emergencies and treatments involving members of the family has been a major issue; then there was the visit of my out-of town in-laws; then there was some work related issues; then there was expanded responsibilities at church; then there was …….and so the list goes on and on.

Astute as ever, Mago and Joyce inquired if my absence has been in part due to recent street protests in Kuala Lumpur.  I was not directly involved in those protests or the clashes between the police and the protesters and it was not the reason for my absence but like for all Malaysians, those events have a great impact on me.  And provides the fodder for this post which I have called “Monkey Business”.

How it all started:

Monkeys are attracted by bananas. In this case, an estimated 150,000 yellow clad Malaysians (hence the bananas but I mean this with deepest respect) tried to march to Merdeka Square (or Independence Square) in central Kuala Lumpur on the 28th of April 2012 as part of the BERSIH 3 rally.  BERSIH 3 is a movement pressing for fair and just elections through electoral reform and action against abuse of the voting process.  Participants included Malaysians of every level of society, every profession, religion and race.

Monkey Business 1

After initially a mostly peaceful protest, the organizers declared the protest a success and ordered the crowd to disperse. At this point, some protesters broke through the police barricades but the police response has been reported as being heavy handed with use of water cannons, teargas, widespread beating of protesters, arrested prisoners and reporters.  Some of the allegations are really quite disturbing including reports that policemen took off name tags so that they could not be identified when carrying out the beatings.  The video below is of the news report by Al-Jazeera which highlighted that cameras were smashed and reporters attacked.

Monkey Business 2

Shortly after the incident, news agencies rushed to cover the event but it soon became known that the local pay-tv provider, Astro, which carries the BBC news channel had censured parts of the BBC news coverage and this during the week of World Press FreedomDay.  Specifically, interviews with protestors and scenes showing some of the police action were removed.  The BBC made a formal protest as censorship or editing of BBC news reports by the pay-tv provider was in breach of the agreement between the two parties.  In response, the Minister of Information, Communication and Culture praised Astro for providing “quality” news by only airing the “best parts” of the rally.

Monkey Business 3

A couple of weeks after BERSIH 3, a couple of groups, apparently from the Army Veterans and the Petty Traders Association decided to protest against the rally by targeting the home of the main organizer of BERSIH 3, lawyer Datuk S. Ambiga.  Claiming that they were upset at the loss of income incurred due to the rally, the Petty Traders Association set up a road stall outside Datuk Ambiga’s home to give away free beefburgers.  On another occasion, a group of army veterans assembled outside her house to do calisthenic exercises which seem to involve a lot of sticking their bums in the direction of her house.  When complains were made to the police, a senior police officer said that they were not breaking any law.  In response, another group of traders threatened to set up a road side stall outside the police officer’s home which promptly resulted in the police changing their tune claiming it would cause a nuisance to traffic.  The whole thing has been dubbed the “butt & burger” protest.

Monkey Business 4

Oh, yes they did.   The government has made amendments to the Malaysian Evidence Act 1950.  The amendments seem to mean that if a post or comment that appears in a website, blog, Facebook or Tweet account is deemed to be potentially offensive or deemed seditious, the authorities can now take the owner of the site to court even if it was written by someone else.

“According to theSun, changes to the passed Evidence (Amendment) (No 2) Act 2012 would hold Internet users liable for any content posted through their registered networks or data processing devices.

The amended law will have serious implications on Internet use as the owner of a site or device is presumed guilty and has to fight to prove his innocence, the daily noted, citing the concerns of civil society groups.

“What this means is, if an anonymous person posts content said to be offensive on your Facebook wall, or if someone piggybacks your WiFi account and uploads a controversial document, you will be immediately deemed the publisher of the content and subject to prosecution under the relevant laws such as the Sedition Act,” the Sun noted in its May 21 report.”  (Full article in Digital News Asia)

This seems ludicrous to me but I hope that will not be construed as an offensive remark.  I also have to hope that none of you readers leave any offensive comments on this blog.  Don’t want to run foul of the law after all.

Now doesn’t that make you think of all kinds of offensive remarks?  Just make sure you post it on the blog of someone who deserves it.

Failing to Sleep on the Job

Another sad tale from Malaysia.  A couple of days ago, a young trainee doctor was found dead in a restroom at the hospital where he worked.  The 29 year old was found together with a used syringe and attempts to revive him failed.  He was due to hold a wedding party in December.

Early reports had claimed that the trainee doctor had been on 24 hour call for at least 5 consecutive days and had worked in excess of 70 hours in the last week.  The hospital denies this claiming that such working conditions for trainee doctors have ceased with the introduction of a new Graduate Medical Officer Flexi Timetable system to address complaints about the long hours leading to mental health problems and depression amongst doctors.

The new system was introduced in September last year and under the system, trainee doctors can only be made to work a maximum of 60 hours a week and must have two rest days a week.  Authorities claim that there is no evidence that doctors were still being overworked.  However, reports of overworked doctors persist.

Many claim that the implementation of the new system has either been ignored by some hospital administrators or was not implementable because there aren’t enough doctors.  There are some statistics which might indicate that this is the situation.  Due to work pressures, a large number of doctors are being referred to the Malaysian Medical Council for review  for mental conditions and depression – an average of  5 cases per month.  In October 2011, after the new system was supposed to have been implemented, there were 20 such cases.

The current police theory is that the young doctor in the current case died from overdosing on some as yet unidentified drug that he was taking to help him cope with the long work hours and stay awake.  If true then, it is indeed a serious situation affecting both doctors and their ability to treat their patients.

If true, then a young doctor has lost his life, sacrificed either on the altar of despicable negligence of either the petty little Napoleans that are the hospital administrators of some hospitals or betrayed by the failure of the whole system to protect both doctors and their patients.

What a waste of a life that had so much potential.

Batman and the Sudan

George Clooney is very popular with the ladies.  He has a boyish charm and handsome features.  And he is extremely popular with the ladies.  That alone is sufficient reason for me to dislike him.

But I have to say that I was impressed when I heard the news that he was arrested yesterday while protesting outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington D.C.  Maybe “Gorgeous George” is more than a pretty face.

One of Mr. Clooney’s more forgettable performances on the silver screen was as Batman in the 1997 movie, “Batman and Robin“.  But it would seem some of the mystique and persona of the Dark Knight of Gotham has rubbed off on him.  Like the Dark Knight, George does not hesitate to stand against the darkness and to stand up for what is right.

George Clooney was protesting against the actions of the Sudanese government carrying out attacks and killing their own people in the southern regions of the country and also preventing humanitarian aid from reaching the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile Regions.  The government appears to be trying to intimidate the local populations, which are of different ethnic and religious backgrounds from the ruling northern elite,  into abandoning the oil rich areas.

While the world is appalled by what is happening in Syria and is focused there, and rightly so, unfortunately the criminal actions against humanity in Southern Sudan has fallen from view.  Yet the tragedy there is already far greater than what is happening in Syria and is only expected to get worse.  The UN estimates 300,000 killed and 2.7 million displaced since 2003.

The world needs to do more for the people of Sudan in providing aid and to pressure the government in Khartoum to stop their savage and inhumane actions against its own citizens.

And George Clooney’s interest and activism on behalf of the people of Sudan is no flash in the pan or celebrity whim.  He really understands the situation and has invested much to the cause over a long period of time and has even made clandestine visits to the region and has even witnessed an attack.

George, thank you for standing up and doing what you can.  Thank you for doing so when it could be so convenient and easy to just forget it all and enjoy your fame and fortune.  Thank you for being a good man.  I might even get over the fact of your popularity with the ladies.  I’m not sure if that is possible but I’ll try.

George also spoke to President Obama about the Sudan situation a day before his arrest.  If you are moved by the plight of the poor and persecuted in southern Sudan, follow George Clooney’s example and pressure your government  through your representatives to not let the killing continue unchallenged.

To read more, go here – Amnesty International.

Dear Miriam

I am a bit busy these few days so I had no time for an original post.  However, to thank you for dropping by, I have for your amusement, a small newspaper cutting that I have previously posted but I like it very much and I think it is worth re-posting.

I think Miriam may be a man. Don’t cha think?

Lean Mean Military Machine

In the news earlier this week, President Obama announced that he plans to curb the U.S. military spending by between 48 billion to 100 billion USD a year.  That is as much as 1 trillion USD in savings over the next decade and even then, President Obama mentioned in his speech that the “defense budget continues to be larger than roughly the next 10 countries combined.”  Wow! One trillion!  Why that’s probably more than the amount of nuts that I can eat in several lifetimes!  (Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/05/white-house-to-announce-new-defense-strategy-that-cuts-billions-from-military/#ixzz1jD0zm7cJ)

Now some are criticizing the plan as they claim it would make the U.S. weak and make the world a more dangerous place.  But as President Obama also noted, America has been involved in two very  costly wars in the last decade and one has to wonder if that has really made this world less of a dangerous place.  As a free-hippie, make-love-not-war, give-peace-a-chance liberal,  live-and-let-live, free-spirited and Christian squirrel, I support President Obama’s strategy.  Security can still be achieved by being flexible and smart.  Sometimes the costly military toys just don’t help but investing in higher trained and motivated personnel does.  Osama was in the end not defeated by tanks and stealth bombers or smart missiles but by good intelligence gathering and the skills and bravery of an elite team of soldiers.

Still, one has to wonder how the new trim and slim U.S. military might look like.  The Lone Grey Squirrel being a military genius have come up with a couple of cost saving ideas.

Easy Maintenance Vehicles and the Troops Get Fit Too!

Environment Friendly Transport That Does Not Depend on Fossil Fuel (Eats Anything Anywhere - Reducing the Need for Logistical Support)

New Generation Stealth Fighters that Really Fly Below the Radar!

Isn’t Nature Entertaining?

“Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ‘em,

And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum.”

Have you hear this rhyme before.  Apparently it is part of a nursery rhyme called “The Siphonaptera“.  I actually learned this at University. Honestly.   My Professor introduced the rhyme to us to make the point that all creatures harbour parasites….even parasites have parasites.

Now it seems the same principle holds true for mimics.  In 1998, scientists studying the shallow seas off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia found a strange species of octopus which has a talent of mimicking other sea-creatures.  The Indonesian Mimic Octopus, Thaumoctopus mimicus is the first known species capable of mimicking multiple species.   One would think that ol’ T. mimicus might be pretty smug about his talents.  But it seems, what goes around, comes around.  Just recently, scientists discovered a small jawfish that turns the tables on the octopus by mimicking it.  Now isn’t nature entertaining?

 

 

This has inspired this poet squirrel to mimic a famous rhyme………

“Some creatures are plagued by mimics that mimic them,

But these mimics have their own pesky mimics and so ad infinitum.“

 

Happy New Year, Dude!

Have a Great New Year Celebration! But Remember to Play Safe!

 

As we say goodbye to a tumultuous 2011, I thought I would look back at the year that was………..

January – The year touched the ground running with a medical emergency involving a neighbor’s aunt and my wife and I had to call for an ambulance and escorted her to the hospital.  I was also traveling a lot but got to see the orang utans and sun bears at Sepilok in East Malaysia (Old Man of the Forest)

February – Nothing much happened in my own life but the world was ablaze with unrest.  I watched on TV the Arab Spring unfold from Tunisia into Libya and Egypt and on to Yemen and Syria.  There were also reports of religious intolerance in my part of the world. In a word, “turmoil”. (Say No to Intolerance)

March – I was traveling again and this time I got to see the awesome world’s largest cave system at the World Heritage Site of Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia.  But the world continued to moan under the throes of natural and man-made suffering with the great Tsunami of 2011 in Japan and the abuses against women, religious freedom and the silencing of political voices through assassination in Pakistan. I wept. (Fallen Knights)

April – This month passed quickly as I was busy with work as well as all kinds of activities from helping others attend to legal and medical issues.  Busy and not a lot of fun. (Bummed Out)

May – I took a breather in May and had time to reflect a bit on life and where I wanted to be headed in the future. (Hard Labour)

June – I managed fulfill one of my new year resolutions by getting involved with speaking at a Christian Youth Camp.  It was a good experience but I was reminded about how little I knew about “teen speak” nowadays.  That was humbling. (Teen Speak)

July – Another black month.  The world was stunned by the deaths of so many, especially young people, by the hands of a mad man in Norway.  Nearer home, I attended the funeral rites for a close family friend whose daughter passed away at the age of forty from leukemia, leaving behind a young son.  (The Other Side of the Tracks)

August – I started the month in a funk due to the terrible things that happened in July but I slowly regained my appreciation of the positive potential of the human spirit and ended the month with a trip to Singapore where I got heat stroke while wandering around the tropical island.  The spirit may be willing but this old squirrel flesh is getting weak. (Mad Dogs and Sun Stoked Squirrels)

September – Stop everything! It’s the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.  This squirrel was glued to his chair in front of the TV watching rugby for the next 5 weeks.  I even grew a year older in that chair. (1962 & the 49′er)

October – What a month! First the All Blacks win the Rugby World Cup – always a good omen that all is well in the world.  Later in the month, I was myself surprised to find myself in Mongolia.  I would never have imagined finding myself there in a thousand years.  A very wonderful experience.  (Heroes of Sukhbaatar Square)

November – Another black month.  The main event was the shocking and sudden death of an amazing man who had an impact on so many lives and he was a dear friend.  (Life and Legacy)

December – Even from the ashes of tragedy and sadness, life finds a way to keep going and with time happiness can return.  I had the joy of seeing this in the life of one of my widower friend who has found a new love to share his life with. (Two Funerals Past and a Wedding Soon)

Light and Evil

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  I had a busy one as we celebrated the coming of God’s gift of light and hope, Jesus Christ, to a dark and lost world.  Our church had a special Christmas service with songs, items and short sketches which we held in an auditorium of a nearby college.  It was wonderful.  We had about 320 people attending and at least 6 made the decision to invite Jesus into their lives that day.  A reason for even more rejoicing.

Another highlight for me was watching the CNN Heroes programme on TV on Boxing Day.  With Anderson Cooper at the helm, we were feted to the inspirational stories of 10 people who are making a difference in the world and doing their part to turn back the tide of darkness and evil.  Yes, evil.  For as much as we can rejoice and be inspired by their stories, we are also reminded about the evil that they are confronting – that we all are confronting, and that this evil dwells and emerges from the hearts of men.

Violence

We can debate the root causes why drugs, gangs and gratuitous violence has gripped many inner cities and communities but the important point is that kids are being killed and gunned down in the streets.  Life is cheap and life is dangerous for kids who have no safe place to go to but to wander the dangerous streets.  In many places, the community is just dying as mothers bury their children and lose hope.

Diane Latiker burned against the evil preying on the young and opened up her own home to all kids who wanted a place to go for food, advice, help or just to get off the streets.  She started the “Kids off the Block” project and has impacted more than 1,500 kids since 2003.

Greed

It is my heartfelt belief that the world’s economic system is inherently flawed and perpetuates a growing gap between the rich and the poor.  Efforts to change the status quo have failed because of the greed of a few and the selfishness of many.  However, it seems down-right evil when food assistance for the poor requires a 120 day waiting period or that mothers and babies die unnecessarily during childbirth because they are too poor to receive  life saving medical care or children going hungry in a country that is generally over-fed (and even wasting food in stupid food related challenges on TV programmes like MTV’s Spring Break; a big pet peeve of mine).  That’s greed and selfishness at work.

Thank God for people like Sal Dimicell and Bruno Serato who take it on themselves to help the poor and needy and to feed the children and Robin Lim for the 4,000 mothers and babies she and her team have helped in Bali, Indonesia.

Waste

We are depleting our world’s resources, poisoning the very earth, water and air that gives us life.  We praise ourselves for our smartness and technology but we are frightfully and criminally incompetent at managing our world.  Even with shrinking resources and higher demands, yet we do not have the wisdom not to continue wasting what we have.  So in parts of the world, hotels throw out millions of soap bars a year; many only used once.  At the same time, millions of children in other parts of the world die from diarrhea and other illnesses  each year, for which personal hygiene is a contributing factor and a simple thing like washing their hands regularly with soap can already make a big impact.  Derreck Kayongo, himself a former refugee from war-torn Uganda, is bridging the gap between these two worlds through his Global Soap Project, saving lives and fighting the evil of waste.

Indifference

I had some trouble deciding how to title this section but I am reminded that Edmund Burke said all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.   It is about how we as a society tend to give attention to those that don’t need it (like the Kardashians) and like to look away or forget those who are in need.

There are the widows, spouses and family members who all paid the sacrifice for their country when their loved ones died in military service.  There are the football players who are celebrated and feted for their performances on field but forgotten and left to struggle on their own when afflicted by spinal injuries obtained on the field.  There are the bread winners in Mexico who became paralysed and have loss their ability to feed their families and also lost their dignity.  There are the orphans of Africa whose parents were loss to AIDS.   There are the children of Haiti still living in tents now, almost two years after the earthquake.  They are all people who need help but the spotlight is not on them, they have been forgotten or worse hidden from view by our collective selfishness and self centeredness.  But Taryn Davis (war widows), Eddie Canales (football injuries), Richard St. Denis (Mexican disabled), Amy Stokes (African AIDS orphans) and Patrice Millet (Haiti’s tent children) have not forgotten and challenge us all not to forget these people too.

For the full story, go to CNN Heroes 2011.

Of course, these 10 represent a whole army of people around the world that are putting others first and making a difference.  I am ashamed.  I had planned to do more voluntary work in 2011 and instead put it on the back-burner.  Perhaps this will give me the impetus and inspiration to do it this coming year.  My first new year resolution.

In contrast to this uplifting programme, the TV also brought news of more than 40 killed in Nigeria when several churches were targeted with bombs on Christmas Day.  A reminder of that evil is rampant and we are in a fight against it, in all its forms.

Maybe you will join me and do something to turn back the darkness in 2012?

Leave it to Beaver?

The Canadian Mosaic - Why Can't We Just Live Together!

I love Canadians.  They seem to have so few problems that the biggest issue that seems to be occupying the country in the last two weeks is the debate – beaver or polar bear?   The beaver was made the national symbol of Canada by the Canadian Parliament in 1975 but the debate was recently ignited after Conservative Senator Nicole Eaton suggested that the beaver be replaced by the polar bear.

Senator Nicole Eaton called the beaver a “19th century has-been,” a “dentally defective rat” and a “toothy tyrant,” among other things, as she argued in October that the polar bear should replace the beaver as Canada’s national emblem.

Of course, many have come to the defence of the beaver.  Ottawa business have even come together to erect a monument to the beaver.  But at least one on-line poll shows support for the polar bear is ahead of that for the beaver.  So which is a better representative for all things Canadian?

The National Post reports;

“Among those who preferred the beaver, 26% described it as a “noble animal,” while 18% called it “industrious.” Within the anti-beaver camp, 31% called it “destructive,” while 17% said the beaver was an “outdated symbol” and another 11% felt it was “anti-social.”

Nearly three-quarters of polar bear supporters felt it was a “majestic mammal,” while 4% described the bear as “alarmingly handsome.” Among the anti-bear set, 26% noted its tendency to kill humans, while 21% highlighted the fact that it was endangered. Another 11% noted that unlike the beaver, the polar bear does “not build anything.””

Let’s help them out.  Vote for Canada’s next national symbol in this totally free and democratic process.  Don’t mind me chanting in the background, “greysquirrel…ommmm….greysquirrelgreysquirrel…ommmm….greysqui….”.

French Toast

Even the Band Does the Haka

Well, this is a post on the run.  Having  just recently nervously survived watching the Rugby World Cup final in which the team I was supporting, the New Zealand All Blacks hung on to beat France 8 points to 7 points, I am now at the airport awaiting my flight to Mongolia.

Already the celebrations are going on all over New Zealand and amongst their fans around the world.  Apparently, one newspaper headlines reads, “French Toast”. Hahaha.  Although that is not really fair cause the French team played really well and looked liked they could have stolen the game but the All Blacks will savour the victory even if it is by one point.

All Blacks - Celebrate as World Champions 2011

Observant readers will have noted that the Lone Grey Squirrel is in transit to the land of Genghis Khan where the men are tough, the women tough and the food tougher.  All Blacks beware, there is great potential for a Mongolian rugby team.

Future World Rugby Champions?