2010

31 Dec 2010 - So, the last day of the year 2010. The year saw new superpowers emerging in the New Media landscape and I expect their authority will further rise in 2011. Two of them - Google and Facebook - now influence societies and cultures all over the world by their sheer size and reach, while the third one - WikiLeaks - epitomises the power of information. Google has a mere monopoly of web search and online search advertising. It owns YouTube and Blogger (so many thanks!) and it is only expected to expand its digital empire further. These days if you don't appear on a Google search you don't exist any longer! I have already written about Facebook, and its founder Mark Zuckerberg, in the last few days, so let's spend the last lines of 2010 on WikiLeaks. It was labeled a "foreign terrorist organization" by some US lawmakers, but was also awarded by The Economist and Amnesty International. I believe we will hear (much) from/about WikiLeaks in 2011. And it will not only be WikiLeaks. A rival called Openleaks.org has already emerged and more whistle blowing sites will follow. I expect that 2011 will further change the way we look at information - as the new superpowers rule the world.

Salt Scarcity

31 Dec 2010 - I am back in the tropical weather of Kuala Lumpur, but I can still feel the winter-cold in my bones. I had a somewhat slippery journey to Amsterdam Schiphol airport as thaw has set in and the roads and pavements are icy. The Dutch complain about practically everything (not only the Dutch by-the-way), but I was quite surprised that nobody complained about the slippery icy conditions of the roads. "In the good old days" people were requested to keep the pavement in front of their house free of snow and the city council took care of the rest. The last few days I noticed that attitudes and practice has changed, because nobody bothered anymore. Even the city council got away with a comment that they could not keep the roads ice-free because of salt scarcity. They probably have never heard of "winter preparedness". Anyway, there is good news, because on my last day in Holland I learned a ship with 7,000 tons salt from Turkey sailed into one of the Dutch ports. But probably the roads are too slippery by now get it to its destination?

15 Minutes of Fame

30 Dec 2010 - The Year also had their short term heroes, like Anna Chapman and the Old Spice Guy. 15 Minute Hero of the Year is Steven Slater. You may not immediately recognize the name, but I am sure you remember the story about the JetBlue flight attendant who could not take it any longer and snapped. When the flight attendant was hit on the head by a passenger's bag in August and was told off by one of the passengers, he exited via an emergency chute and never returned to his job again. He became an instant folk hero for the online community on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. Despite his fame, he said that - although he enjoyed some aspects of the limelight - he never felt more alone in his life than at the height of public scrutiny.

Mark Zuckerberg

29 Dec 2010 - Time Magazine selected Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg as 2010 Person of the Year. Facebook does no longer need any further introduction but Time Magazine has some interesting facts & figures about the phenomena. For example, if the recent growth rate of Facebook users continues, Facebook could reach 1 billion users by August 2012. In Afghanistan, where only an estimated b18% of adult women are literate, 85% of Facebook users are make. And Facebook continues to be blocked in China, but still counts almost 100,000 registered users. Growth in the Middle Kingdom is one of the main strategic objectives for Facebook. Lastly, every 60 seconds 1,789,736 actions are performed on Facebook: more than half a million comments are posted, 231,605 messages are sent and almost 100,000 friendships approved. Facebook connects the world - and I honor Mark Zuckerberg.

Nature Ruled

28 Dec 2010 - Mother Nature was on uncommonly unkind this year. Haiti's earthquake left 230,000 dead, and monsoons left one fifth of Pakistan under water. An Antarctic collision between an iceberg and a glacier gouged out a chunk of sea ice the size of Luxembourg. An effusive Icelandic volcano stranded travelers across Europe, and the winter was so warm that Canadian could not even make ice for their Olympics. BP could not plug the leak and an octopus made more accurate - but unfortunate - predictions than most economists did. Most of, 33 trapped miners returned one by one from their near grave. Miracles did happen and Mother Nature ruled (with thanks to Time Magazine, who published an extended version of this piece). 

Merry Christmas 2010

23 Dec 2010 - I will sign out for a few days to celebrate Christmas with family and friends in the motherland. I will be back on line before the end of the year. Ho Ho Ho Everybody! Merry Christmas!

Vampire Mistletoe

23 Dec 2010 - A new species of tropical mistletoe has been described by scientists of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew in London. The research team found the plant on expedition to Mount Mabu in northern Mozambique in 2008. Now, just in time for Christmas they have confirmed that the plant is new to science. The plant tops of list of Kew's botanical discoveries of 2010, including a Vietnamese orchid and an exceptionally rare tree in Cameroon. A butterfly specialist discovered the mistletoe, and he immediately realized it was different from what he had seen in Malawi and Tanzania. Mistletoe's are "hemi-parasitic" meaning they take some of the nutrients they need from other plants.  When birds eat the small white fruits, the seeds are wiped onto branches of trees, where they stick. Once germinated, the root grows into the living tissue of the tree to suck out its nutrients. In sum, they are vampires. Think about it when you kiss your beloved under the mistletoe over Christmas..

Gulliver's Travels

22 Dec 2010 - Hollywood is lacking creativity in recent years and is now recycling Gulliver's Travels. In a contemporary re-imagining of the classic take by Jonathan Swift, US actor Jack Black stars as Gulliver, a big talking mailroom clerk. In the story Gulliver is mistakenly assigned a travel piece on the Bermuda triangle and (after shipwrec) suddenly finds himself a giant among men when he washes ashore on the hidden island of Lilliput. Lilliput turns out to be the home of very tiny people. At first he is enslaved by the industrious Lilliputians, but later he is declared their hero (very Hollywood). There is also a message: Gulliver gets to learn that it is not about how big you are but that it is the inside that counts (sob, sob). Shot on location in and around Britain the movie also stars Emily Blunt, Amanda Peet and Brian Connolly. Soon in theatres near you!

No English, Please!

21 Dec 2010 - China's General Administration of Press and Publicity has banned newspaper, websites and publishers from using foreign words - particularly English. It said foreign words are sullying the purity of the Chinese language. It added that standardized Chinese should be the norm and that the media should avoid foreign abbreviations and acronyms, as well as "Chinglish" - a mix of Chinese and English often used in Hong Kong. The order is also applicable to radio and TV. The State body raised their order as foreign words are increasingly used in all types of communication and it now wants to turn the tide. It said the usage had "seriously damaged" the purity of the Chinese language and resulted in adverse social impacts on the cultural environment,. It also explained that if words must be written in English, a Chinese explanation needs to be added.

Airport Blues

21 Dec 2010 - Today is the official start of the winter, and the big freeze in Europe has kept many airports struggling to remain open. Still thousands of passengers are stranded in London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, ..... Under snowy conditions the gap between landing and departing airplanes becomes bigger for safety reasons. The final decision to land or not shifts from air control to the pilot. One big issue is ice.Pre-cautionary de-icing chemicals are used to keep the planes ice free. Salt is not used, as it is bad for the planes aluminium. Some airports are better prepared than others: Stockholm's Arlanda remained open and hardly reported any delays. A spokesperson of the airport claims that heavy snow is no problem, but that strong side winds are. In the end it probably depends on how busy an airport is, as a minor disruption can cause massive delays at the bigger airports.

Luxury Malaysia

20 Dec 2010 - Malaysia is carving a niche as a destination for luxury goods shopping, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen. She said shoppers had much to look forward to as Malaysia would be a duty free haven for most luxurious goods, including watches and jewellery per 1st January 2011. "It is important to ensure an enabling environment for the industry." The Ministry targets to have 36 million tourists and RM 168 billion in tourism receipt by 2020, and it expects 35% to be from shopping receipts. There is a plan to built a 6 km long walkway in the Bukit Bintang area which also help encouage shopping and boost sales. KL has already opened its Starhill Gallery, with many luxury brands under one roof, but from what I hear the formula does not work well. Bukit Bintang looks more like a building site than a luxury shopping area.

Quote of The Day (26)

19 Dec 2010 - This week saw the last talk show by veteran CNN personality Larry King. The 77-year-old presented his cheesy chat show for 25 years and is now finally retiring. He will be replaced by creepy British journalist Pierce Morgan. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger came on the show to announce that he had proclaimed the day Larry King day in the western US state. Former US President Bill Clinton also came on air. When King mentioned that ' we are both in the zipper club ' - and explained later that he meant they had both had heart surgery - Clinton replied " I am glad you have clarified that ' keeping a straight face as other guest chuclked. King's last gaffe must be the quote of the day. And yes, he will be missed (as CNN soon will find out).

Great Picture (27)

19 Dec 2010 - It's a tough winter in Europe. My other hometown Amsterdam is covered in a blanket of snow. The big freeze leads to travel chaos and stranded passengers. Schiphol airport had to close its runways, which is not good news with the peak Christmas season approaching. About 3,000 passengers had to spend the night at the airport because their flight were cancelled. But some beautiful picture could be made. This one is by made the Panoramio agency.

Justin or Julian?

18 Dec 2010 - Its December and the Time Person of the Year title has just been awarded to Mr. Facebook. I can live with that because Facebook has turned into a global social platform that influenced our (my) way of communication. Yes, I am a Facebook fan! But in Holland 16-years old hackers are being arrested for their role in cyber attacks made in Wikileaks Julian Assange's name following his arrest last week. Many more teens and youth are thought to be members of the Anonymous group that has waged cyber war for him. One youngster said that Assange is out to protect us from ourselves. A new Messiah is born! But not all teens are in adoration of the Wikileaks guru. Wikileaks is simply not as hot as Justin Bieber, they claim. So who should we put forward for the Water-trotter person of the year award: Justin or Julian?

Giant Storks

17 Dec 210 - Fossils of a giant stork have been discovered on the far-flung Indonesian island of Flores that has been home to many extreme-sized creatures - from tiny human-like hobbits and dwarf elephants to the world's largest known rats and lizards. The leg bones of a giant marabou stork, which lived 20,0000 to 50,000 years ago, indicate it stood around 180 cm tall and weighed up to 16 kg. Flores has never been connected to another island or mainland, shaping evolution of historic wildlife, with many small-sized warm blooded animals growing larger than elsewhere on the planet, and big sized mammals becoming more diminutive. With no mammalian carnivores, birds and reptiles faces less competition for food, accounting for some of their massive size. Even today, rats can be more than  40 cm from head to body can be found on Flores. The area is also known for the Komodo dragons, the largest lizards on earth, which can grow up to 3 m long and weighing up to 70 kg.

Say No to Shark Fins

14 Dec 2010 - The continuing slaughter of sharks, known as finning (catching sharks, cutting off their fins and throwing them mortally wounded back into the sea) needs to stop. It is cruel, inhumane and not sustainable. In the area of my former office in Hong Kong there are many (dried) fish shops, and one can see the shark fins being laid out on the pavement to dry. The smell and sight of rotting flesh is not very pleasant. I learned that 50% - 80% of all shark fins in the shark fin trade still go through Hong Kong. In 2009 Hong Kong imported 9,300 tons of frozen or dried shark fins. Shark fin soup is still much in want, in particular for wedding banquets. However, sharks are slowly dying out which will have a devastating impact on the ecological system of our oceans, as sharks are often on top of the food chain. In the end the killing of sharks will come to haunt all of us. So please, don't order shark fin soup anymore.

Branson the Air Hostess

14 Dec 2010 - It will be crowded on thew 21st February 2011 Air Asia flight from London to Kuala Lumpur, as the richest air hostess in the world, Richard Branson, will serve the passengers. The virgin Atlantic founder is to dress up as flight attendant after he lost a bet over which team would fare better in the last Formula 1 season. Branson, who owns the Virgin Racing Team, had bet that his cars would do better than the lotus Racing team of Air Asia's owner Tony Fernandes. Fernandes has challenged Branson to dress up as a flight attendant and serve on Air Asia if the tycoon's Virgin Racing ended the season behind Lotus. Branson accepted, on the condition that Fernandes would do the same on Virgin Atlantic's London - Lagos route. if he had lost. Branson will have to serve and even clean the toilets, while wearing high heels. However, he will be allowed to keep his trademark moustache..

Too Many Surgeries

13 Dec 2010 - Nobody likes to go to the doctor and a recent study in The Netherlands has confirmed my sentiment that more regulation in the health sector is urgently needed. A study by the Dutch Department of Health has shown that almost one billion euros is wasted annually on operations that are medically unnecessary. Also, it turns out that patients in some hospital have a 400% higher chance to end up on the operation table compared to other hospitals. It is always the medical team, often the surgeon, who decide to operate, but there are enormous differences in diagnosis and response from doctor to doctor, and from hospital to hospital. Medical care is expensive and of course there are always risks involved. The Department of Health concludes that guidelines when to operate are urgently needed. It says that doctors who operate against the guidelines - sometimes for financial reasons - should receive a financial penalty. However, all cases are different and would it truely be possible to defines guidelines covering all cases and situations? Difficult dilemma.

No Merry Christmas!

12 Dec 2010 - In this season of greetings, personnel of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in The Philippines assigned at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are directed not to greet arriving or departing passengers with a "Merry Christmas". The rule was introduced to avoid the impression that they are solliciting gifts, whether in cash or in kind. BI acting Chief Ronaldo Ledesma said in a statement that a warm and friendly smile of an immigration officer is enough to express his or her desire to express the Christmas season to an arriving or departing passenger. The prohibition also applies to BI supervisors and intelligence agents at the premier airport. The ban will last until the end of the season, during the influx or foreigners, returning Philippinos, and overseas Philippino workers who are coming home to spend the holidays with their families. So, please don't be too disappointed if you are welcomed by a somewhat grumpy immigration officer at Manila airport.

Panda Dung

12 Dec 2010 - A former Swiss ambassador to China turned art collector has forked out RMB 300,000 for a replica of the famed Venus de Milo statue - made from panda dung. Children from the southwestern province of Sichuan, the home of the panda, made the unusual statue with the help of famous sculptor Zhu Cheng. The work of art, on display in a museum in the central province Henan, attracted droves of onlookers and was eventually sold to Uli Sigg, who collects contemporary Chinese art. The statue was the main talking point of a recent show, attracting people not because it was a replica of a famous sculture, but because of the material from which it was made. "From time to time, people get closer to the statue and smell this yellow Venus and some claim it smells nice, " one person said.

China's Latest Record

11 Dec 2010 - Yes, it's another world record from China. A passenger train hit a record speed of 486 km per hour on Friday during a test run of an unopened link between Beijing and Shanghai, state media reported. The Xinhua News agency said it was the fastest speed recorded by an unmodified conventional commercial train. Other types of trains elsewhere have traveled faster. A specially-modified French TGV train reached 574 kmph during a 2007 test., while a Japanese magnetically levitated train sped up to 581 kmph in 2003. State TV showed the sleek white train whipping past green farm fields in eastern China. It reached the top speed on a segment of 1318 km long line between Zhaozhuang city in Shandong province and Bengbu city in Anhui. The line is due to open in 2012 and will halve the current travel time between Beijing and Shanghai to five hours. The project is part of a massive effort to link many of China's cities by high-speed rail and reduce overcrowding on heavily used other lines.

The President's Love Life

10 Dec 2010 - I am still in The Philippines and enjoying it. President Benigno Aquino has appealed for privacy, saying journalists' prying eyes are ruining his love life. Aquino has been linked to sevral women after he broke up with girlfriend Shalani Soledad in October. One was his stylist. There are also pictures in circulation of the President with a stock broker said to be his new romantic interest. Aquino said he will spend Christmas without a date because women were scared to go out with him for fear of ending up in newspapers. He said it was difficult to woo a woman with the nation watching and joked with reporters that it would be "on their conscience" if another prospective girlfriend stayed away. Maybe he should call Mr. Sarkozy for some advice? Or how about Berlusconi? Putin? Clinton?

Makkah Clock Royal Tower

10 Dec 2010 - Pilgrims to the recent Haj must have marvelled at the stupendous sight of the newly completed and partially opened Makkah Clock Royal Tower, which towers over the holy site of Kaaba and totally dominates the landscape. The building is already regarded a new icon of Islam due to its location, spectacular size and Islamic elements. At 577 m it is the world's second tallest building, playing bridesmaid to Dubai's 828m tall Burj Khalifa, but it does lay claim to the world's tallest concrete building, besides housing the world's tallest hotel. Witjh Mecca being a city of low-rise building, the tower stands out with its mind-boggling dimensions. At full capacity the Royal Tower will accommodate 100,000 people in 3,000 rooms. Its prayer hall alone can fit 10,000 worshippers. The clock, said to cost USD 750 mio., can be seen from 18 km away. It announces daily prayers to the Muslim world through amplifiers that can reach 7 km. in distance.

Great Picture (26)

9 Dec 2010 - It is December and Christmas is nearing. Ho, ho, ho! More than 1,000 people in Santa Claus costumes ran the Sydney Harbor Front for their annual 'Santa Fun run' for charity. The money will go to disabled and disadvantaged children.

Philippines

8 Dec. 2010 - I am in The Philippines. There is a lot to say about the country - from a rich history to the Lonely Planet guidebook - but let me stick to a few basic lines. It has 92 million inhabitants and it is the 12th most populous country in the world. It is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands and it is prone by earthquakes and typhoons.About 11 million Philippinos live overseas Th country is the biggest supplier of nurses in the world, and retention of qualified staff is generally a problem as pay is often so much better overseas. I learned that 70% of graduated nurses work outside of the country. Unlike many of their Asian neighbors, Philippinos do not eat with chopsticks but use western cutlery. However, possibly due to rice being the main staple food the main pairing of utensils is fork with spoon and not fork with knife. Most of the Philippinos are catholic, with only 5 - 10% of the population, mainly in the South, being Muslim.

Imagine

8 Dec 2010 - Last October, there was an awful lot of hooh-hah about John Lennon. He would have been 70 years old had not Mark Chapman decided that a gun, not love, was the answer. So many magazines covered the occasion and at least two rock magazines devoted the whole issue to the subject. Today it is 30 years ago that Lennon was shot outside his apartment block in NYC. Yoko and her record label are releasing remastered versions of all Lennon's work. One wonder what would have happened if Lennon had lived? Would he have been as obscure as Ringo Star, or would he lead a relatively quiet life like McCartney? Probably more like the last. But some believe Lennon had to die, like Mozart, Dean, Monroe, or even Elvis and MJ, to reach his current cult status. He has become a martyr - forver an angel of peace. Imagine it would have been different, maybe Lennon would not even have liked it.

Hu is The One?

6 Dec 2010 - I read an interesting column in The Star by Malaysian columnist Ben Ibrahim. He asked his co-host in TV show if he knew who Forbes' most influential man on the planet was? He was not quite sure and answered "Who?". Exactly! It is Mr. Hu Jin-tao, China's President. Mr. Hu has dethroned US President Barack Obama, who slipped to second spot. What I find interesting is that Mr. Ibrahim takes inspiration from the fact that an Asian leader is now the cream of the crop on the top of the world. He does not take his inspiration from Barack Obama, who is the first African American President of the most influential country in the world. The bottom-line is that Mr. Ibrahim identifies with Mr. Hu because Hu is an Asian, and he believes that Hu Jin-tao has given Asians something good to feel about. Ibrahim is confident that an Asian leader can achieve great things. That is no doubt true (I just mention Gandhi), but Ibrahim does not mention the human rights situation in China. That's a bit painful, in a time when the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to China's most prominent dissident soon. So, I go for Mr. Obama, who inspired many African Americans and people of all origins all over the world. Go Barack Go!

Extreme World

6 Dec 2010 - The BBC will soon start broadcasting their series Extreme World, about the world that divide us. Or we getting closer or becoming more distant from each other? In the coming months BBC World News correspondents will be exploring eight key themes that illustrate the contrasts in our extreme world. For the first theme, Hot and Cold, Adam Mynott will visit the Russian village of Oymyakon, Siberia, officially the coldest inhabited place on earth. In Oymyakon the average temperature in January is minus 46 degrees and frostbite is a constant hazard. The region is rich in gold and diamond, and Russia is now one of the world's leading diamond producers. The second installment will focus on corruption, with Swden and Somalia at both extreme ends of the line. Further themes are Dyring, Crime, Education, Business, Pollution and God. Don't miss it.

Quote of the Day (27)

5 Dec 2010 - Private health care providers in Malaysia are urged to be transparent and reasonable about their charges. Patients have the right to be informed, in advance, about the pricing of care and treatment, as this may avoid misunderstanding and misconceptions. The Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr. Md. Ismail tolf doctors at private hospitals that health care should not be equated with business. He said "Looking at profits solely, the way other business do, may not be ethically or morally justifiable. Profits made must be reasonable, and not excessive." The comments came about reports in the media over unreasonable charges by private hospitals.

Sinterklaas

5 Dec 2010 - Today is a special day for the Dutch all over the world, because it is ":Sinterklaas". Wikipedia says that Sinterklaas is a "traditional Winter holiday figure", whose birthday is celebrated annually in The Netherlands on 5th of December. Traditionally Sinterklaas arrives mid November by steamboat from Spain. He parades through the street on a white horse, and he is accompanied by an army of black men, called Zwarte Pieten. The Zwarte Pieten (his helpers) throw candy and gingerbread cookies around, while the Dutch children sing their traditional songs like "Sinterklaas Kapoentje" (I cannot translate that). Sinterklaas always visits schools, hospitals and shopping centers. Dutch children are told by their parents that Sinterklaas will put them in a bag and take them to Spain, if they don't behave well. However, if they do behave well they receive presents on the 5th December. I have never heard a child taken to Spain - in modern times this would probably be called "kidnap":

Plastic Surgery Kills

4 Dec 2010 - The death of an aspiring Chinese pop singer during plastic surgery has cast an ugly light on an obsession with beauty that sees millions go under the knife in China each year. Wang Bei, 24, a former contestant on China's answer to American Idol, died on 15 November during "facial bone-grinding surgery" in Wuhan. That Wang even felt she needed to improve her looks has underlined the extent to which cosmetic surgery has taken hold. Her beauty had already made her a popular contestant on the smash TV hit "Super Girl". An "anaesthetic accident" occurred during Wang's procedure at Zhong Ao Cosmetic Surgery Hospital. Wang's jaw suddenly started bleeding during the procedure blocking her windpipe and causing her to suffocate. Surging demand for cosmetic surgery has led to untrained doctors carrying out operations, Zhang Hua-bin, a professor of plastic surgery at Guangdong Medical College said.

Missing

2010 - You normally think this is a scenario of a Hollywood block-buster, but miracles happen in real life too. Three teens who have been missing in the South Pacific for 50 days - and were already eulogised in a memorial service have been found alive by a fishing boat. The boys, two 15 year old and a 14 year old, disappeared while attempting to row between two islands in the New Zealand territory of Tokelau early last month and were given up for dead after an extensive search involving the country's air force. their craft had drifted 1,300 km to a desolate part of Fiji, when the crew of a tuna fishing boat saw them frantically waving for help. The boys were dehydrated, sunburned and thin, but otherwise fine.

Bird's Highway

2 Dec 2010 - Bird migration is big in Israel. Per square kilometer, the country has one of the highest levels of bird traffic in the world. Every autumn, more than 500 million birds cross the Israeli air space, heading south for warmer weather in Africa. One person commented: "Politically Israel is a disaster, but for bird watching it is heaven." However, so many birds in a small airspace cause a major hazard for pilots, notably for the country's substantial air force. Tough pilots have fought many wars, but often their closest encounter with death was when a bird flew into their engine and they had to make an emergency landing or use the eject seat. An average migrating bird bird weighs about 6 kilos but at top speed it has the impact of an item of around 40 tonnes. The Israeli air force has responded with state of the art radar system, that can pick up migrating birds. Bird watchers can also call a hotline to warn for flocks of birds.

World AIDS Day

1 Dec 2010 - Today is World AIDS Day. In the last year a good friend was told he was HIV+, so I am thinking of him - and millions of others - today. Although HIV is no longer a dead sentence, it is still an uphill battle for many, in particular in the developing world. For example, read this testimony from a 27-year old Kenyan woman, which I picked from the MSF website. "There is a very bad thing for AIDS widows. When the husband has died, the relatives take everything from you and just leave it like that, because they know that you are going to die. They took everything from me. I had many things, but they took it away. If you go to my house now, you don't find anything that belonged to my husband. I even had no mat or mattress to sleep on. You remain just like that without anybody caring for you. I am not the only one, it happens to many."

Sit Ups

30 Nov 2010 - A group of male passengers traveling in a female-only carriages on New Delhi's new metro system were ordered to do sit-ups on the platform by furious women, according to reports. At least one carriage per rain is reserved  for women in the Indian capital, where female rsidents and tourists have complained about sexual harassment on public transport for decades. The metro has become severely congested with the lines expanding into the suburbs over the last year and most carriages packed to capacity. The Times of India said on Saturday that police led a crackdown at a station in Gurgaon on the outskirts of Delhi, after sets of complainst - and women passengers joined the action

Computer Crash

29 Nov 2010 - We seldom realize that in a 10 - 15 years time frame we have become almost completely dependent on the computer, so its mayhem and chaos when the computer fail. A freak computer glitch at Australia's biggest bank froze cash machines and left millions of people struggling to access their money. National Australia Bank said a corrupted file wiped out a huge number of transactions , including salary payments and transfers, and crashed some ATMs, angering many customers who were facing a weekend without money. Telford dais that the rogue file knocked out transactions on Wednesday, and the work to fix the problem hit Thursday and Friday. As the electrionic system buckled, some ATMs had crashed, but the bank did not reveal how many. "we are very apologetic", said a spokesperson for the bank.

Workaholic No More

28 Nov 2010 - "Workaholic" may no longer be the most appropriate label for Japanese businessmen. A survey has shown that Japanese men spend less time at work than they once did amid an economic downturn and use their leisure time surfing the internet at home rather than going for a drink with the mates. Japanese men now work eight hours and 39 minutes a day on average, around one hour less than they did in 2000. The survey covered 400 male corporate employees in their 20s to 50s. In their private time workers spend a record seven hours and 59 minutes a week on the internetor catching up with e-mail, the survey showed. The previous survey in 2000 showed they spent seven hours and 52 minutes watching TV - then the top leisure time activity. Drinking coffee at coffee shops or bars now took up just two hours and 25 minutes a week, down from a high of seven hours and 52 minutes in 1990.

Marina's Magic

28 Nov 2010 - Not many people know Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, but the diughter of the former Malaysian Prime Minister is an national celebrity in her home country. She was recently awarded the United Nations Person of the Year in Malaysia Award for all the good work she has done for women's rights, and the battle against HIV/AIDS. Marina served as president of the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC), an umbrella of about 40 non-governmental organizations working on HIV/AIDS in the country, from 1993 to 2005. Currently, she is a board member of Sisters in Islam, an advocacy group which champions justice and equality for Muslim women. Ms. Marina was not available to pick up the price herself, but said "It is gratifying to be rocognised. However, there are many people doing a lot of good work in Malaysia. I always believe that when you win an award it is not because you worked alone. I had the support of all the people in MAC and SIS."

Kabaddi

27 Nov 2010 - Probably you have never heard of Kabaddi (my spell check does not recognize it). Note however, that this is one of the sports of the Asian Games. According to some, Kabaddi is the key to good health and long life. "Look at me, I am 50 years old and I can hold my breath for three minutes," boasts Balwan Singh, India's coach. "You can live 100 years playing Kabaddi.". The sport, long dominated by South Asian countries, involves teams joining hands, holding their breath and raiding opponents, chanting "kabaddi, kabaddi , kabaddi" as they do so. "you can keep chanting kabbadi and your internal organs, your heart, your lungs will become strong," explains Singh. He is not the only one to espouse the health benefits of the sport (game?). Three of the 14 members of Japan's kabaddi team are reportedly monks, while five others have graduated from a ZAn Institute.

Sexy Trunks

26 Nov 2010 - The skimpy trunks sported by the Singapore waterpolo team at the Asian Games are causing red faces and uproar in the conservative city state. The trunks display the Singapore flag's half white crescent moon on the front of the red briefs in what has been described as "inappropriate fashion". The government mouth-piece The Singapore Times used strong language as "disgusting" and "disgraceful". However, many Singaporeans praised the design as "sexy" and "cool". Unfortunately the team did not seek advice from the Ministry of Information, Communication and Arts, who condemned the design. Singapore has strict rules on the public display of the republic's flag The Singapore team were placed sixth after losing to Kuwait 5 - 4. Team manager Samuel Wong apologized for the trouble caused by the uniform.   

Bruni Comics

26 Nov 2010 - Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, world famous as France's first lady and as a model/singer, has now been "immortalised" as a comic book heroine, an American publisher said. The 32-page comic book, released last month in English, but yet to find a publisher in France, is an unauthorised political biography with a difference.  A depiction of Mme. Sarkozy is on the cover, bare-shouldered in an evening gown with her hands crossed demurely in front of her poised before a billowing French tri-color. The readers are promised that "... being a French story, it has romance, sensuality, the occasional menage-a-trois." The scenes depict Bruni's family moving from Italy to France during the 1970s Red Brigades attacks, her modelling and music careers, her views and work on AIDS fundraising and her controversial meeting with the Pope. Other women who have received the comic book treat are US First Lady Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, J.K. Rowling and Olivia Newton-John.

Military Rule

25 Nov 2010 - Myanmar's military Government ordered more than 80 people at a shelter for patients with HIV/AIDS to leave following a visit by newly freed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (see my post yesterday). Suu Kyi, who was released a week ago from 7 years under house arrest, visited the shelter on the outskirts of Yangon on Wednesday, promising to provide it with badly needed medicines. She also addressed a crowd of about 600 people, who came to see her. A day after the visit, Government officials told patients they would have to leave by next week or face legal action because the center's permit was not being renewed. By law, home owners must seek government permission every two weeks to allow visitors to stay overnight. The shelter accommodates 82 patients, including young children, offering them housing, food, medicine and educational opportunities.

Great Picture (25)

24 Nov 2010 - I have paid tribute to Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in the last few days, and like to share this picture from Magnum pictures showing a woman reading in her garden. There is no other human being around - she is all alone, but seems comfortable in her environment. Ms. Kyi pays an enormous personal price for standing up against the generals and advocating for democracy, human rights and economic progress. The Military regime has kept her under detention for more than 15 years of the last 21 years, and her release last week drew thousands of cheering supporters into Yangon's streets. This picture shows her isolation and her dignity.

Facebook Hooligans

23 Nov 2010 - Big alarm in Malaysia: police are monitoring a new trend in gangsterism in which members of gangster syndicates are recruited via Facebook, days Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar. "We are aware of new trends and are monitoring Facebook gangsterism and will investigate specific cases if necessary, " the Inspector-General said. Criminal gangs are recruiting youngsters for their ranks and were frealy revealing their background and even disclosing dates, times and venues of their meetings. It is estimated that in Malaysia alone about 2,000 people are using Facebook to get connected to gangsterism, including uploading pictures and video clips of their activities. Some parents have already responded and raised fears that (quote) "this new trend will negatively influence and pollute their children's mind." The trend is already wider spread in Singapore, where Facebook gangsters are involved in illegal money-lending, extortion and other (quote) "undesirable activities". And I thought Malaysia was a quiet place ...

Target

22 Nov 2010 - A country employee in Arizona has been fired after mistakenly euthanising a dog that saved soldiers in Afghanistan and lived through explosions in the war-torn country, officials announced. The unidentified Pinal County  animal control employee euthanised the female shepherd mix on Monday last week and was immediately placed on administrative leave. The dog, named Target, has been brought to the Phoenix area in August by Sgt. Terry Young after his tour of duty. Target reportedly frightened a suicide bomber inside a military base and potentially saved dozens of soldiers' lives. The dog escaped from Young's back yard, but later Young found Target's picture on a website used by country dog catchers to help owners track down lost pets. When Young went to collect Target he found her already dead. Country officials said it was all a mistake ...  

Plastic Bags

22 Nov 2010 - In the last seven years I have seen how Hong Kong slowly moved from being completely plastic indifferent to somewhat plastic aware. The Government struggled to introduce a levy of HKD 0.5 to be paid for every plastic bag used by the consumer, but succeeded in the end. It turned out that Hong Kong people can actually remember to bring their own back when they have to pay for the plastic one. Now in Malaysia, the situation is worse than I have ever seen in Hong Kong. Consumers are not required to pay for the plastic bags they use. Shop assistants tend to hand them out like candy, bundling wares two or three times over, no matter how small. Hey Malaysia, if you are shopping frozen goods, souvenirs or small items, or are just running your errands, please bring along your own bag, and do tell salespersons not to give you one if it is not necessary.

Quote of the Day (27)

21 Nov 2010 - Burmese Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi reached out to the country's splintered opposition, calling on thousands of exuberant supporters to unite following her release from house arrest. She later told a news conference that she was in favor of dialogue and national reconciliation. "Ihad better go onliving until I see a democratic Burma.", Ms. Kyi said.

City Parks

21 Nov 2010 - Lonely Planet has published a Top Ten of city parks. The argument goes that it is all nice and well to be working on the - let's say - 34th floor of your air-conditioned office building, but the question is if we really now what the world out there, and in particular nature out there, is all about. Most office workaholics would not really care, so it is good to know that the city park is just around the corner in most urban jungles. No surprise but the list is topped by New York's Central Park. It's iconic, endearing and cinematic, and shady lanes and strawberry fields (forever). London has St. James's Park and Paris has the Jardin du Luxembourg. The list goes on with Sdney, Beijing, Singapore and Barcelona mentioned, but what about Amsterdam's Vondelpark. Maybe it's on the small side to make the list, but it has everything a good city park needs to offer. So maybe not in the Lonely Planet Top Ten, but my number eleven.

Mercedes Waits ....

20 Nov 2010 - After 13 years all alone, Britains only polar bear Mercedes finally has a playmate. Mercedes, 28, was the only polar bear in the country until 23-month-old Walker arrived at the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie this month. The two polar bears in Britain were yesterday formally introduced for the first time. Keepers wanted the two bearsto get to know each other gradually before being put in the same enclosure. On Saturday, the waiting was over as the two animals enjoyed a spot of playtime together. So far, Walker had only seen Mercedes through a mesh fence for the last few weeks. Initially, the perception was that Mercedes was not overly impressed by the appearance of the younger bear and was expected to teach him some "proper manners". Walker has been making full use of the pool, sliding down the hill and chasing rabbits in the main enclosure. It is hoped that Mercedes will defrost a bit over time.

Petronas Twin Towers

19 Nov 2010 - After a month in Kuala Lumpur it is high time that I write something about those other Twin Towers: The Petronas Twin Towers. These magnificent buildings, built by the national oil company Petronas, is located on a site that was previously occupied by the Selangor Tuf Club. The construction drew much controversy when it was discovered that the bedrock was nothing more than a network of hollow caves, and the foundation required millions of tons of concrete for reinforcement. Designed by Argentinian American architect Cesar Pelli, the 452m. towers were once the world's tallest building, their height surpassing that of Chicago's Sears Tower. In 2003 the record was lost to Taipei 101 Tower. The design of the Twin Towers aims to express Malaysian's diversity. For instance, the floorplans take after an eight point star formed by two interlocking squares, a popular Islamic motif, while the number of floors - 88 - translates as 'double luck; in Chinese.

Traffic Jams

18 Nov 2010 - So far my new life in Kuala Lumpur has been good. People have asked what I don't like, which is still a bit difficult to answer, but I think I already start hating the traffic jams. Traffic jams occur every day, almost every hour of the day. It begins in the morning at about 8 am when millions of cars poor into KL from the surrounding suburbs, and in the evening at about 16h30 pm. When it rains, traffic sometimes grinds to a complete halt. During rush hour it is not uncommon to see traffic policemen directing vehicles at major intersections, as traffic lights have become completely ineffective. Nobody bothers. Malaysian drivers are generally an ill-mannered lot, so you can expect a lot of impatient honking and nudging betwen cars. Many do not adhere to road-safety rules; they turn lanes without signaling, flash headlights to indicate 'get out of the way' and overtake whenever possible. It's a complete mess.