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":