Cool Quotes Funny Jokes Words of Wisdom

Little bird, smallest action can change the world

2010-01-24T16:03:00.005+08:00

Amidst despondencies over the difficulties in toppling the corrupt UMNO/BN Federal Government and the lethargy of many eligible voters in Malaysia in registering as voters because "their one vote can't do anything, is this inspiring story about a little bird:

Once upon a time, a small bird named Tasoo lived in a vast jungle. One hot summer day, a terrible wildfire erupted and the flames devoured many trees and animals living in the jungle. Other birds flew high into the sky and far away to safety, but Tasoo couldn't bear to leave her precious jungle home to burn.

Day and night, she flew with all her might back and forth to the river, filling her tiny beak with water to drop on the raging fires.

Tasoo's rare heart of courage and unshakable determination moved the heavenly gods to shed tears, and a great rain poured down upon the jungle, extinguishing the flames.

And so it is that even the smallest actions of a determined spirit can change the world.

-Author Unknown-

Little bird photo is courtesy of Keven Law

Source: Change the world

Chinese saying - hope even when it seems hopeless

2009-11-21T21:26:00.001+08:00

Even a sunken ship would have three 'kati' (a unit of weight like pound or kilogram) of rusty nails left in it.

Chinese saying.

This imply that however bad and hopeless a situation, a person or an organization, there is still hope, however slim, that things can improve

History quote for a wimp

2009-10-14T20:17:00.000+08:00

How can History be kind to a wimp?

The price of greatness is responsibility. (Winston Churchill )

Greatness be nothing unless it be lasting. (Napoleon Bonaparte)

There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet. (William F. Halsey)

To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them. (Marleen Charles de Montesquieu)

When Deng Xiaoping visited the United States in 1979, actress Shirley MacLaine told him how impressed she had been on a visit to China during the Cultural Revolution, when Deng and countless others had been forced to toil in remote areas and “learn from the peasants.” She said she had been particularly moved by a scholar working in a field, who had described how much more fulfilling it was to grow tomatoes than to work in a university.

Deng looked at her and said: “He lied.”

What ID ten T error?

2009-09-27T12:02:00.001+08:00

What is an ID ten T error?

ID 10 T

Put them together and you get

Idiot

Frenimies - friends who are enemies

2009-09-24T09:44:00.002+08:00

Frenemies – those who seem to be friends but are actually enemies. They are more dangerous than open enemies because they are "inside the fort" and not outside like open enemies and they may attack you from the back unseen.

Winston Churchill - riding on a tiger

2009-09-18T07:31:00.000+08:00

"Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers from which they dare not dismount."

Winston Churchill, quoting a Hindustani proverb

Zaid Ibrahim - democracy, political ideology

2009-09-18T07:25:00.002+08:00

We are a deeply divided nation, adrift for our having abandoned democratic traditions and the Rule of Law in favour of a political ideology that serves no one save those who rule"

Zaid Ibrahim
30^th October 2008

Zaid Ibrahim, former defacto Law Minister, who resigned to protest the continued abuse of the ISA (Internal Security Act), indictment of Malaysia's Barisan Nasional misrule.

Plato - knowledge and compulsion

2009-09-18T07:18:00.002+08:00

Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.
by
Plato

Always strive to understand, not memorize.

William Boetcker - equality & nation building

2009-09-13T19:19:00.000+08:00

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatreds.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves. ”

William J. H. Boetcker, 1916 (often attributed to Lincoln)

Mark Twain - Stupid

2009-09-10T18:16:00.000+08:00

"It is better to keep quiet and appear stupid then to open your mouth and confirm it".

Mark Twain

Malaysia's Independence day - Merdeka Murdeka Moodeka

2009-09-07T09:38:00.002+08:00

Malaya (now Malaysia) achieved independence from its colonial master United Kingdom and August 31^st is celebrated as Merdeka which means Independence in Malay. Things however has not been going too well in Malaysia.

An opposition politician's aide, Teoh Beng Hock, was killed while under MACC's (Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission better know as Malaysia Agency for Cows and Cars) custody with many claiming he was murdered. Then there is the infamous protest over the relocation of a Hindu temple where protesters carried a bloodied head of a cow, an animal taken to be sacred by Hindus.

Malaysians have renamed this year's Merdeka day as Murdeka (murder) and Moodeka (moo, the mooing of the suffering cow)

Guessing game - what is it?

2009-09-07T08:24:00.008+08:00

Look at the photos of this luxurious place and make your guesses as to what it is and perhaps be surprised:

Modern luxury building from afar. What is it?

Modern luxurious building with glittering glass

Entrance to modern building with modern "sculpture"

The many floors of the modern luxurious building

Does this look like the entrance to a modern library?

Luxurious modern building even have a sophisticated meeting room

Indoor basketball court for the lucky inmates

More sports for the inmates - table tennis

Football too

modern gymnasium

Enjoy a beautiful view

Nice beautiful luxurious bedroom

So what is this?

ANSWER

It is the New Cook County Correctional Center, Chicago , Illinois. You want luxurious living? Go break a law in Illinois ! Once again the taxpayer gets stung.
It also shows that in most cases the quality of life for prisoners has improved considerably from what you might expect. And I always thought prison was for punishment.!!!!!

Just in case you ever get these two environments mixed up, this comparison chart should make things a little bit clearer:

@Prison	@work
You spend most of your time in a 10x10 cell	You spend most of your time in a 6x6 cubicle
You get 3 fully paid for meals a day	You get break for 1 meal and you have to pay for it
For good behavior you get time off	For good behavior you get more work
The guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you	You must carry a security card and open all the doors yourself
You can watch TV and play games	You get fired for watching TV and playing games
They allow your family and friends to visit	You aren't even supposed to speak to your family
All expenses paid by taxpayers with no work required on your part	You must pay for all expenses, go to work and they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners
You spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out	You spend most of your time wanting to get our and go inside bars
You must deal with sadistic wardens	They are called 'managers'
Is there something wrong?	Better to be a prisoner?

Malaysia - harmony and disparity

2009-08-29T20:19:00.000+08:00

We were one until someone came and told us there were bigger ones and smaller ones!

We lived in harmony until someone came and told us they were taller and we were shorter!

We were happy being one people until someone came and told us there's disparity and actions must be taken!

We liked one another until someone came and told us they were saying bad things about us and they must be silenced!

We felt proud to be one people until someone came and told us we were different from them!

And today, that someone is still telling the same old lies - but that someone forgot that he is not God and there is judgment after death!

contributed by Penang Laksa -Dec.2008

Majatma Gandhi - forgiveness

2009-08-29T20:17:00.000+08:00

Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Francis Jeffrey - violence

2009-08-29T20:15:00.000+08:00

Francis Jeffrey (1773 - 1850)
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

2009-08-24T02:42:00.003+08:00

"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us (Malaysia).
"

Calvin & Hobbes Malaysia is hobbled by a corrupt and self-serving
UMNO/BN government which is so hopeless. Given the silly shenanigans that have been occurring in that country lately, I doubt any intelligent life would want to contact (be bothered) us in Malaysia.

Malay saying - dignity and challenge

2009-07-30T07:25:00.003+08:00

Pantang Melayu di cabar.

It is taboo for a Malay to be challenged.

Malays value dignity (maruah) very highly. Malays do not like to be challenged. In Malaysia where there is a practically eternal affirmative program (NEP or New Economics Policy) through which Malays are given special preference for admission to universities and colleges, jobs, special discount for buying houses, etc. When this special position is challenged, there is a tendency for some Malays to bristle with rage. In fact, they may even threaten to run amok (amok originated from the Malays where a person run wild and usually violent.

Malay saying - tradition or culture

2009-07-30T07:21:00.002+08:00

Biar mati anak, jangan mati adat.

Let child die, don't let tradition die.

The Malays value tradition very highly and the above Malay saying showed the extend to which that is so. It is better that a child die than to let Malay tradition die.

Laterial thinking - black and white pebbles

2009-07-29T03:43:00.004+08:00

Here is a story I found at SJS and Team which illustrate how every problem have a solution if we use lateral thinking:

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a female village moneylender. The female moneylender, who was old, fat and ugly, fancied the farmer’s handsome son. So she proposed a bargain.

She said she would forego the farmer’s debt if she could marry his son. Both the farmer and his son were horrified by the proposal. So the cunning female moneylender suggested that they let Providence decide the matter. She told them that she would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty moneybag. Then the son would have to pick one pebble from the bag. If he picked the black pebble, he would become her husband and her father’s debt would be forgiven. If he picked the white pebble he need not marry her and his father’s debt would still be forgiven. But if he refused to pick a pebble, his father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble-strewn path in the farmer’s field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As she picked them up, the sharp-eyed son noticed that she had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. She then asked the son to pick a pebble from the bag.

Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the son? If you had to advise him, what would you have told him? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:

The son should refuse to take a pebble. The son should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the moneylender as a lying, backstabbing female cheat. The son should pick a black pebble and sacrifice himself in order to save his father from his debt and imprisonment.

Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The son’s dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if he chooses the above logical answers. What would you recommend to the son to do? Well, here is what he did….

The son put his hand into the bag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, he fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. ‘Oh, how clumsy of me,’ he said. ‘But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.’ Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that he had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit her dishonesty, the son changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don’t attempt to think. A man is but a product of his thoughts… M. K. Gandhi.

Environment quote - Donella 'Dana' Meadows

2009-07-20T22:45:00.002+08:00

"The future of our planet is a CHOICE, not a FATE."

Donella 'Dana' Meadows, renowned environmentalist

Stalin tragedy statistic quote

2009-07-20T22:15:00.000+08:00

“A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic”

Joseph Stalin

Definition of compromise

2009-07-13T11:45:00.002+08:00

What is compromise?

A comepromise is a promise to come to a gathering when you really wants to be alone.

A compromise is a strategy to divide a cake so that everyone believes he or she has the biggest cake.

Definition of a conference

2009-07-13T11:40:00.003+08:00

What is a conference?

A conference is a gathering of people where the mistake of one person is multiplied by the number of people present.

A conference is a gathering of people you go to when you want to be confused.d

Definition of a boss

2009-07-13T11:35:00.003+08:00

Definition of boss:

Someone who is late when you are early and early when you are late.

Someone who is checking when you are resting and resting when you are conscientiously working.

Definitions

2009-07-13T09:05:00.003+08:00

Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.

Classic : A book which people praise, but do not read.

Criminal : A guy no different from the rest….except that he got caught.

Committee : Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Diplomat : A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.

Etc. : A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Experience : The name men give to their mistakes.

Father : A banker provided by nature.

Lecture: An art of transferring information from the notes of the lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through “the minds of either”.

Miser : A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.

Office : A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Opportunist : A person who starts taking a bath if he accidentally falls into a river.

Optimist : A person who while falling from Eiffel tower says midway “See I am not injured yet”.

Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.

Smile : A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Tears : The hydraulic force by which masculine will-power is defeated by feminine water power.

Yawn : The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Evolution of women's pantie

2009-07-13T08:53:00.002+08:00

Look at how woman's panties evolved over the years from knee length knickers to the scanty brief. If we extrapolate the trend, women in the year 2020 will wear no pantie at all. Looking forward to that?

Test for dirty or innocent minds

2009-07-12T12:01:00.005+08:00

What do you see in the image above?

Possible answers:
A) nine dolphins
B) man and woman having sexual intercourse

If you cannot see A), it means you have a dirty/corrupted mind
If you see A) you have an innocent child-like mind.

Mark Twain - Truth

2009-07-07T14:05:00.001+08:00

Always tell the truth. That way, you don’t have to remember what you said

Mark Twain

A truthful account of events does not need any scheming, planning or coordinating to make the details logical and consistent. It does not care for unexpected events, unknown circumstances and unexpected witnesses getting in the way because they will all automatically validate each other.

Truth has a beauty and simplicity which does not require anybody to make improbable assumptions, illogical explanations and unlikely postulations of human behaviour to fit the narrative.

Conspirators can try to cover up the truth with lies, deceit and fabrications but the truth will eventually come out like water dribbling out of a leaky container.

Lies may need more lies to cover up the holes to make the story appear logical and consistent but more lies may punch more holes in the framework until the whole thing collapses and the deception is exposed.

Men first not ladies first

2009-06-29T22:57:00.003+08:00

You all knows the gentleman's creed in time of disaster - ladies first (to safety). So if a man and a lady is on a sinking boat which has only 1 life jacket, the lady should get the only life jacket in order to abandon ship and swim to safety. Now watch this:

See the man grab the life jacket from the lady, put it on and jump ship, but.....

right into the wide open mouth of a great white shark. Ha ha. Yes it is man first - to die.

Swine flu joke

2009-06-29T11:10:00.003+08:00

A bear, a lion and a pig entered a competition to see who is the greatest:

Bear says: "if I roar in the forest, the entire forest is shivering with fear."

Lion says: "if I roar in the jungle, the entire jungle is afraid of me."

Pig says: "big deal.... I only have to cough, and the entire planet lives in fear.

Swine flu joke

2009-06-29T10:49:00.003+08:00

Politicians say the darnest thing - Anifah Aman

2009-05-20T18:25:00.002+08:00

Can you imagine the Foreign Minister of Malaysia Anifah Aman saying this: "The Deputy Prime Minister post is a lucrative post." What exactly is meant by a lucrative post? Well if you know the kind of politics played by Malaysian Barisan Nasional, you will understand. The Barisan Nasional stay in power using patronage and warlords get all kind of lucrative deals at the expenses of the public.

Letters to God from kids

2009-05-20T08:47:00.002+08:00

Here are some letters written to God from children:

Dear God,

I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that OK?

Neil

Dear God,

Instead of letting peole die and having to make new ones, why don't you just keep the ones you got now?

Jane

Dear God,

I think the stapler is one of your greatest invention

Ruth M

Dear God,

In bible times did they really talk that fancy?

Jennifer

Dear God,

I think about you sometimes even when I'm not praying

Elliott

Dear God,

I am American. What are you?

Robert

Dear God,

I bet it is vey hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it.

Nan

Dear God,

Please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter. There is nothing good in there now.

Ginny

Dear God,

If you watch in church on Sunday, I will show you my new shoes

Mickey D

Dear God,

If we come back as something - please don't let me be Jennifer Horton because I hate her

Denise

Dear God,

Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother

Larry

Dear God,

If you give me genie lamp like Alladin, I will you you anything you want except my money or my chess set.

Raphael

We read Thos. Edison made light. But in Sun. school they said you did it. So I bet he stoled your idea.

Sincerly,

Donna

Dear God,

If you let the dinasor not exstinct we would not have a country. You did the right thing.

Jonathan

Dear God,

Please send Dennis Clark to a different camp this year.

Peter

Dear God,

Thank you for the baby brother but what I prayed for was a puppy

Joyce

Right and wrong, brave and afraid

2009-05-13T15:30:00.001+08:00

"Berani kerana benar, takut kerana salah" (Malay)
Brave because it is right, afraid because it is wrong" (English)

One can be brave and as transparent as still water if one has truth and right on our side, but one will be much afraid and will try to cover up facts if one is wrong or untruthful.

Doctors' prognosis on economic stimulus package

2009-03-14T09:49:00.002+08:00

Background: Najib Abdul Razak unveiled a RM60 billion stimulus package to counter the economic downturn. Putrajaya is the Federal seat of government.

The medical fraternity in Malaysia has plenty to say about the RM60bil new economic stimulus package.

The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it but the Neurologists thought the government had a lot of nerve.

The Obstetricians felt they were all labouring under a misconception. Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians said, 'Oh, Grow up!'

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it.

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.

The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter."

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.

The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the assholes in Putrajaya.

Anwar Ibrahim quote on economic crisis

2009-03-13T08:29:00.003+08:00

‘Najib, give me one wife and nine months and I shall show you results. Don’t give me nine wives and one month. I cannot do anything.’

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian Parliament Opposition Leader

Background. Najib Abdul Razak, the highly unpopular Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister asked Anwar to help with overcoming the economic upheaval, saying "Hey Anwar - take how much resources you want., take them from any ministry, or even recruit from overseas. But complete the work in another 30 days. Take all the people you want and complete it Anwar."

Ahmad Said Malaysian racial joke

2009-03-11T16:47:00.002+08:00

Background for the joke: Malaysia is a country of immigrants which a few generations ago had immigrants coming from China, India, Indonesia, Yemen, etc., and have racial harmony problem. The Malay Muslims majority claims special rights and get preferential treatments and claimed to be the original inhabitants of Malaysia. However, many Chinese and Indians are third, fourth, fifth..... generation descendants of Chinese and Indian laborers brought in by the Imperial English colonizer or even further back in history, are descendants of Chinese who came with Admiral Zheng He (Admiral Cheng Ho) in the fifteenth century while many Malay Muslims are not only recent immigrants or descendants of recent immigrants, but are also are descendants of mixed marriages. Ahmad Said was a Penang UMNO (political party for Malays only) warlord who during a by-election campaign called the Chinese pendatang immigrant and caused racial disunity and an uproar. The current Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdullah Badawi has Chinese blood, former Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir is of Malay-Indian descent, Said Albar the Interior Minister is the son of a Yeman immigrant, and Ahmad Said himself apparently is also a recent descendant of an Indian-Malay marriage.

Ahmad Said racial joke

Ahmad: Hey son, who were you talking to ?
Son: My fairy godmother.

Ahmad: How many times have I told you there is no such thing as a fairy godmother ?
Son: I know but there really is a fairy godmother, Dad.
Ahmad: Okay, call her here now. I would like to talk to her.
Son: But she won’t come Dad. She said she doesn’t want to meet you.

Ahmad: Did she tell you why?
Son: She said that you are a bad man.
You betray your Chinese friends by calling them Pendatangs.
Ahmad: You saw that news on TV, didn’t you ?
Son: No, I didn’t, the fairy godmother told me.
Ahmad: Well, your fairy godmother is wrong.
She should thank me for calling the Chinese Pendatangs.
Son: Why Dad ?
Ahmad: You see son, the Chinese are actually bad people.
They come from another country and they want to chase us out of
this country.
Son: Why do they want to do that Dad?

Ahmad: Because they are greedy.
Now, you tell your fairy godmother that your Dad is right by doing what
he did. Can your fairy godmother grant you wishes ?

Son: Yes Dad, she told me so.
She even asked me to make a wish but I didn’t know what to ask for.
Ahmad: Well, ask your fairy godmother to make all these Pendatangs to
disappear and go back to their grandparents country of origin.
Okay son, time for bed. No more talking to make belief fairy godmothers ,
okay .
Good night son.

Son: Good night Dad.

*15 minutes later*

Ahmad: SON, SON, where are you ? Where are you ?
Huh, there you are. I am so worried, I thought I’d never find you.
Son: Dad, where are we….. India ? Why are we here ?
I was talking to my fairy godmother on your wish and suddenly we are here
in a strange place.
Ahmad: Err, what were you talking to the fairy godmother ?
Son: *I told her, I wish all the Pendatangs would be sent back to where they
come from*.
*Is that Tun Dr Mahathir s/o Iskandar Kutty and
**Uncle Samy there selling roti ????
Dad, is this India ??? Badawi in China ….
Najib in Acheh rebuilding the home…..
**Khir Toyo busy tending his farm in Indonesia ….
Syed Albar and the rest of Arab SYED’s clan riding his camel in Yemen ’s
Arab desert.*

Voltair freedom of speech quote

2009-03-11T14:04:00.002+08:00

‘I may not agree with what you say, but I will fight to death for your right to say it’.

François-Marie Arouet better known by pen name Voltaire

EU European Union English

2009-03-10T19:20:00.000+08:00

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as ‘Euro-English’ .

In the first year, ’s’ will replace the soft ‘c’. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard ‘c’ will be dropped in favour of ‘k’. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome ‘ph’ will be replaced with ‘f’. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where! more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent ‘e’ in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing ‘th’ with ‘z’ and ‘w’ with ‘v’.

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary ‘o’ kan be dropd from vords kontaining ‘ou’ and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil
sensi bl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.

Mahatma Ghandi on truth and love

2009-03-10T17:43:00.000+08:00

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it… always.”

Mahatma Ghandi

John Locke's quote on law and tyranny

2009-03-10T17:16:00.000+08:00

“Whenever law ends, tyranny begins, if the law be transgressed to another’s harm; and whosoever in authority exceeds the power given by the law, and makes use of the force he has under his command, to compass that upon the subject which the law allows not, ceases in that to be a magistrate, and acting without authority may be opposed, as any other man who by force invades the right of another.”

John Locke in his Second Essay of Civil Government said that the government becomes a usurper and a tyrant when the powers of the government are exercised not for the common good but for their own private advantage.

Snellen eye chart adult eye chart

2009-03-09T09:00:00.003+08:00

Most people would be familiar with the Snellen chart or other eye chart used to test the visual acuity of the eye like the one below:

However, how many has seen this alternative eye chart for adult, especially for horny men:

Here in this unusual adult eye chart or strip tease eye chart, your visual acuity is tested by the degree of undress of that sexy woman that you can see.

Dean Alfange's creed

2009-03-08T09:12:00.001+08:00

I do not choose to be a common man. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say - ‘This, with God’s help, I have done.’

American statesman Dean Alfange

Supreme Court Justice quote

2009-03-06T18:48:00.001+08:00

We (Supreme Court Justices) are not final because we are infallible; we know that we are infallible only because we are final

Robert H.Jackson - Supreme Court Justice of the United States

How big is a billion?

2009-03-06T18:18:00.000+08:00

A billion seconds ago it was 1959.A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

Action belief quote

2009-02-24T17:26:00.000+08:00

"What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do."

John Ruskin

Family friend quote

2009-02-24T17:21:00.000+08:00

Friends are the family we choose for ourselves

Nothing is impossible - Who says so?

2009-02-23T22:36:00.001+08:00

Who says nothing is impossible?
I have been doing nothing for years.

Who first claimed this? Antares?

I think therefore ...quote

2009-02-17T23:56:00.003+08:00

Renes Descartes says "I think therefore I am"

Now scientists humbled by the uncertainty principle says "I think therefore I am only thinking"

What is Kangaroo court?

2009-02-17T23:45:00.002+08:00

What is a kangaroo court?

The term is often applied to courts subjectively judged as such, while others consider the court to be legitimate and legal. A kangaroo court may be a court that has had its integrity compromised; for example, if the judge is not impartial and "refuses" to be recused.

It may also be an elaborately scripted event intended to appear fair while having the outcome predetermined from the start. Terms meaning "show trial", like the German Schauprozess, indicate the result is fixed before (usually guilty): the "trial" is just for show. Notorious were Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's kangaroo trials against his enemies, whom he labeled enemies of the people, notably in the context of the Great Purge. Another example is Roland Freisler's "processes" against the enemies of the National-Socialist regime.

In 2008, Singapore’s Attorney-General applied to the High Court to commence contempt proceedings against three individuals who appeared in the new Supreme Court building wearing identical white T-shirts bearing a palm-sized picture of a kangaroo dressed in a judge’s gown.

Hermeneutics quote text and context

2009-02-17T23:38:00.001+08:00

It is said in hermeneutics that ‘there is never text without context’.

Definition of hermeneutics: the branch of theology that deals with principles of exegesis

Definition of exegesis: an explanation or critical interpretation (especially of the Bible)

Electricity and Morality quote

2009-02-13T17:46:00.000+08:00

Electricity comes from Electrons, and Morality comes from Morons! Cheers

Democracy quote by Judge Damon Keith

2009-01-24T19:22:00.001+08:00

Democracies die behind closed doors.

Judge Damon Keith

Letter US President Palestine evangelical Christian leaders

2009-01-20T19:43:00.003+08:00

A letter from 40 evangelical Christian leaders (Richard J. Mouw, Tim Dearborn, Ronald J. Sider, Leighton Ford, Steve Hayner, Luci N. Shaw, Richard Stearns, Peter Kuzmic, David Neff, Philip Yancey) to the US President of USA regarding Israel and Palestine:

Dear Mr. President,

We write as American evangelical Christians concerned for the well-being of all the children of Abraham in the Middle East – Christian, Jewish and Muslim. We urge you to employ an even-handed policy toward Israeli and Palestinian leadership so that this bloody conflict will come to a speedy close and both peoples can live without fear and in a spirit of Shalom/Salaam.

An even-handed U.S. policy towards Israelis and Palestinians does not give a blank check to either side, nor does it bless violence by either side. An even-handed policy affirms the valid interests of Israelis and Palestinians: both states free, economically viable and secure, with normal relations between Israel and all its Arab neighbors. We commend your stated support for a Palestinian state with 1967 borders, and encourage you to move boldly forward so that the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for their own state may be realized.

We abhor and condemn the suicide bombings of the last 22 months and the failure of the Palestinian Authority in the first year of the intifada to stop the violence against Israeli citizens. We grieve over the loss of life, particularly among children, and the suffering by Israelis and Palestinians. The longer the bloodletting continues, the more difficult it will be for both sides to reconcile with each other.

We urge you to provide the leadership necessary for peacemaking in the Middle East by vigorously opposing injustice, including the continued unlawful and degrading Israeli settlement movement. The theft of Palestinian land and the destruction of Palestinian homes and fields is surely one of the major causes of the strife that has resulted in terrorism and the loss of so many Israeli and Palestinian lives. The continued Israeli military occupation that daily humiliates ordinary Palestinians is also having disastrous effects on the Israeli soul.

Mr. President, the American evangelical community is not a monolithic bloc in full and firm support of present Israeli policy. Significant numbers of American evangelicals reject the way some have distorted biblical passages as their rationale for uncritical support for every policy and action of the Israeli government instead of judging all actions – of both Israelis and Palestinians – on the basis of biblical standards of justice. The great Hebrew prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah, declared in the Old Testament that God calls all nations and all people to do justice one to another, and to protect the oppressed, the alien, the fatherless and the widow.”

Transcendental quote - Ralph Walso Emerson

2009-01-20T19:36:00.000+08:00

I do not wish to remove from my present prison to a prison a little larger. I wish to break all prisons.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American transcendentalist.

Leadership by example quote (Government)

2009-01-20T19:31:00.001+08:00

Our government teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.

Louis D Brandeis (American Supreme Court Justice, 1856-1941).

Persistency quote

2009-01-19T15:22:00.001+08:00

We may
give in,
give out,
or give way
but we will not give up!

Sincerity - wise Chinese saying

2009-01-19T14:30:00.000+08:00

kou shi xin fei

being insincere

Empty promises Chinese saying

2009-01-19T14:29:00.000+08:00

kong kou shuo bai hua

making empty promises

Prevailing wind Chinese saying

2009-01-19T14:26:00.001+08:00

Jian feng shi duo
sail the boat according to the wind

Intellectual quote - Eleanor Roosevelt

2009-01-16T11:19:00.000+08:00

Eleanor Roosevelt supposedly once said that "Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people."

Chief Justice bribery quote

2009-01-14T16:32:00.001+08:00

"It took me six months (as a practising lawyer) to be nice, to bribe each and every individual to get back into their good books before our files were attended to.

"That was my personal experience and I am telling this to all the clerks and all the registries to stop this nonsense."

Chief Justice Zaki Azmi quoted in the New Straits Times on November 8, 2008

How to get rich - Greek saying

2009-01-13T22:28:00.000+08:00

If you want to sleep well, make friends with your wife.
If you want to get fat, make friends with your mother-in-law.
If you want to get rich, make friends with the chief of police.

An old Greek saying

Slogan of the year, of the decade, of the century

2009-01-04T14:27:00.003+08:00

STOP BEING STUPID

That is New York Times columnist Bob Herbert slogan for the year which is most apt for the year 2009 ever since the multiple whammy of the sub-prime crisis, failing bank crisis, failing automobile manufacturer crisis, recession, possibly depression, etc., hit the once great US of A.

Bob Herbert: "I’ve got a new year’s resolution and a new slogan for the country. Stop Being Stupid."

That is a call for Americans to be frugal and to put away the excesses of the extravagant throw-away society.

Religion - Mohandas K Gandhi

2008-12-31T15:34:00.002+08:00

A religion that takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them is no religion’.

India's father of non-violence, Mohandas K Gandhi

Bu zhe teng - Hu Jintao

2008-12-31T12:30:00.002+08:00

"Bu zhe teng" is one of the very difficult to translate Chinese saying. Some of the English translation:

"don't flip flop",
"don't get sidetracked",
"don't sway back and forth" and
"no major changes".

Ethics by Ismail Kassim

2008-12-30T20:47:00.002+08:00

“If you are not above board in your dealings, chances are you will close an eye to misdeeds by others.”

From page 225-226 of the book "No Hard Feelings: A Reporter's Memoir" by Ismail Kassim, a Singaporean Straits Times reporter in Malaysia.

UMNO saying by Ismail Kassim

2008-12-30T20:31:00.002+08:00

"To survive in Umno, you have to swim with the sharks and run with the tigers or you will be eaten up.”

Quoted on page 118 of the book "No Hard Feelings" by Ismail Kassim who was the Singapore Straits Times reporter in Malaysia. UMNO is short for United Malays National Organization, the ruling political party of Malaysia which is noted for its "money politics" which is another name for corruption.

Who is Rosak Baginda - Razak Baginda

2008-12-30T19:35:00.001+08:00

Rosak Baginda is the new nickname for Razak Baginda who was accused of abetting the murder of Altantuya the Mongolian translator cum model.

Rosak = spoilt, past expiry date.

Heavenly guidance

2008-12-30T09:05:00.001+08:00

Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
O’er the world’s tempestuous sea;
Guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us,
For we have no help but Thee.

— James Edmeston (1791-1867), England

Hypocrite by Adlai E, Stevenson

2008-12-16T10:09:00.000+08:00

A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation.

Adlai E. Stevenson.

ISA

2008-12-16T10:02:00.003+08:00

My cabinet colleagues and I gave a solemn promise to Parliament and the nation that the immense powers given to the government under the ISA (Internal Security Act) would never be used to stifle legitimate opposition and silence lawful dissent

by Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. The draconian ISA allows detention with trial but despite this reassuring undertaking, the ISA had been abused for decades to stifle political protests in Malaysia.

Who had been cox-zakied? Malaysia

2008-12-11T09:19:00.004+08:00

Someone invented the word cox-zakied inspired by coxsackie, a dreaded hand, foot and mouth disease. So who exactly had been cox-zakied? Unfortunately it is the Malaysian population upon whom is foisted a Chief Justice who also doubled up as an UMNO (United Malays National Organization) Chief Justice (Zaki Tun Azmi was an UMNO lawyer before he was parachuted into the Malaysian bench (judges)). Here is a Chief Justice who had admitted to bribing court officials to quicken and smoothen matters when he was a practicing lawyer as reported by the mainstream and online newspapers.

Einstein quote on mysticism and video

2008-11-17T14:48:00.002+08:00

Read Albert Einstein quote on mysticism while listening to the haunting music El Condor Pasa rendered with the flute:

The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mystical. It is the power of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand wrapt in awe, is as good as dead. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms - this knowldge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness.

Albert Einstein

Black and white poem

2008-11-13T22:34:00.003+08:00

When I born, I black

When I grow up, I black

When I go in Sun, I black

When I scared, I black

When I sick, I black

And when I die, I still black

And you white fellow

When you born, you pink

When you grow up, you white

When you go in sun, you red

When you cold, you blue

When you scared, you yellow

When you sick, you green

And when you die, you gray

And you calling me coloured?

Best poem by an African child

Freedom quote by Roberspierre

2008-11-13T19:15:00.003+08:00

"The law must be founded on principle. There must be absolutely no limits on liberty. In a free state, each and every citizen acts as a guardian of liberty. Everyone must be completely free to protest, in person or in print, at anything endangering liberty. If, as a consequence, public officials were to find themselves exposed to calumny, so be it. Incorruptible men, who have no other passion besides the well-being and glory of their country, do not dread the public expression of the sentiments of their fellow citizens. They know only too well that it is not easy to lose their esteem, when one can counter calumny with an irreproachable life and proof of disinterested zeal; if they are sometimes victims of a passing persecution, this is, for them, a badge of their glory, the brilliant testimony of their virtue; they rest assured with gentle confidence in the suffering of a pure conscience and the force of truth which will soon reconcile theirs with their fellow citizens."

Robespierre in his speech on freedom of the press on 7 April 1791 while addressing the Jacobin Club in Paris, France.

News quote by John b. Bogart

2008-11-11T20:57:00.001+08:00

When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But if a man bites a dog, that is news

American editor John B. Bogart.

Opportunities Crisis Chinese Saying

2008-11-11T20:37:00.001+08:00

Chinese saying "wei ji" ( 危机）

Opportunities in times of crisis

More lies, liar quote by Samuel Goh

2008-11-11T19:48:00.001+08:00

Try to live with your own guilt
Based on the lies you have built
You'll get cold sweat even with quilt
You may have to stand forever on a stilt

From a comment in Selangor Chief Police Officer lied regarding BERSIH anniversary candlelight vigil by Samuel Goh of Motivation in motion

Lies, liar quote by Samuel Goh

2008-11-11T19:43:00.002+08:00

Those who want to tell outright lies
Will have to live forever with their lies
And must have their own conscience to prick
If they continue on with their lies to stick

From a comment in Selangor Chief Police Officer lied regarding BERSIH anniversary candlelight vigil by Samuel Goh of Motivation in motion

Green lungs save lives

2008-11-09T15:40:00.003+08:00

"This study offers valuable evidence that green space does more than 'pretty up' the neighbourhood - it appears to have real effects on health inequality, of a kind that politicians and health authorities should take seriously."

Dr Terry Hartig, Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University, Sweden, in The Lancet.

"The study confirms what we have been saying for many years - parks are important for health and everyone should have access to high quality, beautiful and vibrant green spaces. "Unfortunately, despite the benefits green spaces bring to communities, our research has shown a decline in park services that has spread across more than 30 years. Despite increase recognition of their role in areas such as improved health, far too many parks teams find their revenue budgets are still under continuous threat."

David Tibbatts, from GreenSpace, a charity which promotes parks in urban areas, in the Lancet.

"Urban and roadside trees may be an under-used resource both in terms of acting as natural 'pollution monitors' and actively screening people, especially, children and the already ill, from the damaging health effects of particle pollution,"

Professor Barbara Maher, Lancaster Environment Centre.

Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7714950.stm

AIDS: New sick syndrome

2008-11-09T14:22:00.003+08:00

:im Guan Eng of DAP (Democratic Action Party) coined a new term:

AIDs - Acquired Intellectual Ideals, Ideas and Imagination Deficit syndrome

to describe the Malay chauvinists from UMNO (United Malays National Organization) and Utusan Melayu newspaper.

Books on Malaysian politics

Greeneries save lives

2008-11-09T12:42:00.001+08:00

"This study offers valuable evidence that green space does more than 'pretty up' the neighbourhood - it appears to have real effects on health inequality, of a kind that politicians and health authorities should take seriously."

Dr Terry Hartig, Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University, Sweden,
quoted in The Lancet

Constitution of Malaysia by Azhar

2008-11-09T07:26:00.002+08:00

"The tyrannical regime of Dr Mahathir Mohammad had taken away judicial power from the Court by amending the Federal Constitution. They had tried to usurp the power of the Court by ousting its power of review over ISA detentions.

But yesterday, the Court, through Justice Dato' Syed Ahmad Helmy bin Syed Ahmad, rose to reclaim it's position as the ultimate balancer; the ultimate dispenser of justice and the ultimate institution which would check and balance out the abuses and excesses of the executives."

Azhar Azizan Harun (one of the lawyers who represented RPK or Raja Petra Kamarudin in the historic trial to spring him free from the Kamunting ISA prison)

Malay proverb - leadership quote

2008-11-08T09:51:00.001+08:00

Endah negeri kerana penghulu (Great country, great leadership!)

Author unknown

Racist quote - George Wallace

2008-11-07T17:46:00.000+08:00

"In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

George Wallace
Former Governor of Alabama

Journey quote by Confucious

2008-11-07T17:42:00.000+08:00

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Confucius

2008-11-05T17:41:00.001+08:00

"Si se puede"

That is Obama's Spanish battle cry.

From Google Translate, it is in English

"If you can"

Yes we can.

Descartes said, Enviroman says

2008-10-28T16:36:00.002+08:00

Renes Descartes said "I think therefore I am"

Enviroman says: "I think therefore I reduce reuse and recycle"

Hippocratic Oath

2008-10-28T16:07:00.003+08:00

I will use treatments for the benefit of the ill in accordance with my ability and my judgment, but from what is to their harm and injustice I will keep them. In a pure and holy way, I will guard my life and my art and science. About whatever I may see or hear in treatment, or even without treatment, in the life of human beings, I will remain silent, holding such things to be unutterable.

I swear by Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath. To consider dear to me, as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and, if necessary, to share my goods with him; To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art. I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion.
But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts. I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art. In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves. All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal. If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.

Wikipedia: Hippocrates

Edmund Burke quote

2008-10-28T09:39:00.001+08:00

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

(Edmund Burke)

Jane Goodall quote

2008-10-28T09:31:00.003+08:00

Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved.

Jane Goodall

Jane is famous for working with Chimpanzees and was referring to Chimpanzees, but the quote is just as relevant for mankind who shares 99% of the DNA with Chimpanzees. Only 1% difference in DNA separate us from Chimpanzees.

Another Jane Goodall quote:

The greatest danger to our future is apathy.

More stupid Syed Hamid saying

2008-10-26T10:46:00.002+08:00

Photo of the most stupid Home Minister ever, Syed Hamid Albar courtesy of Malaysiakini

Here is another stupid saying from the most stupid Malaysian Home Minister. Syed Hamid Albar told Malaysiakini that what he need is not sympathy but understanding.

Ptui! How can we ever understand you stupid Syed Hamid Albar (also known as Syed Botak, botak meaning bald)? You make such stupid statements and carry out such stupid acts like arresting innocent people for their "safety" it is impossible to understand you. Sympathy? Who is giving you any sympathy? You a stupid Home Minister who arrest innocent people under the ISA (Internal Security Act) which allows detention without trial.

Syed Hamid Albar stupid Home Minister

2008-10-26T10:28:00.002+08:00

Photo of the most stupid Home Minister ever, Syed Hamid Albar courtesy of Malaysiakini

Doesn't he look stupid? This is the most stupid Home Minister Malaysia ever had and Syed Hamid Albar have the most stupid look that befits his stature as the most stupid Malaysian Home Minister. This is a Minister who is a trained lawyer yet have no common sense. This is a Minister who detained a journalist for reporting the truth under the ISA (Internal Security Act) and tried to explain the detention by saying (the most stupid saying I ever heard) that she was detained for her own safety, for her protection. Amazingly, after a short 24 hour detention, her safety is of no more concern for she is released. Stupid minister.

Freedom quote by ssett

2008-10-19T17:01:00.000+08:00

Man has no nature, what he has is history

- Ortega y Gassett

Feedom quote by Jean Jacques Rousseau

2008-10-19T17:00:00.001+08:00

Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains
- Jean Jacques Rousseau

10 Quotes on Failure

2008-10-19T04:51:00.001+08:00

My reputation grows with every failure.
George Bernard Shaw

* * *

Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle.
James Russell Lowell

* * *

Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.
John Dewey

* * *

You won't skid if you stay in a rut.
Kin Hubbard

* * *

There are two kinds of failures: those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought.
Laurence J. Peter

* * *

Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.
Oscar Wilde

* * *

Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied.
Pearl S. Buck

* * *

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
Robert F. Kennedy

* * *

It is a mistake to suppose that men succeed through success; they much oftener succeed through failures. Precept, study, advice, and example could never have taught them so well as failure has done.
Samuel Smiles

* * *

We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery.
Samuel Smiles

Abused by fools, praised by rouges

2008-10-18T09:15:00.000+08:00

There is more credit in being abused by fools than praised by rogues

F E Smith

Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If”

2008-10-17T22:41:00.000+08:00

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son! –Rudyard Kipling

Mother Teresa's Quote

2008-10-17T22:39:00.000+08:00

God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only requires that you try - Mother Teresa