boomp3.com What is the bloggerdygook? (Dedicated to Sulz)
Stuff that matters
“In the situations I have witnessed, there is no divine intervention. All we have is each other. We create our own problems, and it us up to us to solve them.”
James Nachtwey, anti-war documentary photographer (1999: 469)
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(updated: February 8, 2008)
Publications
Forthcoming
David, M. K., Ngeow, Y. M, Yoong, D. (fc). Gender Stereotypes in Malaysian Parliamentary Sittings: Stereotypes and Their Implications.
Yoong, D. (2008). Mixing Them Together: Interdiscursive Elements in Contemporary Animes and Mangas. La Trobe Linguistics Working Paper.
Yoong, D. (2008). Framing Poverty in Indonesia. Journal of Poverty.
Yoong, D. (2008). Standard English and Singlish: The Clash of Language Values in Contemporary Singapore. [pending]
2007
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2007). Elderspeak: Deprivation of Linguistic Human Rights?. In M. K. David (ed.) Language and Human Rights. Serdang: Universiti Putra Press.
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2007). Code-Switching in Eldercare. In S. I. Harnisch (ed.) In Memorium Rudolfo Jacobson.
Yoong, D. (2007). Rapport Building between an Uncle and Niece in a Malaysian Chinese Family. In David, M. K. (ed.). Politeness in Malaysian Family Talk. (In press).
2006
David, M. K., Jariah Mohd Jan, Kow, Y. C. and Yoong, S. C. (2006). Function and Role of Laughter in Malaysian Women’s and Men’s Talk. Multilingua 25. ISSN 0167-8507
Yoong, D. (2006). Accommodating to the Elderly in a Malaysian Geriatric Day-Care Centre: A Discourse Analysis. Unpublished Master Dissertation. Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya.
Yoong, D. (2006). Boycotting an International Tourism Company: A Critical Discourse Perspectives. In M. K. David, H. Burhanudeen, A. N. Abdullah (eds.). The Power of Language and the Media (146-161). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
Yoong, D. and David, M. K. (2006). Talking to Older Malaysians: A Case Study. Multilingua 25, 165-182. ISSN 0167-8507
Paper Presentations
2006
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2006). Applying Knowledge of Psycholinguistics in Language Teaching. Paper presented at the Universiti Sains Malaysia International Language Learning Conference (November 23-25, 2006: Batu Feringgi, Penang).
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2006). Constructive Communication in Marriage and the Family. Paper presented at the Marriage Philosophy Seminar (29-30 Mac 2006), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Vol.2 Paper 39 (12p.)
Yoong, D. (2007). Framing Poverty in Indonesia. Paper presented at the Discourse of Poverty Conference (July 19, 2007) at the Faculty of Sociology, La Trobe University, Australia.
In progress
Yoong, D. (in progress). Orders and Disorders of Discourse in the Dewan Rakyat during Question Time. Unpublished PhD Thesis. La Trobe University, Australia.
Academic activities
An abstract reviewer for the Eleventh Conference of the Foundation for Endangered Languages: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, "Working Together for Endangered Languages: Research Challenges and Social Impacts." University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 26-28 October 2007
"Kids in Congo were being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms," said British politician Oona King, who was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2005.
Iranian student sentenced to death for appearing on the cover of the Economist
Whilst I do not condone the 'liberation' of Iran with war, it must be noted that Iran is not a free country.
Check out this article in the Economics of an Iranian student protester, who was sentenced to death and tortured for appearing on the cover of the Economist. The guy escaped to America... another country with deteriorating civil liberty.
Heh. The irony.
O' fascist leaders of the world, you're miserable scumbags of the universe.
In the eighteenth century, corporations had very few of the powers that we now associate with them. They did not have limited liability. They did not have an unlimited life span. They were chartered for a limited period of time, say 10 or 20 years, and for a specific public purpose, such as building a bridge. Often a charter would require that, after a certain amount of time, the bridge or road be turned over to the state or the town in which it was built. Corporations were viewed differently in early America. They were required to serve the public good...
...Corporations had been looking for a way to control the process of state regulation and taxation. Now they were able to control it by having the federal government say you can't discriminate, when discrimination meant any rule that applied just to corporations, such as railroads...
There's a legitimate reason to be concerned about the ethics of corporatism. Sure, the article addresses corportate concerns in America, but this can also be applied elsewhere, like the Bandar Mahkota Cheras highway issue.
On a drastic scale, giving too much power to corporate entities will inevitably allow them to rob the public of their essential liberty, thus rendering the public helpless to counter the oppressive forces and hegemonic powers of corporate entities.
So really, the danger is real when people are apathetic and apolitical, and allow others to think for them.
Also related:
Fascist governments don't put troops in the streets...they work with corporations to make sure 'the wrong sort of people' do not have any economic power, and do not have anywhere to peddle their ideas.
Modern fascist states don't even bother to kill those people, and pretending they're going to show up in some stormtrooper outfit and start a gun battle with you is insane. They'll show up with a court order to evict you from your home because you failed to pay your mortgage, because pressure came from the top at your company to let you go. Or they'll just sue you and ruin your finances.
I recall the wise words of my supervisor... linguistics is useless if it is not put to good use... It must be used to promote social justice, and right wrongs.
DO SHOES determine your overall look, or is it the other way around? If you have to ask, then you’re probably not in the loop because shoes are now considered the next big thing next to bags.
This season, Charles & Keith shifts from the conventional muted and austere tones of autumn/winter to venture into a bright technicolour world for the new season. There’s a splendid array of sexy heels, wedges and pretty pumps to go with fashionable bags, belts and cool shades.
Clearly, colours are the inspiration for the season. The Spring/Summer palette is filled with vibrant scarlet red, tangerine orange hues, wasabi green, mustard yellow and rich mahogany. Ivory and earthy tones are in, too.
Substance is more important than form, and it's sad that consumerism is propagating the opposite. At the end of the day, shoes will not bring about long lasting results (if you're a sprint runner, then it's a different story).
AUSTRALIANS are abandoning the dream of home ownership in record numbers, with new figures showing a collapse in residential borrowing since the start of February...
...The figures, blamed on rising interest rates, soaring petrol prices and the sharemarket rout, have sounded alarm bells for Australia's home building industry and for the broader economy.
The slowing in residential construction predicted to flow from reduced lending could not come at a worse time, as Australia already struggles to house a booming population fuelled by the biggest migrant influx on record and a higher birth rate.
More than half of Victoria's $20 billion construction industry is residential, and any slowdown will quickly spread to manufacturing, tertiary sector employment and services, experts warn.
People locked out of home ownership due to the supply shortage and downturn in lending will be forced to rent, putting more pressure on an already tight rental market and forcing rents even higher.
"Australia has never experienced anything like it," said Craig James, chief equities economist at CommSec, referring to the collapse in home lending. "Something has to give unless you are going to have people in their 30s and 40s still living at home with mum and dad."
"The situation is unsustainable," Mr James said. "More homes will need to be built to house our growing population."
Economists blamed the bigger-than-expected decline in the number and value of new loans on higher interest rates, and the extra strain on family budgets caused by higher fuel and food prices.
If so, there's a possibility that you'd disagree with Tun Dr Mahathir in his latest blog entry.
2. It is beautiful. Unfortunately it is too small. The authorities were afraid that coral would be destroyed if a larger marina is built.
3. I am as much an environmentalist as anyone else. But if we are going to develop we have to accept prudent sacrifices.
6. Unfortunately their standard of living although higher now than before development is not as high as in Langkawi. Certain people are determined to keep these Tiomanese poor by preventing the proper development of these beautiful islands.
7. I feel sad seeing the ramshackle huts which the villages used to rent to tourists for RM 5 a night. There is no proper toilet and no bathroom.
8. They are not doing well now and many have collapsed. Yet Tioman water is very clear and tourists like to swim and snorkel there.
The island is beautiful, but development and a surge of tourist influx to the island will destroy it. What is needed to elevate poverty however, is a sound business education. The locals can use a different business model, one that attracts tourists in accordance to supply and demands without compromising or having to sacrifice nature e.g. increase rentals of chalets, and increase the prices of food. For the record, I've NEVER ever come across any RM5 per night shack. The standards back in 2004 were RM35-RM50 pernight. Mind you, my friend and I trekked from one part of the island to the other in search of good (i.e. cheap) accommodation. Sanitary is also quite adequate at the low end chalets.
Haiyoh. What la. Don't develop Tioman. It will destroy the island. :(
McCain jokes about killing Iranians with cigarettes Tue Jul 8, 2008 8:26pm EDT
PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Presidential candidate John McCain, who once sang in jest about bombing Iran, on Tuesday reacted to a report of rising U.S. cigarette exports to the country by saying it may be "a way of killing 'em."
McCain, known for acerbic comments and for sometimes firing verbally from the hip, was responding to a report that U.S. exports to Iran rose tenfold during President George W. Bush's term in office despite hostility between the two states.
A rise in cigarette sales was a big part of that, according to an Associated Press analysis of seven years of U.S. trade figures.
"Maybe that's a way of killing 'em," McCain said to reporters during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh. "I meant that as a joke, as a person who hasn't had a cigarette in 28 years, 29 years," he added, laughing.
He declined further comment on the report.
At a campaign meeting in South Carolina last year the Arizona senator, asked if there is a plan to attack Iran, began his answer with a variation on the lyrics of a well-known pop song, Barbara Ann.
"You know that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran?" he said, then sang "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran" before discussing what he considered Iran's serious threat to Israel and international security.
There's nothing funny about the 'joke.' Obviously, he has little respect for Iran.
...We're from the Fiesta Committee, the external committee made up of 8 (yes, count them) Malaysian student clubs including MASCA (Malaysia Students Council of Australia), KUAM (Kelab UMNO Australia Melbourne), MoMU (Malaysians of Melbourne Uni), MASS Caulfield (Malaysian Students Society Caulfield), MSA La Trobe (Malaysian Students Association La Trobe), KDMM (Kelab Dewan Malaysia Melbourne), Petrovic (Petronas Victoria Club) and ASDS (Australian Sime Darby Scholars).
We're organizing Fiesta Malaysia this year, an Independence Day celebration this 31st of August, which will feature cultural performances, interactive events and of course, food...
Whilst some may condemn the poor chap as an illegal immigrant or law-breaker, it's a sad tragic end to a guy looking to improve his social economic standing... but then again, can't comment much. I hardly know the guy.
MELBOURNE: A Malaysian who overstayed his visa drowned in the Murray River in South Australia after police tried to subdue him with capsicum spray, an inquest in Adelaide was told.
Chan Wah Aun, 27, who was staying illegally near Adelaide, had been told by a friend to “just run away” when approached by the officers, The Australian newspaper reported.
Chan died on or about Sept 11, 2006 after he was pulled over for a random breath test outside Waikerie, 175km northeast of Adelaide.
Police questioned Chan, who had arrived in Australia from Malaysia in May of that year, and an immigration check showed he had overstayed his visa.
Chan had been working at a Waikerie meatworks, breaching his visa’s condition not to take up employment.
South Australian Coroner Mark Johns heard that Chan had been speaking on his mobile phone to a friend while at the random breath test unit, asking the friend if police would shoot him if he tried to run.
“If you get the chance to run, just run away,” the friend reportedly told Chan, saying that he would not be shot unless he was violent.
The court heard that Chan then struggled when police arrested him as an unlawful non-citizen.
Chan “became violent”, leading the police officers to use capsicum spray.
He broke away and escaped, running towards a cliff top by the river.
Nine days later, two men fishing found his body floating face down near the cliffs.
The coroner will deliver his findings at a later date. – Bernama
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- With oil near record highs, the Persian Gulf is awash in cash, stimulating a return to some very conspicuous consumption.
Ferrari S.p.A. says sales in the Middle East leapt 32% last year. BMW Group's Rolls-Royce Motor Cars says the UAE, a country with a population of just 4.6 million, is now one of its top five global markets. All those expensive cars clogging the roads have given rise to another must-have status symbol: a prestigious license-plate number.
"Everyone has a nice watch, a nice car," says Abdullah Al-Mannaei, organizer of the city government's monthly auction of desirable numbers. "It's not enough to just have a Ferrari anymore."
Hundreds of men in starched robes descend on an opulent hotel here to vie for the most distinguished digits. Earlier this year, Abu Dhabi businessman Saeed Khouri made headlines and the Guinness Book of World Records when he paid $14 million for the tag simply sporting a "1." (The auction1 can be viewed on YouTube.) His cousin, stockbroker Talal Khouri, paid $9 million for "5" -- the second-largest sum ever paid for a license plate.
And here I thought Islam promotes a religious form of economic socialism. WTF is wrong with these rich 'holey boeys'? Can't they see that many of their brethrens are ACTUALLY living in poverty (think: African Muslims in Mogadishu and Indonesian Muslims in Jakarta)?
What happened to the notions of living in moderation?
"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from his government"
Do you know who said this?
Thomas Paine, a radical Englishman whom (not surprisingly) the French and British governments declared dangerous. Yet, he was a hero to many, especially to young America.
Quit bastardising the statutory declarations! Present hard facts! Documents! Papers! Pictures!
As they say, words are cheap without solid backing.
Even if Mr Bala has been threatened, I don't think it's in the favour of the powers-that-be to carry out any action because this is a high profile case and Mr Bala is a very important witness.
One of the two choices, and the one chosen so often by government in the past is that of rejecting the principles of liberty and resorting to even bigger and more authoritarian government. Some argue that giving dictatorial powers to the President, just as we have allowed him to run the American empire, is what we should do. That’s the great danger, and in this post-911 atmosphere, too many Americans are seeking safety over freedom. We have already lost too many of our personal liberties already. Real fear of economic collapse could prompt central planners to act to such a degree that the New Deal of the 30’s might look like Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence.
The more the government is allowed to do in taking over and running the economy, the deeper the depression gets and the longer it lasts. That was the story of the 30ss and the early 40s, and the same mistakes are likely to be made again if we do not wake up.
But the good news is that it need not be so bad if we do the right thing. I saw “Something Big” happening in the past 18 months on the campaign trail. I was encouraged that we are capable of waking up and doing the right thing. I have literally met thousands of high school and college kids who are quite willing to accept the challenge and responsibility of a free society and reject the cradle-to-grave welfare that is promised them by so many do-good politicians.
If more hear the message of liberty, more will join in this effort. The failure of our foreign policy, welfare system, and monetary policies and virtually all government solutions are so readily apparent, it doesn’t take that much convincing. But the positive message of how freedom works and why it’s possible is what is urgently needed.
One of the best parts of accepting self reliance in a free society is that true personal satisfaction with one’s own life can be achieved. This doesn’t happen when the government assumes the role of guardian, parent or provider, because it eliminates a sense of pride. But the real problem is the government can’t provide the safety and economic security that it claims. The so-called good that government claims it can deliver is always achieved at the expense of someone else’s freedom. It’s a failed system and the young people know it.
Restoring a free society doesn’t eliminate the need to get our house in order and to pay for the extravagant spending. But the pain would not be long-lasting if we did the right things, and best of all the empire would have to end for financial reasons. Our wars would stop, the attack on civil liberties would cease, and prosperity would return. The choices are clear: it shouldn’t be difficult, but the big event now unfolding gives us a great opportunity to reverse the tide and resume the truly great American Revolution started in 1776. Opportunity knocks in spite of the urgency and the dangers we face.
25.2 Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak informed Abdul Razak Baginda that he had a sexual relationship with Aminah and that she was susceptible to anal intercourse.
Damn disgusting leh... The anus is so full of bacteria and poking that area is so...
Epic gross. Period.
And you know, I get turned off by porn featuring anal sex, including anal-oral sex.
*VOMIT*
And for guys having their members covered with shit after their moment of estacy is up is even more disgusting.
Soon after the KLCI opened, down 0.37 point to 1,153.33 on some selling, the system went kaput...
...Right now, the DPM and his wife are still plagued by the Mongolian affair, the IGP and the AG are implicated for punishable crime, Anwar Ibrahim is implicated in a politically crippling act, two senior Umno ministers have been identified for political crucifixion, the Sabahan leaders are waiting to bite the right piece of bait -- while the PM is said to be immobilised in anticipation of life thereafter.
Is Malaysia about to plunge into a state of Emergency? Eyebrows were raised when people heard IGP Musa Hassan said yesterday that the police and the armed forces will be holding a joint public order exercise until Monday and the military will be called in to maintain public order if the security situation in Malaysia deteriorates.
Muslims outraged at police advert featuring cute puppy sitting in policeman's hat
A postcard featuring a cute puppy sitting in a policeman's hat advertising a Scottish police force's new telephone number has sparked outrage from Muslims.
Tayside Police's new non-emergency phone number has prompted complaints from members of the Islamic community.
The choice of image on the Tayside Police cards - a black dog sitting in a police officer's hat - has now been raised with Chief Constable John Vine.
The advert has upset Muslims because dogs are considered ritually unclean and has sparked such anger that some shopkeepers in Dundee have refused to display the advert.
Dundee councillor Mohammed Asif said: 'My concern was that it's not welcomed by all communities, with the dog on the cards.
'It was probably a waste of resources going to these communities.
'They (the police) should have understood. Since then, the police have explained that it was an oversight on their part, and that if they'd seen it was going to cause upset they wouldn't have done it.'...
... Cards featuring police dog-in-training Rebel have been distributed to communities throughout the area to advertise the single number point of contact for non-emergency calls to the police.
Rebel has proved a popular recruit for Tayside Police after coming through the very first Lothian and Borders Police dog-breeding programme in February.
One of seven German Shepherd pups born in early December, he has now completed his course of inoculations, and is free to venture out onto the streets of Tayside.
A spokesman for Tayside Police said: 'Trainee police dog Rebel has proved extremely popular with children and adults since being introduced to the public, aged six weeks old, as Tayside Police's newest canine recruit.
'His incredible world-wide popularity - he has attracted record visitor numbers to our website - led us to believe Rebel could play a starring role in the promotion of our non-emergency number...
