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GMail provides a warning if it suspects that the sender is trying to pretend to be your friend and is actually phishing for info. Unfortunately, in this particular case, it was someone whom I know!
Technology’s not perfect, yet.
Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email Isn’t this seditious? 🙂
Another motion adopted by the meeting called on the Government to review the education system and the abolition of vernacular schools.
Under the motion proposed by the Pulai division, the movement wanted the dual school system to be changed and replaced by a more suitable system that was acceptable to all races and with Bahasa Malaysia as its medium of instruction.
Anyway, this idea has been bandied about for ages now. The problem would be “replaced by a more suitable system” as mentioned above. It will be hard to compromise – for example, would there be Saraswathy Pooja prayers in national schools? Can organise Kabadi contest? Can the Chinese students bring non-halal food to school? Can celebrate Mooncake Festival? Guaranteed vernacular language class during normal hours regardless of the number of students? The staff of current vernacular schools given similar positions in new schools? No discrimination in the use of resources in school? A lot of the “freedom” would dissappear when the schools are abolished.
I think an independent team should be set up to interview and research on the Wawasan schools to see the issues that occur there. From use of common facilities to bringing food to school.
Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email If earlier report said only 30% of buildings in Klang Valley was exposed to earthquake damage, the report by Assoc Prof Taksiah Abdul Majid, supervisor of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)’s Disaster Research Unit is terrifying!
She said that less than one percent of buildings in Malaysia are built according to specifications that take earthquakes into consideration!
Taksiah, who is a leading researcher in earthquakes, said from the unit’s research most buildings did not take the earthquake factor into consideration assuming that Malaysia was not exposed to the risk of earthquakes.“Malaysia rarely experiences strong earthquakes and that factor causes many specifications for building construction to pay not much attention to earthquakes.
“However, we cannot be complacent as Kuala Lumpur is just 300km from Sumatra which frequently experiences strong earthquakes,” she said.
She said among buildings that followed specifications related to earthquakes were the Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers, the Penang Bridge and the Komtar building.
Taksiah said her unit was preparing building guidelines to be forwarded to the government in efforts to ensure that every building took into consideration the risk of earthquakes.
“The guidelines have been drawn up and are in the process of final checking before being forwarded to parties involved and so that proactive steps towards preventing an unforseen incident can be implemented,” she said.
Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email MIC announced that its Deepavali open house will be on 17th October (Deepavali day) from 10am till 1pm at Dewan Merdeka, PWTC, KL.
This made me think – when/where is the open house by the other political parties with Indian members? DAP, Gerakan, PPP, IPF, MIUP, HRP, MINDRAF, PAS (its supporters club!). Don’t tell me only MIC organising open house. CNY time, DAP and Gerakan got do open house. This time how?
If discrimination like this means not fair la to the Malaysians community. We want to go to many, many open house and eat, eat alot alot! 🙂
Note: hopefully the organisers will be sensitive and not serve beef or cow head! Or better still make a vegetarian affair… LOL!
Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email Ms Sudha Devi, career diplomat, a role model for women in Malaysia:
Malaysian women diplomats are often an unsung force but behind the scenes, their numbers are growing steadily and more are making it to the top rung as ambassadors.
The latest in the line that traces back to the much often mentioned PG Lim is a Kulim-born economics graduate who will head for the world’s fifth largest country and one of the most watched global emerging market.
Meet V Sudha Devi, career diplomat, wife and mother of two teenagers.
Sudha Devi received her letter of appointment from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Oct 7 to replace the retired Ismail Mustapha as Malaysia’s ambassador to Brazil which is gearing up to host the 2014 football World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.
“I am honoured with the appointment, it’s a big trust by the government. I am excited; there will be challenges because Brazil is a big player in Latin America and an emerging economic power in the world,” said the 49-year-old envoy who has had postings to Switzerland, Singapore and Germany in her 23 years so far with Wisma Putra.
The first-time ambassador told Bernama her appointment underlined the equal opportunities for women in the Malaysian foreign service, which she joined in 1986 after undergoing the elite Administrative and Diplomatic Corps (PTD) training.
Debunking the perception that a career with Wisma Putra was for single or divorced women, Sudha Devi said there were many like her who had supportive spouses and juggled the job successfully with a family.
“I have my two children with me throughout my foreign postings but I would not have been able to do it without the support of my husband,” she said, crediting spouse Art Thamboo, a former journalist turned media practitioner.
The Internet and Skype enabled their children, a son and a daughter, to speak to their father in Kuala Lumpur daily when they were abroad.
Women now make up a third of officers in the ministry and 15 percent of the top posts in over 100 Malaysian missions and consulates worldwide, she added.
Currently, woman envoys are heading missions that include The Hague, Poland, Romania, Vietnam, Senegal and Croatia.
Women have more than doubled
“The number of Malaysian woman ambassadors may seem small compared to those in some countries but this has nothing to do with a lack of opportunities.“The foreign service here was very much male-dominated before but the number of women have more than doubled since I first came here,” said Sudha Devi.
A former student of St Anne’s Convent and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Badlishah in Kulim, Sudha Devi takes to her new post a depth in multilateral and bilateral affairs and an economics degree from University Malaya.
“Unlike in the past when politics dominated, economic matters have become a key part of our duties to help boost trade for the country,” said Sudha Devi.
For that, she is making it a priority to learn Portuguese, the dominant language in Brazil, to help her network and add to her knowledge of French and German.
Prior to Brazil, she was the deputy director-general of the Malaysian secretariat for Asean.
Sudha Devi had also served as second secretary at the Malaysia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, first secretary at the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore and minister counsellor with the Malaysian Embassy in Berlin.
During one of her home stints, she was dubbed the “Queen of Sheba”, a nickname that still tickles her.
“I was handling the African desk for countries south of the Sahara and there were 42 countries, all under my watch,” she said.
“But it has been good training, in Wisma, it is all about training. We are taught not only diplomatic skills but to hone our knowledge and adaptability for all kinds of situations,” she said.
The Malaysian embassy in Brazil was established in 1981. – Bernama
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