LOS ANGELES – In a report by The WhiteHaven News, Michael Korwin-Granford and his Filipina wife of 20 years, Lilia, were on their way home on Cambridge Road, Hensingham, England when two men and a woman  began to shout, calling Lilia a “Chinese Bitch” and making lewd remarks about their personal lives. As soon as they got home, the Korwin-Granfords reported the matter to the police.

A few days ago, the two men responsible for the attack - Victor Davidson, 19, of Ehen Road, Cleator Moor, and Renwick Nathan Dockwray, 20, of The Oval, Mirehouse  - were found guilty of making insulting and racially-aggravated comments following a trial at Whitehaven Magistrates Court. They will be sentenced by a judge at Carlisle Crown Court on May 30.

Lilia broke down in tears at the witness stand when she recalled the incident. She added that the type of racial abuse she and her family had to endure was common in the Hensingham area, according to Whitehaven News.

In an article which appeared at a local newspaper in Cumbria, News and Star, Mr. Korwin-Granford says it is time to take a stand against society’s decline.

“I feel my case is not a one-off – there are many elderly people living in fear in this area, but also in the UK. It’s a yob society. (Yob is an English slang referring to the uncouth and thugs- AJ) Why should people have to live in fear? I’m hoping I can give people courage to stand up to these people. Teenagers – and even kids as young at nine – are out until 2am, but where are their parents? What’s happened to the responsibility of parents and where are the traditional family values?” added Korwin-Granford.

Lilia, who works for Cumbria Care, has been married to Korwin-Granford for more than two decades and yet still suffers from racial discrimination. Her husband admitted that he had his third heart attack last week as a result of the anxiety over the court case.

“Believe it or not a mixed marriage in this day and age is considered unacceptable. I’m an outcast. Some people don’t seem to comprehend that we don’t look at nationality. We look at people. We’ve been married 20 years and I don’t think of my wife as anything other than my wife,” said Lilia’s 62-year old husband.

Korwin-Granford revealed that Davidson and Dockwray were given the chance to apologize so that the case would not have to go to court but they denied the offence.

“When it came to being genuinely sorry they couldn’t find it in themselves. Sorry is not part of their make-up,” he told the News and Star.

(www.asianjournal.com)

 I just heard on the Democratic Voice of Burma about reports of obstructing, confiscating and insulting of SPDC Military authorities to the Burmese Muslims rice doners from Daunt Tan Mosque.

•  Those Burmese Muslims were just only trying to distribute rice bags to the cyclone victims.
• SPDC authorities stopped them and told them that INDIANS are not allowed to donate personally to the victims.
• They confiscated all the donations and said they, military authorities themselves would distribute (donate) to the victims.

 What a sparrow mind they have!

 There are reports that even ‘part of the international aids’ only are labeled as donations from the generals and distributed to the refugees.

• Please notice that ‘part of the international aids’ only reached the victims.
• Wives of the generals are rumored to keep the best and each and every level of military authorities would take the rare chance to choose what they want, some for use and some for resale.

Myanmar/Burmese roots is the mixture of_

1. Pyu (Hindu-Indians)
2. Kan Yan (Tibeto-Burmans, migrants from China, Yanze/Yellow River area.)

3. Thet (Sino-Shan migrants from Yunnan)

SPDC Generals are all mixed blooded early migrants and they are shamelessly practicing Apartheid system in Myanmar.

Please read this letter to the Malaysiakini by Kin Kok Low, Let me tell you about 'brain drain'

I was born in 1949 in Penang when the white men were still the colonial masters of Malaya. During that time there were only two types of people - the British who were the imperial masters and Malayans of different ethnic backgrounds who were the 'ruled'. We called the British ‘Sir’ or ‘Tuan’ - in our own country! My dad worked for Sime Darby (owned by the British then). He was 'exploited' by the boss. He retired after 35 years with the company with very little savings.

I grew up in a slum area in Penang (Dato Keramat Road). Next to our slum was a Malay kampung. We little boys knew we (the Chinese and Malays) were different. But not that much different. We played football, flew kites and catched peacock fish together. We had our little boys fight but our parents never come out with a parang or kung fu knives to kill each other. A few days later we again played tops or badminton together.

To cut the story short, I was fortunate to attend my secondary education at the Penang Free School, passed my HSC and given a state scholarship (the chief minister that time was Dr Lim Chong Yew) to study economics at the University of Malaya. My second day at UM was May 13, 1969. Suddenly, we (Malay and Chinese students) found we were very different. We became suspicious of each other. We gathered in ethnic groups. My childhood friend, Adenan was a clerk working for the HSBC bank. But we were still friends. Our naive minds could not understand why the Malays and Chinese could not live together like Adenan and me.

I graduated and did not take up teaching as required by my scholarship. But I paid back the scholarship money to the government. I joined Malayawata and later in 1975 the Chase Manhattan Bank. During this period I saw the impact of the NEP, the separation of Malaysians based on race, religion, colour and political affiliation. It pained me to see all these. I was a fifth-generation of Chinese Malaysian. My roots were in Malaysia. Malaysia was the country I was brought up and thought I had a future in.

China was not an option for me. I was poor like my Malay friend in Dato Keramat Road. Why discriminate based on race? Why not discriminate bases on social class? There are rich and poor Malays. Likewise there are rich and poor non-Malays. Why can a rich Malay kid receive support (scholarship, allowed to go to university) while a poor non-Malay kid is not given the opportunity? I was born a Malaysian and Malaysia was my country. There was no other country.

I got married and have two wonderful children. Both my wife and I had very successful careers. By 1989, we could experience the intensity of the separation of the races with the onslaught of the NEP. I still have many Malay and Indian friends. In 1989 we decided - for the sake of our children - that we need to go out to have a look at other countries. China was not in our mind as a place we wanted to emigrate. We came to Australia. We all like it.

The good thing about Australia is that when you first meet the immigration officer he says, ‘Welcome to Australia’. The customs officer did not hustle us. We looked at some of the schools for our children. The teachers welcomed our children even though we had not registered them. We went to the government departments and people lined up. There is no ‘cutting the line’. All are served irrespective of their race and the government officer even smiles!

We returned to Malaysia and applied for Australian permanent residency. In 1992, my wife and I left our two very wonderful jobs and with our teenaged children, emigrated to Australia. The first year was a struggle for me as I could not find job. In 1992, Australia had the recession it needed to have. I subsequently found a job and career. Our kids went to school, to university (both received scholarships) and both are now successful bankers. I am still working at 59. I work for a US company.

For our Australian operations we have a country manager who is a French Australian, a general manager who is Anglo Saxon Australian and a finance manager who is an Indian from South Africa. I am the human resources manager and I am ethnically, Chinese. I have an American and a white Australian reporting to me. We have more than 20 different ethnic groups working in our company. We are very different culturally, religiously and socially. But when we come to work we work for one company in one country.

Why do I want to tell my story? Because this is the same story of many qualified, experienced Malaysians now living in Australia, New Zealand, the US, the UK, Singapore and even China. Malaysia is losing very talented people. Talent which is short supply in the world.

As an economist once said, ‘It is better to have 30% of 1,000 than 90% of 200'.

The rally comes on the heels of several investigations into accusations of unfair treatment and racial discrimination involving city employees. Some complaints were from other city employees, while others were from private citizens.

In reading their website, I found out that the civil rights group has chapters all over the country, with a Tennessee chapter based in Memphis.

No chance of meeting Al tonight, though. He'll be in New York City conducting a citywide "slowdown" and "pray-in" to protest the Sean Bell shooting that happened in 2006.

I expect a lot of local media will be at the protest tonight. You might want to steer clear of Murfreesboro Road around City Hall from about 6pm-8pm.

By JustMyTruth

Those who advocate for amnesty for illegal aliens would have you believe that anyone who wants them OUT of this country is both a racist and may be capable of committing hate crimes. It simply isn't so. This is their only way of defending a position that is indefensible. This is a country of LAWS/RULES and they are advocating that we abolish those laws/rules, or stop enforce existing laws/rules in order to accept those into our society who have broken our laws just by being here.

One other thing that seems to be a favorite of pro-illegal aliens is the forgetting of the term ILLEGAL in front of IMMIGRANT as though these were just legal immigrants that made a mistake or something. Ya, right. Or the term Human Migration as a justification for illegal alien movement. Sorry guys. A study done by those terms is not a justification for breaking KNOWN laws and customs.

If you have to justify a thing, you already KNOW it is wrong!

Merriam-Webster defines racism this way:

racism

Function:

noun

Date:

1933

1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race

2 : racial prejudice or discrimination

— rac·ist noun or adjective

Now, if I was a racist, wouldn't I demand that ALL Hispanic people leave the country not just those here illegally?  I mean, think about it.  That is the meaning of Racism isn't it?

Obviously for most of us this doesn't apply. Certainly not to myself for although I don't want illegal aliens in this country I do not feel superior to them or anyone else. Now, it is admitted that most of the illegals in this country come here from Mexico. But not wanting illegals here doesn't make you a racist as defined above. It says that it is only ONE race you dislike, hate or feel superior towards. That is silly. It is not discrimination to want those breaking our laws/rules to be deported back to their native countries. Nor is it being prejudiced to want our laws enforced.

I feel the same way about ANY ILLEGAL regardless of nationality. So let's look at the definition of Hate Crimes as defined by Merriam-Webster:

hate crimes

One entry found.
hate crimehate crime

Function:

noun

Date:

1984

: any of various crimes (as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation)

Here again we have a definition that doesn't apply since NOWHERE in my posts do I advocate violence against any individual, color, race, gender or those of a certain sexual orientation. On the contrary, you can look in any post I've done on illegal aliens and see that I advocate calling law enforcement. That doesn't promote a hate crime. Sorry to tell you that guys.

One other name I've been called recently was a xenophobic. Interesting but again, untrue. Here is the definition of that term as defined by Merriam-Webster:

xenophobic
One entry found.
xenophobe

Pronunciation:
\ˈze-nə-ˌfōb, ˈzē-\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
International Scientific Vocabulary
Date:
1922

: one unduly fearful of what is foreign and especially of people of foreign origin

This is plainly ridiculous. I do not fear Illegal aliens/Immigrants. My mother was Swiss, immigrated here legally at age 19 and became a citizen at 21 after which she married my father who was a citizen. I have relatives that live in Europe and Asia. I have a cousin who married into an Hispanic family and we were very close while I grew up. This has nothing to do with any of the names these folks are calling us. It DOES have to do with emotional blackmail so that you will feel guilty for wanting ILLEGAL ALIENS out of this country...

The reality is that their position is indefensible and their only way to get around that is by calling you names and manipulating you to the point where you feel guilty about your views. Well, sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me. Emotional blackmail just doesn't work on me. It never has and never will. I'm sure other people are not so lucky though and this emotional blackmail works well on them.

Emotional blackmail equates to the use of fear AND/OR guilt emotions to MANIPULATE YOU! This is their leverage against anything you have to say about ILLEGAL ALIENS. It is the only thing THEY CAN SAY and they will use this as many times as they can to force you into changing your stance. But it isn't real and IT DOESN'T MAKE IT TRUE. It has no bearing under the Laws/rules of this country or any other country.

Wherever you go in this life, whatever you do, there are rules to be obeyed. These are not optional parameters that can be junked at the whim of the individual. And while they can be changed, UNTIL they are changed, they are NOT OPTIONAL. Those using emotional blackmail would have you believe that rules are optional and that so long as you feel sorry for those "less privileged than yourself", it is all ok. Not so... And those facilitating the breaking of these rules are also breaking the RULES of the land. They should be held accountable and prosecuted... That includes the Mayors, Governors, etc. of any City that is a sanctuary City.

They would also have you believe that because of certain acts committed against other governments by THIS GOVERNMENT, or those working for this government, we are therefore responsible for those that are FORCED to come to this country ILLEGALLY. Again, application for LEGAL immigration has MANY avenues including amnesty from repressive governments or those who fear for their lives from their governments. There is no reason we should be FORCED to allow ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS or ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION into this country. More emotional blackmail...

Those who are pro-amnesty/pro-illegal alien cannot dispute these facts and so resort to name-calling and other abusive practices for which they accuse us of. Kind of ironic I think...

OK, so you bought into their bullshit and you don't want to be a racist, a hate-crime advocate, a xenophobe? So what else is there to do? Go after those who hire illegals or allow illegals to rent from them. Let's change the laws here so that those who do these things face federal prison terms of no less than 20 years. If these illegals have no place to work and no place to live, chances are, they will return home or not come here in the fist place.

So, how does one go about changing Laws? Citizen petitions are a good way to start. Getting together with like-minded individuals and contacting legislators with your petitions is the only way to change existing laws in this country. I do know that these things work though.

In going after employers and those who rent to illegals, we will take the emotional blackmail card away from those who claim this is a race issue. I don't like being called names anymore than anyone else does. I also don't like having my intelligence insulted either. And I don't believe in mob rule.

Anger at a situation doesn't equate to violence against a person or place. And I am angry at the whole thing, at our government's refusal to enforce the laws, or secure our borders, or stand behind those who DO secure our borders, and sanctuary cities who seem to think they are above the laws of the land. THESE things make me angry. And nowhere in there is that anger directed at a person or advocating violence against illegals.

Here are the definitions for Immigrant; Illegal Immigrant; Illegal Alien etc...

These related terms are often used in deliberately confusing and conflicting ways. Here is a set of definitions that will help you sort out the difference.

IMMIGRANT: In popular usage, an "immigrant" is generally understood to be a person who migrates to another country, usually for permanent residence. Under this definition, therefore, an "immigrant" is an alien admitted to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident. The emphasis in this definition is upon the presumptions that

(1) the immigrant followed U.S. laws and procedures in establishing residence in our country;

(2) he or she wishes to reside here permanently; and

(3) he or she swears allegiance to our country or at least solemnly affirms that he/she will observe and respect our laws and our Constitution.

ALIEN: By contrast, an "alien" is generally understood to be a foreigner -- a person who comes from a foreign country -- who does not owe allegiance to our country.

ILLEGAL ALIEN: An "illegal alien" is a foreigner who

(1) does not owe allegiance to our country; and

(2) who has violated our laws and customs in establishing residence in our country. He or she is therefore a criminal under applicable U.S. laws.

The term "illegal alien" is used by U.S. citizens who believe that non-citizens entering our country must comply with our immigration laws.

The term "illegal alien" is predicated upon U.S. immigration law which requires foreigners entering the U.S. to comply with our country's rules and laws regarding entry into, and residence within, our country.

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT: An "undocumented immigrant" is the same as an "illegal alien", and is a criminal under applicable U.S. laws.

Most U.S. citizens do not use the term "undocumented immigrant" and prefer, instead, the more descriptive and accurate term "illegal alien".

The term "undocumented immigrant" is used by those who believe in "open borders", i.e., non-regulation of foreigners entering into and assuming residence in the U.S., including even those foreigners who owe allegiance to a foreign government and/or who may intend harm to the U.S.

I do not know how much clearer things can be. In order to advocate for illegal aliens in this country you have to advocate for the breaking of U.S. Laws. I cannot do that. I believe in the rule of Law. I believe that laws are good for us. And I believe that you either obey ALL Laws or you obey NONE. But you can't have it both ways.

Going after employers of Illegal aliens and those who rent to them or harbor them will be a start to closing our borders.

This is not to say that TRADE is not a good thing, it is. However free trade has proven itself to be a horrible thing for all the countries involved. Let's shut down NAFTA, CAFTA and any other AFTA they can come up with. SPP is another plan that has got to be stopped. It is bad for everyone.

Posted by Marina Mahathier

We're not the only people in the world grappling with the issues of race.

I thought this article has some resonance at home too.

Editorial Observer, "Race and the Social Contract"

by Eduardo Porter, The New York Times

In 1893, Friedrich Engels wrote from London to Friedrich Adolph Sorge, another German Communist then living in New York, lamenting how America’s diversity hindered efforts to establish a workers’ party in the United States. Was it possible to unify Poles, Germans, Irish, "the many small groups, each of which understands only itself"? All the bourgeoisie had to do was wait, "and the dissimilar elements of the working class fall apart again."

America’s mix of peoples has changed in its 200-plus years. Yet when Barack Obama delivered his bracing speech on race, he was grappling with a similar challenge.

"Realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams," he said. "Investing in the health, welfare and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper."

It is a tall order. Ten years ago, William Julius Wilson wrote that American whites rebelled against welfare because they saw it as using their hard-earned taxes to give blacks "medical and legal services that many of them could not afford for their own families."

As obviously sensible as Mr. Obama’s proposition might be in a nation of as many hues, tongues and creeds as the United States, it struggles against self-defeating human behavior: racial and ethnic diversity undermine support for public investment in social welfare. For all the appeal of America’s melting pot, the country’s diverse ethnic mix is one main reason for entrenched opposition to public spending on the public good.

Among the 30 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a club of industrial countries, only Mexicans, Koreans and Greeks pay less in taxes than Americans, as a share of the economy. The United States also ranks near the bottom on public spending on social programs: 19 percent of the nation’s total output in 2003, compared with 29 percent in Sweden, 23 percent in Portugal and almost 30 percent in France.

The Harvard economists Alberto Alesina and Edward Glaeser correlated public spending in Western Europe and the United States with diversity and concluded that half the social-spending gap was due to the United States’ more varied racial and ethnic mix. The other half was mostly due to the existence of stronger left-wing parties in Europe.

Americans are not less generous than Europeans. When private charities are included, they probably spend more money for social purposes than Europeans do. But philanthropy allows them to target spending on those they personally believe are deserving, instead of allowing the government to choose.

Mr. Glaeser’s and Mr. Alesina’s work suggests that white Europeans support a big welfare state because they believe the money will probably go to other white Europeans. In America, the Harvard economist Erzo F. P. Luttmer found that support for social spending among respondents to General Social Survey polls increased in tandem with the share of welfare recipients in the area who were in their own racial group. A study of charity by Daniel Hungerman, a Notre Dame economist, found that all-white congregations become less charitably active as the share of black residents in the local community grows.

This breakdown of solidarity should be unacceptable in a country that is, after all, mainly a nation of immigrants, glued together by a common project and many shared values. The United States has showed an unparalleled capacity to pull together in challenging times. Americans have invested blood and treasure to serve a broad national purpose and to rescue and protect their allies across the Atlantic.

Still, racial and ethnic antagonism all too frequently limit generosity at home. In one study, Mr. Alesina, with Reza Baqir of the International Monetary Fund and William Easterly of New York University, found that the share of municipal spending in the United States devoted to social good — roads, sewage, education and trash clearance— was smaller in more racially diverse cities.

While this tension manifests mainly along racial lines, it has broader ethnic, religious and even linguistic dimensions. A 2003 study by Julian Betts of the University of California, San Diego, and Robert Fairlie of the University of California, Santa Cruz, found that for every four immigrants who arrived in public high schools, one native student switched to a private school.

Politicians, from Richard Nixon to Tom Tancredo, have long exploited racial tensions. But there is nothing inevitable about ethnic animosities, as Senator Obama argued in his speech, which came at an important moment.

Globalization presents the United States with an enormous challenge. Rising to the test will require big investments in the public good — from infrastructure to education to a safety net protecting those most vulnerable to change. Americans must once again show their ability to transcend group interests for a common national cause.

I know that my last entry is sort of like a cliff-hanger. But it's not. The truth is, I wrote something that I shouldn't have. It's just a very inappropriate thing to write in a blog. So a few minutes after posting my blog entry, I decided to delete more than half of it. I placed (...) in the end because it's an unfinished entry. If you're wondering what the deleted part was about, well, all I can say is that it had something to do with the my latest drama obsession: "Ashita no Kita Yoshio".

Anyway, I went out again yesterday. I just couldn't resist going out to watch "The Forbidden Kingdom". Chinese kung-fu is one of my obsessions. My dad is a huge kung-fu movie fanatic. He always brought new kung-fu movies whenever he comes home every year. So I've been watching them for as long as I could remember. In fact, I just watched the 1982 Yuen Woo ping film "Huo Yuan-Jia" the other day. I've seen it long ago when I was a kid but I decided to watch it again. No matter how cheesy they seem, you just can't beat the classics. Besides "Huo Yuan-Jia" is one of my favorites because the mentor of the main protagonist is a Japanese man (Kurata Yasuaki). So it's like blending the two cultures and fighting styles. But when it comes to my favorite kung-fu movie actors, I'm just like everyone else my age: I love Jackie Chan and Jet Li. There are lots of pretty decent kung-fu movie actors out there but those two are the most entertaining. I've seen almost all of their movies even the really old ones. So, you could imagine how excited I was when I heard about Forbidden Kingdom. It's the most awaited reunion of two Kung-fu movie giants. In my opinion, this reunion is way overdue. People have been waiting for this ages ago. That's why my expectations for this movie are very very high.

And it turned out to be as entertaining as I expected it to be. Jackie Chan and Jet Li were both really fun to watch. Plus, seeing them together in a movie seemed unreal. As for the kung-fu aspect, well, with Yuen Woo ping as the fight choreographer I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. And I was right! This movie is filled with lots of really cool and classic kung-fu moves. It's like seeing a combination of different kung-fu movies. Jackie Chan stepped into his "Drunken Master" shoes again and he's just as entertaining as he was in the 1973 film. And Jet Li looked like he just stepped out of one of his "Once Upon a Time in China" movies. It's like they were both re-living their earlier works. But the highlight of this movie, in terms of kung-fu scenes, is the Jackie Chan vs. Jet Li fight scene. Seeing two of the biggest names in Chinese kung-fu going head to head with each other was like a dream come true. Kung-fu movie fans would be cheering in that scene. The white guy sitting next to me in the theater was even clapping his hands like a kid while watching that scene. It's not as intense as their fight scenes in some of their previous works but the fact that it was Jackie Chan and Jet Li fighting is more than enough reason to applaud.

The story, on the other hand, was quite a disappointment. It's simple, typical and full of cliche' moments. The movie started with a fun but too cartoony scene with the Monkey King, then it shifted into a scene in the present time with a boy waking up in his kung fu merchandise-filled room. I definitely did not expect that. I knew this movie would have some sort of connection with the "Journey to the West" novel, what with the Monkey King being there and all. But what I didn't expect is the "Neverending Story" aspect. You know: a weak bullied kid magically travels to another realm and becomes the hero there. It's quite an overused concept so I was really not impressed. Although, the kid here is not just any weak bullied kid, he's also a kung-fu otaku. So in that part, I could definitely relate with him.

Then they also added some "Karate Kid" moments, which made this movie a little cheesy. Although I'm sure every kid would probably pay big money just to be in Jason Tripitika's shoes. I mean, to be trained by Jackie Chan AND Jet Li! That doesn't happen to just anyone! But we've all seen the "doing chores to learn kung-fu" bit (Wax in wax out anyone? Or should I say, whack in whack out in FK?) Oh and the whole meditating under the waterfall is way too typical. But it was quite fun seeing Michael Angarano being tortured by the two masters! Being the punching bag of Jackie Chan and Jet Li is not a position you want to be in.

As for the actors' performances, well, this is a kung-fu movie not an Oscar-nominated drama film so don't expect much. Michael Angarano nailed the whole weakling-turned-hero part but then again, he played that type of role before in Sky High so I'm sure he had lots of practice then. But he still has a long way to go if he wants to be a serious actor. As for Chan and Li, well, their roles here are just like some of their past roles so their acting is pretty much effortless here. Although, I have to say, I never thought Jet Li could make such a good Monkey King. Well, Monkey is supposed to be funny and mischievous and Jet Li was just that! It was really great seeing him play that role! As for Collin Chou and Li Bingbing, they were pretty two-dimensional and very annoying here. Liu Yifei, on the other hand, was perfect for her role as Golden Sparrow although she wasn't given much opportunity to show her talent as an actress. The only thing I hated about her character is that she kept referring to herself in the third person. It was really confusing. In fact, a lot of the lines in this movie didn't make much sense especially the punch-lines. The script is quite a bit of a mess!

So, was Forbidden Kingdom entertaining? Definitely yes! But was it memorable? Sadly, no. I forgot all about it when I got home last night. But if you're not a kung-fu fanatic, this movie's adequate enough to satisfy your cravings for a nice action adventure film. But if you're a kung-fu movie connoisseur, you'd be very unimpressed. They said this would be the first and last time Chan and Li would be teaming-up together. Well, I hope not. I was really looking forward to seeing them work together but not in a movie like this. I was expecting something better. So I hope they'd team-up again someday, in something more intense and original.

Anyway, when I got home last night, I chatted with my dad online. It was a pretty normal talk at first until we talked about the latest American movies we've seen. That's when it got ugly. You see, to my dad, everyone in the world are rotten except from the Japanese people. He generalizes a lot! He always says things like all Americans are violent, all Koreans have bad attitude, all Filipinos are stupid. To him only Japanese people are capable of doing good and civilized things. He's probably the biggest racist in the world and even though I respect him as a father, I really hate that side of him. He's the only person I know that has that way of thinking. And it's a really ugly way to look at things. I actually defend other races to him all the time. And at last I finally had the guts to call him "Racist" right at his face last night!

I don't care if he gets mad at me but this has to stop. I can't let him go on poisoning my younger siblings' minds with his racist ideas. I believe that every race has a good and bad side. Have you ever heard of a country that doesn't have any criminals and filled only with good people? I don't think so. And there's definitely no country that only have bad people in it. It's not about your nationality, it's about who you are and how you were raised. You could be from a peace-loving country and still be a serial killer when you grow up. Every single person has their own unique personalities no matter what their nationality is. So I hate it when people tend to generalize. Plus some of my Asian friends living in other countries had a hard time growing up because of some racist kids in their neighborhood. They were bullied and teased just because of the color of their skin. I hate people who judge others just because their different from them. So I would never be like those people. My dad is a racist, but how would he feel if his own children suffers from racial discrimination someday? I'm sure he wouldn't want that. So don't do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you. And if his reason for being a racist is because he was racially discriminated when he was young then he's no better than those people. If, he hated how they treated him then why do it to others? Besides we Japanese people are not as perfect as he keeps saying we are. We need to acknowledge our own flaws to be able to change them. And we need to learn from other cultures to improve ours. We're all human beings after all. I'm sorry for getting too emotional here, I just feel so strongly about these sort of things.

And from one emotional topic to another, my pet rabbit died this morning. I felt horrible all day. I couldn't even work. I just so felt so weak and I couldn't get out of bed. I hope tomorrow will get better.

End of Day Thirty.

At the same point there were some disturbing remarks not just for the university collage but also for the nation and even to the world. What I heard from some of the engineering students that a particular lecturer plays the racial card with his students. I was also told that this lecturer is also an adviser to a student club which is linked to an International club known as IET. This club is fully controlled by one particular race and this is quite disturbing.

One student said that normally at the end of the orientation program conducted for new students who enter the University Collage. It is normal for student club to woe in new members to their clubs, but this particular club just registered the students of other race on piece of paper, where else the students of the same race were asked to pay for their memberships and were issued receipts, this clearly shows double standard practice and till today the students of other races were not told to pay their membership fees.

What I hope is that the University Collage would take action on this type of practice because it will not only jeopardize the university collage name but the nation’s name. I also just hope that this people should know at the end of the day they are just made of flesh and blood just like the others in this world.

There is a Malay Saying:

Just because of one drop of ink fell into a basin of milk,

the whole basin of milk has to be thrown.

Yours reporting,

The Boss Man

برای مارتین لوتر کینگ ، همیشه و از سالهای نوجوانی - که برای بار نخست با ایشان و افکارشان آشنا شدم - احترام و ارزش قائل بودم از همین رو تصمیم داشتم ، حال که این رسانه ی کوچک - گاه نوشته های آریوبرزن - را در اختیار دارم ، درباره اش چیزی بنویسم و ادای دینی نمایم به روح بزرگش . اما راستش را بخواهید با کمی جستجو دریافتم که درباره زندگی ، شخصیت و فعالیتهای اجتماعی – مدنی دکتر کینگ ، به زبان فارسی بسیار نوشته شده است و منابع بسیاری نیز در این ارتباط در دست است و نوشتن دوباره ی آنچه دیگران نوشته اند- بیوگرافی و وقایع نگاری زندگی - را صلاح ندانستم ، پس تصمیمی دیگر گرفتم : بر آن شدم تا تعدادی از فراز ها و جملات مشهور این کنشگر نام آور حقوق مدنی و مبارزه با نژاد پرستی را برای شما خواننده ی گرامی نقل نمایم تا هم سخن ِدوباره نگفته باشم و هم حرفی تازه تر در فضای وبلاگستان پارسی زده باشم . آنچه در پی می آید ، برگردانِ فارسی برخی از فراز های مشهوری است که دکتر مارتین لوتر کینگ در طول زندگی کوتاه خویش بر زبان رانده است :

امروز دیگر انتخاب ما از میان خشونت و عدم خشونت نیست ؛ امروز یا باید عدم خشونت را برگزینیم یا نیستی را .
عدم خشونت یک سلاح پرتوان و منصف است . سلاحی یگانه و منحصر به فرد در طول تاریخ ؛ سلاحی که می برد ولی مجروح نمیکند. عدم خشونت سلاحی است که به حمل کننده اش شرافت می بخشد و شمشیری است که شفا میدهد .
سیاه بودن در آمریکا یعنی تلاش برای لبخند زدن وقتی که میخواهی بگریی . یعنی تلاش برای حفظ زندگی جسمانی در حالی که از نظر روانی مرده ای . یعنی رنج تماشای رشد و نمو فرزندانت در حالی که ابرهای پستی و فرودستی را در آسمان ذهن شان می بینی ... یعنی اینکه بگذاری پاهایت را ببرند،آنگاه تحقیرت کنند چرا که افلیجی ! قانون قدیمی چشم در برابر چشم ، همه را در نهایت نابینا خواهد کرد .
شورش ، لایه زیرین سخن انسانی است که صدایش را نمیشنوند .
امنیتی که ما مدعی هستیم در ماجراجویی های خارج از خانه به دنبال آنیم ، در شهر های رو به زوالمان آنرا از دست خواهیم داد .
کمونیسم هرگز با بمب هسته ای تسلیم نخواهد شد . بهترین دفاع ما در برابر کمونیسم چیزی نیست جز اتخاذ رویکردی تهاجمی با هدف عدالت و نیکوکاری ... ما باید ... تلاش کنیم تا زمینه های فقز ، بی عدالتی و تبعیض نژادی را از بین ببریم .
من رویایی دارم ؛ روزی که مردم این سرزمین برخواهند خواست و روح عقایدشان را بازخواهند آفرید : ما این حقایق بدیهی را حفظ خواهیم کرد ؛ انسانها همه برابر آفریده شده اند .
من میخواهم برادر یک انسان سفید پوست باشم ، نه برادر خوانده اش .
ارزشهای اخلاقی اعتبار خود را از دست داده اند . برای انسان مدرن ، درست مطلق و غلط مطلق آن چیزی است که اکثریت جامعه انجام میدهد .
حداکثر توان یک انسان آن جایی نیست که او در موقعیت های راحتی و آسودگی قرار دارد ؛ بلکه زمانی است که او در موقعیت مبارزه و مجادله قرار دارد.
برای اینکه در برابر خداوند و وجدان خود رو سفید باشد ، یک انسان درستکار چاره ای ندارد جز اینکه از همکاری با سیستم شیطانی دست بردارد .
آزادی هرگز داوطلبانه از سوی حاکم مسلط یه شما داده نخواهد شد .
بهترین راهکار برای حل هر مشکلی ، از بین بردن علل پیدایش آن است .
هیچ چیز در دنیا از این دو خطرناک تر نیست : نادانی صمیمانه و وظیفه شناسی احمقانه .
بی عدالتی در هر جایی ، تهدیدی است برای عدالت ، در جای های دیگر .
من رویایی دارم ؛ روزی که بر تپه های سرخ جورجیا ، فرزندان بردگان سایق و فرزندان برده داران سابق ، قادر خواهند بود در کنار هم ، برادرانه ، بنشینند . ... من رویایی دارم ، روزی که چهار فرزند کوچکم ، در جامعه ای زندگی نمایند که بر مبنای رنگ پوستشان مورد قضاوت قرار نگیرند ، بلکه ملاک سنجش آنها ماهیت شخصیت شان باشد .

منبع جملات : مایکروسافت انکارتا - پری میم

Natalie Shobana Ambrose | in Malaysiakini 

Please read my heartfelt feelings, written below, after reading this article_

Persian poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi (fondly know as Rumi) wrote, "The human being therefore has come into the world for a specific purpose and aim. If one does not fulfil that purpose, one has done nothing.

When I was younger I remember wishing so hard that I wasn't Indian. Many times I'd ask my mother if I looked like I was of mixed parentage - my mother's straight to the point answer 'Of course you look Indian. What else would you look like? Both your parents are Indian. '

Much to my disappointment, without a shadow of doubt – I was Indian. My attempts to not stand in the sun didn't help me on the fairness graph either.

It wasn't that I didn't like the way I looked or my inherited ability to roll my 'r's'. I just didn't want to be Indian because of the stigma of being Indian.

To me, being Indian meant that we were not the brightest lot, we were poor, didn't have much of a future and enjoyed fraternizing around coconut trees singing songs to our heart's content.

But that wasn't me. I refused to be defined by society's perception of Indians.

No matter how hard I tried not to be Indian, I was derogatorily called Tangachi (literally, little sister, but often denoting, cutie or ah-moi) and would be teased by students of other races attempting to speak Tamil (something only fellow Indians would understand).

I grew up not seeing Indians on TV unless on the news, - usually at a crime scene - and I grew up listening to radio adverts mocking the Indian accent. Surrounded by all these observations, who in their right mind would want to be Indian?

Anything but Indian I pleaded. Anything! It must have been quite an amusing sight but an even more common sight in today's Malaysia.

I've grown up since then, and fully embrace my Indian heritage. But what about society?

Of course the likes of Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty, the glamorization of Bollywood moves and movies has helped in the acceptance of being Indian. But what does it mean to be a Malaysian Indian?

Always #3

Am I, Malaysian first and Indian second? Or am I, Indian first and Malaysian second?

The reality of living in Malaysia means that we are defined by race. Every application form we fill subjects us to define ourselves by race and the Indian box is always at its highest position at number 3.

It didn't matter that my parents raised their children to believe that we could be anything we wanted to if we really wanted to, because society dictated otherwise and the law makes sure we remember our 'standing' in the country. Always #3, nothing more.

I remember clearly being defined by race from a very young age. I remember while in primary school, my class teacher (who I thought was a very nice Malay lady) told the whole class that I looked like her maid.

Not a very clued-in child, I thought, well her maid must be very pretty. Little did I realise what had just happened. Of course, when I got home and spoke of my day to my mother this compliment turned into the bitter reality of class-fuelled racism. I had been indirectly told I was #3 in the scheme of things!

I never understood what I had done for someone whom I respected – and my teacher of all people - to treat me in such a manner.

In a perfect world, we would not see colour, but the reality is we do see colour and we interpret and place judgments - good or bad based on our biases, socialization and upbringing.

Maybe if we acknowledged that racism does exist in us, we might be better able to address it. It is a bit of a radical idea in harmonious unified Malaysia, but we all are biased to a certain extent. It's just that some people are able to conceal it better than others - but it that doesn't mean it doesn't' exist.

I'm not advocating racism, in fact the opposite. I'm looking for a solution. The first step to any recovery is acknowledging the problem, - if not what are we trying to fix?

We may have different likes and beliefs - but when does a preference become racism?

I believe it is when a sales person refuses to let you try on a dress because he thinks you can't afford it. It is when a quota system limits you to the right of an education of your choice. Or when a job advertisement specifies what race, age and gender you should be before you can even apply.

It is when scholarships are limited by race and not test scores, it is when you have to pay more for the same house your neighbour has - on top of paying for your child's education because there weren't spaces left for your race in the public tertiary education system.

How then are we to love our neighbours?

When life is defined and limited to race, problems arise. When people are suppressed, repressed, bullied and forced to be voiceless a country suffers.

For today, we, as a nation may look well, but will Malaysia have a multicultural society to brag about in twenty years to come or would we have to scour foreign lands for sightings of Malaysians?

Somehow it has become a song we sing rather than a reality we practice. In many ways, it should read Tolerating One Another. After all that is what we do best - tolerate.

The very word advocates hatred. We should not have to put up with each other, rather we should embrace one another and strive to understand each other better …. not looking at race or religion.
The only way to do this is to spend time with each other instead of allowing our prejudice to distance us from one another.

It sounds very much like my moral classes back in the day. Maybe we should all hold hands and sing Kum-Ba-Yah or Rasa Sayang and sit around a bonfire and magically we will be transformed.

A huge part of me wishes I hadn't spent all those years trying so hard not to be Indian. But an even bigger part of me hopes that young Indian children don't feel like they have to apologize for being an Indian in Malaysia - for this is the only country they can call home.

Have migration enquiries to other countries increased in the last six months? I don't think we need statistics to confirm it. As a young Indian living in Malaysia, why wouldn't I embrace a country that allows me to be the best I can be without penalizing me for my race? As I ponder on Rūmī's words, I wonder to myself, will Malaysia allow me to fulfil my purpose or will I stay and achieve nothing.

Please read my feelings after reading the above article_

All the Indians and mixed blooded Indians are sufferring in Myanmar.

You still have here_

Indian MP, Indian Minister, IndianDeputy Minister, Indian Political secretries, Indian opposition leaders, Indian Judges, Indian Military officers, Indian Police Officers, Indian Ambasadors, Indian Immigration Officers - - -e.t.c.

You still have here_

Indian schools, Indian TV Channel, Indian Newspapers, Indian Radio Stations, Indian Journals, Indian Magazines, Indian Movie Theatre- - -e.t.c.

But in our Myanmar or Burma, sadly NON of the above could be found.

If your face have Indian features, dark skin, sharp nose, beard (shaved or not), whether you are Hindi or Muslim or Christian you are discriminated at each and every corner you turn!

Myanmar Military rulers are labeling all the Indians as guest citizens, ‘Kala’ or mixed blooded persons or not pure citizens. That, however, could not make us, or people like us, to become non Burmese Citizens. We are Burmese citizens no matter how some might disagree, or wish otherwise or decreed by force. Whether mixed blooded or not is not important in the eyes of the whole world but SPDC could not deny our right of 100% pure Burmese citizenship!

We, and all the other persons like us, not just those Indians, Chinese, Bengalis or Pakistanis although we are undeniably mixed blooded immigrants’ children or descendants of immigrants, but we are now full Burmese Citizens. No matter what some like SPDC racists or their cohorts might say contrary.

Our great grand parents and all the ancestors were loyal citizens of Burma and all of them were and are holding the Burmese National Registration Cards or ‘Ah Myo Thar Mhat Pone Tin Cards’. My brothers and sisters’ family members are holding those Burmese National Registration Cards but now the SPDC Apartheid Régime had ordered to issue the differently formatted cards for their younger children. It is curious when the parents and elder brothers and sisters are the same citizens as our Burmese Buddhists at least on paper but now only their youngest children are blatantly or brazenly discriminated as different from others and their own elder siblings.

This racial discrimination is practiced on not only Muslims but on Chinese and Hindis. SPDC National Registration officers decreed that if any one is not pure Burmese Buddhist, could not claim to be pure blood and all the Burmese Muslims must be recorded as mixed blooded persons. Whether correct or not, know or not, must be enlisted as mixed blooded Indian, Pakistan or Bengali. So it is blatant Racial Discrimination or openly practicing Apartheid practice of SPDC Junta.

We believe that no one has that right to practice the issuing of Apartheid certificate or new type of Registration different from other citizens to us. By doing so, SPDC is clearly starting to commit a Genocide offence.

We wonder how that single document would change their dreams or what would be their vision of their world or Myanmar excluding them or shutting out all of them from all the opportunities. It is our children’s turning points of their lives. SPDC ruthlessly had shown them who they are, why and how they are not welcomed in Burma/Myanmar. As our children journey into an uncertain future, they will struggle and grapple with their sense of their rightful place in this Myanmar nation.

The constant emphasis on differences by the narrow minded SPDC apartheid racists who could not see value in these children prevent them from seeing them as anything other than Burmese Citizens.

Our country’s diversity makes us who we are and what we are today. And though we Burmese Indian Muslims, Burmese Hindus, Burmese Indian Christians may be different but we all are almost completely burmanized culturally but I am sure when we dream we dream as Burmese only because we know Burmese, we love Burmese, and Burmese only is in our heart and mind.

Successive Burmese Kings had accepted us as their loyal subjects or citizens, after Independence U Nu’s government had accepted us. And General Aung San had even promised us: "I want to address the Indians and Chinese residing in this country. We have no bitterness, no ill will for them, or for that matter for any race and nationality in the world. If they choose to join us, we will welcome them as our own brethren. The welfare of all people of this country irrespective of race or religion has always been the one purpose that I have set out to fulfill. In fact it is my life's mission."

But sadly those illegitimate illegal SPDC Régime is practicing Apartheid committing the Genocide on all of us.

I could guarantee to all of our Burmese friends that we are all Burmese in our heart and we have no intention or imagination to even support the foreign countries believed to be the homeland of our ancient ancestors even if Burma is at war with them!

Please give back our children at least a chance to dream. Please do not shut off their future.

But online, nobody can stop people from saying what they want. Just as nobody can stop me from writing about this can-be-touchy topic. I enjoy playing poker on facebook. Suddenly a person enters the room. He immediately announced "Fuck I h8 Indians". I didn't take offense cause it could have been a fun way of saying different stuff. Being the mellowed fruit that I am :) I didn't feel like reacting to it. He went on to say "Fuck u guru, Indian curry". I could only smile to myself. Next came "Fuck u black indian prick!"... He went all in the next hand expecting me to react. All this could have been an attempt to make me call his bet (however lame that may sound), but I graciously folded since I had a 2 and a 3 off suit. He lost that round and he left the table saying this "Indians are gay". I wanted to tell him jokingly "Yeah right, India is the second most populated country". I didn't say a word. In fact I didn't even report abuse because I didn't know how. There was this other player who told me he reported him 3 times and also called him an "asshole". I left the table soon and I thought I felt guilty of not having said anything back. But then would it have been of any worth to him or to me?

--Guru

Yes, because I'm stupid.

Yes, because I'm smart.

No, because I'm smart.

I'm too stupid to understand the question.

I'm too smart to answer the question.

http://www.vizu.com/poll-vote.html?n=83559

The party he/she represents is the most important to me. I would not vote for a different party.

I would switch to a different candidate if his/her own policy was important to me.

http://www.vizu.com/poll-vote.html?n=83474

I was babysitting her five children and my son opened up a book to read about Martin Luther King because he loves African American history. Well, one of the girls looked up at me in a scared tone and said "We are not allowed to say "Martin Luther Kings name at our house." I almost had a coronary right there I just couldn't believe it. I understand that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and I accept everyone for their "views". I also love my friend very much but WTF! That must be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of in my whole life. My son said "Mom, I don't think she wanted Martin Luther King to free the slaves", and I smiled at him and said "son, I think your right." It was just cute how he said it. Needless to say I haven't spoken with her in a few weeks and shortly after that she decided to have her mother babysit her children. I will never understand why people cannot use their own brains that God gave them and not be brainwashed by friends and family. Just because you are raised a certain way does not mean it is the "Right Way". Just Food For Thought.

Repression continues in China, before Olympic

Myanmar democracy activists urge

Olympics boycott

BANGKOK (AFP) -

Myanmar democracy activists called Monday on people across the world to boycott televised coverage of this summer's Olympics in Beijing, in protest at China's support for the ruling military junta.

The 88 Generation Students group, which includes some of the country's top pro-democracy leaders, also urged viewers against buying any merchandise linked to the Games.

The Olympics are set to open on August 8, the 20th anniversary of a pro-democracy uprising led by students in Myanmar.

The military, which has ruled the country formerly known as Burma since 1962, opened fire on the crowds, killing an estimated 3,000 people.

Leaders of the uprising were handed lengthy prison sentences, but when released they formed the 88 Generation Student group.

The group began new protests in August last year, harnessing public anger at a surprise hike in fuel prices that left many unable to afford even meagre bus fares to work.

Many of the leaders were again arrested, but Buddhist monks took over the protest movement, which swelled into the biggest anti-government uprising since 1988.

In a statement issued by leaders now in hiding, the group called "for citizens around the world to pressure the government of China to withdraw its unilateral support of the Burmese military junta and to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics."

"China is a major trade partner, major arms supplier and major defender of the junta in the international arena," it said.

"The military junta in Burma is still in power to this day, despite strong and continuous resistance by the people of Burma, because of China's support."

The group said that instead of supporting the regime, China should help to facilitate a national dialogue among the military and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest.

The military last week announced that it had completed drafting a new constitution that it plans to bring to a referendum in May. The document would bar Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize winner, from running in elections now slated for 2010.

	Repression continues in China, one year before Olympic Games The Reporters Without Borders list of nine things the Chinese authorities must do before the Beijing Olympic Games: Reporters Without Borders also supports the eight demands of the Collectif Chine JO 2008 (China 2008 Olympics Collective), an alliance of nine human rights organisations based in France: Reporters Without Borders wrote to IOC Jacques Rogge in June 2007

Repression continues in China,

before Olympic Games

When the International Olympic Committee assigned the 2008 summer Olympic Games to Beijing on 13 July 2001, the Chinese police were intensifying a crackdown on subversive elements, including Internet users and journalists. Six years later, nothing has changed. But despite the absence of any significant progress in free speech and human rights in China, the IOC's members continue to turn a deaf ear to repeated appeals from international organisations that condemn the scale of the repression.

From the outset, Reporters Without Borders has been opposed to holding the Olympic Games to Beijing. Now, a year before the opening ceremony, it is clear the Chinese government still sees the media and Internet as strategic sectors that cannot be left to the "hostile forces" denounced by President Hu Jintao. The departments of propaganda and public security and the cyber-police, all conservative bastions, implement censorship with scrupulous care.

At least 30 journalists and 50 Internet users are currently detained in China. Some of them since the 1980s. The government blocks access to thousands for news websites. It jams the Chinese, Tibetan and Uyghur-language programmes of 10 international radio stations. After focusing on websites and chat forums, the authorities are now concentrating on blogs and video-sharing sites. China's blog services incorporate all the filters that block keywords considered "subversive" by the censors. The law severely punishes "divulging state secrets," "subversion" and "defamation" - charges that are regularly used to silence the most outspoken critics. Although the rules for foreign journalists have been relaxed, it is still impossible for the international media to employ Chinese journalists or to move about freely in Tibet and Xinjiang.

Read more

And continue to read these

Petition

Support the international campaign by signing this petition that will be sent to Liu Qi, the president of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games and secretary of the Beijing municipal committee of the Communist Party of China

Support the international campaign by signing this petition that will be sent to Liu Qi, the president of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games and secretary of the Beijing municipal committee of the Communist Party of China

Pictures of the campaign

See photos of the operations carried out in Beijing, Paris, New York...

Media downloads

	Download the "Beijing 2008" campaign graphic
	Download the "Beijing 2008" web banner

in this country

15.10 - China Reporters Without Borders activists rally in front of Olympic museum in Lausanne as Chinese Communist Party's 17th congress opens

15.09 - China New York Times researcher Zhao Yan freed on completing jail term

14.09 - China Arrests and incidents involving foreign journalists show government is not keeping Olympic Games promises

31.08 - China Congress passes law censoring disaster coverage

30.08 - China Calling for lawsuit's dismissal, Yahoo! says it is "political and diplomatic issue"

in the annual report

China - Annual report 2007

Chinese Difficulty is Burmese opportunity,

Boycott China Olympic

This blogger cut and pasted the original slogan ” British difficulty, is Burmese opportunity” which was a famous nationalist slogan during the British Colonial revolution.

This blogger feels that the time is over due to start the campaign to boycott the Chinese Olympic as Chinese Communist Government has avoided its responsibility as a communist party to support the oppressed Burmese People against the Imperialist Military Junta.

International community sees China as a new emerging superpower, which is able to play a pivotal role to solve the problem in country like North Korea and Sudan. Chinese Communist Government who has planned the Olympic , spent billions of Dollars for preparation, and for mega sports facilities for their up coming National Event.

At the same time, Chinese communist authority must be very nervous for any negative effect towards the ” Chinese Olympic” which will be a prestigious event for the Modern China. This event will be remembered in the history of China as its legacy.

Since Chinese Communist Government has blind eyes and deaf ears towards the 50 Million Burmese people’s voice, we should make Chinese Communist Government difficult and Shameful for supporting the world’s worse regime ” Military Junta of Burma”.

To Burmese freedom fighters, this is the time we should start the slogan

” Chinese Difficulty is Burmese opportunity”

This is the auspicious time , to start a campaign for boycotting the Chinese Olympic.

Sit Mone

"There (in Northern Ireland) you're just talking about the difference in being Roman Catholic or Protestant. "Here you are talking about difference in skin colour, you're talking about difference in race, you're talking about difference in religion, culture. It will take time." (original BBC report)

What the hell is he on about?!!! The problem in Malaysia is that we have a bumiputera (native) and non-bumiputera (non-native) discrimination issue in all aspects of our legislation. If the Malaysian government follows the footstep of its Indonesian neighbour and abolish this bumiputera discrimination, I bet the so-called ethic tension would go away pretty swiftly! 

By SAW YAN NAING 

Seventy-one people-50 Burmese and 21 Bangladeshi nationals-were rescued on Monday morning in the Indian Ocean by the Sri Lankan navy.

The people were rescued after being adrift for 13 days some 150 nautical miles off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka due to boat engine failure, according to a report on the Sri Lankan naval Web site.

Seventeen Burmese migrants and three Bangladeshis died onboard following the lack of food and water. The illegal immigrants were planning to travel to Malaysia and Thailand to seek jobs.

The 91 people boarded the vessel from Burma and Bangladesh on February 9. The doomed craft is now being dragged to Trincomalee Harbour in Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan navy while the survivors have been fed and treated medically.

Two deep sea surveillance ships were also asked to investigate the failed vessel by Sri Lanka navy's Eastern Naval Command.

Fishermen had spotted the drifting boat off the shores of Mulaithuvu and reported the incident to Sri Lankan naval officials. 

In April 2007, two boats carrying more than 150 Rohingya men and boys from Burma, who said they left their homes because of political persecution by Burmese authorities, were detained off Phang Nga Province in southern Thailand by the country's marine police.

According to a United States State Department report, "Trafficking in Persons," released o¬n June 13, 2007, the Burmese military government has not done enough to stop the flow of human trafficking, particularly of women and children.

The report said an increasing number of ethnic Burmese girls and women have been leaving Burma in hope of finding work. Children have been trafficked to neighboring countries for sexual exploitation, forced labor and street begging, according to the report.

In December 2007, border patrol police in Tak found 41 Burmese men and women in the tank of an oil transport trailer without fresh air as they were being transported from Mae Sot to Bangkok.

Last year, about 740,000 migrant workers from Burma registered with the Department of Employment in Thailand. Many more Burmese migrants are working illegally. An estimated 1 million Burmese migrants are working in Thailand. 

Paging through the news headlines, we are reminded once again that intolerance is the root of all conflicts.

Whether it be Race - as we see with the latest racist videos of university students in South Africa; Sex - demonstrations for gay rights in Mozambique; Ethnicity - recent violence in Kenya; Health - HIV/AIDS stigma throughout Africa – discrimination is at the core of instability and stunted economic growth.

There is no greater barrier to development than discrimination. Discrimination leads to stigmatization. And those who are stigmatized become victims in their societies, denied equal opportunities to reach their full potential and contribute to economic growth.

The Durban Declaration, adopted in 2001 during the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, acknowledges that poverty, marginalization, social exclusion and economic inequalities “contribute to the persistence of racist attitudes and practices which in turn generate more poverty.”

So how do we tame this “monster”?

In his closing statement President Kibaki said “Kenya has room for all of us if we can enhance peace and tolerance. Fellow Kenyans, we stand before you to give a solemn commitment”

It is time to hold our leaders accountable to their words.

a) Young man enters an upmarket restaurant in Kolkata in 2004, the guards ask him to leave.

Luckily his girl-friend inside is dressed properly for the restaurant. & she is fair and beautiful. She comes to the rescue of that young man, her future husband, and they leave the restaurant in bitterness. Black suited sahibs did not allow brown people in casuals. But while they came out they saw a white woman in shorts, slippers and a T-shirt being welcomed in.

b) Same couple visit a book store in Kolkata regularly.

Mr. M there is very polite and helpful. Natty fair lady in specs breathes fire on any Indian who comes with her purse into the shop. Fine. Natty lady hates guys with bags entering the shop. Leave your bags on the security desk. Fine. Only thing, whites enter with whatever they choose. And natty lady is pleased as punch. When complained, natty lady did bother replying to such hoi polloi. The couple does not go there any more.

c) A study facility for students by a Foreign Embassy in Kolkata. Yours truly and other blackie Indians have to be searched like animals before entry into the library. The guards are rude and the Indian staff at the reception hate talking in anything but English even with people who do not know the language. White nationals have no such checks. They come and go while we in our own country stand gaping.

When complaints pour in, some Indian crony mumbles: it is all about security, you know. And if too much protests happen, then just get lost. So yours truly avoids the said library.

d) Old lady thrown out of a Tata bastion. She is not fair enough; she is just Indian; she is wearing slippers.

Is Mr. Ratan Tata sleeping? Are the owners of the above mentioned bookstore chain not Indians? Is the restaurant mentioned above meant only for whites? Why are we forced to talk of racism in this day and age? Please Mr.Consul General (of the embassy that provides the study facility), do you have time for the Wretched of this Earth?

We as a nation should rouse ourselves and wake up. You see, these behemoths will now think of prosecuting those who complain. But alas! the shame of being an Indian and being condemned for being one by one's sisters and brothers. Alas!

The Taj Mumbai, and the restaurant, the bookstore and the library facility the couple went to, have excellent staff and are really good at their own spheres but unfortunately the after-taste of racism is spoiling the party.

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There is a Burmese saying_

"Kyaw poo dar_khan naing thee

Naar poo dar_ma khan naing".

• Most of the peaple could bear the heat on the back of the body (prefer to work hard even under the sun)
• but could not stand the (heat/ pressure) in the ears (read: brain / stress / undue pressure from the boss).

Some of us could prefer to work hard but could not stand the mental torture, pressure, or stress.

Yes! Even our Prophet (PBUH) had taught us_

If you do not want to donate to a beggar, use polite words to apologize.

But never insult the beggar even after you donated a large some of money.

Getting / money or not is far less important than getting an insult.

Money goes into the pocket only but the insult goes deep into our hearts.

So feeding the human's mental ego is sometimes more important than just feeding the mouths.

Successive Burmese Governments used to discriminate us as foreigners, migrants, mixed blooded persons, Kalas (Migrant Indians/Indians), Kala Dein (Indian descendent)  and "Mi Ma Sit_Pha Ma Sit". (The words meaning Bastards used by the the Burmese Chinese General Ne Win on Burmese Muslims. I think he never look at his own BASTARD FACE in the mirror!)

Most of us emigrated (migrated out) and left Myanmar not because of economic reason. As the professionals we could earn enough to stay in upper-middle strata in Myanmar and could earn some respect not only from the non-Muslims but from the Monks and even from the Military authorities. We just hate the unfair general discrimination on our race and religion. (As all the Military leaders are corrupt, we could even do anything in Myanmar after paying bribes. If the payment is good enough we could even get their daughter's hands.)

Once the governments could fulfill (actually all the government leaders wrongly thought like that! They think they had done favours on their on citizens but actually the people are the masters of the governments. Although the governments’ policy and guidance  are important, it is the people who really works hard to achieve every thing for the country. And the give the salaries, of cause from their tax money, to those political leaders.) the physical and psycological needs of its citizens_

Food, shelter, clothing, employment is important but should understand that they also should take care of their social, mental and psycological needs.

SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT FAILS BECAUSE OF THAT FAILURE>

Just read the following article.

Don't cry for me grandpa Lee,

Goodbye and thank you

Excerpts from article by SEAH CHIANG NEE.  Singapore's emigration rate, one of the highest in the world on a per capita basis, is a blow to the government.

YEARS of strong economic growth have failed to stem Singapore's skilled youths from leaving for a better life abroad, with the number topping 1,000 a year. 

This works out to 4%-5%, or three in 10, of the highly educated population, a severe brain drain for a small, young nation, according to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. 

Such high-end emigration is usually associated with less better-off countries where living conditions are poor. Here the opposite is the case. 

The future doesn't look better, either, despite Lee holding out promises of "a golden period" in the next five to 10 years. 

The emigration rate, one of the highest in the world on a per capita basis, is a blow to the government, particularly to Lee, who takes pride in building up this once poor squatter colony into a glittering global city. 

They are people who abandoned their citizenship for a foreign one, mostly in Australia, the United States and Canada. 

The emigrants, mostly professionals, don't leave Singapore out of poverty but to seek a better, less pressurised life.  

Lee recently said the brain drain is touching close to this family. 

Lee's grandson, the elder son of Prime Minister Hsien Loong, who is studying in the United States, has indicated that he may not return.  

Over the years, the children of several Cabinet ministers have also made Britain or the US their home.  

Lee, aged 84, has often spoken on the issue with emotions, once tearing when referring to the losses.  

However, he has offered no reasons for the exodus beyond economic opportunities, although the government more or less knows what they are.  

Singaporeans who have or are planning to emigrate are given a host of 10 questions and asked to tick the three most important ones. They include the following: -  

> High costs of living 

> Singapore is too regulated and stifling 

> Better career and prospects overseas 

> Prefer a more relaxed lifestyle 

> Uncertain future of Singapore. 

Some liberal Singaporeans believe Lee himself, with his authoritarian leadership and unpopular policies, is largely to blame.  

Singapore's best-known writer Catherine Lim calls it a climate of fear that stops citizens from speaking out against the government.

Globalisation, which offers opportunities in many countries like never before, is a big reason for the outflow.  

Many countries, including populous China, are making a special effort to attract foreign talent. 

Others who leave were worried about the future of their children living in a small island, and look for security and comfort of a larger country. 

The exodus is more than made up - at least in numbers - by a larger intake of professionals from China and India. 

"The trouble is many of the Chinese then use us as a stepping stone to go to America, where the grass is greener, Lee said. 

Some feel the large presence of foreigners, and the perks they enjoy over locals in military exemption as well as in scholarships, are themselves strong push factors.  

They see the foreigners as a threat to jobs and space, undermining salaries and loosening the nation's cohesion. 

"I just feel very sad to see the Singapore of today with so many talented, passionate Singaporeans moving out and being replaced by many foreigners," said one blogger. "I feel sorry for the future." (Me too, for Myanmar.)

Lee recently made a passionate appeal to youths to think hard about their country. He said they had received education and opportunities provided by Singaporeans who had worked hard for it. 

"Can you in good conscience say, ‘Goodbye! Thank you very much?' Can you leave with a clear conscience? I cannot," he said.  

But many Burmese just need to say this even although they could not get the same kind of welcome from their host countries. Some need to work illegally, some as refugees and many professionals have to do the manual works. So you Singaporeans are luckier than us. Just leave the old grandpa enjoy his own great authority on new comers, or new immigrants.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION:
“The majority of African Americans or blacks (we use the terms interchangeably) in the United States trace their roots to West Africa. They were torn from their cultures of origin between the 17th and 19th centuries when they were brought here as slaves. Blacks represent the only migrants to come to the Americas, North and South, against their will. Blacks from Africa were literally kidnap victims, kidnapped by Europeans, as well as purchased as captives by Yankee traders. This experience has made African Americans, as a group, very different from immigrants who chose to come to the United States to better their lives, and different from refugees who fled their homelands to escape religious or political persecution.

The very word slave carries the connotation of an “inferior” being; slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person during census-taking. Slave owners inwardly understood that treating people as animals to be owned, worked, and sold was immoral, but they wanted to think of themselves as good, religious, moral people. Hence they had to convince themselves that their slaves were not really human but a lower form of life. They focused on racial differences (skin color, hair texture, etc.) as “proof’ that black people were not really people, after all. Racism began, then, as an airtight alibi for a horrifying injustice. The notion of the slave (and by extension, any African American) as less than human has created great psychological and social problems for succeeding generations of both black and white citizens. Slavery led to a system of inferior housing, schools, health care, and jobs for black people, which persists to this day.

The institution of slavery formally ended in 1863, but the racist ideas born of slavery have persisted. These ideas continue even now to leave deep scars on many African Americans. Today, particularly in the lower-socioeconomic classes, many blacks continue to suffer from the psychological heritage of slavery as well as from active, current discrimination that still prevents them from equal opportunity in many realms of life.” (Shusta, Levine, Wong, Olson, Harris, 2008: 170-71)

The people of color, the African-Americans in America, are still contending for equality under the law and in the eyes of the more populous white people. The black people are still treated as inferiors; they are still being treated as second class citizens. And; if you do not believe what I am telling you, all you have to do is listen to the words being spoken by the likes of Hillary and her ilk, condescending racist words and actions. Why else would she treat Barrack Obama as an inferior? Because that is exactly how she views him, still a slave, still an animal to be subjugated to her plantation master domination. She is the plantation master and Barrack Obama is the runaway slave.

As a firm believer in the first amendment right of free speech, I think you are entitled to your say and I am to mine. Lately Limbaugh and Hannity (and others) are missing the point of Barrack Obama’s key center point and focus of his campaign. And that being hope, that being change! Personally; I cannot endure those criminals AKA Clintons; period. I cannot endure that sack of fecal matter called McCain either. So; where does that leave us, in a quandary? Not necessarily! A vote for Barrack Obama is not a vote for Clinton. A vote for Barrack Obama is not a vote for McCain. Or; you could refuse to vote for anyone, but; what would be the change in that? You could end with Clinton or McCain in the presidential role, then what? Or; you can pimp yourself one time if you are a conservative and vote for Barrack Obama and give the parties time to adjust, time to select reputable candidates and not refuse for choices! The bottom of the garbage can is not the choice of most Americans. And yes; I am one of those angry white people that has had enough! We want change, now!