(© Gaspirtz / Wiki Commons) IF I could, I would look up what all those astrologers said about 2009 at the beginning of the year to see if what they predicted was correct. If I recall correctly, all their predictions were of gloom and doom. And for once, I think they got it right: 2009 […]
marina mahathir
Celebrating children’s rights
Compiled by Ding Jo-AnnALTHOUGH Malaysia’s education indicators such as literacy rates and school enrolment ratios are comparable to industrialised countries, there are still pockets of children who do not have proper access to education. The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) says the children at greatest risk in Malaysia are non-Malaysian children born in Malaysia. These include refugee children […]
Malaysian musicals rock
By Marina MahathirWHATEVER anyone wants to say about the Malaysian theatre scene, when it comes to musical theatre, I think we are getting somewhere. PGL the Musical promotional picture (source: pglthemusical.com.my) I have seen three different musicals at Istana Budaya — P Ramlee the Musical, Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) the Musical and lately, Cuci the Musical — […]
Chef Wan and friends fast for diverse Malaysia
By Shanon ShahUpdated on 15 Sept 2009 at 10am PETALING JAYA, 15 Sept 2009: A beloved chef, a renowned compere and a respected entrepreneur are but only a few of the notable Malay Malaysians reclaiming the meaning of multicultural Malaysia come Malaysia Day tomorrow. “Malaysia has become a very scary country. Why can’t we just love people […]
Sex and the constitution
By Marina Mahathir(Source: nassaulibrary.org) IN mid-August 2009, the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) took place. Amid discussions on medical, biological, funding and governance issues, there was a very healthy track packed with much debate — as well as much angst — about human rights issues. The idea that human rights is […]
The epidemic of conspiracy theories
By Marina MahathirTHERE are epidemics. And then there are conspiracy theories about epidemics, which become endemic in themselves. There has long been a conspiracy theory that HIV is a plot by white people to annihilate black people. This, apparently, is the reason why AIDS is so endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and in other black-majority countries such as […]
Creative common ground
By Ooi Ying Nee(Source: randomalphabets.com) THE afternoon of 24 Aug 2008 was like any other bustling Saturday at KL Sentral station. Save for one anomaly: in the midst of hundreds of shuttling commuters, about 120 people had congregated in two locations at the terminal. They were there to read. Among those who sat cross-legged on the floor, or […]