Thursday, October 22, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Palawan Island, Behind The Scenes.
Previously in class we watched a documentary on 2 Philippine documentaries about the natives who live on the island of Palawan. I never even heard of this island before but honestly after watching these 2 documentaries, I must say i was amazed with the culture and history behind it.
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the southwest. It lies between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. The province is named after its largest island, Palawan Island. Palawan is composed of the long and narrow Palawan Island, plus a number of other smaller islands surrounding the main island.
The indigenous ethno linguistic groups who live on Palawan Island include the the Tagbanua, Palawanon, Tau't, Bato, Visaya, Bugkalot and Igorot tribes. The Tagbanuan people are known to indulge in bird's nest-collecting activities which generates incomes. Farming, fishing and collecting pearls are widely practiced here.
Many documentaries on indegenous people perpetuate the myth of a "vanishing tribe". They depict tribes losing their land to the relentless invaders of progress, while their traditions are at risk of drowning in the currents of mainstream culture and globalization. This documentary clearly potrayed that sense or in other words content with archiving rituals that will soon disappear in thin air.
In a nutshell, it looks at tribal communities not as a victim but as warriors in a robust struggle to preserve their land and the way there run their lives.
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the southwest. It lies between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. The province is named after its largest island, Palawan Island. Palawan is composed of the long and narrow Palawan Island, plus a number of other smaller islands surrounding the main island.
The indigenous ethno linguistic groups who live on Palawan Island include the the Tagbanua, Palawanon, Tau't, Bato, Visaya, Bugkalot and Igorot tribes. The Tagbanuan people are known to indulge in bird's nest-collecting activities which generates incomes. Farming, fishing and collecting pearls are widely practiced here.
Many documentaries on indegenous people perpetuate the myth of a "vanishing tribe". They depict tribes losing their land to the relentless invaders of progress, while their traditions are at risk of drowning in the currents of mainstream culture and globalization. This documentary clearly potrayed that sense or in other words content with archiving rituals that will soon disappear in thin air.
In a nutshell, it looks at tribal communities not as a victim but as warriors in a robust struggle to preserve their land and the way there run their lives.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
We Belong to South East Asia (SEA)
If I were to give you a task to map out South East Asia region without relying on any source would you be able to do it? Well, this is what my "artwork" of South East Asia and with one glance you would identify mistakes here and there. It's disappointing when I realize that I was ignorant to my own surroundings. Then it struck me that we must not only regard ourselves as merely Malaysians but also members of a much larger community. This statement was also repeated by my journalism lecturer Mr.Kuttan. He went on saying that we are not only citizens of our respective countries but we are also proud citizens of south east asia and i could not agree more on that. So with that motion, Mr.Kuttan has given us task to resarch and explore the history and so many relevant issues that may be useful to a journalist point of view and concurrently brush up my general knowledge about where i belong, South East Asia.
Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia. Southeast Asia consists of Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia while the maritime section consists of Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, and Singapore. The major religions are Islam and Buddhism, followed by Christianity. However a wide variety of religions are found throughout the region, including many Hindus.
Geographical characteristics and politics played a big part shaping South East Asia to what it is today. For instance, British ruled Burma and the 3 French territories which was Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Now Thailand acted as a political buffer mainly because it remained a free land throughout its history. With history behind the British and the French. Both sides fought numerous wars against each other, including the Hundred Years' War and the Anglo-French Wars. Therefore, Thailand which was previously called Siam, was the only country that separated two rival powers that serves to lessen the danger of conflict. Thailand's independence was only ensured when the King of Siam had to sacrifice Laos and Cambodia to the French. This was to grant commercial concessions to France. Therefore, Thailand remained the buffer state ever since the British Raj and the French Indochina era.
Another exciting aspect regarding South East Asia is the formation of Malaysia. The British plotted a political move against the Indonesia's planned expansion to incorporate Malaya, North Borneo and the Philippines and form a massive Malay empire called Indonesia Raya or Maphilindo. Noticing the fact that the geography of Malaysia would provide a strong front against both impending Indonesian aggression and the spread of communism. With Tunku Abdul Rahman at his prime federating states of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore into the Federation of Malaysia; a powerful political figure like himself could easily exert his influence over these states and disregard any attempts made by the Philippines and Indonesia to undermine his effort and indeed was a great asset to the British.
Modern Southeast Asia has been characterized by high economic growth by most countries and closer regional integration. Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have traditionally experienced high growth and are commonly recognized as the more developed countries of the region. As of late, Vietnam too had been experiencing an economic boom. However, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and the newly independent East Timor are still lagging economically. On August 8, 1967, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Since Cambodian admission into the union in 1999, East Timor is the only Southeast Asian country that is not part of ASEAN, although plans are under way for eventual membership. The association aims to enhance cooperation among Southeast Asian community. ASEAN Free Trade Area has been established to encourage greater trade among ASEAN members.
I have learnt so much from this research and believe me there is still tonnes more to realize and grasp more about this region. Nevertheless, this exercise definately has been beneficial and gives me the true spirit being a South East Asia citizen.
South East Asia Map
Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia. Southeast Asia consists of Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia while the maritime section consists of Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, and Singapore. The major religions are Islam and Buddhism, followed by Christianity. However a wide variety of religions are found throughout the region, including many Hindus.
Geographical characteristics and politics played a big part shaping South East Asia to what it is today. For instance, British ruled Burma and the 3 French territories which was Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Now Thailand acted as a political buffer mainly because it remained a free land throughout its history. With history behind the British and the French. Both sides fought numerous wars against each other, including the Hundred Years' War and the Anglo-French Wars. Therefore, Thailand which was previously called Siam, was the only country that separated two rival powers that serves to lessen the danger of conflict. Thailand's independence was only ensured when the King of Siam had to sacrifice Laos and Cambodia to the French. This was to grant commercial concessions to France. Therefore, Thailand remained the buffer state ever since the British Raj and the French Indochina era.
Another exciting aspect regarding South East Asia is the formation of Malaysia. The British plotted a political move against the Indonesia's planned expansion to incorporate Malaya, North Borneo and the Philippines and form a massive Malay empire called Indonesia Raya or Maphilindo. Noticing the fact that the geography of Malaysia would provide a strong front against both impending Indonesian aggression and the spread of communism. With Tunku Abdul Rahman at his prime federating states of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore into the Federation of Malaysia; a powerful political figure like himself could easily exert his influence over these states and disregard any attempts made by the Philippines and Indonesia to undermine his effort and indeed was a great asset to the British.
Modern Southeast Asia has been characterized by high economic growth by most countries and closer regional integration. Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have traditionally experienced high growth and are commonly recognized as the more developed countries of the region. As of late, Vietnam too had been experiencing an economic boom. However, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and the newly independent East Timor are still lagging economically. On August 8, 1967, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Since Cambodian admission into the union in 1999, East Timor is the only Southeast Asian country that is not part of ASEAN, although plans are under way for eventual membership. The association aims to enhance cooperation among Southeast Asian community. ASEAN Free Trade Area has been established to encourage greater trade among ASEAN members.
I have learnt so much from this research and believe me there is still tonnes more to realize and grasp more about this region. Nevertheless, this exercise definately has been beneficial and gives me the true spirit being a South East Asia citizen.
South East Asia Map
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
News Agenda 28/09 - 02/10
It has been a very exciting week. During the past week, there was plenty of news that caught the attention of the Malaysian media. Most unfortunately would be the incident that happened in Sumatra and Samoa that took the world to surprise after shocking death toll increased. The aftershocks of the earthquake that occurred in Padang was really downright sad and emotional as many lost their loved ones. There were even rumours about tsunami being a possible target heading towards Malaysia. Thankfully it did not. The headlines grab the top spot consistently for a good 3 - 4 days.
On the local front, the Government may allow part-time maids if Indonesia still insisted on local employers paying monthly salaries between RM600 and RM800 for their maids, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam. He also stated that reasonably salary would be the key issue to resolve and if there is no agreement, then alternatives such as introducing a system allowing for part-time maids have to be planned out. Datuk Subra also added that the system would include the rates as well as regulations to protect the part -time maids and the employers. Another round of meeting between Malaysia and Indonesia next month is expected to discuss issues relating to maids. The latter said employers could also source maids from seven other countries including Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and India. This was pointed out due to results amounting about 280,000 foreign maids in this country. However, with 90% of them were from Indonesia because of their close proximity and similar religion and culture.
In the world of business, the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, wants to expand in China and India but has no plans to open hypermarkets in Malaysia. In India, the retailer is “just getting started’’ where there will be great opportunities over the longer term. Investing abroad has not always been an easy exercise for Wal-Mart even though it now operates in 15 countries. It has learnt many lessons but the most important was about being respectful to local customers, conditions and regulations. With easily few thousand retail units, and over million customers a week, employs over various associates worldwide and deals with hundreds of suppliers globally, sales remain tough even though with the turnaround of global economy. With this in mind, was the plan initiated to to make Asia lead the recovery. Although no immediate returns will be expected. Nevertheless, sustainability has become a key part of the company and that effort is driven top down.
Moving on to the world news, German police said they had broken up an international child pornography network that exchanged paedophile images on the Internet and sexually abused children. Police raided homes and workplaces of suspected members of the German-language porn network across Germany on Tuesday evening, arresting nine of its suspected leaders. Authorities in Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Bulgaria, Canada and the United States simultaneously carried out raids on 15 further suspected members. Austrian police said at a news conference in Vienna that 22 people worldwide had been arrested. Members of the network had abused their own children or those of their partners and friends, police said. Police said members of the network exchanged pornography online and discussed their own experiences of abusing children. Several members made films and photos of their sexual abuse of children and shared them on the Internet. Germany this year passed a law making it harder to access child pornography online and easier to prosecute those who use it. Hopefully with this law, this unpleasant disgusting activity can stop and start behaving sanely.
Lastly, Malaysian sports has reached new heights by starting up its own Formula 1 team. Its a multi-million dollar project to put Malaysia contending for next year's formula one grid and also a compilation of the 19-race schedule. The project is also collaborating with Lotus which intends to re-enter the motor sport industry and is financially backed by the aviation mogul Datuk Tony Fernandez. Such risk taken by the government to rely on the private sector groups which is Tune Group and Naza Group can only stress on the confidence towards the business plan and the expectancy turning profitable in the first year of operations is highly possible. Such promising project will definately place Malaysia's as an eye opener to other nations that are developing. Such pride we take as Malaysian knowing how we are an example to other nations. Furthermore, Malaysia's image on the international arena not only will be boosted but also generate profit for the country. This I believe will be very beneficial in so many aspects and as a Malaysian I am proud being part of this achievement.
On the local front, the Government may allow part-time maids if Indonesia still insisted on local employers paying monthly salaries between RM600 and RM800 for their maids, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam. He also stated that reasonably salary would be the key issue to resolve and if there is no agreement, then alternatives such as introducing a system allowing for part-time maids have to be planned out. Datuk Subra also added that the system would include the rates as well as regulations to protect the part -time maids and the employers. Another round of meeting between Malaysia and Indonesia next month is expected to discuss issues relating to maids. The latter said employers could also source maids from seven other countries including Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and India. This was pointed out due to results amounting about 280,000 foreign maids in this country. However, with 90% of them were from Indonesia because of their close proximity and similar religion and culture.
In the world of business, the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, wants to expand in China and India but has no plans to open hypermarkets in Malaysia. In India, the retailer is “just getting started’’ where there will be great opportunities over the longer term. Investing abroad has not always been an easy exercise for Wal-Mart even though it now operates in 15 countries. It has learnt many lessons but the most important was about being respectful to local customers, conditions and regulations. With easily few thousand retail units, and over million customers a week, employs over various associates worldwide and deals with hundreds of suppliers globally, sales remain tough even though with the turnaround of global economy. With this in mind, was the plan initiated to to make Asia lead the recovery. Although no immediate returns will be expected. Nevertheless, sustainability has become a key part of the company and that effort is driven top down.
Moving on to the world news, German police said they had broken up an international child pornography network that exchanged paedophile images on the Internet and sexually abused children. Police raided homes and workplaces of suspected members of the German-language porn network across Germany on Tuesday evening, arresting nine of its suspected leaders. Authorities in Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Bulgaria, Canada and the United States simultaneously carried out raids on 15 further suspected members. Austrian police said at a news conference in Vienna that 22 people worldwide had been arrested. Members of the network had abused their own children or those of their partners and friends, police said. Police said members of the network exchanged pornography online and discussed their own experiences of abusing children. Several members made films and photos of their sexual abuse of children and shared them on the Internet. Germany this year passed a law making it harder to access child pornography online and easier to prosecute those who use it. Hopefully with this law, this unpleasant disgusting activity can stop and start behaving sanely.
Lastly, Malaysian sports has reached new heights by starting up its own Formula 1 team. Its a multi-million dollar project to put Malaysia contending for next year's formula one grid and also a compilation of the 19-race schedule. The project is also collaborating with Lotus which intends to re-enter the motor sport industry and is financially backed by the aviation mogul Datuk Tony Fernandez. Such risk taken by the government to rely on the private sector groups which is Tune Group and Naza Group can only stress on the confidence towards the business plan and the expectancy turning profitable in the first year of operations is highly possible. Such promising project will definately place Malaysia's as an eye opener to other nations that are developing. Such pride we take as Malaysian knowing how we are an example to other nations. Furthermore, Malaysia's image on the international arena not only will be boosted but also generate profit for the country. This I believe will be very beneficial in so many aspects and as a Malaysian I am proud being part of this achievement.
Friday, October 2, 2009
News Agenda
Its been an exciting for the past 9 months what has happened globally and locally in terms of politically, economically and socially. The biggest news year 2009 has to be Barack Hussein Obama who is the 44Th and current President of the United States. In the 2008 general election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. He is the first African American to hold the office.Indeed, the Americans have move forward since the racial segregation in the late 1960s and confidently placed their bets on a fine gentlemen to lead the change for the better of the nation and internationally. Unfortunately, at that moment the world was suffering from the economic recession and all major companies were declared bankrupt. For instance, AIG insurance on September 16, 2008, suffered a liquidity crisis following the downgrade of its credit rating. In March 2009, AIG faced public outrage and media and political backlash for its retention payments of $165 million. During this time period, many AIG employees endured hate mail and death threats.
On the local front, Dato Seri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak was the sixth and current Prime Minister of Malaysia. He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from January 7, 2004 until he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister on April 3, 2009. On March 26 2009, Najib won the UMNO presidency unopposed. Shifting away from that, few parties were unhappy with the appointment of Dato Seri Najib who was heavily linked on the Internet and by political rivals to the brutal murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu. Although all these allegations were pointed towards him Dato Seri Najib managed to come up with satisfactory stimulus packages to battle the economic recession and he also came up with the 1Malaysia concept.The latter personally emphasized the meaning of 1Malaysia as an effort to unify that which is common to all Malaysians, during the initial days of his new government, the 1Malaysia concept has become subject to a broad range of interpretations and discussion, both by those in favor of and opposed to particular government policies, and involving different elements of Malaysia’s major ethnic groups.
The most gruesome news that successfully managed to grab the headlines all over the world is the chaos that happened in Sri Lanka. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are considered a terrorist organization and banned in 31 countries including the United States, India, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada and Australia, ran a de facto state in large parts of the north and east of Sri Lanka. Starting in early 2009 the Sri Lankan army began an all out assault on Tamil Eelam that resulted in the collapse of LTTE conventional ground forces. The last remaining area of Sri Lanka that was controlled by the LTTE, a small coastal strip just north of Mullaithivu bordering the Nathikandal lagoon, fell on 18 May 2009. Most of the senior civil and military leadership of Tamil Eelam, including their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, were said to have perished by the Sri Lankan military during his last stand. The body of Velupillai Prabhakaran was then recovered. It was months of injustice for the innocent people in Sri Lanka as many died with regards of the war that happened in the island.
These were the major issues that I was very much attentive too. Anyone might wonder, why would all these issues and news interest me when actually nothing I can control. Well, obviously we can't control it but knowing what is happening around you is related to self awareness. By being so, not only do you know what is happening, you also hold the privilege of expanding your learning curve horizon. As mentioned by Mark Sweeney, "It's not just being aggressive. It's the whole package from top to bottom of attentiveness, of sensitivity, of response, of timeliness, of understanding (prospects) what needs to be learnt. With that, I sign off.
Cheers
Abilash Menon
On the local front, Dato Seri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak was the sixth and current Prime Minister of Malaysia. He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from January 7, 2004 until he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister on April 3, 2009. On March 26 2009, Najib won the UMNO presidency unopposed. Shifting away from that, few parties were unhappy with the appointment of Dato Seri Najib who was heavily linked on the Internet and by political rivals to the brutal murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu. Although all these allegations were pointed towards him Dato Seri Najib managed to come up with satisfactory stimulus packages to battle the economic recession and he also came up with the 1Malaysia concept.The latter personally emphasized the meaning of 1Malaysia as an effort to unify that which is common to all Malaysians, during the initial days of his new government, the 1Malaysia concept has become subject to a broad range of interpretations and discussion, both by those in favor of and opposed to particular government policies, and involving different elements of Malaysia’s major ethnic groups.
The most gruesome news that successfully managed to grab the headlines all over the world is the chaos that happened in Sri Lanka. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are considered a terrorist organization and banned in 31 countries including the United States, India, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada and Australia, ran a de facto state in large parts of the north and east of Sri Lanka. Starting in early 2009 the Sri Lankan army began an all out assault on Tamil Eelam that resulted in the collapse of LTTE conventional ground forces. The last remaining area of Sri Lanka that was controlled by the LTTE, a small coastal strip just north of Mullaithivu bordering the Nathikandal lagoon, fell on 18 May 2009. Most of the senior civil and military leadership of Tamil Eelam, including their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, were said to have perished by the Sri Lankan military during his last stand. The body of Velupillai Prabhakaran was then recovered. It was months of injustice for the innocent people in Sri Lanka as many died with regards of the war that happened in the island.
These were the major issues that I was very much attentive too. Anyone might wonder, why would all these issues and news interest me when actually nothing I can control. Well, obviously we can't control it but knowing what is happening around you is related to self awareness. By being so, not only do you know what is happening, you also hold the privilege of expanding your learning curve horizon. As mentioned by Mark Sweeney, "It's not just being aggressive. It's the whole package from top to bottom of attentiveness, of sensitivity, of response, of timeliness, of understanding (prospects) what needs to be learnt. With that, I sign off.
Cheers
Abilash Menon
Vox Pop : Students in UCSI lack communications skills.
Q: Does the University loses its credibility by producing excellent students, however lack in communication skills? Why?Q: Does the University loses its credibility by producing excellent students, however lack in communication skills? Why?
A: No, University provides good environment for students to satisfy academic purposes and also allows students to nurture themselves on their communications skills by organising events and various other activities.
A: Yes, Universities currently does not stress much on communication skills but instead focuses only on heating the pressure on students on to produce excellent grades by the students.
A: No, Students are to be blamed. Students practice communication skills to sharpen or improve them. If it is not taught in universities then efforts to nurture the skills outside university should be taken into consideration.
A: No, Students are the ones in fault. Skills and academic are totally two separate paths but joins later to be a respected educated personality. The university produces everything a student should have but nevertheless its up to the students to take the offer.
A: No, University provides good environment for students to satisfy academic purposes and also allows students to nurture themselves on their communications skills by organising events and various other activities.
A: Yes, Universities currently does not stress much on communication skills but instead focuses only on heating the pressure on students on to produce excellent grades by the students.
A: No, Students are to be blamed. Students practice communication skills to sharpen or improve them. If it is not taught in universities then efforts to nurture the skills outside university should be taken into consideration.
A: No, Students are the ones in fault. Skills and academic are totally two separate paths but joins later to be a respected educated personality. The university produces everything a student should have but nevertheless its up to the students to take the offer.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Me, Myself and I as a consumer of news.
Hey Guys,
Have we ever wondered how we sketch ourselves as a consumer of news? Well, the purpose of this piece is to give you guys a head start with information on how enthusiastic I am as a consumer of everyday news.
To begin with, as a consumer, obviously a source is needed to find all important news material and keeping tabs with plenty of sources can only be beneficial. Throughout my life as a student, I basically get my news from the common sources which would be the newspapers, television, radio and the Internet. There is a lot of websites in the Internet where news can be found. Some sites provides legitimate information and some offer news that are just plainly based on rumours. It is up to us as individuals so shall I say say as a responsible consumer to be smart enough to recognize and identify reliable sources.
Photographs mesmerizes my eyes more often than not when it comes to any form of news from various sources. Headlines in the newspaper is the first sentence I read right first thing in the morning. Funny enough that if I don't do so, the day isn't as normal as reading the headlines. A habit I proudly say I am very proud of. Nevertheless, newspapers can also be unreliable. As Deborah Howell once said,"I was surprised by how much bias I saw that was unrecognized by the papers". That says it all and moreover being a Malaysian citizen that practices the authoritarian system further convinces the motion.
My interest in news came from my eagerness to discover more about politics. Having a strictly father has also driven me to venture going that extra mile experiencing all forms if general knowledge. My curiosity in politics grew daily partly because of the events that happened after 9/11 and also after I deepened my knowledge about history and its politics back then. I wanted to know all I could from the past so as to learn from other people's mistakes and be equipped with historical knowledge for the future.
"A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or PhD. Unfortunately, they don't have a J.O.B." as Fats Domino once said. What I am trying to say is that being all well equipped academically is only half of what like has to offer. Knowing what is happening around you is indeed very important, although you can't control what is happening, it is not wrong to know it though, right?
Cheers,
Abilash Menon
Have we ever wondered how we sketch ourselves as a consumer of news? Well, the purpose of this piece is to give you guys a head start with information on how enthusiastic I am as a consumer of everyday news.
To begin with, as a consumer, obviously a source is needed to find all important news material and keeping tabs with plenty of sources can only be beneficial. Throughout my life as a student, I basically get my news from the common sources which would be the newspapers, television, radio and the Internet. There is a lot of websites in the Internet where news can be found. Some sites provides legitimate information and some offer news that are just plainly based on rumours. It is up to us as individuals so shall I say say as a responsible consumer to be smart enough to recognize and identify reliable sources.
Photographs mesmerizes my eyes more often than not when it comes to any form of news from various sources. Headlines in the newspaper is the first sentence I read right first thing in the morning. Funny enough that if I don't do so, the day isn't as normal as reading the headlines. A habit I proudly say I am very proud of. Nevertheless, newspapers can also be unreliable. As Deborah Howell once said,"I was surprised by how much bias I saw that was unrecognized by the papers". That says it all and moreover being a Malaysian citizen that practices the authoritarian system further convinces the motion.
My interest in news came from my eagerness to discover more about politics. Having a strictly father has also driven me to venture going that extra mile experiencing all forms if general knowledge. My curiosity in politics grew daily partly because of the events that happened after 9/11 and also after I deepened my knowledge about history and its politics back then. I wanted to know all I could from the past so as to learn from other people's mistakes and be equipped with historical knowledge for the future.
"A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or PhD. Unfortunately, they don't have a J.O.B." as Fats Domino once said. What I am trying to say is that being all well equipped academically is only half of what like has to offer. Knowing what is happening around you is indeed very important, although you can't control what is happening, it is not wrong to know it though, right?
Cheers,
Abilash Menon
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