Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Another side of story about the UPM fracas

OOI TZE MIN-menjadi umpan untuk provokasi 17 julai.Pandai betul dia berlakon buat muka seposen




Some interesting find over here.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

How To Blog?

I want to blog, too
(Star, 15th August 2006)

WANT to be a blogger, too? Here’s how, in four steps:

1 Choose a site to host your blog

Blogger (blogger.com)

Helps you set things up, with pre-set templates which mean no HTML coding knowledge is required. Ideal if you want a low-hassle blog with an easy-to-remember URL (blogspot.com). You can post from your mobile phone.

LiveJournal (livejournal.com)

Equal parts blogging site and social networking site. There’s a “friends” function so you can read all your friends’ LiveJournals at the same time, plus community sites for diverse interests, such as (http://community.livejournal.com/ alittleawkward) and (http://community.live journal. com/sg_dancers).

You can also post from your mobile phone. And you can read your friends’ new posts on one page, instead of clicking from one blog to the next.

Xanga (xanga.com)

Another with a community focus, with functions to “subscribe” to your friends’ sites so you never miss a post, and to join blogrings which link you to other like-minded bloggers. You can also browse by “metres” – geographical areas where people live – to find friends living nearby.

Very popular are its text formatting functions. Xanga users often beautify their posts with pretty fonts and colours.

Diaryland (diaryland.com)

Offers basic functions in an easy-to-navigate site. Its cutesy design – think pastel colours and cartoon characters – is popular among bloggers who still tYpE LiKe THiS. Good for children or adolescents.

Wordpress (wordpress.com)

Despite its basic functions, Wordpress is popular for its clean, classy templates. It is fast gaining ground as a haunt for “underground” bloggers.

Wordpress templates are available through a service called Blogsome (www.blogsome.com)

Yahoo! 360 (360.yahoo.com)

You can check your friends’ Yahoo! 360° updates from Yahoo! Messenger. Just look for the yellow gleams in your Friends List. Create and share lists, reviews and polls. Also post from your mobile phone.

2 Choose a display name Unless you want to be generic and forgettable, choose something unpredictable that leaves an impression. Names we like; Singabloodypore (singabloodypore.blogspot.com) or Kway Teow Man (kwayteowman.blogspot.com).

3 Upload pictures Every blog host can upload pictures – all you need to do is to click on the icon, which allows you to browse your computer’s folders and choose the picture you want.

Use Adobe Photoshop or any other photo-editing software to shrink your pictures before uploading them. Otherwise, your site will be slow. If you’re afraid of people stealing your photos, add a watermark.

4 Join technorati (technorati.com) This blog search engine is the biggest thing now. Join for free and readers from all over the world can read your posts according to how you “tag” or label them. Examples of tags – Hezbollah, for posts on the current Middle East conflict; or Singapore Idol, on the reality show.



Related Stories:
Seniors who blog
Welcome to me.com

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Botox Ban For Malaysian Muslim

Only State religious bodies can act (NST)
06 Aug 2006
Hamidah Atan

PUTRAJAYA: Only State Islamic Religious Affairs Departments can act against Muslim men and women who seek Botox treatment, and not the Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

The National Fatwa Council has ruled that Muslims are forbidden from seeking this treatment to slow the ageing process and other cosmetic purposes.

(Since when Botox is being used to "slow" the process of aging? It only temporary paralyses the facial muscles, so that the face looked aesthetically free of wrinkles )

However, the decree (fatwa) has to be gazetted as law before the State Religious Departments can take action.

Jakim director-general Datuk Mustapa Abdul Rahman said it only acted as co-ordinator for decrees issued by the council and could not act against Muslims who had Botox injections.

Federal Territory Religious Affairs Department director Che Mat Che Ali said it was in the process of gazetting the fatwa but declined to go into details.

On July 27, the council ruled that Botox injections — a growing rage among the upper-middle class and rich in Malaysia — contained prohibited substances, including those from pigs.

(As far as I am concern, Botox or Botulinum Toxin Type A is produced from bacteria Clostridium botulinum. What has it got to do with pigs?)

It said the treatment could also result in negative side effects.

The fatwa does not carry the force of law but those who ignore it are committing a sin.

Council chairman Prof Datuk Shukor Husin had said it arrived at the decision after studying reports from abroad, local specialists and fatwa made by Middle Eastern countries.

He had said that the use of Botox injections to treat medical conditions such as cerebral palsy, however, was allowed.

But even in medical cases, it must be used only when the patient is in a dire situation and the treatment is provided by a specialist.

The decision refers to certain situations when there are no alternatives for medical treatment.

Botox, a powerful neurotoxin introduced two decades ago, is widely used to cure facial problems.

However, it is better known for its cosmetic qualities.

More news at:
IslamOnline.net
Sabah English
Buzzle.com

More about botulinum toxin:
FDA
American Academy of Dermatology
CDC
DermNet NZ

Bloggers:
MMR
Relapsedcatholic
Laotze

Zam doing Malaysians a great disservice about crime

In Lim Kit Siang's blog.

NST: Sunday Interview: Blogging - Self-censorship the name of the game

Much has been said about the need to censor the Internet, with counter points raised by those campaigning to maintain freedom in cyberspace. The Government has qualified its hands-off policy by saying that blogging should come with responsibility. Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow and Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang share their views on the debate with V. VASUDEVAN.

Datuk Fu Ah Kiow, Deputy Internal Security Minister



Q: What is the official stand on calls to censor the Internet?

A: There are no laws to facilitate this. Our Bill of Guarantees promises freedom over the Internet. But there is a need for self-censorship.
There are other laws which can be used against those who publish material deemed inflammatory.
For instance, we have the Sedition Act which can be used if the contents of a blog results in a crime. The Penal Code can be used to prevent people from causing unrest among the public.
The Malaysian Government is liberal on the issue when compared to other nations like China. We are liberal, but let us not abuse this.
A case in point is the comment in a blog where readers were urged to "shoot to kill" a local journalist.
Bloggers who are irresponsible have to face the consequences.


Q: But Internet content providers and bloggers argue that they are a responsible lot.

A: By and large, most are. Maybe a small percentage are not. But even that small percentage can be capable of disrupting peace and causing nationwide unrest.
A website suggested police involvement in the pepper spray incident involving Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The report was eventually pulled out but a lot of people had, by then, assumed that the police had a hand in it.
Last week, irresponsible people used an SMS to spread a message with a racial undertone and attributed it to the Sin Chew Jit Poh. The newspaper had to lodge a police report after getting queries from the public.
I am not saying we should have laws to censor the media. Technically, it could be difficult, especially if the IP address is from abroad.


Q: Has anyone been charged under any of the Acts you just mentioned?

A: Police investigate every case reported to them. Our laws are such that we have to have solid evidence to prove a case. In the case of the website that touched on the pepper spray issue, it was irresponsible of them. When you arouse suspicion, it is equivalent to undermining the credibility of the police.
You are undermining the people’s confidence in the force. People should not sensationalise to attract readers. If you are irresponsible, you have to face the music.


Q: What about bloggers operating behind a veil of anonymity?

A: If it is a site hosted within the country, we can take action, but if it is hosted outside, we can’t. I advise the public not to abuse their freedom.


Q: Your advice to bloggers?

A: Be responsible, carry balanced reports, exercise self-censorship and do not sensationalise just for the sake of gaining readers. As for readers, please read blogs with a questioning mind, double check and verify reports published by bloggers or Internet publications.

Q: But some people say it is all right for whistleblowers to use the Internet.

A: Again, the question is whether one is abusing the Internet. Whistleblowers can send letters to the authorities, like the Anti-Corruption Agency.
If you put it on the Internet, everybody will suspect someone. What if the news turns out to be untrue?


Q: Are there plans to amend the Sedition Act or Penal Code to cater for those abusing the Internet?

A: There is no need for that. The current laws are adequate to deal with people who abuse the Internet or the Short Messaging Service.


Q: Some newspaper editors have complained that it is not a level playing field where Internet newspapers or bloggers are concerned.

A: We are fully aware of the anomaly. Honestly, we don’t have the answer to this, but we are looking into it. We are not looking to amend the Printing Presses and Publications Act.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has advised the media to refrain from believing everything on the Internet.
The print media must maintain the credibility it has earned over time. The Internet has a problem with this in respect of reliability of news. At the moment, the primary source of reliable news is the print media.



Lim Kit Siang, Opposition Leader:



Q: How long have you blogged?

A: It’s coming close to a year. Blogging is a means of self-expression enabled by the Internet. It should be encouraged, not deterred.
Everybody (bloggers and authorities) should be responsible and play their part. It is a worldwide trend that allows people to interact.
If we want to move into the Internet age and encourage openness, we should encourage blogging.


Q: Some quarters have called for censorship of the Internet and bloggers.

A: This is wrong. It communicates a wrong message that there is a fear of cyberspace. There should not be any pre-censorship to blogging either, like newspapers which are subjected to it by way of the Printing Presses and Publications Act. The very idea of censorship is outrageous.
You can’t control local bloggers using foreign servers. It is ridiculous. We should encourage the use of the Internet if we want to move towards an open society.


Q: What about those who flout the law?

A: As and when there is a violation, the authorities should look at them and deal with them according to the relevant laws. But don’t gag blogging or the Internet.


Q: The call for censorship appears to revolve around claims that bloggers are touching on sensitive issues. How have you prevented this in your blog?

A: When I started, I allowed everyone to post their comments on my weblog. There were some problematic postings. To avoid this, I asked people posting for the first time to register their details. Their posting was only posted once their details had been checked. They were then allowed to post freely.
But I do monitor the blog to ensure they do not post offensive remarks or remarks that touch on sensitive matters. My assistants help monitor the blog.


Q: What, if despite this, someone hacks into your blog and posts offensive statements?

A: I don’t rule out the possibility of hacking. But when that happens, you can immediately take action by simply informing the authorities.
That should help stave off government action.


Q: Some blog anonymously. Is it important for bloggers to identify themselves?

A: Of course. Credibility is strengthened if the identity of the blogger is revealed. There are situations where I suppose it is all right to be anonymous. For example, in the case of those in private or public sector companies who want to reveal a wrongdoing, I suppose it is acceptable. But it must be responsible. The blog must not be used to attack people.


Q: What is your blog about?

A: I write about national concerns. It is not a party blog, but the blog of a party leader.

You have no credibility left! Habis!

BIGFOOT’S EYES?: A photo of what the founders of www.johorhominid.org claimed were the eyes of a female Bigfoot. The photo was taken from the website after it was posted there yesterday.

Reported by STAR.

So, the Bigfoot thing was a big hoax after all.

"It also threw a challenge to visitors, offering RM1,200 to anyone who could find a match of the photograph or prove beyond doubt that it was a hoax."

Stingy bastards! Only RM 1,200? I wonder how much money they could have made from advertisement judging from the number of visitors.

More:
Bigfoot web site shut down after posting headshot

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

PM: Those who spread untruths on the Net will be detained


PM: Those who spread untruths on the Net will be detained

By IAN MCINTYRE (Star, 2nd August 2006)

ianm@thestar.com.my

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Prime Minister has issued a warning – those who spread untruths and slander on the Internet will face the law.

If information in blogs, websites and online portals were incorrect, bordered on slander, caused disturbance or compelled the public to lose faith in the nation’s economic policies, their authors would be detained for investigation, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“We cannot allow such matters to flow through uncontrolled,” he told newsmen after attending a briefing on the proposed Islamic Civilisation Park in Pulau Wan Man here.

“They say all kinds of things, make all kinds of dubious claims. We cannot allow them to abuse the freedom earned under the media. If left alone, they can say or pass on all kinds of things.”

Abdullah also said that those who sent out such information via short message system (SMS) would also be held accountable.

“If they abuse the freedom – more than the present freedom given without any restriction – we cannot allow it,” he declared.

“Where in the world is there such a freedom, where one can freely spread incorrect information and slander without having to own up to it?”

Asked if he was calling for a control mechanism, Abdullah said he would leave it to the police to investigate first.

It was reported recently that the Internal Security Ministry was investigating several online sites following a string of misreporting that caused tension and confusion among Internet users.