Kumaresvara (Jack) Nathan, 360° Head Rotation co-founder, musical collaborator, and my very dear friend of almost 15 years is dead. He was cremated with his beloved “Frankenstein” custom “Jack Series” guitar on Monday 25 September 2006 around 4pm. Tomorrow, Saturday 26 September 2006 his ashes shall be taken to his favorite spot, a friend’s farm/dusun near Rasa Town/Kuala Kubu Bahru, and released in a stream running across the property. A tribute gig shall be held once we manage to shake this fog and extreme grief that’s clouding our heads.
We’re always hearing about our governments efforts to eradicate drug abuse in the country being called “The War On Drugs”. As a recovering heroin addict myself, i believe that the use of this term & the ensuing prejudices it illicit has misled much of the public into viewing the addict as the “enemy” in this so called “war”. And i have found from personal experience that the stigma that arises from this misconception is perhaps the single largest obstacle a recovering addict faces when trying to reintegrate into society.
I am by no means suggesting that the addict should be considered the innocent victim here (an addict may be many things, but innocent is certainly not one of them), however neither should they be viewed as the soulless, faceless enemy that needs to be ruthlessly persecuted & prosecuted. If similes must be used to at all, a more accurate one would be that of the “prisoner of war” held hostage by his own addiction. Or perhaps an even better analogy would be that of cannon fodder being sent out into the front-lines to destroy & be destroyed by forces above & beyond their control.
OK This is about politics, but before you switch off & stop reading this because you say you’re not political & have no interest in politics whatsoever, just give me a minute. The first thing i want to say is that NOBODY is apolitical! Even if you’ve never voted in your entire life or never intend to even(which is a perfectly valid choice!), the way you live your life is a political statement in itself!
Jenayah-jenayah PDRM Terhadap Rakyat Malaysia oleh Black
Keganasan polis yang berlaku pada 28 Mei 2006 yang lalu terhadap demonstrasi bagi membantah kenaikkan harga minyak dan tarif elektrik adalah satu bukti yang Malaysia adalah Negara Polis. Tindakan membelasah para demonstran dengan kejam dan tidak berperikemanusiaan adalah satu tindakan yang tidak boleh dimaafkan oleh rakyat.
“Ten years ago, you could have three ringgit in your pocket, take the bus to KL, have your teh tarik and roti canai, maybe a kretek cigarette or two, take the bus home, and still have some change in your pocket.” Said a friend not so long ago.
And he was right. Ten years ago was 1996, a year before the financial crisis. Right after the crisis, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines took up the IMF/World Bank “aid package” and ended up selling off most of their private and more importantly, their public enterprises at bargain basement prices to foreign companies as part of the package agreement. As a result, immediate living cost for the population went up, along with mass un-employment;, not only from the initial financial crisis, but also from the mass retrenchment by these brand new foreign-owned local companies.
Why the mass retrenchment from the foreign-owned local companies? Why it’s elementary my dear Watson, private companies, like any other private companies anywhere around the world, exist to maximize profit. “Maximizing the shareholders value”, as any CEO would say. So why the mass retrenchment? Watson, Watson, you really should pay a little more attention. Labour is expensive, and now that these former public-owned enterprises are newly privatized, they operate like every other corporations. They started laying off workers, jacking up the price for their services as much as they can get away with, to…say it with me Watson…”maximize the shareholders value”.
Berita Harian alat propaganda Barisan Nasional untuk Pilihanraya Sarawak?
oleh Amin Iskandar di Gwangju
Apabila saya membaca akhbar Berita Harian hari ini (11 Mei 2006), saya terbaca sebuah berita yang bertajuk “Calon penganggur mahu lawan Ketua Menteri” tulisan Misiah Taib.
Dalam laporannya beliau memulakan dengan,
“DEMOKRASI berparlimen memberi ruang kepada sesiapa saja untuk bertanding, hatta seorang petani, peniaga atau penganggur sekali pun.
Tetapi kalau setakat untuk menyekat seseorang daripada menang tanpa bertanding, apatah lagi calon tidak diketahui kewibawaannya, ia seolah-olah mempermainkan kebebasan demokrasi itu sendiri.
Oleh itu, apabila seseorang calon yang agak asing bagi penduduk tempatan, tiba-tiba muncul dan menawarkan diri bertanding mencabar seorang Ketua Menteri yang mempunyai rekod 25 tahun, pasti timbul 1,001 persoalan.
Maka mulalah kedengaran bisik-bisik, saling bertanya siapa sebenarnya calon berkenaan, apakah hasrat sebenar di sebalik kemunculannya dan apakah pula agenda perjuangannya.”
Sejarah Kebangkitan Gwangju pada 18 Mei 1980 Oleh Amin Iskandar di Gwangju
Bulan Mei merupakan bulan yang sangat bersejarah bagi penduduk Gwangju, Korea Selatan. Mereka sudah tentu tidak melupakan sejarah Kebangkitan Gwangju pada tahun 1980 yang dipelopori oleh Gerakan Mahasiswa. Bagi generasi mahasiswa pada tahun tersebut yang masih hidup, mereka pasti masih terkenang pertempuran di antara aktivis mahasiswa dan tentera di hadapan pagar Universiti Kebangsaan Chonnam (Chonnam National University).
Pampanga Scene Report 2006 (Philippines) by Francis (The Istukas over Disneyland)
History, Culture, Tradition…
The Province of Pampanga is located in Central Luzon bounded by Provinces such as Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, Bataan and Bulacan. It takes 1 and a half hour bus ride from Manila City.
The Province has a population of about 1, 618,759 and land area of 218,068 while fifty one percent of the area is devoted to agriculture; land utilization is fast shifting to the urban mode. San Fernando is the capital town of Pampanga. Juan Capitan Fernando, a Spanish cavalry officer on August 31, 1775, founded it. He named it in the honor of the soldier-saint, King Ferdinand III of Spain.
A very violent BBC’s TopGear TV Show clip featuring presenter Jeremy Clarkson doing an Abu Ghraib torture session upon a helpless and utterly terrified Malaysian middle-class darling, the Perodua Kancil. Very brutal, not for the faint of heart.
note: as usual, let the video loads fully first and then click replay.
Hari nie tah hari berapa Pak Lah jadi PM kami
Memang dari dulu kami sokong sampai lani
Tapi hari nie, buka mata, senak perut anak bini
Tengok Pak Lah habag minyak naik lagi
Memang kami tak tau pasai ekonomi
Yang tau semua Pak Lah ngan kroni
Tapi sampai bila nak jadi lagu nie
Dapat gaji habis tak berbaki
Seorang bekas pemimpin berceloteh mengenai kenaikan harga minyak yang dia anggap tersangatlah munasabah dan sungguh masuk akal. Antara lain, dia berhujah dengan hujah yang sudah lapuk lagi mual iaitu harga minyak di Malaysia masih lagi terendah jika dibandingkan dengan negara-negara lain. Dia memberi contoh, di Britain harga minyak lebih kurang dalam RM7 seliter, jauh lebih tinggi, berlipat kali ganda daripada harga di Malaysia.
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If you have a gig or an event, gathering, demo etc. happening soon, do send us details and flyers too.
Snailmail: The Ricecooker, 14A Bukit Ceylon 50200 KL, Malaysia
The War On Drugs
“Ten years ago, you could have three ringgit in your pocket, take the bus to KL, have your teh tarik and roti canai, maybe a kretek cigarette or two, take the bus home, and still have some change in your pocket.” Said a friend not so long ago.
