Humorous Outtakes

I love Reuters' Oddly Enough section. From Reuters: Man drowns in election publicity stunt:

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A publicity stunt by an underdog in the race to be governor of Bangkok went badly wrong when her campaign manager drowned as they bathed in a canal to highlight the plight of residents who have no access to clean water.

From Reuters: Saturday night thiever says sorry to victims:

BERLIN (Reuters) - A thief in Germany, plagued by guilt after robbing a kiosk, went back days later to deliver a note of apology and pay compensation to the victims.

From Reuters: Muslim sentenced for religious ceremony "cruelty":

LONDON (Reuters) - A Muslim, convicted of child cruelty after encouraging two boys to flail themselves during a religious ceremony, was given a 26-week suspended jail term on Wednesday.

Syed Mustafa Zaidi, 44, of Eccles, Manchester, had pushed the boys into whipping themselves with chains fitted with curved blades at the ends during an annual Shia Muslim ceremony.

Zaidi was found guilty of two counts of child cruelty at Manchester Crown Court in August. He was given a 26-week prison sentence suspended for a year, the Press Association reported.

Zaidi was also banned from allowing or encouraging anyone under the age of 16 to beat themselves during the next 12 months.

P.S. self harm is haram, people!

Malaysians? Abusing visas? Heavens, no!

Someone please show this to Archat. From The Star: Malaysians the top Britain visa abusers:

LONDON: Malaysia is in the top five countries whose citizens are consistently being denied entry into Britain.

If that is not bad enough, Malaysians are also among the top 10 nationalities who overstay and in the top 20 for overall immigration abuses.

Revealing these statistics, Malaysian High Commissioner to Britain Datuk Abdul Aziz Mohamad said most Malaysians who overstayed were from Johor, Perak, Penang and Selangor.

He said Malaysians had been in Britain’s bad books over visa abuses, with about 1,500 of them refused entry last year.

Aziz said Malaysian passports were often abused by nationals from China, Sri Lanka and India to gain illegal entry into Britain.

“And Malaysians are frequently reported as acting as facilitators to arrange for other nationals to enter Britain,” he said when briefing the Malaysian community here on the proposed visa ruling for Malaysians travelling to Britain.

Aziz said the Home Office’s third and last stage of its visa-waiver test for Malaysia and 10 other countries was expected to run until January or February next year.

He said British authorities would probably decide around March whether Malaysia would fall under the visa regime.

On whether Malaysia would retaliate if Britain imposed the visa, the High Comm-issioner said it would have to weigh the situation in Malaysia’s best interests.

Saying Malaysians abuse visas is like saying, "Hey look. The sky's blue." We're the people who used RM1 coins in lieu of AU$1 coins in Australia. Come on, world. Catch on!

Corporate Social Responsibiility?

So I was reading this company's annual report, right, just because I can, and I stumble across this piece of gold in the Chairman's Statement:

I love what they call Corporate Social Responsibility. "Adequate medical benefit as well as hospitalization for deserving staff". How do you decide who's "deserving"? Maybe only the staff who look really sick? Or maybe the ones who give the boss a hamper for CNY?

Maiden Voyage

I've always thought to myself that maids are akin to modern-day slaves. I've spoken about this to some people before, and it's true. Maids are made to work more than 12 hours a day, basically from when they wake up to when they sleep. If I were to ask the maid at 10.30p.m. to make me some food, she can't say that it's after working hours and she's off duty.

On the one hand, I've seen families treat their maids like one of their own, buying them their clothes and paying for any expenses they need with no question. During a recent trip to Subang Parade, I saw an employer buying his (very intimidated) maid some very decently priced, and very pretty baju kurungs. I've also heard of employers paying for their maids (who've been with them for a while) to go to umrah, or go on their holidays with them, sending them for computer or cooking classes at the request of the maids, and teaching them to read and write.

On the other hand, I've also seen highly reputable families who are proponents of charity and fight for the rights of underprivileged Malaysians treat their maids like they're nothing. While it isn't physically abusive, it definitely borders on it. Maids aren't allowed to go out on their own and don't meet other people. They're hit when they don't understand things quickly, and frequently disregarded.

Reports that maids are abused that appear in the newspapers always worry me. Maids getting beaten up, maids being forcefully held, maids as victims. There's been a worrying upward trend in such reports. Maids may be cheap labour, but they're worth so much more. They're the nannies that care for your children as they grow up. They're the safeguards that ensure the comfort of your home, and they make sure there's food for you when you want it and when you need it. They know exactly how to make your tea or coffee, and exactly how you like your noodles fried up.

That being said, there are maids who turn tricks at night, who let strange men into their boss' homes when they're away and their children are home, who turn robbers onto their boss, who steal money and food (and I speak from personal experience) and other such things. When you hire a maid, you're essentially trusting a total stranger with your life and the lives of your families. Where's the line that gives you comfort and safety and ensures their happiness?

I'll tell you one thing. If Malaysians were maids, we wouldn't stand for such treatment.

Damn Straight

I love that our Bar Council is so independent of politics. From The Star: Abolish ISA, free all detainees:

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar has unanimously passed a resolution calling for the abolition of the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees, including Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin and the “Hindraf Five.”

Its president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said the Malaysian Bar also strongly condemned the issuance of the three show-cause letters to Sin Chew Daily, theSun and Suara Keadilan and said they should be immediately withdrawn.

The resolution would be handed to the Prime Minister on Monday, she told reporters on Saturday after a closed-door extraordinary general meeting (EGM).

The six-point resolution was passed at the EGM that was attended by more than 730 members. It was also supported by four past presidents.

Ambiga said the Malaysian Bar also strongly condemned the Sept 12 arrests of Raja Petra, Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.

“Raja Petra and the other detainees should be released. They should be charged in court if they (are suspected of being) guilty of any offence.

“We unanimously and strongly call on the Government to immediately repeal the ISA and all other laws that allow for the detention of persons without trial, such as the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance 1969 and the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985,” she said.

The Government, the resolution stated, should uphold its pledges to the United Nations Human Rights Council to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to promote a free media, including in cyberspace, and to uphold the rule of law.