Malaysia Day celebration at Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur

For those of us who missed the Malaysia Day celebration at Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka Square) yesterday, a reader from The Star took a nice picture of part of it although it was a rehearsal. The Thumbnail submission won the day's RM50 prize.

In the background, you can see part of the Royal Selangor Club building. The club just celebrated its 125th anniversary.

There is a video afterall. Let's watch..

Vettel wins Malaysia Formula 1 Grand Prix

SEPANG: Red Bull driver

Sebastian Vettel won the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, giving the German back-to-back wins to open the season.

The pole sitter led throughout to win by 3.2 seconds from McLaren's Jenson Button, with Renault's Nick Heidfeld hanging on for third.

McLaren Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain , left, and Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany, right, speak during the driver's parade prior to start the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Sunday, April 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) - 10 April, 2011

More pictures at The Star Gallery

Source: The Star

Anwar Slams Sex Video - I'm not the man

Jan 9, 2012 Update: High Court verdict: Anwar not guilty

Latest update: 'Anwar Ibrahim' video clip

Sex video shocker is the frontpage story on The Star today. (Google ads on my site today would probably feature PSAs (Publc Service Ads) only. But what the ....!, we all want to know more about it, don't we?)

At time of writing, the Most Viewed list of articles in The Star today shows that 8 out of 10 listed are on the same subject matter.

The excitement is about the release of a video recording of a man resembling an opposition party leader having sex with a foreign fair-skinned prostitute, believed to be from East Asia. This revelation has shocked the nation in the latest scandal to rock the country.

The politician held a press conference. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has vehemently denied that he is the man in the sex video, saying that this was a “scurrilous attack” on him.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim: “It is an evil political conspiracy. It is an attack against my character and my family. This is something we have endured the last 13 years.”

“Every time we face elections – in 1999, 2008 and now, these allegations surface.”

Dr Wan Azizah: “If the (sodomy trial) says that Anwar is with a man, why is this video with a woman?” she asked.





This is The Carcosa Seri Negara, an old colonial mansion that has been converted to a posh hotel where Queen Elizabeth stayed during her visit. It plays hosts to other visiting dignitaries as well.

This is the venue chosen by a mysterious Malay man, who only wished to be known as “Datuk T”, who unveiled the video tape in high security and secrecy. Security was so tight that "Before the screening, the editors and senior journalists were told to surrender their wallets, mobile phones, cameras, notebooks and pens.

They were checked with hand-held metal scanners and also made to wear robes over their clothes before being allowed into the room.

The four men who were with “Datuk T” were apologetic and polite to the media during the security checks.

Two of them were wearing dark glasses ala US Secret Service agents."

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has denied claims that police were involved in the recording of the video. The 22-minute black-and-white video shows the man having sex in various positions and was recorded by hidden CCTV cameras in a hotel room in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 21.





If you are interested, the links are below..

Most Viewed at time of writing
* Sex video shocker
* Family of murdered contractor sees red
* Anwar: I’m not the man
* Sex video becomes talk of the town in a matter of hours
* PAS may review ties if video is authentic
* Cops not involved in sex video, says Najib
* High security and secrecy before screening
* Zaid: It is standard PKR reaction
* Video of man resembling politician shown to pressmen
* KL, Jakarta to sign maids MoU

Update:
Anwar lodges police report


Source: The Star

The Medicine-man of time past

One or two decades ago, any market square will surely have a Chinese medicine man hawking his goods comprising traditional oils, pills and whatnots. He would be calling out in a number of Chinese dialects so that his message went across to a wider population. This brand of medicine-man is no longer seen in current times.

The following is a re-enactment of what used to be the norm decades ago - though the translation errors were part of the comedy act. This is hilarious if you understand Hokkien, Cantonese and Hakka, three common Chinese dialects used here in Malaysia. Enjoy..

Possession. Against the (Copyright) Law

The Malaysian Star reports on some public backlash to a proposed amendment to the Malaysian Copyright Act.  The amendment has been in discussion for about a year now but is not yet law.  If the new amendment is enacted, persons found in possession of infringing DVDs will be fined five times the cost of the legitimate version. (see here.)

I have been unable to locate a copy of the proposed amendment.  It appears from looking at the current act that this amendment would change Section 41(d), which currently says that it is an offense if a person “possesses, otherwise than for his private and domestic use, an infringing copy.” (emphasis added) 

The purpose of the amendment is to help limit the amount of trade in infringing DVDs, CDs, and other forms of amusement delivered in disc form, by discouraging people from purchasing them.  The general idea is that reducing the market for infringing goods will help the creative industries in Malaysia grow and contribute to the nation’s economic growth.  (For more background see MIP Handbook.)

Without having a copy of the amendment, it is hard to know what the real consequences of the change could be.  For example, if the punishment is a fine but the person has to be seen with the infringing disc in public, then it might be considered a reasonable step towards lowering infringement. However, if Section 44 of the Copyright Act will apply to the offense of possession as it does to all other offences, there may be a bigger issue.  Section 44 allows a magistrate to grant a warrant that allows the police to enter suspected premises at any time and seize infringing materials. 

Based on the information in the Star article, details like whether Section 44 will apply are still being worked out.  Concern about potential police raids of private homes was not the comment from the Malaysian people.  Some are worried that the government is acting out of desperation, while others claim the producers of infringing goods should be the target rather than the consumers.  (In all fairness, the Copyright Act does already include making and distribution as offenses and reports of successful factory raids have appeared in the papers.)

In addition to knowing whether Section 44 applies, one might also wonder, “Can consumers distinguish an infringing copy from a legitimate one?” and “Do people know where they can purchase legitimate copies?”  In some places, like Nigeria, the answers to these questions are often “no.”  If that’s the case in Malaysia, how will enforcement of this amendment work?

Which is the original? Image credit: CC BY NC SA 2.5 Malaysia by Yihzy available at http://www.yihzy.com/wordpress/?cat=9

If anyone has a copy of the amendment or knows more about the relationship between infringing and legitimate DVDs in Malaysia, The 1709 Blog would love to hear from you.