The Kingmakers

Do you think journalist just report the world as they see it?

Think about that, think hard. Relate it to the whole "Police v. Aminulrasyid" discourse. In the mean time, indulge me a little time to explain my thoughts on that.

Every profession has its purpose. One either provides a service or produce a product. A baker bakes, a singer sings, a tailor sews. A journalist? What about them? What has a journalist got to offer? Well, they manufacture news. Note my choice of word, manufacture.

The bread-and-butter of journalistic career is to run about town (or world, depending on what he or she is covering) chasing for newsworthy items. Once they find something worth reporting, they'll get down to business. The hunt for quotable statements and insider information thus begins.

Malaysian Idle

“In works of labour, or of skill,
I would be busy too;
For Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do.”

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
British hymn writer and minister

The above saying may be of Christian origin, but I reckon there's no harm in me quoting it since the logic makes a great deal of sense. Idleness can indeed be the cause of many great mischief. And Malaysia, the land where everything is Boleh, is renown for its very own brand of idleness - the lepak culture.

It is rather ironic that citizens of Bolehland, who strives for a plethora of feats and records (some bordering absurdity) has a less motivated alter ego, one who loiter aimlessly at shopping malls by day and chat through the night at local mamak place or kopitiam.

Cynics At Large!

I don’t know the exact date I let go of my puerile dream of becoming Doogie Howser. Back then, I thought if he could save lives, I could too. And then I realised that Doogie was fictional and that an actor was paid to play him. I also realised the idealistic notion of a teenage doctor out to save the world was not real. Needless to say, my idol fell off the pedestal. Besides, even Doogie did not want to be Doogie anymore. He’s Barney Stinson now. Hang on, am I a cynic? Come to think of it, I probably am!

Cynicism. We have a good dose of it in our society today. Who would’ve thought that cynicism as we understand now – a bitter and disbelieving attitude, is a descendent of an ancient system of beliefs? Cynics were the adherents of an ancient Greek school of philosophy. It originally promoted a virtuous life in agreement with nature. They advocated the pursuit of virtue in a simple and unmaterialistic lifestyle. A rather poetic ironical turn of events don’t you think?

Big Fat Figures For Americans To Munch On

The title of this entry is actually the title of an article in today's NST (world section). The article is taken from Times of India and written by SubodhVarma. Click here for the Times of India article.

Facts as stated in the article :

1. Total food grain consumption (wheat, rice, and all coarse grains like rye, barley, etc.) by American is more than 5 times that of an Indian. 
2. Each Indian eats about 178kg of grain annually while an American consumes 1,046kg.
3. In per capita terms, US grain consumption is twice that of the European Union and thrice that of China.
4. Each American consumes an average of 78kg of milk compared to 36kg in India and 11kg in China.
5. Vegetable oils consumption per person is 41 kg oer year in US, while Indians are making do with a mere 11kg per year.
6. 43.6kg of beef are consumed in America yearly in per capita terms. In India, 1.6kg and China 5.9kg.
7. In the US, 45.4kg of poultry meat is consumed every year by each person compared to 1.9kg in India.
8. As for pork, in per capita terms; European Union consumes 42.6kg, America consumes 29.7kg and in China 35kg.
9. Food grain consumption in Africa is 162kg per year for each person or about 445g per day.

Melodi

I saw probably 2-3 minutes worth of Melodi this afternoon. And in that 2-3 minutes, an unknown Melodi reporter was interviewing a sick artiste (I don't know his name, he was formerly in some rock kapak band unfamiliar to me). I remembered that he was previously featured for his current state - selling nasi lemak by some sidewalk in KL. He seemed to have "repented" and very much humbled by his present disposition.

But today's story is not about him selling nasi lemak but on the fact that he is now stricken by some illness which I suspect has got to do with kidney problems. I watched it halfway, so I may get that wrong. The point is he's sick.