Thursday, May 6, 2010

Breaking News Around the World

Thursday, May 6, 2010.

Assalamualaikum.

My, what a cold morning..oh wait. The fan. It's static. (aiyaa..)

Just a sec..

There. I've pushed the 'button'? You know, the button on top of the fan, where it makes the head move again..no wonder "it's such a cold morning"..(hahaha)

Huaargh..oops. Sorry. I'm still a bit sleepy..can you believe it? It's almost 9 in the morning and I'm still sleepy..sheesh..

Anyway. The news.

In the last few days, I've been watching al-jazeera at astro 513. Well..actually I only started it yesterday. But I find it is quite a nice way to make you wake up in the morning. What? Don't I get bored?

At first, yes. I don't like listening to the news. The local TV news at least. You all know how I'm "allergic" to politics right? That's why I find our local news soooo bo.ring. PKR...this3x. BN that3x. PAS bla3x. IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT POLITICS. But lately, because of the Thomas and Uber cup for the badminton, and there's also World Cup in South Africa, I guess there's a bit more spice and colour to the news. But, other than that, it's a load of rubbish. Well, other than the politics is fine. But when there's even a tinie-weenie bit of election....OMG. I'd rather watch Ben 10. (It's a cartoon..:) ) Cause if not, my eyes would be rolling about in their sockets 24-7. And I can't get them to stop. (smiles)

But Al-Jazeera. It's good stuff. Anybody with astro should watch it. Channel 513. You will get the latest update, and I think their journalism approach is pretty good and fair. Unlike what you see in Malaysia. (Woaa..talk about disloyalty to me own country)

What? I'm just saying my point of view. Don't I have freedom of speech? Haha. And that's another thing. "Freedom of speech"? Oh, don't get me started on that. Then I'll get all emo (emotional) and I'll NEVER get to the point today.

Allright. (clears throat). Today's point is...(datdadada!) "Breaking News Around the World."

(clears throat again). Ehem. Reporting live from the blue couch, my house, in Maalizia (that's Malaysia in Arabic), 4 minutes to 9.

6 breaking news for you folks, wherever you may be, whatever you may do, I hope you'll have some time to check these latest news...

Actually it's 4 "breaking" news and 2 not so breaking..because they're a bit old (laughs)..


Ouch. That sounds a little harsh, don't you think? Hey, don't blame me, I don't make up the titles here. (smiles) Perhaps the title on Al-Jazeera is so because Mr. Yar'adua already passed away on last Wednesday..em that's..yesterday. (haha..what planet am I on?). Okey, no joking.
It is said that he passed away at 9.00 pm, in which the time I have no idea where, perhaps Nigeria's, just four hours ago, according to the live news just now. He is a muslim, so any muslims out there can recite al-Fatihah, from a muslim to the arwah (in memory of) Umaru Yar'adua.

A sad thing really. For who? For me, and for him. The truth is, this is the first and unfortunately, the last time I'll know this name; Umaru Yar'adua. Yes, I am the youth, well young adults of today. So ignorant of what's going on beyond the borders of Maalizia. Luckily, I have Al-Jazeera to thank for, for breaking my mental walls. That there are actually more things, a lot more things happening around the globe, even as I'm writing.

A little info on President Umaru Yar'adua. He is the first university educated Nigerian president. He is..em, soft-spoken, and clean president. Clean in the sense that he declared his assets before he took office as president, kind of like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current president of Iran, I suppose. Declaring assets would mean you have to make a statement of how much wealth or treasure? you have. Your own money in the bank, how many cars you own, how much your house is worth, etc. And this is not the normal practice of politicians in Nigeria. So, I guess this dead man that I just knew this morning, is a good man. Good man.

It's funny really. I think it was yesterday (wednesday) that my dad asked,
"Do you know who died today?"
He asked that because I was watching Ben 10: Alien Force at the time when he usually watches edisi7 (the local news channel). Well, I was kind of taking his TV time. (hehe..what? Allright, I DO watch Ben 10. So, what's the deal? What, I don't have freedom of watching TV now? haha..). Ok, the point is, he was testing how much general knowledge I have, because he knows I hate the news. I said, "Dunno (don't know). Who?" But, he as usual would answer a question with another question, "Waa, that one pun you donno ka? (Wau, you don't even know that?)?"

Never mind. I got the answer today. Just felt a little sad though. Because his picture looked like he was really a nice person. I wish I had known him sooner.





2. Greece in Debt - 3 dead in fire at bank.

Well, THIS TITLE I made it myself, so it is not original. (haha).

Perhaps many of us are unaware of this. (yes. we are the adults. of. today. yes. yes. we. dont. know. ANYTHING.- robotic)

Anyway, the last time the world economy spiraled out of control (was it spiraling upwards or downwards?), I think it had something to do with oil prices sky rocketing out of control, and then suddenly became very cheap and kept going down. Well, I'm not really sure of the effect it had on the world's populace, but what we all knew was that a lot of people became jobless, and it was really hard to maintain your job, let alone hunt for a new one.

Then, late last year, most countries world wide announced that the economy is stabilizing bla3. Malaysia's economy looked okay. But hey, what do I know about economy anyway?

But then.

What's this?

"Greece in Debt- ******* billion dollars..bla3.." (the headline was something like this)

GREECE IN DEBT?

I don't believe it. They were saying that we are going to be ok, and HERE was a contradiction. I thought Greece was a rich European city? Well, my info is never that accurate, to be sure. But, GREECE is..just the last place I thought would be..IN DEBT. Why not India, or those other poor countries in Africa? (No offense, Africans and Indians) And thier debt is just in billions of dollars. Hmm..just gets you thinking doesn't it?

Just yesterday, I saw groups of demonstrators on TV, courtesy of Al-Jazeera, in Athens, capital of Greece, I think. Correct me if Im wrong. One of them said something like this,
"We are paying more and more and we don't know where our money went. The money doesn't go to education. The money doesn't go to health care. The money doesn't go to retirement (plans). Hey, I don't know if we're even going to have retirement (plans). "
The society there are marching, protesting that they have to pay more and more, taxes I guess, but the government doesn't seem to "give back" their money, you know? They just could not see where all that money is spent on. And so they march...

And today, a devastating event occurred; a bank in Athens was BURNT, AND 3 PEOPLE DIED IN THE FIRE.
Greece's president, George Parpanderou calls it "murder". Read or watch more about it on al-Jazeera..

3. Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico

I think this is an even not so breaking news, but I just feel it's important to share. In brief, fishermen who live along the coast of the gulf (teluk) are devastated and they say will hurt this year's income. Because this is the season when the get their INCOME FOR THE YEAR. The "harvest of shrimps and other crustaceans" will be so big at this time of year, the sell of the catch usually hauls in the biggest profits of the year for them.

But now that this oill spill happened (by oil company BP), it will hurt this year's income, they say. And a marine scientist, who I forgot his name, said he worries for the long term effects of the spill and the future of sea creatures in the area. It will surely affect the fishermen's living in many years to come.

BP is sending down a 100 tonne container into the gulf's sea, which is said will contain the spill from further spreading away..however, the need around 24-48 hours to rightly "install" the container. So, residents along the shoreline will have to wait for at least 2 days before the action takes place. Meanwhile, the oil continues to spread..endangering thousands of marine species, and the fishermen's source of income.

4. UK Elections - just hours away

Hey presto! POLITICS AGAIN...but it will be interesting to watch, while my eyeballs get some exercise..oh no! They've already start rolling..and round and round they go...(laughs)

Analysts say it will be a close match between three parties; Conservative Party, Labour Party and Democrats Party. Some say Conservatives will win the most seats, but not enough for a majority, or something. The voting is just hours away now..and the candidates are still doing all those things politician do and I quote
"shaking hands, kissing babies, all that politician stuff"
(laughs..) Oh, I love this line..hehe kissing babies..poor babies..

5. US Open talks with Israel

Well, this is HARDLY BREAKING NEWS. Talk3x. Discuss3x. Go ahead, Waste your time on that round table,when Israeli contractors continue to build away all those so called "settlements" while you politicians babble away. Take your time. Really. Because those contractors will take theirs too.

This is precisely WHY I HATE POLITICS. and anything that has the name of it. Conclusion? I HATE POLITICIANS.

I'm telling the truth. The painful truth. Yesterday, i saw on TV, Al-Jazeera interviewed one of the contractors building the settlements, and they say,
"They ('leaders') can talk all they want, but the fact is I'm going to build these settlements anyway." (Not the exact words, but I'm quite sure it bears almost the same meaning).
Whether those contractors are government-linked or not, they are serious about building the settlements.

An Al-Jazeera reporter was standing at one of the sites and she pointed out that there was already some sort of basic structure for a house, and what's even more alarming is that there was already a piping system, and an electrical system and telephone poles and all other infrastructures of a house. There's your proof.

'Peace' talks are just starting. AGAIN. And all this while, the contractors are as busy as bees, erecting more and more settlements as we are..discussing this fact. Fact. Not lies.

I mean, it's just so ironic that one of Al-Jazeera's headlines TODAY is "US Peace Talks in Israel". But YESTERDAY'S news featured a busy construction site, complete with all those machinery, cranes and all those construction materials. I mean..it's just TOO IRONIC for me.

6. Thailand Red Shirt Protesters - Is There an End in Sight?

Okey. I claim credit for this title! (haha).

Anyway, the point is, I really don't know since when these clashes started, but, for me, the only end the Red Shirts are going to accept is when a Red Shirt Leader is on top of Thai's government.

I .. really don't know what it is that drives them? In simpler words; what is their motive? Yes, of course, they want to rule Thailand for themselves, but..I don't know. Feels like some bigger motive is driving them. I think it's not inappropriate to say that, They're CRAZY.

Why won't they give Abhisit a chance? He seems like a nice leader, well, decent than most. I mean, the last riot was when they elected Abhisit as leader right? Unless, it's only the choice of ONE POLITICAL party only. Then, other parties are not satisfied and so, want their own leader to be up there, in power.

And then, ANOTHER POLITICAL party won't be satisfied, and they will want THEIR leader in power..

Hello? Doesn't anyone realize this is a merry go round??

(sighs)

Except that it's not merry at all. I wonder..how far are The Red Shirts willing to go, to achieve their goals? And what exactly are their goals?

How many Thais will be killed, in a bid for democracy?

Well, that's 6 breaking news for you.

A food for thought; for Malaysians especially; whether you're in the country, or out there somewhere, what are the odds of 'Red Shirt' protesters coming to Malaysia? Not Thais of course, but people of the same goal, perhaps Malaysians themselves, creating havoc inside the country, as part of a bigger picture? We are neighbours after all. It will be kacang (easy) to create havoc here too..

huhuhu..(like an owl)...hoohoo

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