Wednesday 31 October 2012

Kenali Professor Richard A Falk

Mungkin ramai tertanya-tanya siapakah Professor Richard Falk. Aku pun tak kenal tak cinta sarjana kelahiran Amerika Syarikat yang berketurunan Yahudi ini, santak pagi ini. Itu pun kerana aku membaca keratan akhbar tentang laporan PBB yang dikeluarkan oleh Professor Richard Falk pagi minggu lepas.

Ada banyak saranan dan gesaan yang terkandung dalam laporan tersebut, termasuklah cadangan untuk memboikot multinational companies (MNCs) yang mendapat manfaat daripada penempatan haram Yahudi di wilayah Palestin. Syarikat-syarikat ini didakwa telah melanggar piagam hak asasi manusia, dan antaranya ialah Motorola, Hewlett Packard, Volvo dan Caterpillar.

Jom kenali cendiakawan ini di Richard A. Falk@Wiki dan jom baca artikel-artikel beliau di blognya - Citizen Pilgrimage.


U.N. expert calls for boycott of companies in Jewish settlements

Thu, Oct 25 2012
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A frustrated U.N. investigator on Palestinian human rights urged a boycott of companies tied to Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian Territories on Thursday, but the United States criticized the call as "irresponsible and unacceptable."
Richard Falk, the independent special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territories, said the companies - which include Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Volvo and Caterpillar - should be boycotted until they adhered to international rights standards and practices.
Settlements built on territory Israel captured in a 1967 war remain a key obstacle to a resumption of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks stalled since late 2010. About 311,000 Israeli settlers and 2.5 million Palestinians live in the West Bank.
"The focus on business activities is partly an expression of frustration about the inability to obtain compliance with these fundamental legal obligations of Israel and the ineffectiveness of the U.N. efforts to condemn settlement expansion," Falk, a U.S. academic who is himself Jewish, told a news conference.
"There have been calls on Israel for literally decades to stop building the settlements," he said. "The effort to reach out beyond the traditional way that the U.N. condemns things is an effort to take our role seriously enough to feel that we should try to use what influence we have to change behavior."
The United Nations deems all Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal. Israel disputes this and distinguishes between about 120 settlements it has sanctioned and about 100 outposts erected by settlers without authorization.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, rejected Falk's report, while the Israeli U.N. mission described it as "grossly biased" and "completely divorced from reality."
"His call for a boycott of private companies is irresponsible and unacceptable," Rice said in a statement.
"Mr. Falk's recommendations do nothing to further a peaceful settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and indeed poison the environment for peace."
CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE
The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and say settlements deny them a contiguous, viable entity. There have been more than two decades of efforts to negotiate the creation of a Palestinian state.
"The whole issue of Palestinian self-determination is at risk here," Falk said. "I would connect closely this effort to give concreteness to our concern by holding businesses that do profitable activities (in the West Bank) responsible with these fundamental issues of self-determination."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is also pushing for an upgrade of its U.N. status to a sovereign country, which would allow it to join bodies such as the International Criminal Court and file complaints against Israel for its continued occupation.
Falk lists 13 companies in his report to the U.N. General Assembly, but notes that this is a small portion of the businesses operating or dealing in the Jewish settlements.
Aside from the boycott, Falk also urged civil society to pursue legal and political redress against companies "especially where allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity can be substantiated in relation to settlement activities."
Caterpillar said in a statement that Falk's report was inaccurate and misleading and "reflects his personal and negative opinions toward Israel." The company said it sells products to the U.S. government, which are then sent to Israel.
Hewlett Packard said Falk was "far from an independent and unbiased expert in this matter" and that the company has a strong human rights policy and complies with the highest standards in every market in which they operate.
Motorola and Volvo were not immediately available for comment.
Falk has long been a controversial figure. In 2011 he wrote on his blog that there had been an "apparent cover-up" by U.S. authorities over the September 11, 2001 attacks and he also posted an anti-Semitic cartoon, which was later removed.
He was appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to his position in 2008, but Israel has barred him from entering the country or occupied territories under its control.
(Editing by Todd Eastham)

Monday 29 October 2012

Selamat Berpindah Ed!

Maaf banyak-banyak kerana tidak sempat membantu mengangkut barangan dari rumah lama ke rumah baru tengahari tadi.

Aku menunggu kunjungan part time maid, yang datang untuk membersihlan rumah aku.

Ini adalah kali kedua aku mengambil khidmat bersihkan rumah, dan kali ini aku berurusan dengan Arena Nation. Murah RM5 daripada upah yang aku berikan kepada cleaner dari Sinar Jernih :)

Berbalik kepada rumah terbaru Ed, beliau sekarang ini menyewa seunit kondominium di Taman TAR. It's a good neighbourhood and how I wish I own one in the said neighbour!

So Ed, if you need a hand in unpacking things, do not hesitate to let me know. I'm just a phone call away :)

Friday 26 October 2012

Eid Adha To All

Tahun ini, sambutan aidil adha agak lebih meriah kerana mak saudara aku yang bermastautin di London,turut pulang ke Melaka bersama-sama suaminya.

Dan beliau sekeluarga turut mengerjakan ibadah qurban.

Abah mengepalai sementara aku, Fizul, dua orang ipar aku - Mus dan Helmi dan seorang sepupu lelaki, Noorzali telah ditugaskan untuk melapah daging lembu.

Terima kasih kepada kaum keluarga, saudara mara dan jiran tetangga yang turut membantu menyelesaikan urusan pembahagian daging qurban ini.

Inilah kali pertama aku melapah daging qurban. What an experience!

Kesempatan ini juga diambil untuk mengucapkan selamat menyambut hari raya aidil adha buat semua muslimin dan muslimat.

Kepada jemaah haji di Mekah, terutama kaum keluarga semoga tenang dan kusyuk mengerjakan ibadah rukun Islam kelima itu.

Dan kepada yang menunaikan ibadah qurban, semoga qurban itu diterima Allah taala.

Aamin...

Sunday 21 October 2012

Bukit Tabur Revisit

Alhamdulillah, another successful climb!

This time around, Faizal and I accompanied four newbies - Fithree, Osman, Dollah and Iqa to conquer the West Bukit Tabur.

We first gathered at the Restoran Choice for a short briefing and of course, purchased some food for our light breakfast on the peak of Bukit Tabur.

We started our climb at exactly 8.00 am and alhamdulillah, reached the peak at about 11.00 am. Wow, what a record - my longest climb to date. The previous record for the slowest was two hours. One of the reasons is because these guys are really, truly cam-whores! Hehehe.

Anyhow, congratulations guys, especially to you, Iqa. Normally, the girls who'd followed us before this they had at least tried Bukit Broga first. So, you should proud of yourself then. Really glad that you guys had a good time too. 

Saturday 20 October 2012

Mahathir & Soros

Dr Mahathir cakap George Soros itu penyangak. 

Tapi bukan main mesra lagi Dr Mahathir dengan penyangak! Jadi, rakyat seperti aku ni, keliru.

Jom kita nyanyi lagu Keliru, dendangan Nurul & Ajai.


Friday 19 October 2012

Selamat Bersara, Datin!

Thank you for all these wonderful years. Thanks for all your advice, good words and everything. Minta maaf segala salah dan silap. Minta halal makan dan minum.

Good luck in your undertakings. I hope you will enjoy life even better now.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday


Memang aku bukan peminat Boyz II Men tapi aku betul-betul tak pernah dengar lagu ini. Hari ini pertama kali aku dengar, dan diminta nyanyi bersama-sama secara acapella.

Seriously, it's so hard to get the melody into my head!

Apa-apapun, nantikan persembahan kami @Lanai petang ini.

Wednesday 10 October 2012

Vokal Bukan Sekadar Rupa


Ada pertandingan koir untuk agensi-agensi di bawah Kementerian Kewangan.

Wow, ambil Cikgu Syafi sebagai vocal coach!

All the best guys. Dan jangan ponteng kelas ya, bukan senang nak datang lessons from Cikgu Syafi. Kalau ambil sendiri, kena bayar!

Sempat juga aku intip audition session yang dijalankan di auditorium. Ramai juga yang berbakat.

Dan dapat juga beberapa tips dari Cikgu Syafi seperti jangan minum air dua jam sebelum persembahan. Jangan minum teh pada hari itu sebab teh ada elemen yang membuatkan kita kerap buang air kecil. Jangan minum kopi sebab ada juga elemen yang membuatkan kita gemuruh. Tapi itu semua hanyalah petua saja.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Wah, besarnya!

Sebelum ini tak ada tanda logo Halal. Sekarang Oldtown White Coffee di Menara CIMB sudah dapat logo Halal.

Monday 8 October 2012

Sketsa Di Pagi Isnin

Ali: Macam mana awak bawa motor ni!
Muthu: Sorry, bang. Sorry.
Ali: Habis kereta saya.
Muthu: Takde apa-apa, bang. Ok saja.
Ali: Itu apa?
Muthu: Itu cat sikit bang, takde apa-apa.
Ali: Oklah, bawa motor tu baik-baik!