Politickler

Chinese Numerology vs Google Trends

BUTTERWORTH: Precisely at 8am on polling day, Barisan Nasional candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah will be stepping into SK Seberang Jaya 2 to cast his vote. The jolly candidate said he would like to keep the ‘triple eight’ effect on that day.
“Polling is on the 26th, and the year is 2008,” he pointed out to newsmen at his house in Persiaran Tenggiri yesterday.
“If you add two and six, it equals eight. The ‘two’ in the beginning of 2008 is perceived as going ‘towards’ the number eight, which is at the end. So there are two eights derived from the two dates and I’ll enter the polling station at 8am, the third eight.”
The number ‘8’ is a homonym for prosperity in Cantonese. Arif’s voting slip also has a number ‘8’ in it. His slip is numbered 978.
Arif is printing 58,000 post cards to be sent to the electorate to urge them to vote for him.
The postcards – in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Chinese – carry the message ‘Do not need an internationally know YB, but the people should pick a leader who can solve local problems.’

Source

The average joe from the State of Nine would say ‘Iyolah tu’ and ‘Apo-apo ajelah’. Loosely translated as ‘Whatever’ and ‘Yeah, right’

Oh dear, the YB has decided to allow numbers and dates to dictate and control his fate. A question comes to mind. Are Muslims ‘allowed’ to believe in this? A quick search at islamonline.net reveals the following:

“As regards the belief that name numerology has power in realizing one’s wishes, traits, and characteristics or in determining one’s future plans or what his life will become, it’s a baseless idea; there is no room in Islam for such thing.”

“Using astrology or numerology to determine the future is haram. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed people who practice fortune-telling. Therefore, the people should be discouraged from following this sinful practice.”

Source

Aisehman YB, you have successfully showed the world how insecure and ‘jahiliah’ you are. If your stool turns maroonish, coils into a figure of eight and your skin turns deep blue come polling day, then please do take a picture, and take them as good luck signs for you and UMNO.

Enter Google Trends.

Snippet: Google Trends works by analyzing a portion of Google web searches to compute how many searches have been done for the terms you enter, relative to the total number of searches done on Google over time.

Easy enough to understand. Some dude in the States used it to predict the American elections and even claimed it to be as accurate as or more accurate than traditional tracking poll. The Press is recommended not to ignore it and candidates can use it to see which state they need to focus on.
Source

Pretty cool claim. I did a quick comparison between Anwar Ibrahim and Arif Shah Omar Shah.

Oh shucks, zero for Arif Shah Omar? An explanation from Google:

If you see all zeros for one of your search terms, it could be that the term doesn’t have enough search volume to be reflected on a graph. It’s also possible that the term’s search volume is insignificant compared to the other terms you’ve entered.

Insignificant. Ok, I could understand that.

How about comparison between Anwar Ibrahim and UMNO?

Anwar still tops. Not even the ‘mighty’ (really?) UMNO with all the corruption and scandals can match Anwar’s popularity.

Well, that’s it folks! Whether Google Trends can predict the P44 election outcome, I will leave it to you to decide. Ultimately, god willing, it’s the Rakyat that gets to exercise their power, cast their vote and determine the outcome.

One last poke:
Anwar Ibrahim, Abdullah Badawi.

Someone is still sleeping. And thus, INSIGNIFICANT

Popularity: 9% [?]

The Sinking Ship

Image from Mob's Crib

I was thinking what DSAI said during his latest press conference announcing Dato’ Fauzi as the latest umno celebrity to join the opposition. He said ‘umno (the govt) is a sinking ship’. Here are some thoughts while taking a dump … and yes, this is going to be a very long dump. Had a feast at a mamak’s last nite, and it has upset my stomach to a certain degree that has given me enough justification to take medical leave.
Sidang Media bersama Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Datuk Fauzi

China was the single most dominant power in Asia during the 15th century. The Chinese used paper for writing, invented toilet paper to wipe one’s ass, and extended the usage to the collapsible umbrella, the playing card and paper currency notes. China had so many geniuses that it outclassed the rest of the world, even Europe who were in a bitter war with Islam. Apart from the drunken, crane and praying mantis style of whoop-ass kungfu, they were also great sifus in understanding of hydraulics, iron smelting and shipbuilding. The Chinese used gunpowder in fireworks for religious purposes, and naturally used gunpowder in cannons, rockets, and guns. Rocket arrows were used in warfare. Cool.

In addition to the advanced weaponry and mastery of magnetism that led to the invention of the compass, China also had the largest navy that dwarfed the combined might of Europe. Laksamana Cheng Ho was able to lead the largest naval expedition, and over 30 years, visited many countries from Southeast Asia, Africa and the Arab lands, establishing many foreign contacts and trades. From a National Geographic episode watched many years ago, some historians even believe that it was the Muslim eunuch that first set sail for America, half a century before Columbus. Cool.

ohh darn it, let’s get the complete list from wikipedia and get a summation:

Among the scientific accomplishments of ancient China were paper (not papyrus) and papermaking, woodblock printing and movable type printing, the early lodestone and magnetic compass, gunpowder, toilet paper, early seismological detectors, matches, dry docks, pound locks, sliding calipers, the double-action piston pump, blast furnace and cast iron, the iron plough, the multi-tube seed drill, the suspension bridge, natural gas as fuel, the escapement mechanism for clocks, the differential gear for the South Pointing Chariot, the hydraulic-powered armillary sphere, the hydraulic-powered trip hammer, the mechanical chain drive, the mechanical belt drive, the raised-relief map, the propeller, the crossbow, the cannon, the rocket, the multistage rocket, etc. Chinese astronomers were among the first to record observations of a supernova. The work of the astronomer Shen Kuo (1031–1095) alone was most impressive, as he theorized that the sun and moon were spherical, corrected the position of the polestar with his improved sighting tube, discovered the concept of true north, wrote of planetary motions such as retrogradation, and compared the orbital paths of the planets to points on the shape of a rotating willow leaf. With evidence for them, he also postulated geological theories for the processes of land formation in geomorphology and climate change in paleoclimatology. Yet there were many other astronomers than Shen Kuo, such as Gan De, Shi Shen, Zhang Heng, Yi Xing, Zhang Sixun, Su Song, Guo Shoujing, Xu Guangqi, etc. Chinese mathematics evolved independently of Greek mathematics and is therefore of great interest in the history of mathematics. The Chinese were also keen on documenting all of their technological achievements, such as in the Tiangong Kaiwu encyclopedia written by Song Yingxing (1587–1666).

An impressive list of technological contributions to human society. Which begs the following question: with all the knowledge, economic monopoly, and military prowess, and hence super power status at the time; why the fakk didn’t the Industrial Revolution happen in Asia? Three centuries had gone by and it happened in 18th century Europe. Why did the science of Galileo emerge in Pisa and not in Patna or Peking?

The technological clock-stop can be focused to the following: inefficient government, bad policies and bureaucracy, weak leadership, corrupted government officials, inflation, excessive taxes, mismanagement of the treasury when combined, led to resentment against the government.

Disunity + corruption + Factionalization= Inability to change.

Sound familiar?

To coin a phrase from GI Jane:’ there are no bad crews, just bad leaders’. Should the current PM resign?’ I, for one think so. The rakyat has spoken during the last election where BN experienced the true meaning of ‘terkejut beruk’ or ‘tergolek dog’ and witnessed some of the richest states in Malaysia went convincingly to PKR. The prime minister should have taken it like a gentleman and act responsibly as a leader. Do what normal people do dude, Resign! Should the current cabinet be changed too? I would say ‘hell yeah‘. The ‘crew’, be it members of the cabinet or members of the party high council, are infested with corrupted and scandalous characters. A study made by Transparency International revealed that Malaysia scores a very low BPI(bribe payers index), just a few ladders below China who is currently champion. BPI is a measure of how willing a nation appears to comply with demands for corrupt business practices. That says a lot. Not many local companies are able to do business overseas and it’s easy to spot any ‘big cable’ riding on board. The actors holding the top position in the company board could range from being the wife, brother, sister, son, daughter, relative, son-in-law, to the possible combo of the son of a brother who is an uncle of a nephew who is also a son-in-law to the cousin who is twice removed to a politician. RPK’s revelation on the ‘Oil for Food’ program was an eye opener.

It’s obvious that the ruling government needs to get its act together and change. The two year wait for the power transition to a new prime minister is such an attempt. The fact is, any change will be made futile as long as someone perceived (and proven) weak is still at the helm. Back in the 70s’, when breakthrough technologies came along, big firms must destroy the old to build the new, but few were not able to change due to structural problems that were almost impossible to solve. For example, when the microprocessor allowed the personal computer to replace the mainframe as the dominant growth market in the computer industry, the old industrial leader, IBM, fell off a cliff, and new leaders, Intel and Microsoft, emerged. IBM understood the new technology and wanted to compete but could not destroy its old mainframe business to build the new. Going back to the 15^th century example above, like China, Malaysia is being guided by an irresponsible government, with policies that have been maneuvered to benefit the selected few, draconian measures consistently being used to harass the people and this is easily done when corrupted officials have an available dog pound ready to obey and lick its masters. The rakyat suffers.

UMNO and BN a sinking ship? It certainly feels so. Any sane man (or rat) would logically jump off the ship as soon as possible. Malaysia’s administration needs a revamp but people often fear the change of leadership. When confronted with that possibility, they immediately ask, “Who could replace him?” As history has shown time and again, there will always be someone to replace a failing leader. What is needed are courage and determination and the hope that the choice will fall on the right person.

There seems to be an acute shortage in the BN stable for a leader that is most perceived as having the right talent to steer Malaysia out of this gradual down slide. This leaves us to the opposition and unless you have been living in a bat cave these past few months, we all know who that RIGHT person is, right?

oh wow …been a while in this cool jamban of mine, my thighs are certainly getting cooked from the notebook and it seems that I’m also out of toilet paper. Darn it. If you haven’t been reading properly, the Chinese also invented the toilet paper and the toothbrush as we know it, concocted from the cute piggy’s hair and bamboo.

‘I came here
To shit and stink,
But all I do
Is sit and think’

- anonymous

Popularity: 10% [?]

Mission Sarawak

From the general election one of the biggest lesson learnt is if you want to stand a chance at forming the government you need to have a strong hold of Sabah and Sarawak. PKR is actively in that space right now doing their ground work in order to shed some light to our dearest brother and sisters on what Malaysia needs, a new government.

PKR leader Dato Seri Anwar(DSAI) is actively on a mission to gain the confidence of the people and leaders of Sarawak and Sabah and removing the smoke screen left there by the ruling party. DSAI has received nothing short then a overwhelming response from well wishers and supporters and this marks the begging of PR’s presence in West Malaysia

Popularity: 14% [?]

Anwar Makes Times,The World’s Most Influential People List

Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim has made the Times world’s most influencial people list. The times description on Anwar follows,

During the 1990s, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a group of U.S. Senators organized a forum to exchange views among East Asians and Americans. Asked at one session about the role of Islam in politics, Anwar replied, “I have no use for governments which call themselves Islamic and then deny basic rights to half their population.”

This devout Muslim leader was an impressive and eloquent advocate of tolerance, democracy and human rights. So we were shocked by his arrest and trial in 1998 on charges of corruption and sodomy. I felt his real “crime” had been to challenge Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose impressive record will be forever stained by his treatment of Anwar. I joined Senator Sam Nunn and others to speak out in Anwar’s defense. When he was finally released from prison in 2004, U.S. policy on Iraq was unpopular in Malaysia, and Anwar was harshly critical. It would have been easy for him to disown our friendship, but he is not that kind of person. He kept the channels of dialogue open, even while making clear our disagreements.

Anwar, 60, is back in the center of Malaysian politics. The coalition led by his wife Wan Azizah has become the main opposition bloc. His future role can be determined only by Malaysians. One can hope that they will embrace his brand of tolerance, valuing dialogue across political differences, and that this courageous leader will continue to play a leading role on the world stage.

During the 1990s, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a group of U.S. Senators organized a forum to exchange views among East Asians and Americans. Asked at one session about the role of Islam in politics, Anwar replied, “I have no use for governments which call themselves Islamic and then deny basic rights to half their population.”

This devout Muslim leader was an impressive and eloquent advocate of tolerance, democracy and human rights. So we were shocked by his arrest and trial in 1998 on charges of corruption and sodomy. I felt his real “crime” had been to challenge Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose impressive record will be forever stained by his treatment of Anwar. I joined Senator Sam Nunn and others to speak out in Anwar’s defense. When he was finally released from prison in 2004, U.S. policy on Iraq was unpopular in Malaysia, and Anwar was harshly critical. It would have been easy for him to disown our friendship, but he is not that kind of person. He kept the channels of dialogue open, even while making clear our disagreements.

Anwar, 60, is back in the center of Malaysian politics. The coalition led by his wife Wan Azizah has become the main opposition bloc. His future role can be determined only by Malaysians. One can hope that they will embrace his brand of tolerance, valuing dialogue across political differences, and that this courageous leader will continue to play a leading role on the world stage.

Source

Popularity: 10% [?]

Political Assasination

A video by ABC about the whole Anwar case and some interesting facts you probably never knew. A good watch.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Black 14

Last night at 12midnight marked the end of Anwar Ibrahim’s political ban. He is now a free man and he can actively be at the front line instead of the background role he has be playing for many years now.

The celebration was called black 14 and it was attended by more the 20,000 supporters. They all turned up to hear the speech by Anwar and hopefully get a inspiring message out of the event, I’m sure those who turned up did not go home disappointed .The speech? Its right below

Popularity: 14% [?]

Anwar Ibrahim is BACK

One of the chief architects who orchestrated the opposition’s superb performance in the previous general elections is back! He has come a long way after being in prison for a while and spending much time in courts and fighting the cause in the background. There was also myth’s that the general elections were held ahead of schedule because of the “Anwar factor” but he work tirelessly at the background inspiring new politicians and strategizing with season campaigners to a awesome results.

Today is known to many as the “Black 14″ ,today is the day Anwar’s political ban ends and when the sun comes out tommorow, he will be able to practise politics again and im sure this will further inspire his politican colleagues from PKR and the Pakatan Rakyat.

The real deal starts now. The opposition is back at full force again and this could only be good for the people of Malaysia…..i hope

Popularity: 12% [?]

Pak Lah Hits Back!

Embattled Pak Lahlaunched a bitter attack Sunday on his predecessor, longtime premier Mahathir Mohamad, marking a new low in relations between the nation’s two most prominent political figures.This one has been long over due. Since the reason general election results,Pak Lah has been receiving a series of low blows from all angles and its about time he came out and defended him self.

Pak Lah on Tun M :

“He is strong, but that strength is being abused”

Tun M is hypocrite, saying the former premier, too, had upset the public by imprisoning anti-government critics without trial and curtailing press freedom during his rule,”These were all his orders from time to time”

On Razaleigh Hamzah :

“Ku Li needs to look at himself. He was the reason (in 1990, through Semangat 46) why we (Barisan Nasional) lost and Kelantan fell to Pas”

On Anwar :

“He considers himself the leader-in-waiting. Let him wait. I am the prime minister now”

I dont think anyone is a bad person(except a few) but if someone is going to get his act together while he has the time too, why not?

Time will tell

Source

Popularity: 14% [?]

Is Anwar Relevant?

The dust from the poitical tsunami is slowly settling in now.With the opposition slowly gaining traction over their new found power and the rulling party due to setup the government this week the question of is Anwar Ibrahim relevant to the oppositions cause?

Have a look at any press conference that involved the opposition, who do you see on their side? Its Anwar Ibrahim!Whats that mean? I don’t know! But i feel that he is very important for the survival of the Barisan Alternatives survival and growth in the long run.

Permatang Pauh in Penang is currently held by Anwar’s wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, for two terms already, and has hinted that she would give way to her husband, by quiting her seat, and paving the way for a by election so that he can make a comeback.

He looks like a new man now.Watch his press conferences, he is cool …composed…and genuinely interested to make a difference! Is this actually revenge somewhere in there? I don’t think so… He was in jail for a good 6 years and normally when people are in solitary they take time to read,soul search and come out new people.

He was a part of UMNO for a long time before getting unceremoniously booted out. He knows exactly how these people operate and thus he would be in a good position to put those right. I for one don’t think he is out for world domination rather correcting the wrongs.

He needs a go at it, he needs to try to amend whats been happening! If he doenst do what he promises then vote him out come the next election but we need to let him have a go at it.Its now or never so lets see what he is capable of.

I’m a supporter of Bangsa Malaysia, a new Malaysia, a Malaysia we all would love to call home! Enough of this monopoly crap where people do what they want to take care of their own interest. That’s the long over due change we need and Anwar sounds like the strongest candidate who can carry the Barisan Alternative forward.

Read Anwar Ibrahim’s Wikipedia Entry HERE

Popularity: 7% [?]