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Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: ‘A global race to the bottom’

The TPP is “the largest—and worst—trade deal you’ve never heard of,” says a campaign on moveon.org. In other words, “Nafta on steroids”. You may not have heard of it because the negotiations are all being done in secret. Perhaps even over a round of golf?

Incidentally, Robert Reich in the video above is “an American political economist, professor, author, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and was Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997” (Wikipedia).

New bald patch spotted on Botak Hill

A new bald path has emerged in Bukit Relau raising fresh questions as to whether the hill is being properly monitored.

new bald path on bukit relau

Has 1MDB’s RM7bn in Cayman Islands been brought back to Malaysia?

By now, 1MDB has supposedly “redeemed” US$2.3bn from a fund registered in the Cayman Islands.

Of this amount, the firm says US$1.2bn (60 per cent) had been “redeemed” earlier, as reflected in its 31 March 2014 accounts. On 13 January 2015, 1MDB announced it had “redeemed” the remaining US$1.1bn. It also reportedly received US$267m in dividends.

MIC commotion – again

Gosh, I am not sure what this commotion is all about, but they look serious, don’t they? Are they quarelling about who can better champion the people’s rights and welfare in the face of massive corruption and economic mismanagement? I don’t think so.

Nowhere is spared … when concrete gobbles up our precious green spaces

The recent floods don’t seem to have taught us anything. Some people still have an urge – call it an itch – to pour concrete and tar onto the few green spaces we have.

In a quiet neighbourhood in Tanjung Bunga, with hardly any traffic, paving has been placed around a small park, eating up precious green space. Metal railings are now being put up around the new pavement circling the park. And the road has been widened, even though hardly any traffic passes through the neigbourhood.

As brickbats rain on Pas conservatives, Mujahid projects more inclusive face

As the conservatives in Pas come under fire for their comments on local elections and other hot-button issues, Mujahid Yusof Rawa continued his efforts to project a more inclusive face to the party. This afternoon he cemented ties with the Christian community in the northern region.

Mujahid at Penang lunch with church leaders 26 Jan 2015

More young writers blossom at Aliran workshop

The second Aliran Young Writers Workshop in Penang over the last weekend has unleashed the the potential of more socially conscious young writers, who are set to light up the writing scene.

Shocking images reveal extent of deforestation

Are you surprised by the floods in the East Coast and Sarawak? Don’t be. Apart from climate change resulting in almost double the rainfall in December in the East Coast, the extent of deforestation is breathtaking in its sheer audacity.

Take a look at the video above and the photograph in the front page of theSun, reproduced below:

Where have all our forests gone?
Where have all our forests gone?

Inspiring the young to write about deepening democracy

What happens when you put a group of youths in a room over the weekend, with plenty of coffee, and ask them to come up with an article ready for publication? Not just on any topic but on issues facing the nation. How do they grab the readers’ attention from the first paragraph and ensure that their writing is coherent, concise, engaging and readable?

Middle-East concerns mount over 1MDB debt

It is not just in Malaysia that people are concerned about 1MDB. Apparently, certain parties in the Middle-East are getting a bit jittery. This was the lead in the Business section of the Gulf Times on 15 January 2015.

gulf times 1mdb 15 Jan 2015