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Climate signs “surpass worst-case scenarios”

Anil Netto
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The signs are there that climate change has surpassed worst-case scenarios scientists predicted just two years ago, reveals The Climate Change Science Compendium 2009, a UN report released on 24 September.

The report, released on 24 September, analysed 400 scientific reports released through peer-reviewed literature or from research institutions, according to a Reuters report.

An yet, here we are merrily continuing with our corporate-driven unsustainable development as if global warming doesn’t concern us and thinking that we and our future generations will be somehow immune from its effects.

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Kg Buah Pala: Release Pakatan exco minutes too

Anil Netto
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There’s still quite a bit of unfinished business in this saga.

Why is it so important? First, land which is now said to be worth RM80-100 per sq ft was alienated to the Koperasi for RM10psf or RM3.2 million by the previous BN administration. Millions of ringgit that could have gone to the people of Penang were effectively handed over on a silver platter to the Koperasi-Nusmetro in exchange for peanuts. The big issue is, could the Pakatan state government have stopped the deal in its tracks?

Was the new state government in Penang unaware of the Kg Buah Pala crisis during the crucial period from when they came into power on 8 March 2009 until the land transfer was effected on 27 March 2008? Let’s zoom in on this period.

March 2008

8 – Opposition parties sweep to power in Penang.
13 – Buah Pala villagers meet the new Penang Chief Minister and inform him about their situation.
14 – But the very next day, the state government accepts final payment of RM2,247,000* for the Buah Pala land, nearly a year after the last payment, and almost 10 months after the Land Office asked for final payment.
15 – The villagers are tipped off that final payment has been made.

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They just can’t keep their hands off Penan areas

Anil Netto
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Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu has held up the Penan village at Suai in Ulu Niah in Sarawak as a “role model” for Penan villages, according to the Borneo Post.

But even in Suai, the state can’t keep its hands off Penan lands, and they too have to fight to assert their rights, as this excerpt from the Malaysian Mirror indicates:

MIRI – A meeting between 40 Penan landowners in Suai and representatives of SPB Pelita Suai Sdn Bhd ended successfully today when the landowners agreed to remove blockades on the promise that they be paid between RM1,900 and RM18,900 depending on the size of their land.

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Did you hear the joke about Mahathir and Samy?

Anil Netto
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A bit of comic relief this Sunday, courtesy of Mahathir via Bernama:

Asked whether (the new) Makkal Sakti (party) would affect MIC’s position as the main Indian-based party in the country, Dr Mahathir said: “I think MIC’s influence has already been diluted.”

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Snuffing out the real Firefly

Anil Netto
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Another instance of corporate destruction of the environment: this time forest clearing by an oil palm plantation firm snuffs out the twinkling lights of the fireflies dancing above the banks of the Kuala Selangor River.

Sometimes, the residents win…

Anil Netto
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Residents of Taman Golf in Ipoh have successfully appealed for the removal of a sewage treatment plant facing their homes.

ipohtamangolf
A rare victory – Photo courtesy of Ipoh Echo

A three-person panel of the Perak Appeals Board, led by N H Chan, allowed their appeal and ordered the Ipoh City Council to instruct the Royal Perak Golf Club to dismantle and demolish the sewage treatment plant within a month.

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Remembering the horrors of war

Anil Netto
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Kseniya Simonova’s haunting sand animation evokes painful memories of the tremendous Ukrainian suffering and loss of life during World War II.

Ukraine is believed to have lost more people in World War II than any other European nation as a result of the brutal Nazi occupation, followed by the Soviet reoccupation.

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Tg Bunga now high-density ‘primary corridor’?

Anil Netto
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Tanjong Bunga residents are alarmed by inconsistencies in the Penang Structure Plan for their area that could lead to more congestion and construction projects. They claim that, under the previous administration, the diagram in the Plan was unilaterally re-zoned as a high-density ‘Primary Corridor’; the Plan had earlier been displayed for public scrutiny with the diagram showing Tanjung Bunga as a ‘Secondary Corridor’.

This distinction is crucial as the permissible density for a Secondary Corridor zone is 6-15 (max) homes per acre whereas for a Primary Corridor, there is no limit, say the residents. They assert that this classification is a policy matter which the present state government could easily rectify.

The Tanjung Bunga Residents Association points out the following:

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Are you a young adult…

Anil Netto
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2

… trying to make sense of what is happening in the world around you and wondering how you can participate in issues that matter to you? Then this event is for you.

Aliran is organising a one-day interactive workshop in Penang this Saturday (26 September) for young adults (19-35 years of age) to raise awareness of their role in good governance and how they can shape the world around them. More information here.

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