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Engage sustainable transport expert – in line with CAT

Anil Netto
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13

I was on the road today and, looking at the traffic, I couldn’t help wondering what the Penang government’s plans are to ease congestion in the state.

Surely, there is an urgent need to engage a planning expert come up with a blueprint for sustainable transport management, which would also include pedestrian-friendly streets, cycling lanes, buses, other forms of public transport, and ferries. A masterplan should be drawn up to plan the traffic corridors and ensure that future property development projects  fit into this blueprint.

So here are some questions for the state government:

  • Is it thinking of engaging a sustainable transport planning expert?
  • Does it have a budget for this? And if so, how much?
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35,000 foreigners whipped in last 7 years

Anil Netto
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9

According to Prisons Department records, 47,914 foreigners were found to have violated the Immigration Act from 2002 to 2008.

Of these, 34,923 were whipped. The remaining 12,991 escaped whipping because two thirds of them were women while the other third were men over 50.

[poll id=”41″]

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Charlie Chaplin on democracy and unity

Anil Netto
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2

Excerpt from Charlie Chaplin’s first true “talking picture”, The Great Dictator, released in 1940.

Border guards mistake Chaplin’s character, a humble barber, for a dictator (also played by Chaplin) who resembles him. The real dictator, meanwhile, is mistaken for the barber and arrested. The barber assumes the dictator’s identity and uses the opportunity to make a rousing speech and mobilise the masses in support of freedom and democracy!

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Najib clings on to ‘unity talks’ hope

Anil Netto
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13

It looks as if Najib has still not given up hope that Pas may be persuaded to engage in “unity talks” with Umno.  From the BN’s perspective, the “unity talks” proposal is the best way to throw a spanner in the Pakatan works.

Unable to bring about meaningful reforms to shore up public support, the BN seems to be clinging on to the hope that Pas will change its mind, with Najib now claiming it is a religious obligation to hold unity talks.

Here’s something I wrote for Asia Times:

PENANG – Leaders of Malaysia’s opposition alliance have ended speculation that one of its three parties, the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS), would break ranks to enter “unity talks” with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant party in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

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Federal Court blow for High Chaparral villagers

Anil Netto
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7

1640: The High Chaparral villagers have lost their application for a stay of execution and leave for re-trial.

They will now have to go back and explore their options.

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Indonesia: 40 years of silence

Anil Netto
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3

Here’s a haunting documentary to look out for. Some 500,000 to 1 million Indonesians were butchered in the mid-1960s. The synopsis from the official website:

Directed by anthropologist Robert Lemelson and edited by two-time Academy Award winner Pietro Scalia, “40 years of silence: An Indonesian tragedy” is a moving feature length documentary film about one of the most horrific chapters in Indonesia’s history.

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SXI brother-principal’s retirement marks end of era

Anil Netto
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20

St Xavier’s Institution principal Bro Paul Ho’s retirement draws to a close the presence of the La Salle brothers as principals of the mission schools in Malaysia. It began with SXI in Penang and it ends with SXI.

But Bro Ambrose Loke remains as director of St Francis’ Institution in Malacca and La Salle brothers continue teaching in several schools in Sabah, Malacca and Perak. Other brothers are involved in non-formal educational activities in learning, tuition, training and rural educational centres across the country.

[poll id=”40″]

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Pakatan rejects ‘unity talks’: What now, Hadi, Nasha?

Anil Netto
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7

So there you have it: the Pakatan leaders have come out with a firm stand against “unity talks” with Umno, much to the relief of the many Malaysians who voted for change and reforms in the last general election.

Surely, this must put all those within Pas who initially backed the “unity talks” proposal – notably Hadi and Nasharudin – in an awkward position. It’s time for the party to project leaders who are more open and in touch with the aspirations of the rakyat, namely folks like Husam Musa and Nizar.

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Have speed sensors been replaced on all Airbus planes?

Anil Netto
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12

Spotted in a Bloomberg report after the recent Air France crash:

The plane maker (Airbus) recommended in September 2007 that airlines replace the Thales SA speed sensors, known as Pitot tubes, on single-aisle A320-series planes as well as the A330 and A340. Air France said June 6 it waited until April to begin installing the new sensors because it wasn’t until the beginning of this year that their high-altitude effectiveness for the A330 was demonstrated in lab tests.

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Poll: Weekly day off for domestic workers?

Anil Netto
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47

I was shocked when I read that a recent SMS poll conducted by The Star revealed that 76 per cent of 769 respondents were against the idea of allowing domestic workers (maids) a day off every week.

Let’s see if you are any different from the readers of The Star. Hopefully, we can get a similar number of respondents here and then we can compare the results…

[poll id=”39″]

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