This Bitter Earth / On the Nature of Daylight

 

This bitter earth

Well, what fruit it bears

Ooooh, This bitter earth

And if my life is like the dust

oooh that hides the glow of a rose

What good am I

Heaven only knows

Lord, this bitter earth

Yes, can be so cold

Today you're young

Too soon, you're old

But while a voice within me cries

I'm sure someone may answer my call

And this bitter earth

Ooooh may not

Oh be so bitter after all

This bitter earth

Lord, This bitter earth

What good is love

Mmmm that no one shares

And if my life is like the dust

Oooh that hides the glow of a rose

What good am I

Heaven only knows 

Crude Callow Cartoon

How bloody INSENSITIVE can a newspaper be?  I make no apologies for my language here - just take a look at the cartoon below of how Berita Harian made fun of Japan's recent earthquake and tsunami!

What made it worse was that Berita Harian did not apologise nor withdraw the cartoon voluntarily.  It was only after much protest, negative feedback and uproar from the public that it was forced to apologise for its “tasteless” move.  It said “We never meant to make fun of the disaster which has struck the country, and we deeply sympathise and share in sadness with the people of Japan,”  If you never meant to make fun of the disaster, you would not have published the above utterly crude, callow, tasteless, insensitive cartoon!!!

Take a look at the few photos below, and tell me if these sufferings are worth making fun of?  Even my seven year old or anyone with common sense can tell Berita Harian this is no laughing matter!

SHAME ON YOU, BERITA HARIAN!!!  You even made it to CNN International website.  SHAME!  SHAME!  SHAME!

Talents unappreciated & ignored till it's too late

Malaysia has a lot of talents - be it in fashion, medical, legal, entertainment or any other field for the matter.  Very often these talents are not appreciated or nurtured.  Most of the time there isn't any attempts in harnessing the creativity of these talents and/or budding  talents.  After the talents have left the country and established a name for themselves overseas, or are dead, then suddenly the authorities that be would sit up and take notice.  By then it is too little too late.

Today, I am going to just focus on the entertainment industry.  A very clear example is Malaysia's very own  P Ramlee who was unappreciated and ignored till it was too late. Now his memory and works are fiercely protected by his countrymen who will not tolerate any criticism of him - after his death!  It was also after his death that he was recognized and duly awarded with the title "Tan Sri' akin to knighthood.  Ironically when he was alive, he was branded a 'has been'.  He died a broken man with his last meal being just plain rice with egg.  You can catch the documenting of P Ramlee on YouTube History Channel (9 Parts)

A sad astounding reality is that none of P Ramlee's family or his country of birth own any rights to his films - which I immensely enjoy till today.  Malaysia's very own P Ramlee's films cannot be screened in his country of birth without the permission of the owners, Shaw Organization!  This is but one of the thousands of examples of Malaysian talents unappreciated and ignored till it's too late.

My favourtie P Ramlee song - "Getaran Jiwa" from the maestro

Hogwash

Lord Denning, one of the most publicly known British judges, was held in high regard by much of the judiciary, the Bar and the public.

Lord Denning firmly believed that the press should have access to the courts and freedom to criticise magistrates and judges. He believed all legal proceedings should be held in public, quoting Jeremy Bentham when he said that "in the darkness of secrecy all sorts of things can go wrong. If things are really done in public you can see that the judge does behave himself, the newspapers can comment on it if he misbehaves — it keeps everyone in order".

How true is Lord Denning's reading of magistrates and judges.
A Tribunal President had to put off reading a verdict that he had reached with his "conscience intact" only after he had cleared the court room leaving only those directly involved in the case.  I just think it's hogwash.  Anyone with common sense would be able to tell why the "conscience intact" Tribunal President needed to have the whole court room cleared and only read the verdict towards the end of the day because by then there is no one left to witness the hogwash.

How can these people entrusted by the public to sit at the bench to dispense justice fail so miserably?  It is the perception that the general public no longer hold the respect they used to hold for these office bearers, they have no respect for judges or police.  Having said that, I still believe, I have to believe! there are some good judges around. 

To quote our very own no-nonsense former judge Datuk N H Chan "The judge who gives the right judgment but does not appear to be impartial is useless to the judicial process. After that, the judge’s whole duty or function is to decide the case according to law on the admissible evidence before him.
And what do you call a judge who does not administer justice according to law? A renegade judge? So now you know why I am so vocal when I admonish the errant judges who did not apply unambiguous law as it stands."

The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of justice.  ~Ayn Rand~