a fleeting stay ...

A resident of the seaside town of Toyoma, northern Japan, wipes her eyes as she takes a break from cleaning debris from her home on Monday ( March 14, 2011), three days after a giant quake and tsunami struck Japan's northeastern coast. Photo courtesy of NST Image Bank.   Every tragedy is an opportunity to assess our feelings on loss and grief. And we are guided by our belief systems when we embark on this exercise. When we endure massive losses of the scale experienced by victims in the northeastern part of Japan we slip into confusion, misdirection and unhappiness. The hurt that follows the wreck of disaster is made worse by the inability to explain it. The question is, "Why me?" We want answers and yearn for immediate respite. We discover that answers are not forthcoming and it is tough trying to escape from something difficult or unpleasant. So, what do we do? Some pray to God for an end to their sufferings.When we ask God for help we are entrusting Him to ta...

People can send their donations to the Tabung Bencana NSTP-Media Prima in aid of those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. The fund is jointly organised by NSTP , Media Prima Berhad and the Malaysian Red Crescent Society. Contributions can be sent to NSTP Finance Department, 31, Jalan Riong, 59100 Kuala Lumpur or any NSTP branch. Make out the cheques to "Tabung Bencana NSTP-Media Prima". You can also make cash deposits into Maybank account no. 514105-320757. Write your full name and address at the back of the cheque.

Earthquakes have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the last 100 years and improvements in technology have only slightly reduced the death toll, reports BBC News. Click here to read. See also the following: Japan crisis 'worst since WWII' How you can help Battle to cool second nuclear reactor

There is a sense of powerlessness about tragedies, and none more so than natural disasters. For observers, they see what is happening (either personally or through visuals conveyed by the mass media), but are powerless to help. The powerful Japan earthquake is a case in point. Admittedly, the Japanese are familiar with earthquakes and they have been taught what to do in such situations. Still, fear, chaos and confusion reign each time it happens and all the preparations in the world could not assuage people's concerns about the future. How do people cope? What about the elderly and children? NASP (National Association of School Psychologists) Resources has put together a handout to help children cope with a national tragedy. Please see below. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope   Tips for Parents and Teachers   Whenever a national tragedy occurs, such as terrorist attacks o...

Say a prayer of gratitude The folks at NST received their productivity bonuses last Friday. Some were happy while others felt that they had been cheated out of their share of the profits. Their year-end appraisals were excellent; so, why? I have no intention of going into the whys and the wherefores of the situation. I am more interested in the expressions of gratitude or ingratitude that emerged on the day NST employees checked their bank accounts. A Facebook post by journalist Suzieana Uda Nagu stood out as being more meaningful than the rest.  She told Facebook friends what was on her mind at 5.34am on February 25 when she posted this cryptic message: "Are you smiling now warga  NSTP (or NSTP denizens)"? Several friends responded to Suzieana's status update with all kinds of comments. And it went back and forth. Suzieana Uda Nagu Those who work for the company would know what Suzieana was alluding to. The bonus payments which were promised to all staf...

Global Peace Index Vision of Humanity

Interlok saga update The independent panel set up to examine with a view to removing parts of Datuk Abdullah Hussain's novel Interlok described as sensitive by the Indian community met for the first time on Wednesday. Panel chairman Distinguished Professor Datuk Shamsul Amri Baharuddin said after the meeting that "no time limit has been given but we want to complete it fast". Yes, please do that panel members. You have to think of the poor fifth-formers who have to spend time learning about the literature component of the subject Bahasa Malaysia. My nephew is one of them. He is understandably confused about the whole thing and is annoyed that the dispute has dragged on for nearly three months. Fifth formers have to take an examination -- the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia -- later this year. It is understood that students in some schools in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan (these are the schools which are using the student's edition of the...

The following post was written by Distinguished Professor Shamsul Amri Baharuddin ( picture ) -- his retort to John R. Malott's article entitled The Price of Malaysia's Racism ( The Wall Street Journal , February 8, 2011). Malott was the U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, 1995-1998. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I am quite certain we can savour Malaysia's famous nasi lemak ( picture ) in New York and Washington DC as well as in Paris, London and Tokyo. But I guarantee that the one with the hottest sambal (condiment) can only be found in Malaysia. You can choose between the hot but sweet sambal (condiment) from Kelantan and the pedas (spicy or hot) cooked-in-coconut-milk sambal (condiment) from Negeri Sembilan. Visitors to Malaysia would be impressed by the wide variety of sambal (condiment) on offer, a topic even the Asian Food Channel on ASTRO channel has not dealt with. John R. Malott’s article (The Price of...

Former ambassador to Malaysia John R. Malott's piece on the One Malaysia concept and its attendant problems ( The Wall Street Journal , February 8, 2011) did not shed anything new on the subject. He merely regurgitated information acquired from here and there. For those who wanted new insights into the state and study of ethnic relations in Malaysia, Malott's article was disappointing. The recent Interlok controversy prompted me to ask Distinguished Professor Datuk Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, founding director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, to explain the recurring ethnic tensions in Malaysia, a point which Malott elaborated with relish. See the article (Learning Curve, New Sunday Times, February 13, 2010) below for his views on the subject. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The tourism industry has managed to flaunt Malaysia's diverse cultural life. But this div...

The following post was inspired by the frequently asked question: how was your Sunday? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ My friend Shan works at the weekend. He gets two days off -- Monday and Thursday -- in a week. It has been like this for the past 10 years. He likes the current arrangement and would not have it any other way. There would be an amused look on his face when people asked him about his Sunday. "I work on Sunday," he would say. The response was entirely predictable: "Really! How sad. I never work on Sunday." Those who regard Saturday and Sunday as days of rest can never understand how doctors, nurses, journalists, waitresses and musicians, among others, work very long hours everyday including over the weekend. Oh, that's a pity, they say. These unfortunate souls have missed out on the pleasures that create the perfect break. Shan disagrees. He says that Monday is his perfect Sund...

Gong Xi Fa Cai ! May fortune, wealth and good health be with you! The Lunar New Year is almost here and most Chinese in Malaysia and elsewhere will celebrate the occasion tomorrow by offering mandarin oranges or red envelopes stuffed with cash to family members especially children and close friends. The 12-year cycle of the Chinese calendar returns to the Year of the Rabbit and people expect good fortune throughout the year. Chinese tradition views rabbits as social, sensitive creatures and their homes and families are important to them. They symbolise beauty, composure and wealth. If you are a Rabbit, click here for more about yourself.

A New York Times ' article on older Japanese workers marginalising their younger colleagues underlines how little the old understand the young. It is a biting commentary on older generations hanging on to their vested interests at the expense of their young's professional development. Young Japanese workers are frustrated but are stumped by what to do about it. They need to find an outlet for their many talents and interests. Some young Japanese have not only quit their jobs -- after a period of trying to gain acceptance -- but left their country as well. The phenomenon is not peculiar to Japan. At a certain publishing company in Malaysia you will hear a similar story. Top executives are reluctant to promote promising thirty-somethings to decision-making positions for reasons best known to themselves. An enlightened top-level executive may want to act on his middle manager's suggestion to move a bright young staff member to a higher rank but he will need all t...

Picture shows the English translation of the novel Interlok . The Malaysian government finally reached a decision about the adoption of an abridged edition of Datuk Abdullah Hussain's novel Interlok as a text for the literature component in the subject Bahasa Malaysia for fifth-formers. Students will be allowed to read it but not before some amendments. That means removing the bits that hurt the ethnic sensibilities of the Indian community. The result arrived at after heated debate was entirely predictable. The Prime Minister is likely to call an election this year. And the announcement to end the Interlok impasse with a "formula that everyone can agree on" is seen by some as an attempt to appease the ruling government's constituents. See below for details of the decision as reported by Bernama. Interlok stays, but with amendments: Muhyiddin By: (Thu, 27 Jan 2011) KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 27, 2011): The novel Interlok will remain as the textbook for th...

The move to adopt Datuk Abdullah Hussain 's novel Interlok as a Malay Literature text for Form Five students has aroused a heated debate over its suitability. Copies of the abridged edition of the novel ( see picture above ) were distributed to schools in Selangor, Negri Sembilan and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya before the start of the new school year. But the books have been temporarily put aside pending the Cabinet's decision on the matter. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak wants more discussions about whether the novel should be included on the reading list. The idea is to find a solution that everyone can agree on. Teachers and students, meanwhile, are getting restless and they want the Education Ministry to come to a decision about what to do next by tomorrow. It is an exam year for the fifth-formers and they hope the decision-makers realise that. Click here for more.

Facebook users in Malaysia readily accept "friendship" requests from strangers, says criminologist and Malaysian Association of Certified Fraud Examiners president Datuk Akhbar Satar. Malaysians should think twice about approving appeals for friendship from people they do not know, he says. Many feel good when they suddenly become "popular" as indicated by the numerous applications. They reveal a lot of themselves such as birth dates, addresses, telephone numbers and alluring photos to the so-called Facebook friends who now have access to these details which are found on the users' profile pages. They are particularly vulnerable to all kinds of abuse. Trusting Facebook users are everywhere. A friend from the Philippines recently picked up a message on Facebook from a man who wanted to be her friend. He told her that he was attracted to her profile picture on Facebook and pestered her with messages for more than a month. He began to wax lyrical abo...

I am terrified of dogs. I was bitten by a dog once and I have been afraid of them ever since. Whenever I am near a dog, I would edge nervously past it. I try to avoid visiting homes which keep dogs. It is no good telling me that dogs are adorable or that they make faithful friends. All I see is a dog baring its teeth and growling. I relived the horror of being bitten on Monday (January 10, 2011) morning when I read a report in the New Straits Times about two mongrels attacking an Irish tourist, Maurice Sullivan, to death at an organic farm in Teluk Bahang, Penang . Sullivan, 50, and his companion Agnieszka Izabela, 28, had arrived at the durian farm on Saturday (January 8, 2011) as volunteer helpers. The idea was to stay on the farm and help around for an average of four hours a day in exchange for food and accommodation. Sullivan was fatally mauled by the dogs sometime on Sunday when he and Izabela were leaving Joseph Teoh's -- the farm owner -- house which was situated o...

Words of wisdom. Why do some think that they are preserve of philosophers or wise old men? Everyone has an opinion worth listening to. I am reminded of this time and time again. I had an interesting conversation with a colleague early this week. It was on the morning of January 3, the first working day of the brand new year. I was in the office canteen and said hello to a colleague. We exchanged greetings and proceeded to select our food items at the breakfast buffet. As luck would have it, we ended up sharing a table. Our conversation turned to our personal and professional aspirations. I discovered that Kulwant is studying for a teaching degree on a part-time basis. Her enthusiasm drew me in. Her commitment to her studies is inspiring. She describes it as "journey" -- to a whole new world. She is excited about the prospect of discovering new things and improving herself. She talked about her love of the English language and her desire to master it. Words and mor...