ohn Woo's new Chinese-language historical epic will be shown in North American
HONG KONG – John Woo's new Chinese-language historical epic will be shown in North American movie theaters later this year, marking the "Mission: Impossible II" director's first U.S. release in six years. |
Kanye West denies causing this bit of turbulence.
Los Angeles (E! Online) – Kanye West denies causing this bit of turbulence. |
Two Lebanese men suspected of spying for Israel fled across the heavily fortified border to the Jewish
BEIRUT – Two Lebanese men suspected of spying for Israel fled across the heavily fortified border to the Jewish state Monday, the second such escape since Lebanon stepped up a campaign of arrests against those thought to be working for its archenemy, said officials. |
America's moms and dads are getting a good scolding: Your kids are lagging behind students all around the world.
WASHINGTON – America's moms and dads are getting a good scolding: Your kids are lagging behind students all around the world. |
Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu helped dethrone the defending champion Boston
BOSTON – Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu helped dethrone the defending champion Boston Celtics and give Orlando a chance to bring a crown to the Magic Kingdom. |
Spacewalking astronauts gave the Hubble Space Telescope a more commanding view of the cosmos by installing
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Spacewalking astronauts gave the Hubble Space Telescope a more commanding view of the cosmos by installing a new high-tech instrument Saturday, then pulled off their toughest job yet: fixing a broken camera. |
Four U.S. contractors for the private security company formerly
KABUL – Four U.S. contractors for the private security company formerly known as Blackwater are accusing the company of holding them against their will in Afghanistan following their involvement in a shooting this month, a lawyer said Saturday. A spokeswoman for the company denied the allegation. |
The Los Angeles Dodgers' reunion with Manny Ramirez lasted about 10 minutes.
MIAMI – The Los Angeles Dodgers' reunion with Manny Ramirez lasted about 10 minutes. Then they went to the ballpark and won another game without him. |
Pope Benedict XVI ended his pilgrimage to the Holy Land Friday with a stirring call for peace at the site of Jesus' crucifixion
JERUSALEM – Pope Benedict XVI ended his pilgrimage to the Holy Land Friday with a stirring call for peace at the site of Jesus' crucifixion and then made an emotional appeal to Israel and the Palestinians: "No more bloodshed. No more fighting. No more terrorism. No more war." |
Pakistani forces killed 55 Taliban in the northwestern valley of Swat on Friday
MINGORA, Pakistan – Pakistani forces killed 55 Taliban in the northwestern valley of Swat on Friday, the army said, and lifted a curfew to allow thousands more civilians to flee before troops assail the Taliban-held main town. |
Astronauts are back outside spacewalking again, this time to give the Hubble Space Telescope some new gyroscopes and batteries.
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Road to re-open before school begins
Road to re-open before school begins THE Public Works Department is focusing on reopening and repairing Jalan Bukit Antarabangsa before school starts. JKR director-general Datuk Seri Prof Judin Abdul Karim said that based on the department’s monitoring, there has been a minimum movement of earth at the moment. “The JKR and the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council have agreed that the road needs to reopened as soon as possible. “There are still risks of a landslide in the area if the soil is not dug out with caution. “An in-depth analysis was conducted on how much of the slope to cut. Rock buttresses will be placed to strengthen the slope and reduce the sliding of the soil. “The time frame estimated for the repair work is from 21 to 28 days. The report on Dec 19 will inform those from the five affected areas whether they will be able to return. “The one-month preliminary report is on the probable cause of the landslide. “We are working closely with the MPAJ and the residents and will not re-open the road if it is not safe,” he said. Meanwhile, the Ampang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Jalil Hassan said residents had yet to come and search for their belongings near the Riverdale Park apartments “So far, the MPAJ trucks have made 283 trips to ferry truck loads of earth from ground zero. “This ferrying will go on as scheduled to allow the roads to be reopened as soon as possible,” he said. Abdul Jalil also said that, so far, 133 police reports have been made since Dec 6. |
Runaway teens return home
Runaway teens return home JOHOR BARU: All five teenagers who ran away from home for about a week have been reunited with their parents. Three of them, Xiu Mei, 18, together with her friends Li Zhen, 16, and Wan Jing, 14, reached Johor Baru about 11pm on Tuesday. They had gone to Kuala Lumpur with two others, known only as Yu, 16, and Wen Li, but parted ways there: three headed to Malacca, while the other two went to Penang. Yu and Wen Li returned home at about 1am on Tuesday and were not present at the press conference. While both Li Zhen and Wan Jing went straight home upon reaching Johor Baru, Xiu Mei spent the night at Li Zhen’s house, afraid of being reprimanded by her family. With only about RM300, they had to sell off Li Zhen’s mobile phone for RM450 to rent a room in Malacca. “We chose Malacca because I know the place better,” said Xiu Mei who had studied there before moving to Johor Baru. Xiu Mei said she had run away because she hated it when her stepfather did not like her friends. The Form Two student also claimed he said hurtful things about her. “I am back here but I hope to stay somewhere else,” she said. When asked if she had known that life away from home would be difficult, Xiu Mei replied: “It is better to face difficulties outside than at home”. On the other hand, Li Zhen and Wan Jing did not have strong reasons for running away other than wanting to accompany Xiu Mei. But seeing “the news about our parents’ search for us made us sad,” said Li Zhen, whose mother A.P. Leela, 35, had waited downstairs at their flats for her. Wan Jing’s father, Lee Tee Tee, 47, hugged her tightly. Xiu Mei’s mother said she would forgive her young daughter. MCA Youth Public Services and Complaints Bureau deputy chief Rodney Soon hoped that parents would get to know their children better and “be aware of their children’s activities”. Two counselling centres have agreed to assist in following up such cases. He also urged those facing problems with their teenage children to contact him at 019-771 3912. |
Other family trees
Other family trees Local genealogy enthusiasts share their experiences in tracing their ancestry. Dr Philip Tan Chee Lin HE became interested in genealogy when he realised how he much he had lost with the passing a few years ago of one of his late father’s sisters-in-law. At the aunt’s funeral service, he noticed that the relatives hardly knew each other. He then took the initiative to compile his family’s genealogy on a spreadsheet, beginning by finding his grandparents, Tan Pow and Lim Mui. “My original objective was to compile all the information about the generations for the sake of my nephews and nieces, so they could know how they are each related to one another,” he says. When he visited his ancestral village, Xiau Ku , a small village in Yong Chun in China’s Fujian Province in 2007, he became even more interested in tracing his roots. Currently, he has traced them back to the first Tan, Chen Hu Gong , who lived in circa 1028BCE and who married Da Ji , the eldest daughter of Ji Fa and Zhou Wuwang , who was King Wu of Zhou. Dr Tan is a 105th generation descendent of the first Tan. Tracing even further back, he is the 138th generation descendent of Shun Di who lived in about 2255BCE. Stephen Lim Kee Soon LIM has traced his roots back to 1117CE, during the reign of the Soong Dynasty. His ancestor was Lin Jao of Yong Chun , a town in Fujian Province. In 2006, with the help of the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Bureau in Yong Chun, Lim visited the clan’s ancestral house in Fujian; it turned out to be a very grand community hall in which the ancestor tablets are placed. Family members use the hall for wedding ceremonies and for entertaining when the clan is visited by descendents from overseas, like Lim. He is the 28th generation of Lin Zao – or the 138th generation descendent counting from the original Lin ancestor from Xian Province on the western bank of the Huang He River ; this ancestor lived during the Shang Dynasty . The connection to this older ancestor is a little more tenuous because it is based on a clan legend. According to Lim, the legend says that one of the emperor’s concubines had accused an ancestor called Bi Gan , who was an Imperial official, of being disloyal to the emperor. To prove his loyalty, Bi Gan decided to kill himself. “If I have a black heart, then it is true, but if my heart is red, it shows that I am still loyal to the emperor,” Bi Gan is believed to have said to the emperor before he died. When his lifeless heart proved red and loyal, the emperor regretted his hastiness and, to make amends, sent officials in search of Bi Gan’s frightened, pregnant wife who had gone into hiding. When she gave birth to a boy, the emperor took him in and gave him the surname Lim. One of that Lim’s descendants was Lin Jao, who later settled down in Yong Chun. Lin Jao started his clan, Mei San Lin . “And that is where I am descended from,” says the present-day Lim proudly. Datin Patricia Lim Pui Huen AN author and vice president of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Patricia published her own book about one of her ancestors in 2003: Wong Ah Fook: Immigrant, Builder & Entrepreneur . It was her attempt to trace her roots back to her great-grandfather, Wong Ah Fook, who was a major contractor for the Johor State Government. “The research took over 10 years,” she says. “There were few written documents in those days. Most business transactions were done based on one’s word. Business had to involve a lot of trust.” During American-Chinese genealogy enthusiast Henry Tom’s recent visit to Malaysia, Patricia had a dinner meeting with him and exchanged notes about their common interest in genealogy. She is now in the process of publishing two other books: Johor 1855-1957: Local History, Local Landscape and Through the Eyes of the King: The Travels of King Chulalongkorn in Malaya . LIST of Chinese surnames: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_Chinese_surnames Tracing the origin of Chinese surnames: yutopian.com/names A portal dedicated to learning and discussing Chinese history: chinahistoryforum.com Related stories: Making ancient connections Bringing us together |
SMS from readers
SMS from readers Good job Syabas to firemen kesaven and his team for his bravery.True malaysian. - Suzy Truly a hero with true compassion and very brave. Bravo Mr.Kesave n! Kudos to fireman C. Kesav en n colleagues for their heroic act. Bravo! > Direct funding Govt direct funding RM50m 2 Chinese school a good move but make sure money being utilised properly 4 school development and not misused. - JB TAN > Packed buses Mini bus drivers in B’worth take more thn limited passengers! Take action b4 smtng bad happns! - Yoga > Same old jam d new CIQ cmplx causing same jam as old one. Waste of money! > Cats and dogs It should not be an issue of dogs or cats or whatever. As long as animals kept as pets are under control. Feline menace is everywhere. Each household has more than 1 cat. They pooped in our garden. Why double std ? No licence nor our consent. - Felicia Search and Rescue operations, do v need victims n neighbours ok b4 the dogs r sent in? Or do v send cats, rabbits or chickens 2 help? new dog laws causing rift between neighbours, and has taken away freedom and one’’s right to own a dog. Why has this law been allowed? - joe Authorities want owners 2 giv up their pets if neighbour’s say no?! Absurd! 110% agree wth Nilai MC ruling on dogs, don’t u turn if pressured, other council should follow soon. Bravo! - Jibauk > Dognapped Was robbed of my 2 dogs by 2 boys on a motorbike along the main rd in Sec 9 S. Alam. They threatened me with a chopper. > Pension Thank you 4 the 30 years service pension payment. Please consider those who missed because of only 29 yrs 11 mths service. - Mohd Alwee A Nasuruddin |
UAL story revived by clicks on paper's Web site
UAL story revived by clicks on paper's Web site MINNEAPOLIS - The outdated bankruptcy story that sparked a run on United Airlines shares Monday came back to life because it showed up on a newspaper Web site's "most viewed'' section, where it was picked up by Google News and later seen by panicky stockholders, the newspaper's owner said on Tuesday. United had filed for bankruptcy protection in 2002, but its shares dove on Monday when a link to an old story about the bankruptcy filing appeared on the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Web site. The newspaper's owner, Tribune Co., laid out its version of how that happened on Tuesday: - The 2002 United bankruptcy story in the paper's archive got enough Internet traffic early Sunday morning to push it into the "Popular Business Stories: Most Viewed'' section of the paper's Web site. Tribune said the story was not republished, and the Internet link was simply a link to the archive version of the story. _ Automated Google software noticed the new link a few minutes later and a link to the story went on Google News. Three minutes and two seconds later, Google News readers started reading the story on the Sun Sentinel's Web site. A Florida investment firm has said previously that it found the story on Monday morning with a Google search and posted a summary on the Bloomberg financial information service. That visibility _ Bloomberg is seen by thousands of investment managers and traders - is what sparked the run on United shares. Tribune spokesman Gary Weitman declined to say how much traffic it took to push the old United story onto the Sun Sentinel's list of most-viewed business stories. "As you'd expect, the business page of the Sun Sentinel Web site doesn't get a lot of traffic in the middle of the night,'' he said. He said Web traffic to the story spiked Sunday and into Monday morning. The investment newsletter that posted a summary of the story to Bloomberg, Income Securities Advisors Inc. in Miami Lakes, Florida, has said there was nothing on the Sun Sentinel Web site to indicate that the story was old. The story also coincidentally referred to United's bankruptcy filing as happening on Monday, the day the story was widely viewed. United had filed for bankruptcy protection on a Monday in December 2002. The page also fooled Bloomberg. Although the summary of the old story was initially posted by the Florida investment newsletter, Bloomberg spokeswoman Judith Czelusniak said Bloomberg News staffers posted headlines noting first the UAL share price drop, and then, at 11:06 a.m. EDT, a bankruptcy denial from United. But a different Bloomberg News staffer working the story found the bankruptcy story on the Sun Sentinel site and, at 11:07 a.m., posted a headline "informing that the Chicago Tribune reported UAL files for bankruptcy,'' Czelusniak wrote in an e-mail. The 2002 story on the Sun Sentinel Web site had come from the Chicago Tribune. The erroneous reports were corrected minutes later, but UAL shares traded as low as $3 before trading was halted. Google spokesman Gabriel Stricker said the Google News software that looks for news stories is automated, and that it searches Web pages for clues to the date the news originated. The only date it saw on the Sun Sentinel site was from early Sunday eastern time, he said. Weitman said other clues would have made it clear to a human reader that the story was old, including a reference to UAL's 97-cent share price and comments posted by readers further down the page that were posted in 2002. United, for its part, was still looking into the whole episode. Spokeswoman Jean Medina declined to say whether United has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate. Latest business news from AP-Wire |
A Malaysian at heart
A Malaysian at heart Despite the infamy surrounding his Negarakuku video, a young graduate decides to come home. BEING part of the production team of the Taiwanese’s television programme One Million Star is a great learning experience for Malaysian student Wee Meng Chee. Securing a job at the prestigious production house behind the show and others like Guess Guess Guess and Here Comes Kang Xi is a golden opportunity that every mass communication student in Taiwan craves. “It is a difficult job which sometimes requires you to work 24 hours a day,” says Wee, the first and only foreigner hired by Gin Star Entertainment Co. Ltd. He got the job while studying at Ming Chuan University. Last year, Wee became an instant online celebrity last year when his video, Negarakuku , which raps about racial discrimination against Chinese, corrupt cops and indolent civil servants, was posted on YouTube. In a phone interview from Taiwan, the 25-year-old mass communication graduate constantly paused to search for words that best described his feelings. He’d written the song as a gift to the country in conjunction with its 50th birthday celebrations, he says. But some people felt he was mocking the national anthem. At the height of the controversy, he bowed to mounting pressure and made a public apology. “Song-writing is my way of keeping a diary of my feelings about things happening around me. I compose new songs when there are special occasions such as birthdays and weddings, or when I broke off with my girlfriend. “When I wrote Negarakuku and Muar Chinese , songs about my country and hometown, I just wanted to reflect life’s realities. I don’t think I can change the world by highlighting issues that concern the public, but I do hope that Malaysia will become a better place one day.” Muar Chinese, a satirical music video, takes digs at people who are ashamed of speaking their own dialects. At it turned out, the hoo-ha surrounding his compositions got the attention of Wee’s boss at Gin Star, who was impressed with his creativity and ability to compose songs and shoot his own music videos. “He liked my work and even suggested that I work on another programme on which guests get to impersonate Taiwanese politicians,” he says. However, after completing his tertiary education, Wee did not hesitate to quit his job because he wanted to return home. “When I tendered my resignation, my boss asked me to stay until the end of the season of One Million Star , in August. He even told me that I have the potential to be a producer one day. “But I had made up my mind to return to Malaysia because it is my home. I reckon it’s time for me to pay back to the country, with the skills I’ve learnt from another country.” Many people urged him not to come back, quoting reasons like political instability, a bad economy and the lack of job opportunities here. But Wee was undaunted. “People think Taiwan is a better place to stay in, but they do not know that the Taiwanese, too, are unhappy with their own country . Many of them are planning to migrate to other countries like the United States, Singapore or even Malaysia.” Wee feels that while others view working overseas as an opportunity to earn big money, his focus is different. “Every country has its shortcomings but if you only look at the problems and want to leave, who is going to stay in Malaysia? “Just like your own mother; no matter how badly she treats you, you’re still her child and have the responsibility of taking care of her. “Everyone wants something better in life, but the best thing is in your heart. For me, Malaysia is my country and my home and it will forever be that.” Patriotism aside, what bothers him is that no employer might want to hire an “infamous” person. This concern prompted Wee to kick off a documentary project entitled I Want to Go Home , with three friends, Yap Chin Chern, Hew Teck Choy and Chia Wei Gang . On July 31, they started their month-long overland journey home from Hong Kong, stopping along the way to film Malaysians living there, as well as in Macau, China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. The team compiled congratulatory messages from those they met, to be featured in the documentary. Through the film, Wee aims to show potential employers that he is not a troublemaker, but “a rebel with a cause”. “The main purpose of filming the documentary is to convey the thoughts of those who could not make it home for the country’s 51st independence celebrations,” he explains. |
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