07122008034

Invigilators@Work

Mr Jeremy Brown of FBEPS and Mr Zahari Hamidon of SHBIE were my fellow invigilators today 3rd Dec 2008 at the Chancellor's Hall, UBD. My MBA HRM exams were held together with Jeremy's E-Commerce and Zahari's Interactive design for Teachers.

Ucapan Anwar Ibrahim di Kongres Nasional PKR

Embedded Video

Scenes of Malaysian Politics

1. KOTA KINABALU, Sun: Former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim must explain his presence at Parti Keadilan Rakyat’S national congress in Shah Alam yesterday to Umno’s disciplinary board before action is taken against him, Umno vice president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today.

2. GEORGE TOWN: After severely criticising his predecessor Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and Gerakan leaders for the last eight months, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng found himself in “enemy territory” yesterday. He made an unscheduled appearance at the inauguration ceremony of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu as Wawasan Open University’s (WOU) first chancellor at the university’s campus. His attendance drew surprised stares from guests and newsmen present.

So, in Malaysia, if you are a member of one particular party then you are not supposed to attend a rival party's gathering or function - if you do, you'll be required to explain to your party's disciplinary board. Does this mean that everything associated with your rival parties is prohibited? Should PAS make it compulsory for Dato Mustafa Ali (for example), to explain to the party's disciplinary board for paying his last respects to the late Dato Razali Ismail, the Deputy Minister of Education who passed away recently? I am interested to know the boundary between allowable and non-allowable actions of members of various political parties in Malaysia. Or should Guan Eng refrain from attending the Gerakan's function?

3. GEORGE TOWN: Use the term “special position” instead of ketuanan Melayu, Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon urged. “The term ketuanan Melayu would give rise to a tuan and hamba (master and slave) situation so let’s use the proper term as provided for in the Federal Constitution.

4. KUALA LUMPUR 29 Nov. - Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein menegaskan lebih baik bagi pemimpin parti komponen Barisan Nasional (BN) menyertai sahaja parti pembangkang sekiranya mahu terus mengungkit sejarah dan fakta negara. Beliau berkata, dengan menidakkan sejarah termasuk konsep ketuanan Melayu, mereka hanya meletakkan diri dalam wajah yang sama dengan pembangkang iaitu berpolitik pada landasan kaum serta agama dan sebab itu lebih baik untuk mereka berada bersama pembangkang.

5. KUALA LUMPUR 29 Nov. - Orang Melayu perlu bangkit dan menghentikan segala bentuk kritikan daripada kaum lain yang mahu menolak konsep ketuanan Melayu di negara ini. Menteri Dalam Negeri, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar menegaskan kesedaran daripada orang Melayu perlu bagi memberi amaran kepada semua pihak bahawa perkara berkaitan ketuanan Melayu bukanlah 'jenaka yang boleh dipermainkan'.

6. KUALA LUMPUR 29 Nov. - Ahli Majlis Tertinggi UMNO, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin menyelar pihak yang cuba mengelirukan konsep ketuanan Melayu dengan membuat kenyataan tidak bertanggungjawab. Tegasnya, konsep ketuanan Melayu tidak ada kena mengena dengan hubungan tuan dengan hamba tetapi merujuk kepada asal usul negara ini dan kaum pribuminya daripada keturunan Melayu.

It seems that the issue of "ketuanan Melayu" is the main issue of BN component parties within these few days. UMNO is trying to regain the Malays' support by potraying that they are the ones who can be relied upon when it comes to safeguarding the so-called "ketuanan Melayu". At the same time, other component parties, especially the Chinese-based parties are also harping on the issue to regain support from the Chinese. By questioning "ketuanan Melayu" they hope to show to the Chinese that they're not just mere followers of UMNO in BN. So, to me the issue of "ketuanan Melayu" is a re-invented issue for the BN to win back their support.

Rafidah will defend Wanita chief post, June plan in question

Rafidah will defend Wanita chief post, June plan in question

KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz says she will defend her Wanita Umno Chief post but remained mum on whether the June transition plan is still on.In a handwritten 10-page letter Rafidah who is the Kuala Kangsar MP said she valued the nominations she received and would defend her post for the 2009 - 2011 term.“I am leaving it to the delegates to decide on which leader they want for the 2009-2011 period,” she said.Rafidah who was supposed to handover the post to her deputy Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil in June, three months after the March party election, said she was disappointed that the transition plan had been disputed and rejected now when it had been accepted by the exco earlier when it was first mooted.On Thursday, Shahrizat who received enough nominations to contest the Wanita Chief post said she would take on Rafidah for the post.

Varimax:

Mac 2009 PM Abdullah will be handing over the Presidency of UMNO and Premiership to DPM Najib. Is there a possibility that if Rafidah retains her post as Wanita UMNO Chief, she will be back in the Najib's cabinet? What will happen to Shahrizat then? The other candidate for the deputy chief, Kamilia will most probably be elected to the post.. So, there is a possibility that Rafidah and Kamilia will form the new leadership team in Wanita UMNO, without Shahrizat..

Rafidah will defend Wanita chief post, June plan in question

Kontrak NC - Bukan diskriminasi gender

Oleh ZULKIFLI JALIL (Utusan Malaysia, 19 November 2008)

AGAK gamat seketika apabila bekas Naib Canselor Universiti Malaya (UM), Datuk Rafiah Salim mendakwa wujudnya diskriminasi gender oleh kerajaan terhadap ahli akademik tempatan yang kononnya menjadi penyebab perkhidmatan beliau tidak disambung lagi.

Dalam satu temu bual dengan satu laman portal, Rafiah benar-benar menyuarakan kemarahannya dengan ungkapan yang tidak sepatutnya dikeluarkan oleh seorang yang dihormati sepertinya: ''Hanya kerana kami wanita dan tidak ada 'benda' itu, maka kita tidak bagus."

Varimax:
naib canselor, jawatan tertinggi dalam pentadbiran akademik universiti

haruslah menjadi cermin kepada kesarjanaan dan ilmu
kerana itulah paksi universiti
bukan kerana ia lelaki
ataupun kerana ia disukai menteri
atau kerana ia pandai berperi-peri
atau berupaya merombak pusat pengajian menjadi fakulti
kerana apa yang dinilai ialah isi sesebuah universiti
bukannya kulit, walaupun kelihatan indah berseri

Untuk renungan bersama, di sini diberikan pengertian profesor:
"Professors are qualified experts, who conduct lectures and seminars in their fields of study, such as the basic fields of science, education, literature or the applied fields of engineering, music, medicine, law, or business and perform advanced research in their fields. In fact, in any university, only full professors are entitled to supervise Ph.D students"

Mukhriz vs Khairy

Battle of rival clans grips Malaysian politics

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - A new generation of leaders in Malaysia is fighting for control of the ruling party -- in disarray since heavy election losses -- with the premier's son-in-law battling his predecessor's son.

The successors of current leader Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and former premier Mahathir Mohamad are shaping up to continue hostilities that have raged between the two veterans for the past few years.

The Borneo Bulletin, 17th November 2008

In one sense, Mukhriz and Khairy are both merely observing a Malaysian tradition where sons and sons-in-law of prominent politicians often follow in their elders' footsteps.

The pair have already tussled once in the race for posts in the youth wing of Umno, the dominant party in the coalition that has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957.

Mukhriz, nominated for the No. 2 job in the youth wing last September, withdrew when he realised sentiment was going Khairy's way. Though Khairy got that job, Mukhriz was elected to Umno Youth's executive panel with more votes than any other contender.

Being the son of Mahathir has helped, Mukhriz said, but the test he now faces is to deliver. "I have a name that helps open doors, but once you are through, you need to perform," he said.

DAILY EXPRESS NEWS, 2nd April 2005

Varimax:
aku bukanlah ahli pemuda kepada parti united malays national organisation
yang boleh menentukan calon mana antara keduanya akan menang pertandingan
siapapun yang jadi ketua..
lembu tetap memilih rumput sebagai makanannya

harga minyak turun lagi

Berita besar pagi Selasa 17 November

Turun 15 sen lagi

PUTRAJAYA 17 Nov. – Kerajaan hari ini menurunkan lagi harga minyak sebanyak 15 sen berkuat kuasa esok, kali kelima sejak Ogos lalu sejajar dengan penurunan harga bahan api itu di pasaran dunia...

Varimax:
maka turunlah harga minyak di malaysia
15 sen untuk rakyatnya menanti harga-harga lain akan ikut turun
bukankah pm telah beberapa kali meminta peniaga turunkan harga..
kalau peniaga tak dengar cakap pm, cakap siapa pula akan mereka dengar?
mustahil mereka akan dengar cakap si rpk yang baru bebas isa
atau si tukar tiub yang ketawanya berbunyi kah kah kah tanpa variasi
atau para peniaga itu sedang menanti pm baru?

PM bidas peniaga enggan turunkan harga barang

TASHKHENT (Uzbekistan) 17 Nov. – Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi membidas sikap peniaga yang tidak mahu menurunkan harga barang walaupun harga minyak telah diturunkan sebanyak empat kali..

Positive Politics

Kate DCamp

Office politics are a reality. The term politics has a very negative connotation, perhaps because we have all run into those people at work who are seen as "political," which generally means they play office politics to their advantage, rather than doing good work.

Yet, to be effective, even good performers must understand the political environment within their companies or departments. Over the years, I have counseled many great performers who struggled to be effective because they simply had not mastered the rules of the game.

Positive Politics

For example, a brilliant young engineer once approached me to complain about his boss. I asked what the issue was, and he told me he thought his boss was stupid.

Obviously this statement gave some insight into the potential source of the discomfort!

I asked for examples, and he told me how his boss would get technical things wrong in meetings, and he had to correct the information. I asked if he corrected his parents when they said something he thought was wrong and he responded, "Of course I don't correct my parents! That would be disrespectful."

I then asked if he corrected his teachers when they got something wrong, and he answered, "When I thought my teacher got something wrong, I assumed I did not understand it well enough and went to see the teacher privately to understand the answer they had given."

So of course I asked why he did not show the same respect for his boss as he did his parents and teachers. But before he could answer, I held up my hand and said, "I want you to go away for a month and then come back to me with your answer after you have read this book and then spoken to your parents." I gave him a copy of Buck Up, Suck and Come Back When You Foul Up: 12 Winning Secrets from the War Room by James Carville and Paul Begala. I kept copies in a carton under my desk for people I mentor.

Lessons

There were two lessons I wanted him to take from our discussion and this book: Show respect and give the benefit of the doubt. The book is a bit more colorful in making the point that we all have to behave in ways that are essentially "political" just to be effective.

In particular, the book has a chapter titled "Kiss Ass" that makes the point that no one really has a problem with someone kissing up to them; it is those people who are kissing up to others that we all find annoying.

When you show respect for others, they perceive you as intelligent and collaborative. However, when you show you do not respect them, they perceive you as difficult. Giving the benefit of the doubt is just treating people you work with the way the young engineer treated his teachers. If you do not think someone is looking at an issue correctly, approaching them as you would a teacher and asking to understand their logic versus challenging them may reveal the reason for the differences.

Lessons Applied

The young engineer came back to see me a month later. He had heeded my advice and had some insights to share about his change in perspective. First, his parents spent a lot of time talking with him about the lessons learned in their own careers on how to deal with bosses and co-workers.

Second, he had tried the techniques in the book and his parents' suggestions and was getting along much better with his boss. In fact, he had discovered getting his boss' perspective often changed his own point of view on an issue. He also surprised me by noting he now saw it as part of his job to spend one-on-one time with his boss to discuss the technical issues on which he was an expert.

His closing comment told me he would also do well in the future: "After all, my boss' job is to manage lots of different experts and competing points of view, not to have the same technical knowledge that I have. That is why we complement each other so well."

[About the Author: Kate DCamp is the senior executive adviser at Cisco.]

University of Malaya alumni in Brunei soon

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, November 13, 2008

A UNIVERSITY of Malaya alumni will be formed in Brunei to create a legal channel for the alumni to organise social welfare facilities.

The university's Brunei chapter will also see more community programmes and the development of ummah (Muslim community), the development of education, economy, culture and sports as well as a continuous relationship with the university, said Hj Azis Hj Nayan, an alumni member.

Organised for former students of the university at the Malaysian High Commission at Jln Kebangsaan last night, Hj Azis was speaking at a gathering to strengthen affliations between the veteran and young former students of the university.

Former student of the university, Minister of Education Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdul Rahman Dato Setia Hj Mohamed Taib said that the gathering was organised to reach a mutual agreement on the establishment of the University of Malaya Alumni-Brunei Chapter as a legal and recognised association.

Malaysian High Commissioner Dato' Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari said that the gathering was held to gather the university's former students and give graduates the opportunity to be nostalgic and reminisce about studying at the university.

Also present at the gathering were Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Ahmad Hj Jumat, Minister of Communications Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Abu Bakar Hj Apong and Deputy Minister of Education Pg Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohammad Pg Hj Abd Rahman.

Source : The Brunei Times

Congratulations to the Pro-Tem Committee Members of the UM Alumni- Brunei Chapter. The gathering was very successful. And those who attended the gathering felt that with the formation a registered alumni, more beneficial activities could be introduced for members. We are all loooking forward to the time when the UM Alumni - Brunei Chapter becomes a reality. Thank you.

The Beekepers and Their Bees

A fable which reflects managerial behaviors in organizations...

Measuring and recognizing accomplishments versus activities and giving feedback to the worker bees often improves the results of the hive. This is the moral to the story below.

The Story
Once upon a time there were two beekeepers who each had a beehive. The beekeepers worked for a company called Bees, Inc. The company's customers loved its honey and demand for the product was increasing. So Bees, Inc. assigned each beekeeper a goal for increased honey production. The beekeepers had different ideas about how to meet their goal and designed different approaches to improve the performance of their hives.

The first beekeeper established a bee performance management approach that measured how many flowers each bee visited. At considerable cost to the beekeeper, an extensive measurement system was created to count the flowers each bee visited. The beekeeper provided feedback to each bee at mid-season on his individual performance. The beekeeper created special awards for the bees who visited the most flowers. However, the bees were never told about the hive's goal to produce more honey so that the company could increase honey sales.

The second beekeeper also established a bee performance management approach but this approach communicated to each bee the goal of the hive for increased honey production. The beekeeper and his bees measured two aspects of their performance: the amount of nectar each bee brought back to the hive and the amount of honey the hive produced. The performance of each bee and the hive's overall performance were charted and posted on the hive's bulletin board for all the bees to see. The beekeeper created a few awards for the bees that gathered the most nectar. But he also established a hive incentive program that rewarded each bee in the hive based on the hive's overall honey production the more honey produced, the more recognition each bee would receive.

At the end of the season, the beekeepers evaluated their approaches. The first beekeeper found that his hive had indeed increased the number of flowers visited, but the amount of honey produced by the hive had dropped. The Queen Bee reported that because the bees were so busy trying to visit as many flowers as possible, they limited the amount of nectar they would carry so they could fly faster. Also, since only the top performers would be recognized, the bees felt they were competing against each other for awards. As a result, they would not share valuable information with each other that could have helped improve the performance of all the bees (like the location of the flower-filled fields they'd spotted on the way back to the hive). As the beekeeper handed out the awards to individual bees, unhappy buzzing was heard in the background. (After all was said and done, one of the high-performing bees told the beekeeper that if he'd known that the real goal was to make more honey, he would have worked completely differently.)

The second beekeeper, however, had very different results. Because each bee in his hive was focused on the hive's goal of producing more honey, the bees had concentrated their efforts on gathering more nectar in order to produce more honey than ever before. The bees worked together to determine the highest nectar yielding flowers and to create quicker processes for depositing the nectar they'd gathered. They also worked together to help increase the amount of nectar gathered by the poorer performers. The Queen Bee of this hive reported that the poor performers either improved their performance or transferred to hive #1. Because the hive had reached its goal, the beekeeper awarded each bee his portion of the hive incentive payment. The beekeeper was also surprised to hear a loud, happy buzz and a jubilant flapping of wings as he rewarded the individual high-performing bees with special recognition.

Accomplishments vs. Activities. Although it somewhat simplifies performance management, the beekeepers' story illustrates the importance of measuring and recognizing accomplishments (honey production) versus activities (visiting flowers).

The type of measurement that should occur at each organizational level and includes measurements used by the beekeepers include:

• Activities are the actions taken to produce results. They are generally described using verbs. Examples of activities include filing documents, writing software programs, and answering customer questions (in the beekeeper fable, the activity was visiting flowers).

• Outputs (or accomplishments) are the products or services (the results) of employee and work unit activities. They are generally described using nouns. Examples of outputs include files that are orderly and complete, a software program that works, and accurate guidance to customers that is accurate and accessible (from the fable, accomplishments included the amount of nectar that was gathered and honey that was produced).

• Outcomes are the final results of all of an agency's products and services (and the effects of other outside factors that may affect performance). Examples of outcomes include reduced highway deaths, a decrease in the rate of teenage alcoholism, and improved air quality (the outcome for Bees, Inc. and its beekeepers and bees was increased honey sales).

Employee accomplishments can be included in employee performance appraisal plans using all three types of performance elements - critical, non-critical, and additional. Many agencies are working hard to develop employee performance plans that support the achievement of organizational outcomes. They would do well to try the second beekeeper's approach of sharing information about organizational goals with the hive, measuring and rewarding accomplishments as well as activities, and providing feedback on performance.

Source : US Office of Personnel Management

For UBD Graduates....

More skilled graduates to help develop Brunei

Nurkhayrul Salam
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THIS month sees a number of local graduates receiving their degrees and overseas students returning home after completing their studies.

These new graduates will add to the number of skilled workforce available in Brunei Darussalam, each with their own aspirations to contribute to the nation's objective of becoming a developed nation.

The Brunei Times talked to several young people to find out what they have been doing since their final exams and what they had in mind for their future. They gave quite a variety of answers.

One of them is Amirah Rahman, an International Relations Postgraduate from Birmingham University. She said she wanted to realise her dream of working as an ambassador for Brunei Darussalam.

"My plan is to look for whatever politically-related job I can find, just as an entry point, and then working my way up the ladder," she said.

Qalbi, 23, a recent Business Graduate from UBD, planned to work immediately and had been applying to as many suitable vacancies as she could find.

"I am looking for a job all over the nation. I don't like being idle. I want to make myself useful to Brunei's economy, whether in the private or public sector," she said.

Adrenaline junkie Adi, 24, said that he had already applied for a job at the Royal Brunei Police Force.

"I have always had profound respect for the police force; they are the front liners of our nation's security. I want to be a part of that."

Meanwhile, Zamhari and Nasrul talked about their interests in becoming future educators. "Brunei needs more local educators; we are here to fill in the gap," they asserted.

Many graduates have already started working even before they received their final results.

One such person is Aishah, 24, an employee at Baiduri Bank.

According to her, she initially applied for a temporary job there to get some working experience and to earn some money while waiting for a more permanent job. However, she has already been offered a permanent position at the bank.

"I have a few friends who reject (temporary) jobs to wait for government offers, which are quite unlikely to come by. I feel it's just adding to the unemployment level, which is not good for the country's economy," she added.

UBD Business lecturer Dr Ali Yusob bin Md Zain, advised graduates who are entering the workforce for the first time to gain as much experience as possible and to be more proactive.

"Explore as much as possible all aspects of the new job," he said.

He also encouraged them not to be shy to ask for advice from seniors. "University life is different from actual work situation. You cannot just hang around waiting for instructions anymore."

Adna Shatriemie, another lecturer from UBD, urged students not to be picky in seeking for employment.

"In some cases, it may be that your dream job doesn't land on your doorstep. A lot of us took jobs along the way that weren't perfect, but they ended up being good experiences."

The Brunei Times

Report on Bruneian Tourists to Malaysia

Number of Bruneians visiting KL has doubled

Shareen Han
BRUNEI-MUARA

Friday, January 11, 2008

CLOTHING, sports attire and cosmetics are the top three product categories in Bruneians' shopping list in Malaysia's capital city, according to findings of a preliminary study of 200 Brunei tourists to the neighbouring country last year.

About 83 per cent of Brunei tourists who travelled to Kuala Lumpur did so for shopping, whilst 42.5 per cent cited sightseeing as their main purpose for their holiday to the Malaysian capital, highlighted Ali Yusob Md Zain, a lecturer at Universiti Brunei Darussalam's Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies.

Based on the latest figures from Tourism Malaysia, there was a "big jump" of 300,000 more Bruneian tourist arrivals, from 486,344 in 2005 to 784,446 visitors in 2006, he pointed out. Furthermore, it was estimated that more than RM$36 million ($15 million) was spent from Brunei tourists to Malaysia in 2006, compared to over RM$31 million ($13 million) the previous year.

In the survey conducted early last year, he offered that one of the possible reasons why Bruneians favour shopping in Kuala Lumpur is because they enjoy a higher purchasing power as a result of the currency exchange, which currently stands at over RM$2 to $1.

"Bruneians go for brands that are not available in their country," he reasoned, while presenting a paper at UBD's International Conference on Business and Management recently.

He said that to further understand the Bruneian tourists, good skin is gradually becoming a way of life, thus the reason behind why some Bruneians are increasingly purchasing cosmetic products.

"Safety and political stability of the country are the two most important factors which made them choose Malaysia as a holiday destination," he said. Furthermore, many similarities such as language, local cuisines and customs also play a key part in the selection process.

He further said that respondents were generally satisfied with most of the services, including at restaurants, customs and immigration services, as well as shopping facilities.

Public transportation was one of the aspects that needed further improvement, according to the respondents in the data that was collected based on questionnaires distributed to Bruneian tourists at selected tourist locations and hotels all over Malaysia.

The majority of the respondents in the study pointed out that they usually spend less than one week in Malaysia and were often accompanied by family members.

However, he went on to point out that the findings of the study should be interpreted with caution as results did not apply to all Bruneian tourists who visited Malaysia during different times and at different locations.

The outcome of the research was hoped to better understand the decision-making and planning processes of Bruneian tourists primarily opting to choose Malaysia as their ideal holiday destination.

The Brunei Times

Full paper

Calling all UM Alumni...

UM alumni get-together slated for Nov 12

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, November 10, 2008

THE Malaysian High Commission in Brunei will be hosting a gathering for Universiti Malaya (UM) Alumni on November 12 at its premises in Jalan Kebangsaan.

According to a press release by the High Commission, the gathering, which will be attended by Malaysian High Commissioner Dato' Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari, was a first step towards establishing a registered UM Alumni Association-Brunei Chapter in the country.

The establishment of the association was to further promote relations with the alma mater, UM Kuala Lumpur. The association was also expected to embark on various projects and programmes especially to further strengthen existing ties with the university and its alumni as well as in charitable activities, the statement said.

All UM graduates (Bruneians, Malaysians and other nationalities) residing in the country are invited to attend the gathering.

Interested parties are advised to contact Hj Aziz Nayan at 2380019 or 8732346, or Mohd Shahir Shaari 2381095 or 8917877 for further information and invitation.(RSH1)

Source : The Brunei Times

Employee Engagement and Commitment

An interesting reading that I got from Scribd

Get your own at Scribd

A Psychometric Assessment of Organizational Commitment Scale

Get your own at Scribd or explore others: Business Management measure commitment


My paper on Organizational Commitment which was published in "Malaysian Management Review" June 1999

Warrior’s welcome for Ahmad Ismail

The Star reported that Ahmad Ismail was given a warrior's welcome to the Bukit Bendera UMNO delegates meeting.

GEORGE TOWN: Suspended Bukit Bendera Umno chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail was given a warrior’s welcome, complete with presentation of regalia such as a keris (traditional Malay sword), when he turned up for the division’s delegates conference.

Ahmad was on Sept 10 suspended from Umno and stripped of all party posts for three years following an uproar over race-related statements he made in a ceramah (political address) in Permatang Pauh.

He had described Malaysian citizens of Chinese descent as pendatang (immigrants).

Thai intellectual arrested on anti-monarchy charge

BANGKOK, Thailand – One of Thailand's most prominent intellectuals has been arrested on a charge of insulting the country's monarchy, an offense that could send the 75-year-old to prison for 15 years, his lawyer said Friday.

Sulak Sivaraksa, 75, was arrested Thursday for remarks made during a speech he gave in December last year to mark International Human Rights Day, lawyer Somchai Homla-or said.

Sulak denied the charges and was freed on bail, the lawyer said. Insulting the monarchy, known as the crime of "lese majeste," carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Source: Yahoo! News

Bodies of 3 Bali bombers buried after execution

TENGGULUN, Indonesia – Three Islamic militants executed for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people were buried Sunday before hundreds of emotional supporters. Some hard-liners shouted "God is great!" and called the men holy warriors.

Fearing attacks in retaliation for the executions, Indonesia increased security at tourist resorts, shopping malls and office buildings. Several embassies, including from the U.S. and Australia, urged their citizens to keep a low profile, saying they could be targeted.

Imam Samudra, 38, and brothers Amrozi Nurhasyim, 47, and Ali Ghufron, 48, were taken before firing squads in a field near their high-security prison on Nusakambangan island just after midnight, Jasman Panjaitan, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, told reporters.

Source: Yahoo! News

RESEARCHMETHODS.COM

RESEARCHMETHODS.COM

This is a useful site to understand research methods.

Excerpt from the page:

Doing research is fun. You get to do psychology rather than read about it. You get to write your own play, interact with the audience, and discover something new. That is, you can be the writer, actor, director, detective, and reporter. You can also be an adventurer exploring new fields because, as Lloyd (2007, p. 55) puts it, " Scientists are constantly finding ways to make previously unscientific fields scientific." For example, not that long ago, marital problems, belief in religion, positive psychology, and non-conscious processes would have been outside the scope of scientific psychology.

Vice-President Hopefuls - UMNO

Source: The New Straits Times

Some of them may not be able to get sufficient number of nominations (20) to contest.

SURVEY "ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR"

Dear All,

Thanks for visiting.

I am in the process of collecting some data on "Organizational Citizenship Behaviors" for my research project. I hope you'll be able to participate in the survey, so that your responses could be used in my data set. To participate, just click the title of this blog, or click the link below, and you'll be taken to the survey page.

Click here to take the survey now.

Thank you very much.