As usual, by end of the year I will post the list of books read throughout the year. Textbooks and academic journals were excluded. I'll probably share the huge list of journals in another blog. Anyway, here it is. Local/Asian interest: 1. Strategic Communications (PsyOps, Information Operations and Public Diplomacy): The Relationship Between Governmental 'Information' in the Post 9/11 World - Mohd Rajb Ghani & Philip Taylor 2. Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Hancur Berantakan Dihantam Gelombang Tsunami - Razali Abdullah 3. Dr. Mahathir's Selected Letters to World Leaders : Introduction and Selected Commentaries by Abdullah Ahmad 4. Social Roots of the Malay Left - Rustam A. Sani 5. Achieving True Globalisation - Mahathir Mohamad (Interview by Dr. Kohei Hashimoto) 6. Mencari Jalan Pulang: Daripada Sosialisme Kepada Islam - Kassim Ahmad 7. Hegemony: Justice; Peace - Dr Chandra Muzaffar 8. Lagi Cerpen-Cerpen Underground - Saharil Hasrin Sanin & Faisal Tehrani 9. Jejak-Je...

[source: peoplesgeography.com ] Malaysia Condemns Israel's Air Strikes In Gaza KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia strongly condemns the series of Israeli air strikes against the Palestinian neighbourhood of Khan Younis in Southern Gaza yesterday (Dec 27), which left at least 225 Palestinias dead and more than 400 wounded. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement here today said Malaysia stands firm that there is no excuse for the disproportionate, indiscriminate and excessive use of force in Gaza and totally rejects the collective punishment imposed by Israel on the Palestinian people. "The Israeli attack on Gaza completely disregards international law and is in violation of the United Nations Charter. "Malaysia considers this act as a war crime and crime against humanity," the statement said. It came as no surprise to hear the silence and not even a single condemnation from the world powers or even the UN, but it baffles me to see the deep silence and...

Support Wikipedia! I've just donated 1 US Dollar (or RM3.58) to the Wikimedia Foundation . I know it's a small amount, but imagine if hundreds or thousands of people donating one dollar each. Hehe. Anyways, this is just a simple show of support and gratitude from me to Wikipedia, which I feel is probably one of the best invention since Internet was born. Al-Fatihah to the Almarhum Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Jaafar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman who passed away on December 27, 2008.

"this is a farewell kiss, you dog!" Muntadar Al-Zaidi, Cairo-based al-Baghdadiya TV correspondent. [ BBC News ] This is certainly the video of the day. How I wish the shoes would hit right on Bush's forehead, but seems that he has pretty good reflexes. heheh. More news -- BBC: Shoes thrown at Bush on Iraq trip

The Star, 9th December 2008 Quoting Wong Chun Wai in his column above; ..What Clinton revealed about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was more interesting. He listed down the names of leaders he admired during his term as US president. They included South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, Palestine’s Yasser Arafat and China’s Jiang Zemin. “And certainly, Dr Mahathir. He did the right thing (in pegging the ringgit) during the 1997 financial crisis. His model worked, not necessarily elsewhere, but certainly he did the right thing.” Clinton said he used to discuss about Dr Mahathir at the White House with his advisers and sometimes told them that they were not practical (when they touched on politics and economics) “because you guys have never run for office.” - The Star

PETALING JAYA: The retail price of petrol and diesel will go down another 10sen effective Wednesday. The new price of RON97 petrol would be RM1.90 per litre down from RM2.00, while RON92 petrol and diesel would be down to RM1.80 from RM1.90 per litre, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a statement released at about 5pm on Tuesday. - The Star I know some people will still stay, ah it means nothing because the price of goods are still the same even though the government has reduced the petrol price 5 times. But try to look at the bright side of it. It is not that often you will hear something positive by the government. So, let's try to be more appreciative. But on the other hand, it is not enough for Pak Lah to just say things like, "Dulu kalau harga minyak naik, pandai-pandai pula naikkan (harga barangan), tapi bila turun, tak pula turun-turun harganya.." ( Utusan ), without any strong action. The government should work harder in ensuring the prices ...

Keane - Perfect Symmetry (2008) Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul (2008) Image source: Guardian.co.uk