a fleeting stay ...

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...