Carolyn Khor's blog

Link to PGC Focus: Relive your childhood at ESCAPE Theme Park, Teluk Bahang ~~~ by Carolyn Khor Relive your childhood at ESCAPE Theme Park, Teluk Bahang ~~~ by Carolyn Khor Everyone has an inner child who just cannot wait to come out to play, that is, if given a chance. Spread over seven acres for now, ESCAPE Theme Park in Teluk Bahang is a childhood dream come true. Its Founder and Chief Escape Officer, Sim Choo Kheng is every bit the  Peter Pan  who still believes in fun and laughter, along with a heavy dose of nature. “We need to reconnect with Mother Nature. It is only instinctive of us to be protective of the environment when we love it,” said Sim, who reminisces his youth as a  kampong boy  who used to climb trees, swam and fished for fresh water prawns in the streams in Thean Teik Estate, Ayer Itam where he grew up. Sim hopes to share this joyful experience with the children of current generation whom he describes as having a ...

Link to Penang Green Council Focus: A breath of life for well-being ~~ by Carolyn Khor    Almost everyone takes breathing for granted. In this fast-paced life, almost nobody takes notice of breathing except for when some problem crops up. At  The Art of Living,  an organization which is a not-for-profit, educational and humanitarian NGO (Non-Governmental Organization), breathing is taught as a technique to live a stress-free and violence-free life and to experience inner peace. “Our  guruji’s  objective was simply to make people smile and be happy always,” said Sam, a 29 year old Penang  Art of Living  volunteer. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of the organization known as  The Art of Living,  has 152 centres worldwide with five centres in Penang. It was founded in 1982. Sri Sri was born on 13 May 1956 and resides in India. He currently tweets at @srisrispeaks. Among Sri Sri’s insightful quotes are: “If there are ripple...

Link to MSN News Carolyn Khor Violence is a vicious cycle and violence begets violence. There should be no excuse to perpetuate violence and every effort must be made to eliminate violence. 25 Nov was International Day for the elimination of violence against women. In cultures that see no wrong in violence towards women, physical and sexual violence are practiced to subdue women. These women are silenced and victimised by the society to withstand the abuse and are expected to allow these torment to continue as a form of subservience and obedience towards men. This form of ‘accepted punishment’ is derogatory and psychologically damaging. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 3 out of 10 women experience violence by an intimate partner at some point during their lifetime, and 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime. The UNDP also reveals that in more than 35 countries worldwide, marital rape is n...

Press statement by YB Zuraida on NFCorp’s failed takeover by Japanese company Prime Minister Najib Razak should just liquidate the National Feedlot Corporation and recover the RM250 million soft loan that was given to the agricultural company run by Sharizat’s family. That is the only way to hold Sharizat’s family accountable for the mismanagement of funds. The board of directors which includes Sharizat’s husband and children inappropriately spent the people’s money on luxury items unrelated to the agricultural business like purchasing high-end condominiums and prestigious cars. It is simply illogical that any company would want to inject RM20 million into a debt-ridden company that operates at a loss with no foreseeable opportunity for a turnaround. For Kirimitomas Agro to even consider a deal like that, we can only imagine what negotiations went on behind closed doors. Regardless, it is still not a worthwhile deal. Kirimitomas Agro would be better off just starting with ...

Link to MSN Malaysia While some might attribute the recent heavy rainfall as an act of God, some blame it on climate change, rapid developments and inefficient drainage. Penang experienced unusually heavy rain in the last few days and will be expecting more to come as metrological images show strong wind and vapours forming over the Indian Ocean heading over to this part of the region. Landslides and fallen trees were reported in several parts of the island and floods afflicted many areas throughout the state. All state-related personnel are on high alert for high-tide peak hours and are closely monitoring the situation. Chong Eng, the Penang State EXCO for Youth and Sports, Women’s Development, Family and Community was among those whose house was flooded early in the morning five days ago at Kampung Padang Lalang in Bukit Mertajam. She said, “While climate change is beyond our human control, we in government should do whatever humanly possible to reduce flood ...

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Link to article at Malaysia Chronicle Parti Keadilan Rakyat is a democratic party where leaders are elected based on a direct one-for-one vote, also the first political party in Malaysia to empower such voting rights to its members. Any member of the party may also contest for the president’s seat if he or she wishes so. Perhaps Heah is unaware of the meaning ‘sexist’, contextually or otherwise as the word itself bears no relation to whether or not Wan Azizah decides to contest in the next party elections. How sexist is sexist, how disgusting is disgusting - let the people judge How much ‘disgust’ she feels is also irrelevant especially as the whole country witnessed not too long ago the extra-marital affair with the release of a video tape sex-scandal of the MCA Chairman, Chua Soi Lek with a younger woman half his age. Does Heah feel a sense of accomplishment and esteem over her party Chairman’s actions? How much equality does she think that is? And how much respect do...

Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir is getting ahead of himself with his description of ‘dinosaurs’ from Pakatan Rakyat. At 49 years old, he should know better than to call other people names like ‘dinosaurs’ when he is approaching ‘zaman dinosaur’ himself, in addition to having ‘bapa dinosaur’ as his mentor. As if Mukhriz is not already aware, Pakatan Rakyat has a strong and good line-up of leaders who are even more capable and progressive in their approach and thinking. Ranking among the most outstanding and outspoken leaders who notoriously speak without fear or favour are Rafizi Ramli, Sim Tze Tzin, Surendren and Ong Kian Ming, to name a few.  However, what is most disturbing is that Mukhriz feels thrilled that he could extend his father’s struggles. The country has left Tun Dr. Mahathir in a bygone era but yet Mukhriz is still trying to relive and glorify a past that has left a bad after-taste in everyone’s mouths. Who can forget the stranglehold that Tun had on ...

Press Statement on Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013 – 2025 by YB Zuraida Kamarudin National unity no doubt starts with a good education plan but this does not necessarily mean that we should curtail people’s rights to choose the type of education suitable for their children. The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013 – 2015 launched by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on 6 th September must be carefully reviewed and agreed upon by various parties to avoid public discontent. The Keadilan Women’s Wing recognizes and acknowledges Bahasa Malaysia as the national language but at the same time takes into consideration the multiracial and multi-cultural composition of the country. It is therefore our view that without compromising the importance of Bahasa Malaysia and with support towards the freedom of choice that we request Tan Sri Muhyiddin to revise the Malaysia Education Blueprint for the benefit of all citizens. While all national schools use the Bahasa Malaysia as the m...