Bloggers doing their bit to champion a good cause

BLOGGER Dr Angelo Nino M. Santos brought his eight-year-old son to visit three children’s homes so that the little boy would appreciate what he had in his life.



“My son Antonio Gabriel was so excited to come.

“He packed his old toys and clothes to be donated to the children here,” he said while at Ramakrishna Orphanage in Scotland Road, Penang.

The visit was in conjunction with the ‘Responsible Blogging 2013: Time To Give Back’ programme.

A total of 40 bloggers visited Rama-krishna Orphanage, Children’s Pro- tection Society and Shan Children’s Home to give away food and other items.

The programme was organised by Crowdpot Sdn Bhd, a social media marketing company.

Crowdpot director Leslie Loh said they planned to help educate bloggers about safe blogging and to achieve one million ‘responsible actions’.

“For example, if each blogger who posted about this event in his or her blog receives about 100 comments, we consider that we have generated responsible action,” he explained.

Dr Angelo, 36, a lecturer at the Allianze University College of Medical Sciences, said it was the first time he was taking part in such a programme.

He said he started blogging in 2007 and his blog mainly focuses on the 3Fs — family, food and fun.

Also present was Penang Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environ­ment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh.

Loh said Crowdpot was also giving away prizes for those who helped to blog about the homes.

“The prizes include three iPad Minis sponsored by Crowdpot and six Ninetology Black Pearl 2 dual-core Android smartphones sponsored by Ninetology Malaysia,” he said.

The contest is until March 23.

For details, visit www.responsibleblogging.my. - The Star

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Snake, the most misunderstood of animals

There is the good as well as the bad aspects of the snake, more good in fact than evil

One of the most misunderstood, detested and ill-treated among animals is the snake!

Biblically, it was the “serpent”, whose intelligence may have exceeded man then, that persuaded Adam and Eve to take the forbidden fruit. Whether one believes in it literally or figuratively, the so-called downfall and condemnation of this species of animal began from that moment.

Once a beautiful creature, perhaps among the most beautiful, it was relegated to the ground, without feet, condemned to slithering and crawling on its whole physical frame, and indeed to this day, it can with great speed too.

Even to this day, some species of cobra and snakes display such majestic splendour and grace when upright and in its alert state.

Though a few species are poisonous, most bites are not lethal, even from so-called poisonous snakes, and most snakes do not bite unless stepped on or confronted.

Ironically, millions of people have died from the single bite of a mosquito from deadly malaria, dengue, and other mosquito borne disease, compared to those from snake bites.

Man’s two best friends, the dog and the horse, have caused far more deaths from their bites than the snake.

From the snake, medical science has learned a lot about blood-clotting and nerve paralysis, two of the common mechanisms of action of snake venom.

Apart from its purported medicinal value for the traditional practitioner, western medicine has also benefited from snake venom to produce antitoxins and other blood-clotting related medicines including the wonder clot-buster TPA.

Symbolically, snakes depict wisdom, strength and authority.

In the Old Testament, the stick of Moses became a snake, which outbattled the snakes of the magicians of Egypt.

It was the Almighty who sent snakes to punish the Israelites, and it was the intervention or intercession of Moses that saved them from attack and extinction by snake-bite.

A golden snake set on a pole was used and raised, so that any Israelite bitten by a snake could gaze at it, and be healed.

So, there is the good as well as the bad aspects of the snake, more good in fact than evil.

May this Lunar Year of the Snake be a partic`ULAR’ly spectac`ULAR’ year ahead!

By Dr KH SNG, The Star/Asia News Network

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How are Malaysia ever to match South Korean Psy's Gangnam Style?

MP SPEAKS On the occasion of South Korean pop superstar Psy's Gangnam Style performance at the Prime Minister's CNY Open House in Penang today, will Najib Abdul Razak make a statement whether Malaysia can ever catch up with South Korea or at least begin to close the yawning chasm between the two countries?

A cabinet minister said Psy's appearance will make Penang world-famous but it is more important that Penang and Malaysia become world-famous because of our own achievements in all fields of human endeavour.

Sixteen years ago, when we proclaimed the Multimedia Super Corridor as "a gift to the world", Malaysia and South Korea were on the same level embarking on the IT journey.

Today, MSC and Malaysia have faded away from the world radar screen as an international IT hot spot, while South Korea has powered ahead to become the first country in the world to become a broadband society as well as the land of fastest internet in the world - with an average internet speed in 2012 of 14.7 Mpbs, 650 percent higher than the average 2.2 Mpbs registered in Malaysia.

Among the worst 

In fact, Malaysia is ranked among the world's worst nations in internet speed - even slower than Thailand's average internet speed of 2.9 Mpbs for 2012.

In good governance, Malaysia trails behind South Korea especially in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index in the past five years, where Malaysia is perceived as more corrupt, ranging No. 47 to 60 in world ranking in contrast to South Korea's ranking from 39 to 45.

In the latest 2002 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders), Malaysia hit a historic low in ranking at No 145 while South Korea is ranked No 50.

Recently, the 2011 Trends in Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS) highlights that Malaysia is the country which suffered the biggest drop in scores among all participating countries for both mathematics and science, while confirming the continuing domination by a group of Asian education systems - South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong - in these two critical subjects.

Malaysia woefully lags behind South Korea in educational excellence. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2012-2013, four South Korean universities are listed among the World Top 200 universities while six in the World Top 400 universities - but not a single one from Malaysia.

Has Najib any answer to the question why Malaysia is lagging so far behind South Korea in all fields of human endeavour, when 56 years ago when Malaysia achieved Merdeka, South Korea was poorer and more backward but is now two or three times richer than Malaysia?

By Lim Kit Siang

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