Obama has links to Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: Dr Konrad Ng is amused that his Malaysian roots got noticed halfway round the world, thanks to his link to Democrat candidate Barack Obama.
An assistant professor at the University of Hawaii in Manoa (UHM), Ng, whose family originally comes from Sabah, is married to Obama’s half-sister Maya Soetoro.
Not too long ago: Watching an Independence Day parade in the US four years ago were (from left) Michelle Obama, her daughter Sasha, Obama, Malia, Maya, Ng, and their daughter Suhalia. - AP

Not too long ago: Watching an Independence Day parade in the US four years ago were (from left) Michelle Obama, her daughter Sasha, Obama, Malia, Maya, Ng, and their daughter Suhalia. - AP

Maya and Obama have the same mother.
In an e-mail interview with The Star, Ng, 34, said that his father, Howard, was born in Sandakan and his mother, Joan, in Kudat.


“I have many relatives who live throughout Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and the two towns where my parents came from,” he said.
His parents subsequently settled in Canada and Ng was born there.

The family tree: Dr Konrad Ng, Maya, Howard and Joan posing for a picture. Maya, who is Obama’s half sister, is married to Ng whose parents originally came from Sabah.
Maya was born to Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian businessman, and Ann Dunham, a white American cultural anthropologist, who is also Obama’s mother.
The family tree: Dr Konrad Ng, Maya, Howard and Joan posing for a picture. Maya, who is Obama’s half sister, is married to Ng whose parents originally came from Sabah.

Ng said his parents return to Malaysia once every one to two years.
“It remains an important place of origin to them. In addition to a large, extended family, they have many good friends in Malaysia. I try to visit Malaysia every few years; it is a special country and feels familiar to me,” said Ng.

Maya, who was born in Jakarta, also cherishes her Indonesian roots.

According to Ng, she is active in the local Indonesian community and continues to speak Indonesian when she can. She visits Indonesia every few years.

Ng described Obama as exceptionally brilliant.

“He has a thorough understanding of the challenges we face and sound judgment on how we should address these challenges.

“Barack is a dedicated family man and cares deeply about transforming the world into a better place so that all families will have the same opportunities to do better.

“South-East Asia is a place of connection for him and a region that he understands well. It gave him numerous examples of alternative modes of communication and perspective.

“Maya, Barack and I have talked about the beauty of South-East Asia and our mutual desire to visit again,” he said.

Thestar




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Indian President Abdul Kalam And Google Earth

Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam has expressed concern over the security threat posed by Google Earth's free mapping program available on the internet. 

Speaking at a top-level meeting in Hyderabad on Saturday, President Kalam voiced concern regarding "sensitive areas clearly marked on Google Earth". He asserted that terrorists and other subversive elements would use these images for their nefarious activities. Kalam also said that present laws are inadequate and that stringent laws are required to restrain the use of these pictures. 

Reflecting concerns expressed by countries like South Korea, Thailand and Netherlands, Kalam expressed regret that some developing countries, already under the specter of terrorist attacks, have been chosen to provide high resolutions. As regards India, the Google site depicts among others, clear images of Army headquarters, Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan and other defense establishments. 

The Ministry of Science and Technology has apparently woken up to the alarm sounded off by President Kalam. Reportedly, the Ministry has started evaluating images of sensitive locations, in close conjunction with security agencies. 

However, the defense arm of the government appears divided over this issue. Last month, the armed forces said that they had already factored into their plans, the threat of satellite imagery of their military bases, available freely on the Net. 

Similarly according to sources, frontline IAF bases are said to have "adequate protection systems" in place, while satellite images of say "INS Viraat" berthed at Mumbai, do not make any difference, as ships are supposed to be "mobile platforms - here today... gone tomorrow".

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Greatest Race on Earth

Standard Chartered’s Greatest Race on Earth (GROE) athletes Amos Mutai and Salina Kosgei, both Kenyan, today ran course record times of 2:15:01 and 2:31:55 respectively to win the men’s and women’s Singapore Marathon. The high standard of the unique relay series’ field of athletes was further shown by the top three places in both races being filled by GROE runners.

The victory for Kosgei, who was accompanied to Singapore and supported by her family, maintains her team Cyclone’s position as leaders of the GROE Women’s Team Challenge. They now have a cumulative time of 5:04:41, putting them over nine minutes ahead of their nearest rivals Grazy Girls, with both the first leg in Nairobi and now the second leg in Singapore complete.

Mutai’s spirited run for Marathon Centre Kericho has lifted his team’s position from 14th in the GROE Main Team Challenge to lead position. Previous leaders Run for Fun team dropped to 20th position, despite being represented by one of the pre-marathon favourites Joseph Ngolepus.

The Standard Chartered GROE, with a total prize pool of US$1.5 million, is a team relay of four challenging marathons in Nairobi, Singapore, Mumbai and Hong Kong. The field of elite athletes and emerging talent sped away from the start-line at 6am along the Esplanade Drive, all taking on Singapore’s heat and humidity.

The 2006/07 GROE Series sees participation from over 30 countries, the focus of which is the Nations Challenge. Zimbabwe’s Oliver Kandiero shone in Singapore, as he stormed through the course to finish with a time of 2:21:23. This puts them in third place in the Nations Challenge, closing the gap to Kenya in second to just half a minute. Uganda remain first thanks to a strong run by Ugandan Joeseph Nsubuga with a time of 2:23:56, leading the chase for the coveted GROE Gold Baton trophy at the halfway stage.

The regional competitions within the Nations Challenge are poised for a highly competitive second half to the competition after the first two marathons.

India still leads the South Asia region with national representative Ajeet Sing completing the course in 2:33:23. Close rivals Sri Lanka, only 1 minute and 13 seconds behind, are in second, with Pakistan in third spot.

A tremendous marathon by Todd Ingraham in a time of 2:35:14 has taken Australia to lead position in the Oceania & Europe region. Previous leaders Ireland drops a place to second but are only 1 minute 20 seconds behind. Finland has moved up into third place.

In the South East Asia region, Indonesia leads Thailand by a massive 15 minutes, with Vietnam in third place.

In the North East Asia region, Taiwan maintains their lead over South Korea by a margin of 20 minutes, while the Hong Kong team are in third place, a further 28 minutes behind.

In the Americas region, a truly brilliant race by Juan Escalante, who trains at altitude, finished for Mexico in a time 2:31:51, taking them above Argentina. The gap between the two is 34 minutes 10 seconds.

In another increase on last year’s turn-out, it was estimated that nearly 28,000 runners participated in the Singapore Marathon event.

fom: http://www.thegreatestrace.com/
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He’s 33, but his wife is 104

HE IS 33 and single while she claims to be 104 and has been married 20 times.

When Muhamad Noor Che Musa tied the knot with Wook Kundor in February, it was his first marriage and her 21st.

The 71-year age gap did not seem to pose any barrier to the unusual couple from Kuala Berang, Terengganu, Harian Metro reported.

The ex-serviceman was quoted as saying that he had found peace since marrying Wook and did not have any qualms introducing her as his wife.

“Before meeting Wook, I never stayed in one place for long.

“However, about a year ago I secured a job at a sawmill in Kuala Berang and stayed at Wook’s house for months without paying a single sen,” he said.

Muhammad admitted that many did not understand his decision to marry Wook and felt that their marriage was weird. Some even questioned his motive for marrying a woman old enough to be his great grandmother.

“But this is Allah’s will. My intention towards Wook is very sincere. I am not after her money as she is poor. Her only asset is her deep religious knowledge.

“Through her, I can deepen my knowledge of the religion while at the same time help her master the Romanised script,” he said, adding that their love was based on mutual respect and care.

Initially, Muhammad said he sympathised with Wook as she was all alone in the world, but over time, that feeling turned into love.

Wook, who is childless, hoped that people would not judge them.

“I hope people will view our marriage in a positive light as we have not done anything that is against the religion,” she said.
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How to find out whether your tyre has expired?

There is a 4-year expiry (from the year of manufacture).

Thereafter, the tyre may burst whilst in use

Check for this sign: ( *2603* )

There is an asterisk at the beginning and at the end of this

serial number.

The first two numbers 2 6 will tell which week of the year has

it been manufactured.

NB: One year has 52 weeks. The last two numbers represent the

year of make.

Therefore, *2603* shows that the said tyre is manufactured in

the 26th week of the year 2003.

*2699* This shows that the tyre is made in the 26th week of

1999.

Check all your tyres for safety purposes. Do not use expired tyres.

They are likely to burst (especially when running in hot weather)

because the rubber component may have hardened and cracked.

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Trip Travel Journey

Trip: travelling from one place to another

and usually back

To the place where you started, and it takes you a shorter

Time than journey.

Travel: moving from one place to
another, usually over a

Long distance.

Journey: going from one place to another,
often one-way,

Usually when the two places are far apart and when it

Takes you a long time and is often difficult. It implies

Moving on land rather than by sea. It also refers to a

person's life from birth to death. Well, life is but a dream

Because 'journey' comes from a Latin word that means

'one day' !

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MAS to go ticketless for domestic travel from May 1

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will go ticketless for domestic transactions beginning May 1, 2006.

The move will help save 15 per cent in distribution costs annually, the national carrier said in a statement.

Also, the move is in line with "Flying to Win Customers", which is one of the five thrusts of its business turnaround plan.

MAS said transactions via this facility are expected to increase from the current annual average of 5 per cent to 30 per cent over the next one year.

The airline will cease all conventional ticketing at its offices for domestic travel.

Customers have the options of booking and payment via the airline's corporate website www.malaysiaairlines.com, its 24-hours call centre (1-300-88-3000) and at both airport and city ticketing offices in Malaysia.

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