Some fun pics done by Arsenal fans. :)

“Quick, quick! Get your prawns and catapults ready boys! Here comes Mr Ferguson!"

"Aleksandr Hleb's surname has always reminded me of some letters you might have left over in a game of Scrabble.."

This Christmas, I wish you joy and blessings.

I wish you special moments with family and friends.

I wish you a special experience of the true message of the season.

I wish you the love of God, which transcends all understanding.

I also wish you the freedom of expression.

I wish you the ability to voice your opinions without fear.

I wish you strength and courage to stand up for what's right.

I wish you boldness to defend the oppressed.

I wish you character to admit your mistakes.

I wish you a Tanahair without racial and religious barriers.

I wish you not to be suspicious of your neighbour.

I wish you not to be enslaved by racial prejudices and stereotypes.

I wish you transparent and fair elections.

I wish you the abolishment of the ISA.

I wish you a government that understands, not intimidates.

Even amidst the festive celebrations, let's not forget that our world is still riddled pain and trouble and we don't have to look very far to see it. Let us love and hope without condition.

Also..... say no to ISA. My friend posted a good write up on what goes on during ISA detainment: We all need to know.

Some people call me a spy and in some ways, I suppose I am. haha. But it is a somewhat privileged position as it provides access to information I've not had before.

The review of the International Press Institute (IPI) on press freedom in Malaysia for 2006 (this is a really good read I promise) is alarming and some cause for concern. The (threat of the) use of the ISA and the bullying carried out by our noble police force seems to have worked increasingly more on the whole. My friend over at The Edge (waves) testifies to how often the slightly less mainstream Sun newspaper receives warnings from the goverment for its more independent reporting. Morever, with more takeovers and mergers of newspapers (NSTP owns NST, Metro and Berita Harian, the Sin Chew Group owns SCJP, Nanyang, China Press and Guang Ming Daily), that our government "is the indirect or direct owner of almost all local media" is something I feel all Malaysians have to be aware of. Of course many ppl know that the press is heavily controlled monitored but it makes a difference knowing that everything we read in the newspapers are put there to ensure we know only what we are supposed to know.

A few years ago (2004) when our Mr. Nice Guy PM was appointed to the post, IPI had this to report,

Malaysia is certainly the Asian country where IPI has registered the biggest improvements this year, as far as human rights and press freedom in particular are concerned.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over the position of Prime Minister in October 2003. Abdullah promised more democracy, less corruption, greater transparency and a shake-up of the corrupt and inefficient police force.

Indeed, observers agree that the new government, that said one of its goals was to "be among the world's top 10 countries" in terms of human rights, seems to be slowly but surely living up to his promises.

In contrast to his predecessor, Abdullah has been described as self-effacing and called the "Mr. Nice Guy" of Malaysian politics.

"The atmosphere now is more relaxed. There is more openness in government and reporters have greater access to officials, members of parliament, police... even for Malaysiakini reporters," said Journalist Claudia Theophilius, who works for the news Website Malaysiakini.com.

Malaysiakini.com won the 2001 IPI Press Freedom Pioneer Award for its independent reporting despite having to undergo frequent attacks by Mahathir Mohamad's government. "There is greater tolerance for and willingness to debate," Theophilius added.

The biggest changes have been noted in the government-controlled mainstream media, which are carefully testing their limits. "Hard-hitting editorials, investigative reports, fresh layouts and coverage for opposition political parties are part of the new look," reported Baradan Kuppusamy in September on the South China Morning Post.

Also unprecedented was the full-page interview with parliamentary opposition leader Lim Kit Siang published by the newspaper New Strait Times which is close to the government. In the interview, the politician took the opportunity to attack the government for detaining people without trial. This would have been unthinkable in Mahathir's times.

Now it reports "newspaper closures, books being banned (18 books since June'06), monopolistic mergers and threats to the most-free channel for communication in the country, Internet publications". The use of intimidation to assert control is the most basic abuses of human rights and it seems the bullying has been allowed to escalate.

The spy signs out---I'll go think up a cool pseudonym for myself---