Income Gap, Outcome Bad
2 min read
It is certainly true that never before in human history have so many been lifted out of poverty as has been the case in East Asia over the last few decades. T...
Things Gain Value as They Disappear
3 min read
What did heritage conservation look like or sound like in the pre-modern age when things changed slowly, and conservatism was not an ideology but a...
Give Me a Town Square, or Give Me a Death
2 min read
One thing that strikes me when I travel from city to city nowadays is that the ones I enjoy most and have the fondest memories of are simply those that boast...
The Seas ‘r’ Us
2 min read
Ooi Kee Beng.Penang lies at the southern end of the Andaman Sea, the eastern end of the Bay of Bengal and the northern end of the Straits of Melaka. It al...
Knowing me through my multiple names and faiths
2 min read
The history of naming is an extremely interesting one that varies greatly from culture to culture. In some, surnames are important, in others, they are not ev...
Dignity is the basic human right
2 min read
The so-called Arab spring that began with the public suicide on December 17, 2010 of a miserable Tunisian vegetable seller whose cart was towed away by the po...
The Longest Journey Starts with the First Step
2 min read
The conference organised by Penang Institute and held on June 25, 2012 at the famed Eastern & Oriental Hotel is interesting for many reasons outside of al...
Can Penangites Discover Penang?
2 min read
I am sure it has not escaped anyone’s notice. Even at a long distance away, it cannot be ignored.Penang is buzzing – more and more.And this ye...
“HEAL MALAYSIA” – A Slogan for the Elections
2 min read
We can read books on Malaysia’s history by scholars of various persuasions all we want. In the end, the solution to the ills suffered by the country ove...
Of Female Liberation and Suppression
2 min read
For all movements of liberation, the key to successful initiatives lies in identifying what the means of sustained suppression are, and to know which area is...
Malaysian Envelopment
2 min read
How concepts relate to each other is always revealing. A close look at them always arouses new ways of thinking. The same goes for discovering the lost origin...
Feel Better, Be Bilingual
2 min read
Why is it so important to scientists to discover extra-terrestrial life forms? They know the odds are astronomically small.Well, they are hoping against hop...