Scientist Richard Dawkins' letter to his 10 year old daughter about the irrational world

The following is a letter that Dr Richard Dawkins wrote to his daughter when she turned 10. Richard is one of the world's most renowned scientists who is known for speaking out against the dangers of religion. This is a good read - Editors

To my dearest daughter,

Now that you are ten, I want to write to you about something that is important to me. Have you ever wondered how we know the things that we know? How do we know, for instance, that the stars, which look like tiny pinpricks in the sky, are really huge balls of fire like the Sun and very far away? And how do we know that the Earth is a smaller ball whirling round one of those stars, the Sun?

What’s the deal on bridges, Musa?

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had announced two
bridges to be built in Tuaran for RM18 million,
but now it is RM16 million for one.

By Joseph Bingkasan

KOTA KINABALU: A Sabah pro-opposition MP is asking Chief Minister Musa Aman to explain why only now one of the two promised bridges is going to be built in Tuaran.

Wilfred Bumburing said there were supposed to be two bridges to be built along the Tuaran River both totaling about RM18 million but the Musa had only announced one.

“The announcement to build the sports complex and the RM16 million bridge connecting town and the villages around Sungai Damit areas is timely and most welcome. However, there are a few things that need to be clarified,” the former Barisan Nasional MP said in a statement yesterday.

Food for thoughts...

Compiled by Joe Fernandez
REALITY does not exist. Or does it?

What exists are illusions which appear as reality.

Is protein, for example, reality or a fleeting glimpse of something in transition? It's actually carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sometimes sulphur and phosphorous coming together.

All elements are actually from hydrogen.

Move before hydrogen and then you have plasma etc.

“STAR NOW BIG PARTY IN SABAH”- Dr. Jeffrey

Star Sabah first anniversary

“STAR is no longer a “mosquito” party but a strong and significant political party in Sabah with a big following” said Datuk Dr.Jeffrey Kitingan, Chairman of STAR SABAH during STAR Sabah’s first anniversary last weekend.

“Compared to PKR which took six to seven years to get about 60,000 members, STAR has attracted 270,000 members within a short span of 12 months” he said.

BERSIH 2.0 supports Himpunan Sabah Bangkit 112 demand for free polls

BERSIH Sabah support any organizations, political parties and government who supports clean & fair elections.

BERSIH Sabah calls upon Sabahans who want clean and fair elections to join the Himpunan Sabah Bangkit rally on 12 January in Kota Kinabalu to press on the 8 demands of BERSIH 2.0.

BERSIH Sabah further urges the police and other authorities to ensure peace and order for the rally to take place. The government must uphold freedom of assembly enshrined in Article 11 of the Federal Constitution.

Curse of No.13 to usher the end of Sabah BN?

By Jason Matius
KOTA KINABALU: There is now serious talk spreading among the Sabah opposition parties concerning the effect of numbers in the political fortunes of political parties in Sabah . And to the opposition parties’delight, the numbers appear to point to the death knell of the Barisan Nasional in the next general election.

A series of texts messages and excited conversations concerning the number thirteen, which prophesying BN’s supposed impending fall, have been making their rounds among mainly opposition supporters here. These messages remind Sabahans of the fact that USNO, Sabah ’s first government, was defeated by Berjaya in 1976 (7 + 6 = 13), Berjaya was defeated by PBS in 1985 (8 + 5= 13), and PBS was toppled from power by BN in 1994 (9 + 4 = 13). Also interesting is that each of these three governments ruled for exactly nine years!

Stop bullying the Christians, warns Star Women Chief Melanie Annol

By Ezra Haganez
PENAMPANG : Yet another leader of the Sabah chapter of the State Reform Party (Star) has cried foul over what she called obvious religious discrimination against the native Christians in the state.

Sabah Star Women Chief, Melanie Annol, in a statement, said there had been increasing reports and claims that both the Federal Government and State Government willfully sidelined native Christians in job opportunities and promotions in public service and government-linked bodies in the state.

“Wake Up Before Its Too Late”- Dr. Jeffrey Tells Sabahans

“Sabahans must wake up to the reality that they stand to lose everything – their country, their independence, their rich resources, their land, their economic opportunities and their cultural heritage – if they continue to remain silent and oblivious to these realities” said Datuk Dr.JeffreyKitingan, Chairman of STAR SABAH at the Launching of STAR’s campaign called “Selamatkan Sabah Tanah Airku” during STAR Sabah’s first anniversary celebration at SM KianKok, Kota Kinabalu on Sunday.

Malaya Federation masquarading as Malaysia Federation ?

Malaysia has an unwritten Constitution based on the Batu Sumpah and other constitutional documents like the written Constitution of Malaya, Malaysia Agreement, the Malaysia Bill, the Inter Governmental Committee Report, the Cobbold Commission Report, the 20/18 Points, Adat, the UN's Informal Survey on Malaysia, the Sabah and Sarawak Constitutions, the Dent/Overbeck Agreements with the Sultans of Brunei and Sulu, the Madrid Protocol of 1885, the Singapore/Malaya Merger through Malaysia proposal, the various British Committees which studied the formation of Malaysia etc etc long before Tunku Abdul Rahman announced it in May 1961 at a meeting with the Foreign Correspondents Association in Singapore.
 

Asking RM 1,500 is a decent human rights demand - S.Arutchelvan

I refer to the article Pakatan rejects RM1,500 wage proposal in FMT today and would like to reiterate that asking a wage of RM 1,500 a month is not outrageous nor it is without basis. Asking RM 1,500 for every worker is a decent wage proposal and decent wages are part and parcel of Human rights. Outrageous or being impractical would be to ask the pay of Maybank CEO which is RM 90,000 a month or Syabas CEO who earns RM 450,000 a month.

Today we do not question the massive income inequality and discrimination when it comes to the rich and powerful. The highest 20% of Malaysian earn 51% of the total income whereby the bottom 40% earn merely 14%. The poorest 10 percent only control 1.7% of the total income. Today we question why must be the lowest 20% should be paid RM 1,500 and give that as the reason why the economy is going to collapse.