Swiss toy music box from the 1800s is a mechanical marvel (VIDEO) |
- Swiss toy music box from the 1800s is a mechanical marvel (VIDEO)
- Retirement is a journey, not a destination — Neal Armstrong
- Facebook’s Lifepoint ― A feature to determine exactly when things went wrong (VIDEO)
- Beautiful classic Swiss music toy box
- Kisah Zarinah Abdul Majid — Dato’ Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa
- Dalai Lama in bid to revive Tibetan autonomy in China
| Swiss toy music box from the 1800s is a mechanical marvel (VIDEO) Posted: 04 Jun 2014 05:53 PM PDT ZURICH, June 5 — Not only is this Swiss toy box from the early 1800s intricate and beautiful, but it sounds gorgeous too. The amazing mechanical marvel only needs to be wound up for a tiny little bird to emerge and tweet a sweet song. It really demonstrates the difference two centuries make. This antique toy was made to last, and it shows. Toys today barely make it until next Christmas. — Viral videos
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| Retirement is a journey, not a destination — Neal Armstrong Posted: 04 Jun 2014 05:52 PM PDT
The Government has tried to tackle the challenge with policies such as MediShield Life and increasing the minimum sum requirement in the Central Provident Fund. Singaporeans, however, should do their part in planning well and responsibly for their retirement. To be sure, more elderly people close to retirement age today are keen to explore new work opportunities or carry on with their careers. Most want to keep their minds engaged and continue having a source of income. Some factors contributing to this include the fact we are living longer and healthier lives. Planning early Take proactive steps to build a comprehensive savings plan for your future financial needs so that you can look forward to a better retirement. Discussing your long-term savings and investment options with a financial adviser will help you decide what product is right for you, as it is important that it is tailored to your unique future needs. Based on our global experience as a leading savings and investment provider, there are four different stages of a typical retirement journey cycle. 1. Ages 20 to 55: Save it The most common pitfalls people make in planning for retirement and future needs is not saving enough; starting too late; and underestimating the effects of inflation. There is no perfect time to start saving, but the key is to start early. Putting a little aside each month can make a big difference later in life. Your money will have more time to grow and this will help you cultivate fiscal discipline, a good habit that will put you on the right path towards saving for your future retirement and financial needs. You will also be able to put in less each month compared with someone who starts later. 2. Ages 55 to 70: Review it As you get closer to your retirement age, it is important to review how your savings plans for retirement and future needs to make sure you are on the right track. You can start by first finding out what your current savings plan is worth. You will also need to take into consideration your current contributions. You can boost your plan by increasing your contributions and/or paying in a lump sum. Secondly, you have to take into account retirement income. Asking yourself questions such as: "Will I be able to enjoy the life I want on the income that I will likely receive?" This will help you decide whether you should allocate more money to your savings plans. Lastly, you should examine the risk profile of your investment portfolio. As you near retirement age, it is crucial to assess the different asset classes in which your savings plan is invested to make sure you are comfortable with the level of risk. 3. Ages 70-80: Spend it Your retirement and savings plan is there to provide an income for the rest of your life, so now is the time to decide how to spend it wisely. On retirement, you can take a cash lump sum or, depending on your circumstances, invest in other appropriate savings plans. 4. Ages 80+: Share it Once you have looked after your retirement needs, you may want to think about sharing your wealth with the people you love. You should review your financial situation, assess your will, get your family affairs in order, and minimise your liabilities. As we can expect to spend more than 20 years in retirement, it is important to plan carefully ahead. Having a plan in place for retirement and future needs can help us secure the lifestyle we want. It's not just about putting money into a savings plan and forgetting about it — we need to be proactive and take responsibility for our planning. * Neal Armstrong is CEO and Principal Officer of Standard Life Singapore, which provides long-term savings and investments solutions. ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online. |
| Facebook’s Lifepoint ― A feature to determine exactly when things went wrong (VIDEO) Posted: 04 Jun 2014 05:47 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO, June 5 ― Facebook was once the trendy social network where only the cool young people came together online. However, it has now transformed into the most mainstream and dull network on the Internet. With so many aging users, Facebook is more of an online mistake diary than a social network. Check out the latest feature, which analyses users' histories to determine exactly when tings went wrong. ― Viral Videos
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| Beautiful classic Swiss music toy box Posted: 04 Jun 2014 05:46 PM PDT Duration: 0:27, Published 5 Jun 2014 This beautiful Swiss toy box from the early 1800s is not only intricate and beautiful, but it sounds gorgeous too. |
| Kisah Zarinah Abdul Majid — Dato’ Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa Posted: 04 Jun 2014 05:45 PM PDT
Begitulah hati kecil Zarinah tersenyum pada majlis perkahwinannya namun suasana damai dan harapan membina istana kasih pada hari itu berkecai dan disentak kerana namanya Zarinah binti Abdul Majid menjadi sasaran siasatan penguatkuasa JAIS (Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor). Ada apa pada nama? Nama Zarinah berada pada tempat yang salah dan pada masa yang salah di sisi JAIS kerana Zarinah yang namanya Islam tetapi melangsungkan perkahwinan secara agama dan adat Hindu dengan suaminya seorang penganut Hindu. Siapa Zarinah binti Abdul Majid Zarinah Abdul Majid di 'binti'kan kepada bapanya Abdul Majid. Nama asal bapanya S Mahendran yang berkahwin pada tahun 1980 dengan ibu Zarinah bernama S Vasandamma. Kemudian bapanya memeluk Islam dengan memakai nama Abdul Majid sedangkan ibunya kekal pada agama asal, namun pada tahun 1990, Abdul Majid menghilangkan diri meninggalkan keluarganya tetapi sempat menukar status anak-anaknya termasuk Zarinah dalam kad pengenalan mereka. Setelah ditinggalkan bapanya, Zarinah membesar dengan nama Islam namun kekal mengamalkan agama Hindu bersama ibunya. Mereka tidak menyangka ia akan menjadi masalah besar pada satu hari yang diidamkan oleh setiap wanita, iaitu hari perkahwinan Zarinah. Siapakah yang patut disalahkan dalam kes ini. Adakah JAIS, Zarinah atau bapanya? Atau undang-undang? Dan dalam semua ini, bagaimana pula Islam dikaitkan? Islam bukan yang disangkakan Kes Zarinah perlu diberi keadilan dan perkara pertama yang perlu diperjelaskan ialah keislaman bapanya. Sebagaimana saya bergembira seseorang memilih Islam, saya juga bersedih kerana Islam agama saya diburukkan persepsinya oleh penganutnya sendiri. Islam tidak mengizinkan sama sekali kezaliman berlaku apatah lagi kepada anak dan isterinya. Walaupun anak-anak bawah umur perlu berada pada agama ibu atau ayahnya yang beragama Islam namun ia mesti dilakukan dengan penuh rahmat dan kasih sayang sehingga tidak menafikan hak dan kasih sayang ibu atau ayahnya yang belum memeluk Islam. Begitu juga jika salah seorang pasangan memeluk Islam maka perkahwinannya dibatalkan jika salah seorang tetap kekal pada agama asalnya dan hendaklah dipisahkan. Itu hukumnya namun perlaksanaannya tidak mewajarkan ketidakadilan dari sudut kasih sayang anak, ibu dan hak isteri atau suami yang dipisahkan. Lebih utama ialah hak ibu atau bapanya yang masuk Islam mestilah mendidik anaknya dengan cara Islam yang betul tanpa menafikan kasih pada mana-mana ibu atau bapanya yang bukan Islam. Menukarkan status anaknya kepada Islam dalam kad pengenalan kemudian meninggalkan mereka tanpa didikan yang sempurna adalah perbuatan yang tidak wajar dan ia bukanlah daripada ajaran Islam. Di mana anda Abdul Majid? Dalam kes Abdul Majid kita tiada maklumat bagaimana dia melakukannya tetapi yang pasti ia telah melakukan sesuatu yang tidak pernah diajar oleh Islam, iaitu membiarkan keluarganya tanpa pembelaan malah dengan mewariskan masalah besar kepada anaknya. Jelasnya, Zarinah mendakwa bapanya terus menghilang dan masalahnya juga ialah pendaftaran perkahwinannya tidak dapat dilakukan dengan cara sivil kerana Zarinah seorang Muslimah secara rssmi tetapi seorang Hindu dari segi amalannya. Dilema perundangan Mimpi ngeri Zarinah boleh juga dirujuk kepada undang-undang yang sedia ada dan ia terbukti selama ini Zarinah berusaha menyelesaikan masalah namanya dalam kad pengenalan namun gagal kerana ia membabitkan dua pihak yang masing-masing tidak mahu mengambil tanggungjawab iaitu Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) dan Mahkamah Syariah. JPN tidak mahu menukar namanya sehingga Mahkamah Syariah mengisytiharkan dirinya telah pun keluar dari Islam. Walaupun demikian sebagai rekod, ada satu kes Mahkamah Syariah berpihak kepada plaintif yang memohon keluar dari agama Islam iaitu, kes Siti Fatimah Abdullah atau nama asalnya Tan Ean Huang lwn MAIPP (Majlis Agama Islam Pulau Pinang) pada tahun 2008. Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah Pulau Pinang mendapati plaintif tidak mengamalkan Islam sejak ditinggalkan suaminya seorang Muslim dari Iran. Fatimah Tan memeluk Islam tahun 1998 dan berkahwin sebagai seorang Islam pada tahun 2004. Asas penghakiman dibuat kerana beliau tidak lagi mengamalkan Islam, namun Mahkamah menolak tuntutan plaintif untuk mengarahkan namanya ditukar kerana ia bukan bidang kuasa Mahkamah syariah. Peguam Ahmad Jailani Abdul Ghani mencatat satu sejarah buat pertama kalinya permohonan murtad diizinkan oleh Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah. Adapun kes melibatkan seorang yang telah mati iaitu kes Nyonya Tahir yang selama hidupnya 80 tahun sebelum meninggal telah pun tidak mengamalkan Islam, diisytiharkan Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah Seremban tahun 2006 sebagai keluar Islam. Dilemanya ialah dalam keadaan seorang Muslim dibiarkan tanpa pembelaan oleh orang yang bertanggungjawab lalu hidup dengan amalan agama lain, siapakah yang harus dipersalahkan? Dalam kes Zarinah, di manakah bapanya? Sanggupkah bapanya melihat anaknya menderita terperangkap dalam dilema undang-undang apabila hilang begitu sahaja? Apa halnya keadaan Zarinah yang sejak 20 tahun lampau tidak pernah mengamalkan Islam dan hanya kenal agama Hindu dalam hidup dewasanya, lalu tiba-tiba muncul penguatkuasa agama Islam menghalang perkahwinannya hanya kerana namanya? Di mana JAIS selama Zarinah membesar cuba menyelamatkan agama Islamnya seperti tertera dalam kad pengenalannya? Nasib Zarinah Zarinah perlu diberi pembelaan, Islam adalah agama Rahmat pembela kepada yang mahukan keadilan tanpa mengira kulit, warna mahupun agamanya. Jalan terbaik adalah menyatakan apakah sikap Islam pada bapa yang mengabaikan tanggungjawab mendidik anak yang ditukarkan status agamanya kepada Islam. Sebelum anaknya Zarinah didakwa kerana berkahwin dengan cara yang salah berpandukan pada nama Islamnya, bapanya Abdul Majid perlu tampil ke hadapan untuk menjawab mengapa dia gagal membentuk anaknya sebagai seorang Muslim setelah menukarkan status anaknya tetapi sebaliknya mengabaikan mereka pula. Kedua, Zarinah mesti mendapat pembelaan di Mahkamah Syariah dengan memohon menetapkan status agama Islamnya berpandukan kepada ia sudah tidak beramal dengan Islam lagi. Zarinah memerlukan satu jawapan dalam kerangka perundangan yang ada untuk menentukan masa depannya. Jika tidak, undang-undang negara ini akan dilihat menzalimi hak seorang rakyatnya menentukan masa depan depannya termasuk mendirikan rumah tangga dan menjadi rakyat yang setia kepada negara ini. Ketiga, isu murtad mesti dibezakan antara yang asal Islam dan yang memeluk Islam kerana berkahwin atau namanya dan status agamanya ditukar menjadi Islam sedangkan dia beramal dengan agama lain. Pilihan terbaik untuk menerima Islam ialah dengan pilihan sendiri atas kesedaran sendiri dan kerana keyakinan sendiri sebab Islam terbina atas 'tiada paksaan'. Memelihara kaedah agung Islam ini lebih utama daripada menjaga sensitiviti atau sentimen kerana Islam tidak terbina atas menyiksa mana-mana pihak tetapi Islam wajib memberi keadilan dengan kaedah dan prinsip yang telah ditetapkan. Persoalan dalam artikel ini amat penting dilihat dengan sikap terbuka kerana ramai lagi 'Zarinah' di luar sana yang memerlukan jawapan. * Dato' Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa ialah Ahli Parlimen Parit Buntar dan Pengerusi Lujnah Perpaduan Nasional PAS Pusat. ** Ini adalah pendapat pribadi penulis dan tidak perlu mewakili pandangan the MalayMail Online. |
| Dalai Lama in bid to revive Tibetan autonomy in China Posted: 04 Jun 2014 05:44 PM PDT
The leaders will meet in the northern Indian hill station of Dharamsala to kick off a media campaign promoting the "Middle Way" for peaceful autonomy for Tibetans, in a bid to pile global pressure on Beijing to revisit the issue. The prime minister of Tibet's government in exile, Lobsang Sangay, is expected to host a press conference, after taking over the job of pushing for autonomy from the revered spiritual leader. But the Dalai Lama, who stepped down from political duties in 2011, stole the spotlight on the eve of the launch by urging China to embrace democracy in comments marking the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. The Nobel Peace Prize winner offered prayers for the hundreds of people — by some estimates, more than 1,000 — who died in Beijing on June 3-4, 1989 when Communist authorities sent in troops to crush their peaceful pro-democracy protests. "I offer prayers for those who died for freedom, democracy and human rights," the Dalai Lama said in a statement posted on his website. "These values are the foundation of a free and dynamic society." Few signs Beijing will yield The Buddhist leader said Beijing should embrace mainstream democracy which "will help China to gain the trust and respect of the rest of the world". The comments are certain to anger Chinese authorities, who censor all references to the bloodshed and detained scores of activists in the weeks running up to the anniversary. Beijing has ruled Tibet since 1951, a year after invading, and considers the Himalayan region an integral part of Chinese territory. It regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist. Today's launch of a website and social media pages comes after a series of self-immolations in recent years, a sign of the increasing sense of desperation among Tibetans. Some 130 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009, with most dying of their injuries, in demonstrations against what they see as Chinese oppression in their homeland. Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting the protests. China says its rule has brought economic development to Tibet. US President Barack Obama and other Western leaders have called on Beijing to resume talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys on autonomy that broke down in 2010 after making no headway. But there are few signs of a return to the table and Beijing dismissed today's renewed push for the "Middle Way" approach, which would include handing Tibetans decision-making positions in the region. "We advise these people to give up their attempts to separate Tibet from China," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular press briefing yesterday. Robbie Barnett, a professor of modern Tibetan studies at Columbia University, said the "Middle Way" has made no major progress since the Dalai Lama retired from his political position, despite its backing from the US and other Western governments. Tibetan leaders have failed to appease vocal critics within the exile community who call for Tibetans to push for total independence and who argue that Beijing will never agree to any concessions on autonomy or the return of exiles, Barnett said. "Talks are always possible, but any positive outcome would require exceptional skill and patience on the Tibetan side, and a shift in policy direction by the Chinese side," he told AFP. — AFP |
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