Copyright ©2008 Truasian (hiddenstream.blogspot.com)
Just doing my part to promote tourism in Malaysia.
Stock images from sxc.hu including The Eye on Malaysia.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tsunami: All eyes on Malaysia now
Copyright ©2008 Truasian (hiddenstream.blogspot.com)
Just doing my part to promote tourism in Malaysia.
Stock images from sxc.hu including The Eye on Malaysia.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Tsunami over Petronas Twin Towers
Copyright ©2008 Truasian (hiddenstream.blogspot.com)
No, this is not another doomsday B-grade movie made in Hollywood. Instead, it is a reminder that, in the face of global warming, such a scenario can happen right in our very own beloved city. I am sure many of you can still remember vividly the images of tsunami waves hitting the beaches surrounding the Indian Ocean and Phuket. Helpless victims were being pulled into the ocean by the receding water. For most of us, we can only watch in silence and horror.
Do take care of this planet's environment - it is the only one that we have at this moment.
Stock image from sxc.hu in particular Petronas Twin Tower.
Please do not use my work here for dark, sinister art or commercial purposes.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Separating fact from fiction
Last year I blogged about the controversial Lost Tomb of Jesus which had generated a lot of bitter and heated arguments around the globe. Subsequently while everyone thought the issue had sunk like the great Titanic, it was resurrected in the recently concluded Talpiot Tomb Conference organised by Princeton Theological Seminary.
Experts appearing in this major conference to discuss the validity of the claims as publicised by the producers of Discovery Channel in a more academic manner, consisted not only of archeologists, but also theologians, statisticians, epigraphers, DNA forensic experts and patina specialists. Opinions differed greatly from highly unlikely to possible that this was the tomb belonging to the Jesus family. The documentary team felt vindicated. According to director/author Simcha Jacobovici, 'My work with James Cameron was the catalyst for an international symposium that has finally considered the evidence and is opening the door for further research. It's time that the world seriously considered that the Jesus family tomb may very well have been located'.
From the statistical point of view, everything seemed to be dependant on whether one of the inscriptions actually referred to Mary Magdalene. If this is so, the probability will greatly favour the claim. Andrey Feuerverger, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Toronto revealed for the first time that his statistical model has now been peer-reviewed and accepted by the leading statistical journal Annals of Applied Statistics and will be published in their first issue of 2008 in February.
As I have also suggested in my earlier post, more patina tests need to be done on neighbouring ossuaries as a form of random sampling and this was the similar conclusion coming from patina experts.
This grand meeting of some highly intellectual debates experts of various disciplines (and perhaps we were told, some highly tensed encounters as well), provided an emotive highlight in the form of a frail lady coming up on stage to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her deceased husband who was the original excavator of the tomb:
The widow of the Israeli archeologist who led the excavation of a hugely controversial First-Century burial tomb in Jerusalem’s Talpiot neighborhood 28 years ago said on Wednesday that her late husband knew he had found the burial place of Jesus and was afraid the discovery would trigger a wave of anti-Semitism because of the apparent challenge to Christian beliefs.
Ruth Gat unleashed her archeological earthquake when accepting a lifetime achievement award on behalf of her late husband, Yosef Gat of the Department of Antiquities, at the conclusion of a four-day academic conference in Jerusalem, at which leading archaeologists, epigraphers, biblical experts, statisticians and other scholars gathered to evaluate “the Talpiot Tomb in context.”
A small-framed, frail-looking lady, Mrs. Gat told the scholars calmly that her husband knew he had found “the burial tomb of Jesus Christ,” and that he had “serious concerns and fears” over the consequences of his discovery. She noted that Yosef had been a child in Nazi-occupied Poland, and that with his bitter childhood memories still in mind, he had feared “a wave of anti-Semitism” might erupt as a result of the Talpiot find. She said she was relieved that the world had “changed for the better,” and that this feared reaction had not come to pass.
Speaking briefly to The Jerusalem Post after her address, Mrs. Gat said her husband had been “staggered” by the discovery, and that he had discussed it with her “at the kitchen table.”
Gat died soon after excavating the Talpiot tomb in 1980, and left only minimal notes of what had been found there. source
In conclusion, I echo the thoughts of Prof James Charlesworth, the co-organiser of the conference:
'the possible discovery of Christ's tomb will illicit mixed reactions among Christians. Most, he believes, will view it positively. The faith of some believers, he says, will be buoyed by historical proof that Christ, the son of Joseph and Mary, did exist. "I don't think it will undermine belief in the resurrection, only that Jesus rose as a spiritual body, not in the flesh." He adds: "Christianity is a strong religion, based on faith and experience, and I don't think that any discovery by archeologists will change that."'
Prof Charlesworth has been tasked to lead a team to reopen and reinvestigate the Talpiot Tomb.
Experts appearing in this major conference to discuss the validity of the claims as publicised by the producers of Discovery Channel in a more academic manner, consisted not only of archeologists, but also theologians, statisticians, epigraphers, DNA forensic experts and patina specialists. Opinions differed greatly from highly unlikely to possible that this was the tomb belonging to the Jesus family. The documentary team felt vindicated. According to director/author Simcha Jacobovici, 'My work with James Cameron was the catalyst for an international symposium that has finally considered the evidence and is opening the door for further research. It's time that the world seriously considered that the Jesus family tomb may very well have been located'.
From the statistical point of view, everything seemed to be dependant on whether one of the inscriptions actually referred to Mary Magdalene. If this is so, the probability will greatly favour the claim. Andrey Feuerverger, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Toronto revealed for the first time that his statistical model has now been peer-reviewed and accepted by the leading statistical journal Annals of Applied Statistics and will be published in their first issue of 2008 in February.
As I have also suggested in my earlier post, more patina tests need to be done on neighbouring ossuaries as a form of random sampling and this was the similar conclusion coming from patina experts.
This grand meeting of some highly intellectual debates experts of various disciplines (and perhaps we were told, some highly tensed encounters as well), provided an emotive highlight in the form of a frail lady coming up on stage to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her deceased husband who was the original excavator of the tomb:
The widow of the Israeli archeologist who led the excavation of a hugely controversial First-Century burial tomb in Jerusalem’s Talpiot neighborhood 28 years ago said on Wednesday that her late husband knew he had found the burial place of Jesus and was afraid the discovery would trigger a wave of anti-Semitism because of the apparent challenge to Christian beliefs.
Ruth Gat unleashed her archeological earthquake when accepting a lifetime achievement award on behalf of her late husband, Yosef Gat of the Department of Antiquities, at the conclusion of a four-day academic conference in Jerusalem, at which leading archaeologists, epigraphers, biblical experts, statisticians and other scholars gathered to evaluate “the Talpiot Tomb in context.”
A small-framed, frail-looking lady, Mrs. Gat told the scholars calmly that her husband knew he had found “the burial tomb of Jesus Christ,” and that he had “serious concerns and fears” over the consequences of his discovery. She noted that Yosef had been a child in Nazi-occupied Poland, and that with his bitter childhood memories still in mind, he had feared “a wave of anti-Semitism” might erupt as a result of the Talpiot find. She said she was relieved that the world had “changed for the better,” and that this feared reaction had not come to pass.
Speaking briefly to The Jerusalem Post after her address, Mrs. Gat said her husband had been “staggered” by the discovery, and that he had discussed it with her “at the kitchen table.”
Gat died soon after excavating the Talpiot tomb in 1980, and left only minimal notes of what had been found there. source
In conclusion, I echo the thoughts of Prof James Charlesworth, the co-organiser of the conference:
'the possible discovery of Christ's tomb will illicit mixed reactions among Christians. Most, he believes, will view it positively. The faith of some believers, he says, will be buoyed by historical proof that Christ, the son of Joseph and Mary, did exist. "I don't think it will undermine belief in the resurrection, only that Jesus rose as a spiritual body, not in the flesh." He adds: "Christianity is a strong religion, based on faith and experience, and I don't think that any discovery by archeologists will change that."'
Prof Charlesworth has been tasked to lead a team to reopen and reinvestigate the Talpiot Tomb.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Starlight Serenade @ Bintang Walk
I spent part of my childhood in and around Bukit Bintang area in the early 1970s. I was staying at a shoplot that sold vinyl record albums located just opposite Blue Boy Flats. At that time, Pavilion and Cathay cinemas were just a stone's throw away. A&W opened its first outlet around that area. I remember my dad used to bring me to the famous BB Entertainment Park. I can recall the rides, game stalls, funny mirrors, theatres and even a boxing ring. It was also the place where the red hot cabaret striptease queen Rose Chan used to perform. I could not remember having a peek at her shows but I could still recall the roaring laughter and cheers from the audience. It was a real all-in-one open air carnival located at the present BB Plaza. It was so unlike today where there are all kinds of specialty stores especially at Pavillion and Starhill. Not too far from BB Park, which stopped operating a few years later, was the infamous red light district, Jalan Alor but I was too young to understand then all the vice activities going on. Not many recreational parks and football fields were to be found. I spent most of my naughty outdoor activities by venturing with the neighbouring boys into the Chinese Maternity Hospital compound!
Bukit Bintang was and still is the heartbeat of KL, especially towards nightfall .
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