Public memory’s short. The media too has this curious habit of remembering only what it chooses to. Nothing proves this better than the way we have reacted to the cases How did they acquire this imagery, the imagery that has won them so many hearts and, at the same time, got them into so much trouble? They were the first of the brash, rude, tough talking, adrenaline driven brats. They flaunted their machismo, their mobikes and their muscles in an industry that had, for decades, celebrated the gentle hero who loved deeply and cried copiously.
THR Raaga radio announcer Geethanjali G, who was selected as one of ’10 Most Powerful Women in Malaysia’, has denied that she was behind the controversial list which has set tongues wagging since it appeared in The Star last Tuesday.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, the media personality said that she was clueless as to the identity of the listmaker and that her “peaceful life” had been disrupted by speculations surrounding the list.
“Ministers are calling me to ask about it, even media tycoons are asking me the same questions as you are asking me,” she said when contacted.
“I may be popular on television, but I live a peaceful life and this list has created a ruckus to my life.”
She was responding to speculation that she or her company G Global Media – a promotions and production company – had made upthe list and paid for the page five advertorial to create publicity for herself.
Described as a “fashionista” by the listmaker, Geethanjali also denied that her husband – a mysterious but supposedly wealthy man whose identity she declines to reveal – was behind this.
“I keep that part of my life separate, it is quite personal… but to clear the air, I (have) to say that (Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd CEO) G Gnanalingam is not my husband.If your guy wants to have sex with you tonight, he’d do anything to please you and put you to bed. Don’t let your emotions rule you. Decide whether he’s genuinely praising you or caring about you or just pretending to do so. If he is always this way, it is not an issue but … Read more
“Maybe people speculate that because I use the name Geethanjali G and he goes by Tan Sri G, but (claims that we are a couple) is not true,” she said on the topic which is hotly discussed online.READMOREhttp://clubdesexymind.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2013-06-11T14:32:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=1&by-date=false
The Islamic Renaissance Front is observing the protests in Turkey very closely.
We believe there is much at stake in how AKP (The Justice and Development Party) will engage with the demonstrators at this point, especially with regards to the relationship between Islam and democracy.
It is well known that the AKP, under the leadership of Reccep Tayyip Erdogan, rose to power with ideas for a modern and inclusive balance between politics and Islam.
Despite its official ideology as a conservative party, it has nonetheless assured the Turkish people and the international community that it will abide by principles of transparency and openness in governing.
But we can discern some regressive trends after three terms. For one, Erdogan’s refusal to engage with the demonstrators, while blaming social media for stoking unrest, shows how far he has clearly strayed from his democratic ostentations.
The state driven regulation of personal life has also increased to reach concerning levels.
All this is occurring alongside the rapid neo-liberalisation of the economy, risking greater inequality between the haves and the have-nots and further devastation of the environment.
Turkey too, currently has the highest amount of journalists imprisoned among all member countries of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
All this, needless to say, proves that contrary to initial high hopes, the Erdogan led AKP has not embodied the ideals of good governance founded on the Islamic principles of equality, justice and freedom.
Public memory’s short. The media too has this curious habit of remembering only what it chooses to. Nothing proves this better than the way we have reacted to the cases How did they acquire this imagery, the imagery that has won them so many hearts and, at the same time, got them into so much trouble? They were the first of the brash, rude, tough talking, adrenaline driven brats. They flaunted their machismo, their mobikes and their muscles in an industry that had, for decades, celebrated the gentle hero who loved deeply and cried copiously.
Lessons for Malaysia
The Turkish example shows that the task of establishing a moderate and enlightened vision of political Islam only begins once in power.
In this the challenge and priority is not to add more cosmetic Islamic policies and laws, but to educate the public of the virtues and values of democracy, justice and equality in a complex world towards harmony and prosperity for Malaysians of different cultures and religions.
Expectations are often higher for Muslim leaders who are not among the common stock of politically ambitious ulamas.
They are assumed to be more flexible, or at the very least, less beholden to rigid interpretations of Islam which many with good reason feel cannot survive the dynamism and openness required for any democracy to flourish.
It goes without saying that such Muslim leaders are few and far between in Malaysia. And for that reason, they are therefore entrusted with far more responsibilities to help realise a more inclusive nation.
For it will not only be Muslims who will be turning to them with their aspirations: Non-Muslims too will hope to be represented in the process.
However, given Malaysia’s linguistic, cultural and structural complexities, Malaysians are willing to be patient with these democrats as they work their way through the obstacles before them.
Here, we wish to remind our Muslim democrat friends that the patience of Malaysians should not be used as a pretext for further superficial Islamisation, which is often the more tempting route, given the conservatism that pervades Malay-Muslim political culture.
The goal for any Muslim democrat leader in Malaysia, first and foremost, is to ensure democracy. We wish for our Muslim democrat friends and allies to heed this lesson from the current struggle in Turkey.
Public memory’s short. The media too has this curious habit of remembering only what it chooses to. Nothing proves this better than the way we have reacted to the cases How did they acquire this imagery, the imagery that has won them so many hearts and, at the same time, got them into so much trouble? They were the first of the brash, rude, tough talking, adrenaline driven brats. They flaunted their machismo, their mobikes and their muscles in an industry that had, for decades, celebrated the gentle hero who loved deeply and cried copiously.
Turks first took to the streets on May 28 to demonstrate against the redevelopment of a park in Istanbul. Over the course of a week the non-violent demonstration escalated into large-scale anti-government protests. The subsequent crackdown by the authorities turned violent but much of Turkey’s domestic media ignored the story.
With the vacuum in mainstream media coverage, protesters turned to social media to get their story out but this unfettered source of news potentially inflamed the situation.
Our News Divide this week assesses what the domestic coverage of the protests – or the lack of – says about media ownership in Turkey and the relations those companies have with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government. Talking us through the story is Yavuz Baydar from Sabah newspaper; Yasemine Congar, the former deputy editor of Taraf newspaper; Andrew Finkel, the auther of Turkey: What everyone needs to know; Ziya Meral, an academic and writer; and Mustafa Akyol, a columnist for Hurriyet.
This week’s Newsbytes: The trial of Bradley Manning begins but the media gets limited access; a prominent blogger becomes the first person to be jailed for insulting President Morsi; in Qatar, a draft cyber crime bill causes alarm for press freedom groups; and a major US newspaper lays off all the photographers on its staff replacing them with reporters armed with i-phones.
Our feature this week takes us to the World Press Photo Awards. Photography is an inherently subjective medium but there is a new trend in photojournalism that adds another dimension. It is called post-processing and it’s when photojournalists digitally enhance their work to make it more captivating to the eye. The practise has raised some ethical questions within the industry and highlighting the debate is this year’s World Press Photo winner. Photographer Paul Hansen’s image was enhanced to the point that it was accused of being a composite. Although the allegation was dismissed the question still remains as to how far photojournalists and news agencies should be allowed to go when digitally enhancing photographs.
The Listening Post’s Nicholas Muirhead looks at this year’s World Press Photo Awards and the growing use of post-processing in photojournalism.
Why should professional photographers have all the fun? You too can digitally manipulate your photographs – do away with blemishes, red eye or the spare tire that is marring your waistline. A couple of years back, the people at CollegeHumor.com posted a music video for a tune they call ‘Photoshop Tutorial Rap’. CMY Killa and his crew of effects gurus school a few people on the tricks of a very misleading trade. Forget subjective photography or minor digital enhancement. These guys take it to a whole new level, where unicorns can come to life. It is our web video of the week. We hope you enjoy the show.
