Malaysia is a federation of 13 states in Southeast Asia, formed in 1963.

The country consists of two geographical regions divided by the South China Sea:

• West Malaysia (or Peninsular Malaysia) on the Malay Peninsula shares a land border on the north with Thailand and is connected by the Johor-Singapore Causeway and the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link to the south with Singapore. It consists of the 11 states Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Selangor and Terengganu, and the three federal territories of Putrajaya, Labuan and Kuala Lumpur.
• East Malaysia occupies the northern part of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia and the Sultanate of Brunei. It consists of the federal territory of Labuan islands and the states of Sabah and Sarawak.

As states of Malaysia were formerly British colonies, many Malaysian institutions are based on those of the British. For instance, the Malaysian system of government draws heavily on the British Westminster system. The head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (colloquially referred to as the King), who is elected from among the state sultans to a five-year term, making Malaysia one of two elective monarchies in the world (the other is Vatican City). As a constitutional monarchy, executive power is vested in the Prime Minister, with the King serving as more of a figurehead. The legislative branch consists of Parliament, which is mostly based on the British Parliament. A judiciary has also been established under the Constitution. The Barisan Nasional (National Front), a coalition of several political parties, has ruled Malaysia since Malaya's independence in 1957.

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L.A. Times - Food & Dining

Cookbook politics: Democrats, Republicans in the kitchen
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Out on the fringes of the campaign trail, the partisan cookbook is a perennial candidate. Want a cookie? "NOT ONLY do I eat, I also am a Democrat," wrote Frank Sinatra in an intro to 1960's "Many Happy Returns: The Democrats' Cook Book, or How to Cook a G.O.P. Goose" (the sales of which helped buy TV air time for candidates). "Not only should every Democrat own a copy of this book, but he should load up all his or her friends, and even smuggle some copies into Pasadena and other points where the enemy is strong and square."
Los Angeles taco trucks can stay put again
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
A judge overturns a recent county supervisors' rule limiting how long the mobile food vendors can remain parked in one spot. Taco trucks are back in full force -- at least for now.
Ripe time for Southern California's pick-your-own farms
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Grab your kids and some baskets and head out to the nearest U-pick farm for the freshest fruits and vegetables. ON A recent Sunday, a friend and I watched as our kids pulled a wooden wagon through a Ventura County field, pausing to gather black-eyed peas and sun-ripened heirloom tomatoes. They ran down rows of raspberry bushes, filling their hats with the ripe fruit. The air rustled the leaves of a row of peach trees; bees hummed on the periphery. Two hours later, the contents of our wagon (weighed out and paid for at the market stand) held enough produce for dinner, for dinners all week. The kids, faces browned by dirt and sunlight, were eating tomatoes as if they were apples; they didn't want to leave.

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