Intellectual Discourses and Others

Tunai haji melalui caruman KWSP

2011-12-31T14:24:00.001+11:00

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=1231&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Muka_Hadapan&pg=mh_04.htm

(31 Dec 2011)

Tunai haji melalui caruman KWSP

KUALA LUMPUR 30 Dis. - Bermula 3 Januari (2012) ini, semua ahli Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) beragama Islam yang mempunyai simpanan minimum RM1,300 di dalam Akaun 1 boleh membuat pendaftaran menunaikan haji dengan Lembaga Tabung Haji.

Pengurus Besar Perhubungan Awam KWSP, Nik Affendi Jaafar berkata, [Gambar Sebelah: Nik Affendi Jaafar], pendaftaran itu boleh dilakukan di semua kaunter Tabung Haji, cawangan Bank Rakyat dan Bank Islam dengan membawa MyKad dan penyata terkini KWSP masing-masing.

“Mereka yang layak mesti warganegara Malaysia atau pemastautin tetap yang belum mencapai usia 55 tahun dan mempunyai akaun simpanan Tabung Haji. Ahli yang tidak mempunyai akaun, mereka boleh membukanya dengan deposit minimum RM2,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini [ http://www.tabunghaji.gov.my/th/TH/THHajiMontaj.html ].

Tambahnya, mana-mana ahli yang telah mendaftaran haji di bawah prosedur Tabung Haji boleh menukar pendaftaran tersebut kepada Pendaftaran Haji Ahli KWSP.

“Penukaran itu tidak melibatkan tarikh giliran haji yang telah diberikan dan tidak melibatkan sebarang urusan berkaitan tarikh kerana ia akan ditentukan oleh Tabung Haji,” tegasnya.

Maklumat lanjut boleh layari www.kwsp.gov.my atau www.tabunghaji.gov.my dan menghubungi talian 03-89226000 serta 03-62071919.

http://www.tabunghaji.gov.my/th/TH/THHajiMontaj.html Also see,

http://www.tabunghaji.gov.my/th/TH/THIndex.htm

Civil Servants Urged to Wait for Cuepac’s Decision on SBPA

2011-12-12T14:33:00.003+11:00

Comment: 1.4 million civil servants is a large number! Down-sizing is also a problem, because that will result in unemployment. The solution is 'effective' usage of human resource, not just mere 'wage earners', or 'clock-in' and 'clock-out' mentality, or worst still 'bad customer service.' Public servants need to upgrade their skills and experiences, and that can be achieved through effective training programs well in placed. The conclusion is, the 'sincerity to improve, and to help' - as opposed to making changes and new system, for the mere sake of change.

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Source:
http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/12/12/civil-servants-urged-to-wait-for-cuepacs-decision-on-sbpa/

Civil servants urged to wait for Cuepac’s decision on SBPA
Posted on December 12, 2011, Monday

KOTA BAHARU: The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) yesterday called on the 1.4 million civil servants to wait for the outcome of its special congress next week before making any decision on the new Civil Service Remuneration System (SBPA) option.

Its president Datuk Omar Osman, said Cuepacs would convene a three-day special congress in Kuala Perlis, Perlis from Dec 14 to discuss in detail about SBPA before making any decision on the new scheme.

“We have discussed the matter with the Public Service Department (PSD), but we cannot make any decision yet because we want to listen to the opinions of civil servants, including those representing each grade in the new service scheme,” he told reporters after hosting the ‘Get-together with Cuepacs President’ event at Wisma Persekutuan here yesterday.

Omar said it was vital for civil servants to understand the new scheme clearly before making any decision to avoid any problem later on. “Let’s learn carefully what the new scheme is all about before we sign the option form. There’s no need to rush,” he said.

Omar said Cuepacs had also received complaints about the 16-day period, which is from Dec 15 to Dec 31 (2011), given to civil servant to sign the option form as it was deemed to short because many civil servants would be on leave during the said dates and most of them had yet to get a clear picture of the scheme.

Meanwhile, he said the meeting would also discuss the need for the government to appoint a senator to represent the interests of civil servants in the country. “The number of civil servants in Malaysia is big and there should be someone who will represent them at the Senate,” he said. — Bernama

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Source:
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=1212&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_06.htm

Jangan Terburu Terima SBPA

Oleh AZRAN FITRI RAHIM
azran.rahim@utusan.com.my

KOTA BHARU 11 Dis. – Kongres Kesatuan Pekerja-Pekerja Dalam Perkhidmatan Awam (CUEPACS) meminta kakitangan awam supaya tidak tergesa-gesa menandatangani surat tawaran skim Saraan Baru Perkhidmatan Awam (SBPA).

Presidennya, Datuk Omar Osman berkata, pihaknya akan mengeluarkan kenyataan rasmi mengenai SBPA selepas mengadakan bengkel dan kongres untuk membincangkan perkara berkenaan pada 14 Disember ini.

Beliau berkata, buat masa sekarang, semua kakitangan awam perlu bertenang dan berfikir semasak-masaknya sebelum menerima tawaran itu dan tidak perlu mengikut pandangan mana-mana pihak. “Sebelum ini wakil CUEPACS memang mengadakan perbincangan dengan kerajaan sebelum SBPA dilaksanakan tetapi ia tidak mewakili semua ahli kesatuan ini.

“Kita ada pelbagai sektor dalam kesatuan. Jadi perkara ini harus dibincang terlebih dahulu dengan semua ahli dan mendapat persetujuan dengan mereka sebelum kita membuat sebarang keputusan,” katanya. Beliau berkata demikian selepas Majlis Ramah Mesra Bersama Presiden CUEPACS di Wisma Persekutuan di sini hari ini.

Omar berkata, menurut Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA), kira-kira 1.4 juta kakitangan awam di seluruh negara akan diberikan tempoh dua minggu bermula 15 Disember ini untuk berfikir sebelum menandatangani tawaran SBPA.

“Kita minta semua kakitangan awam agar tidak terburu-buru, fikir dulu semasak-masaknya atau tunggu kenyataan rasmi daripada kongres sebelum menandatangani surat tawaran ini.

Sementara itu, CUEPACS berharap kerajaan melantik seorang wakil daripada golongan pekerja sebagai senator supaya suara mereka didengar di Dewan Negara, katanya. “Dahulu pekerja ada wakil di Dewan Negara melalui bekas Presiden Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC), Datuk Zainal Rampak tetapi sekarang tidak ada.

“Seniman dan orang kelainan upaya (OKU) ada wakil dalam Dewan Negara. Jadi kita berharap ada senator yang mewakili suara 11 juta pekerja (dan 1.4 juta kakitangan awam) di negara ini,” tegas beliau lagi.

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Health System in Australia: What Malaysian Students and Authorities Can Do?

2011-12-02T10:40:00.008+11:00

Health System in Australia: What Malaysian Students and Authorities Can Do?

SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS:

1- For pregnant mum-to-be, better book your plane ticket early, and go back to Malaysia and deliver your baby, do not put your life and baby at risk, sounds crazy? But the health system in Australia is currently crazy. Unless of course, you want to pay AUD$7000 (for a service, God knows what to expect, insincere nurses' services, who just only a few weeks ago, went on strike for pay increases, and have been ignored by the hospital administration and government).

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/fury-as-surgery-stopped/story-fn7x8me2-1226194961257
Nurses Deciding on Treatment as Beds Strike Dispute Continues
by: Stephen Drill and AAP From: Herald Sun, AAP November 15, 2011 12:00AM

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/nurses-may-risk-jail-in-new-strike-20111120-1npdo.html
Nurses May Risk Jail in New Strike
Reid Sexton
November 21, 2011

2- Once back in Malaysia, book a doctor's appointment as soon as possible, at any government hospital, and/or you can opt for a private hospital (for RM2000-4000). In that private hospital, you can choose your doctor, you can even choose the gender male or female doctor, of your choice! (For Muslim female patients, they prefer female doctors, and halal meals - which is not available in Australian hospital - even at the cost of AUD$7000).

LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS:

1- The Malaysian Students Council/Association in Victoria and Australia need to 'voices out' their dissatisfaction, over the matter/issue, get their voice heard through the mass media (e.g. newspapers, radios, televisions, Internet, etc.).

2- The Malaysian Consulate also need to seriously look into the matter. They need to talk to the Australian health authorities (i.e. the hospital that reject the patient), and related government bodies (i.e. Ministry of Health, The Australian Health Commission, etc.).

3- The Malaysian Consulate also need to seriously look into the matter. They need to talk to the Australian Health Insurance bodies (e.g. OSHC Worldcare, etc.), over the issue and re-negotiate over the terms and conditions, the key point is 'WE want better terms and conditions', IF all things fail - why then bother to buy their insurance, and make the CEO rich (buy from someone, who is willing to listen).

4- Also this matter is not an isolate issue, other Asian countries like, Indonesian students, Vietnamese students, Chinese China students, Pakistani students, Indian students, ETC. are all in the same delimma/predicament. The Asian University Students Representatives (SR) council/association should also be contacted to strengthen the 'dissatisfaction' and 'calling for immediate action.'

5- The university authorities (e.g. international unit/department and Vice Chancellors, at Monash University, RMIT, La Trobe University, University of Queensland, etc.) should be informed of the situation, and to ask them to look into the matter, as to why they require (or make it compulsory) for students to buy these insurance, when it does not cover 'obstetrics and gynaecology' care).

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Source:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/fury-as-surgery-stopped/story-fn7x8me2-1226194961257

Nurses Deciding on Treatment as Beds Strike Dispute Continues
by: Stephen Drill and AAP From: Herald Sun, AAP November 15, 2011 12:00AM

UPDATE 12.45pm: PATIENT care at Victorian hospitals is being "horse traded" with nurses in charge of who gets treatment instead of doctors, a Fair Work Australia hearing heard today.

Nurses union representatives are ticking off each patients' surgery, deciding if they are sick enough to get treatment, in a situation which comprises care, Department of Health performance executive director Frances Diver told the hearing.

Patients are facing more uncertainty as nurses' bed closures and safety cancellations drag into a fourth day. The Fair Work Australia hearing will hear more evidence this afternoon but a decision will not be reached before tomorrow. Ms Diver told the hearing she feared patient care would be significantly compromised as the dispute dragged on.

She said that some patients who had chosen not to attend emergency over the weekend because of the industrial action would attend later this week as their conditions worsened. "If a significant number of beds are closed that creates delays in the system that can place patients at risk," she said.

Victorian Hospitals' Association chief executive Alec Djoneff told the hearing that he was concerned about surgery cancellations as part of the industrial dispute. He said that decisions on who gets surgery were being made in consultation with ANF representatives and doctors.

"It causes patients (care) to be horse traded and negotiated to be exempt from the bans, which in our view is an imposition," he said. "There will be more and more elective surgery cancelled, there will be more and more beds closed ... those in emergency wards will inevitably have delays and disruptions and upset to their lives.''

Impact on Patients 'Unacceptable' - Baillieu

Premier Ted Baillieu hopes Fair Work Australia will end the nurses' strike, calling their closure of one in three beds "unnecessary and unacceptable''. "Obviously, our principal objective is to settle the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement with the nurses but in terms of the application to FWA we want to see the industrial action terminated,'' he said.

"It is in our view completely unnecessary to close beds and to take this action, but we also think the closure of ... one third of the beds in our hospitals is clearly going to have, and is having, an impact on patients and we just think that's unnecessary and unacceptable.''

Patients Suffering as Dispute Rolls on:

A two-year-old girl with a broken arm had to wait more than a day for treatment after staff abandoned the Casey Hospital emergency department on Saturday night, her mother said.

Angry patients who have waited six months for jaw surgery have been told their surgery was cancelled.

Almost 900 beds have been closed and 150 elective operations have been cancelled at hospitals across the state as the industrial war continues. Stacey, of Beaconsfield, said her partner had taken their two-year-old daughter to three hospitals before she received treatment for a broken arm.

"I don't think my daughter should be used as a pawn for political reasons," she said. "There were no nurses at Casey Hospital. It was chaotic."

Brett Synon, 18, was due to go home from the Austin Hospital last week to wait for a knee reconstruction operation this Thursday. But his week at home was dashed because of nurses' industrial action.
"I got so angry when they told me," he said. "They said if I went home on Friday then my surgery could be cancelled if they couldn't find a bed for me.

HEALTH MINISTER David Davis said "patients will inevitably suffer".

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Source:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/nurses-may-risk-jail-in-new-strike-20111120-1npdo.html

Nurses May Risk Jail in New Strike
Reid Sexton
November 21, 2011

THE nurses' union says some members may vote to strike again today even though they could face jail or fines after the union agreed to stop its current form of industrial action. The partial back-down yesterday follows two separate rulings from independent umpire Fair Work Australia last week that Victorian nurses ignored as they fought for better pay and conditions.

The workplace bans forced the closure of almost 1000 beds and the cancellation of a reported 659 operations. The Baillieu government said it risked patients' lives, a charge the Australian Nursing Federation denied.

The umpire sided with the government on Wednesday when it banned the protected action because it was affecting patient health. But nurses continued with unprotected action, prompting a second ruling from Fair Work Australia that ordered them to stop immediately.

On Saturday, union secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said nurses were trying to comply with the order but its wording meant union members were not bound by it. This prompted the Fair Work Ombudsman on Saturday to warn that union members were bound by the order and that it would seek a further order in the Federal Court if it was not obeyed, leaving members facing contempt of court charges if they did not comply.

Nurses are seeking an 18.5 per cent pay rise over three years and eight months but have been offered 2.5 per cent a year plus further gains for productivity.

Meanwhile, the Community and Public Sector Union has resumed pay negotiations after the government referred the dispute to the umpire over concerns that vulnerable children had been placed at risk by work bans. The union, which denied the bans put children at risk, agreed to suspend two bans for at least a week in order to restart negotiations between it and Victoria's 35,000 public servants.
With AAP

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/nurses-may-risk-jail-in-new-strike-20111120-1npdo.html#ixzz1fK6CmCHo

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http://www.nst.com.my/latest/patient-dies-after-rats-chew-off-penis-in-ward-1.23629
[24 December 2011 | last updated at 03:32pm]

Patient dies after rats chew off penis in ward

NEW DELHI: A pneumonia patient is alleged to have bled to death after rats nibbled off his penis in a government-run hospital in Kolkata, reported local media.

The horrific incident happened at the SSKM Hospital on Friday where Arun Sandhukh, 53, was seeking treatment for pneumonia, reported the Asian Age newspaper.

The hospital authorities admitted the prevalent of rat menace in the wards but did not comment further.

"No nurse was found at the scene and he was writhing in pain. His penis had been nibbled by rats," the victim's relative only known as Bishwanath told the media.

Only family members who came to visit Arun discovered him dead in a pool of blood, said the news report.

Medical mishaps in poorly-equipped and overcrowded hospitals in Kolkata, West Bengal's capital, hogged media attention in recent weeks.

Last Saturday, an inebriated hospital cleaner, at the Calcutta Medical College, was reported to have pulled off the oxygen mask of a three-week old baby that led to her death [Pull off the oxygen mask by accident, mediocre practice, or intend?!].

In another appalling tragedy in a private hospital in Kolkata, over 90 people, mostly patients suffocated to death, after fire swept through the building in the early hours of Dec 9. -- BERNAMA

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Overseas Sector Cries Foul Over Hospital Admission Policies

2011-12-01T13:50:00.013+11:00

COMMENT:

This kind of 'hospital rejection' of patients only happens in 'some parts' of Third World countries and Least Developing Countries (LDCs), such as, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Angola, and possibly also some parts in India.

But to think that it happens in AUSTRALIA, the so called 'developed country', and is label by United Nations, as among the TOP destination and place to live in! Well, think again!!

In Malaysia (which is a developing country, not a developed country yet), patients are NEVER rejected, some government hospitals in Malaysia may give mediocre services, but that is as far as it goes, but most government hospitals give good services, to locals and migrants.

And to make matter better, ALL civil servants in Malaysia have access to FREE health care services to government hospitals, yet some opt to go to the private hospitals (due to individuals perception of better services in the private hospitals). But government hospitals in Malaysia NEVER reject patients, locals or migrants!

So WHO needs to LEARN from who? I think Australia and US need to learn from the experiences of Malaysia!!!

Also what's the point of buying 'health insurance' card/policy, and making the CEO wealthy, when at the end of the day, your 'health insurance card/policy' is deem WORTHLESS !!

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Source:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/overseas-sector-cries-foul-over-hospital-admission-policies/story-e6frgcjx-1226209576566

Overseas Sector Cries Foul Over Hospital Admission Policies
BY: JOHN ROSS From: The Australian November 30, 2011 12:00AM

THE wife of an international PhD student gave birth in her car after at least five Melbourne public hospitals refused to admit her for obstetrics services. The incident on Friday night resulted from what overseas students say are discriminatory policies that systematically deny them health services available to Australian citizens.

Rosmizi Rahman, 31, said he delivered his son Aasif in the carpark of the emergency department at Sandringham Hospital after a 22km dash across southeast Melbourne. The Monash University student said he ran red lights with his wife Sharifah Rahim in labour, bypassing three public hospitals that had previously denied services to the couple. He made it to Sandringham, which had agreed to admit Ms Rahim as a discounted private patient, but she gave birth before staff arrived. She and her son are recovering at home.

The incident follows revelations that Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital has banned obstetrics and gynaecology care for international students, including those with medical insurance.

Mr Rahman said he and his wife had initially gone to Dandenong, 5km from his Noble Park home, but were denied care because they did not have Medicare cards. "I said we have (compulsory health) cover, but the staff said we don't take this one."

Mr Rahman said when he followed up with a phone call to Southern Health, which runs Dandenong and Monash hospitals, he was told Ms Rahim would be accepted as a private patient for more than $7000.

He said it was hard to understand why they'd been given different reasons for being turned down as public patients. "When we go personally, they say, 'We are full'. Maybe because we are Asian, they just say 'full'."

Frankston said it could not accept patients from outside its catchment area. Others said they could only take people with Medicare cards.

Shamsul Nizam and his wife Azleena Mohamed, both PhD students at Monash, are expecting their fourth child in April. Mr Nizam said he understood the new admission policy was related to a July change that imposed a waiting period for maternity services for new overseas students.

He said the couple had been in Australia for two years and taken out four-year medical insurance policies. "How can things change halfway (through) the policy and we were not informed?" he said.

Southern Health would not say whether it had a specific policy on international students. It said while its primary role was to serve "eligible public patients" it could also accept privately insured people, but services "may vary depending on overall demand".

Zuzana Quinn, an advocate with Monash Postgraduate Association, said: "At no stage were they told that in the event that there was an emergency or their wives went into labour, they would not be refused service."

Mr Rahman said that out of the many phone calls he had made, one staff member had advised him to "just go to any hospital" in an emergency. "But we don't know what is the consequence of that. Dandenong had refused us before this so we thought it might cause problems."

Mary Pozzobon, national business implementation manager with OSHC Worldcare, said she had been asking the Victorian Health Department for months to clarify admission policies for international students. "There's no clear information on whether overseas students will be accepted and how much services will cost them," she said.

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Australian Health Management www.ahm.com.au
BUPA Australia www.overseasstudenthealth.com
Medibank Private www.medibank.com.au
OSHC Worldcare www.oshcworldcare.com.au

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Health Services Commissioner: Make A Compliant
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/hsc/complaint.htm

Note: Don't expect that a 'big impact' will happen, or that they will solve all your problem. But putting your news or compliant on their report (Health Services Commissioner), will make them aware of the loophole in their health system - and maybe they will do something about it in the future!

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Source:
http://www.healthreformwatch.com/2011/03/16/health-insurance-ceo-total-compensation-in-2009/

Health Insurance CEO Total Compensation in 2009
March 16, 2011 by Michael Ricciardelli

Insurance Co. & CEO (2009) Total CEO Compensation
Aetna, Ronald A. Williams: $18,058,162
Coventry, Allen Wise: $17,427,789 (took over from Dale Wolf)
WellPoint, Angela Braly: $13,108,198
United Health, Stephen Helmsley: $8,901,916
Cigna, David Cordoni: $6,593,921 (took over from CEO H. Edward Hanway)
Cigna, H. Edward Hanway: $18,800,000
Humana, Michael McCallister: 6,509,452
Health Net, Jay Gellert: $3,643,342

Note: Latest figures and salaries are not available, but expect to be higher than the previous year.

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Comment: Talking about human rights, and basic health facility and services, delivering a baby is as basic as one gets, we are not talking about 'cosmetic plastic surgery' here!! Maybe that's too much for AUSTRALIA to handle, but for developing countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, to name a few, that's not a problem at all, after all, its just 'BASIC HEALTH SERVICES.'

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***MEDIA RELEASE***

QUEENSLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PUTS THE LIVES OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT RISK

International students who seek obstetric care or attention at public hospitals in Queensland are being refused admission and sent to private hospitals instead due to an official memo sent out by the State's department of health.

The Council of International Students Australia (CISA) is shocked by this news. President of CISA, Arfa Noor said, “This is an incredibly irresponsible move by the Queensland State Government, placing the health of these students and their unborn children in danger.”

Students on International Student Visas must maintain private health cover for the duration of their time in Australia. As such, they are able to claim for medical treatment. However, many international students are not able to pay the upfront fees charged by private medical centres.

“International students already shy away from doctors who don't bulk bill because they cannot afford upfront fees and are also worried about loosing money due to the 'gap' between their health cover and high fee costs of private treatment. If these students cannot use a public hospital, then where are they going to get medical help?” asks Ms Noor.

“We are concerned that if students are refused admission to a public hospital, they will not seek alternative medical attention which is essential for the welfare of pregnant women and their children.”

This disturbing trend has started to spread to large hospitals in other states as well, especially Victoria. While the Victorian Health Department has denied there being any official policy about sending International Students to private hospitals, there have been several confirmed cases of students being refused treatment in three of Melbourne's hospitals.

Ms Noor said, "The problem started when hospitals and health departments put International Students in the same category as 'Visitors to the Country'. They must understand that there are significant differences between the two and as such a blanket policy can not be applied to both.”

CISA requests that the Queensland State Government immediately retract this decision and other States and the Commonwealth Governments investigate which public hospitals deny treatment to students and why.

President
Council of International Students Australia

United Kingdom: RIOTS

2011-08-14T13:14:00.002+10:00

United Kingdom Riots: Mapping the Violence

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Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024120/London-riots-2011-suspects-Photos-released-know-looters.html

Looters and Thugs: Out Stealing, Creating Troubles, Destroying Properties, and Hurting People!

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QUOTABLE QUOTES:

"As to the lawless minority, the criminals who've taken what they can get, I say this: We will track you down, we will find you, we will charge you, we will punish you," Cameron said.

Police in central England said they had arrested three people, aged 16, 17 and 26, on suspicion of murder after three men protecting property in Birmingham from rioters were hit by a car.

Cameron is under pressure from different quarters to ease his austerity plans (budget cuts), toughen policing and do more for inner- city communities, even as economic malaise grips a nation whose social and racial tensions exploded in four nights of mayhem.

Cameron reiterated: "This is not about poverty, it's about culture," Cameron said. "A culture that glorifies violence, shows disrespect to authority, and says everything about rights but nothing about responsibilities."

Police have arrested more than 1,200 people across England. Among those charged were the daughter of a millionaire, a teaching assistant, a charity worker and an 11-year-old boy. At Westminster magistrates' court, one of the first cases was that of a second-year university law student accused of being part of a gang which ransacked cafes and restaurants in the upmarket area of St John's Wood.

The British leader said he would maintain a higher police presence of 16,000 officers on London streets through the weekend. Normally only 2,500 would be working, and the Metropolitan Police said the increase made it the biggest deployment of officers in peacetime.

The prime minister promised to compensate people whose property was damaged by rioters, even if they were uninsured. The riots will cost insurers more than 200 million pounds ($320 million), the Association of British Insurers estimated.

British leaders are concerned the rioting could damage confidence in the economy and in London, one of the world's biggest financial centers and venue for next year's Olympics.

Source:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/10025470/cameron-denies-austerity-drive-caused-uk-riots/

RUSUHAN LONDON !

2011-08-12T09:53:00.006+10:00

KOMEN:

Beberapa hari lepas, bila rusuhan London baru dua-tiga hari berlaku, dan keadaan nampak semakin tenat, di mana perusuh bukan sahaja merosakkan harta awam, tetapi mengambil peluang utk mencuri daripada orang perseorangan dan syarikat persendirian, atau kedai-kedai runcit.

Saya ada beritahu isteri saya bahawa, kalau perkara semacam ini berlaku di Malaysia, sudah lama perusuh aka perompak/pencuri jalanan sudah terkena meriam air, bukan setakat itu sahaja, perusuh/pencuri ini sudah pasti ditangkap dan dimasukkan ke dalam lockup dahulu, lepas itu, baru lah bercerita kpd polis bagaimana dia ini boleh dianggap 'innocent' (kalaupun dia ini innocent).

Suatu masa dahulu, hebat sangat diperkatakan polis Britain, yang berjaya menangkap orang Muslim, yang kebanyakannya innocent, yang disyaki pengganas, orang kulit putih pula, yang kebanyakannya tidak berkerja, muda-mudi, 'hooligans' dan 'thugs', dibirakan pula bermaharajalela di atas jalan-jalan awam. Mencuri dan mencederakan orang, di waktu malam. Bila rusuhan London ini berlaku pula, tak kira siang atau malam, hooligans dan thugs ini beroperasi 24/7. Mengambil peluang keatas polis London yang semakin tertekan.

Sudah banyak kali saya menasihatkan keluarga saya, jangan anggap negara mat saleh ini hebat sangat atau selamat sangat. Keselamatan diri perlu dijaga. Hooligans dan thugs ini boleh mencederakan jenis mereka, apatah lagi, kalau bukan dikalangan jenis mereka.

Kalau balai polis pun mereka berani buang 'bom api', takkan mereka tidak boleh merompak, dan memukul orang yang tidak mereka sukai, yang kebanyakannya tidak berkuasa atau terdaya.

Note: It's about time to call in the ARMY to help guard the city from further deterioration. What's the point of all those military trainings, and salaries paid to the army, IF they are not lending a helping hand in time of need?! The Prime Minister must summon the army for assistance !

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http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/PerusuhserangbalaipolisNottinghamdenganbomapi/Article/index_html (11 Aug 2011)

Perusuh Serang Balai Polis Nottingham dengan Bom Api

LONDON: Sekumpulan 40 perusuh menyerang balai polis di Nottingham dengan bom api semalam, tetapi tiada kecederaan dilaporkan. Polis berkata, Balai Polis Canning Circus (di tengah Nottingham) diserang sekumpulan 30 hingga 40 lelaki tetapi tiada kecederaan setakat ini.

Melalui mesej Twitter kemudian, polis berkata, api dapat dipadamkan dan lapan orang ditahan.

Serangan itu berlaku pada malam keempat rusuhan di Britain.

Ia tercetus di London pada hujung minggu lalu tetapi kini merebak ke bahagian lain Britain. - AFP

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8693698/London-riots-YouTube-mugging-victim-had-dreamed-of-studying-in-Britain.html (11 Aug 2011)

London riots: YouTube mugging victim had dreamed of studying in Britain. An injured student filmed being robbed by rioters as they pretended to help him had only just arrived in London having always dreamed of coming to Britain.

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Also see, YOUTUBE: [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4D0qgPMXRM ]

Malaysian Student Robbed & Beaten in London Riot‪s

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Mugging victim Asyraf Haziq lies in a Royal London Hospital bed in Whitechapel, east London, nursing a fractured jaw Photo: HOOK NEWS

Muhammad Asyraf Haziq Rossli, a “gifted” accountancy student from Malaysia, had recently enrolled on a course in the capital after winning a scholarship to study in the country.

However, the welcome he received during his first days in the Britain was to be attacked by a rioting mob and then robbed as he lay bleeding in the street.

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http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Cameronikrarkembalikankeamanan/Article/index_html (11 Aug 2011)

Cameron ikrar Kembalikan Keamanan

LONDON: Perdana Menteri Britain, David Cameron, berkata kerajaan tidak akan membiarkan “budaya ketakutan” menguasai jalanan negara itu dan polis menyediakan pelan sokongan bagi menangani rusuhan, jika perlu.

“Kerajaan akan melakukan apa yang termampu bagi mengembalikan keamanan di jalanan kita. Tiada satu kemungkinan pun diketepikan, termasuk menggunakan meriam air yang selama ini tidak pernah digunakan di England,” katanya.

Istilah “budaya ketakutan” adalah ungkapan digunakan kebanyakan cendekiawan, ahli politik dan wartawan bagi merujuk kepada tindakan sesetengah pihak mencetuskan kekacauan bagi mencapai objektif politik mereka. - AP

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http://www.hmetro.com.my/articles/Kekacauankianmerebak/Article

(11 Aug 2011)

Kekacauan Kian Merebak

AMBIL KESEMPATAN...penjarah bertopeng melarikan kotak berisi barangan elektrik mahal dari sebuah kedai di tengah Birmingham.

LONDON: Rusuhan terburuk dalam sejarah Britain sejak beberapa generasi, kini merebak ke bandar lain semalam, sementara tiga lagi terbunuh ketika mempertahankan komuniti mereka.

Walaupun London kini tenang ekoran penempatan lebih ramai polis di jalan bandar raya itu, perusuh menyerbu tengah Manchester dengan membakar serta merompak kedai di situ.

Polis menganggap insiden terbaru ini sebagai “keganasan paling ekstrem melanda Britain dalam tempoh 30 tahun.” Penjarah turut menyebabkan kekacauan di beberapa bandar di sekitar Midlands, termasuk Birmingham yang menjadi lokasi tiga pemuda Islam Asia terbunuh selepas dirempuh sebuah kereta.

Laporan mendakwa, mangsa baru saja meninggalkan masjid dan melindungi komuniti mereka ketika kejadian berlaku.

Kira-kira 200 orang keturunan Asia dari Birmingham berkumpul di luar hospital yang menempatkan mayat berkenaan.

Namun, di London, tiada keganasan terbaru dilaporkan selepas bandar raya itu kacau-bilau pada malam Isnin lalu.

Polis menahan lebih 1,100 orang di seluruh negara kerana terbabit dalam keganasan, kekacauan dan mencuri sejak rusuhan tercetus pada Sabtu di Tottenham, utara London.

Perdana Menteri, David Cameron, berikrar untuk “melakukan apa saja yang perlu bagi memulihkan keadaan di jalanan” tetapi kebanyakan kedai di London masih ditutup awal atas nasihat polis.

Datuk Bandar London, Boris Johnson, menggesa kerajaan mempertimbangkan semula cadangan mengurangkan jumlah polis sebagai sebahagian daripada langkah berjimat-cermat dan mengurangkan defisit bajet negara.

Ketika Kerajaan menyalahkan penjenayah mengambil kesempatan atas kekacauan itu, pembangkang berkata, pemotongan belanjawan untuk perkhidmatan sosial dan kegagalan pihak berkuasa menangani masalah sosial menyumbang kepada rusuhan berkenaan.

Sesetengah daripada kawasan paling mundur di Britain menjadi lokasi rusuhan dengan kira-kira 200 orang menyerang polis dengan pelbagai objek di Toxteth, barat laut Liverpool.

Daerah itu pernah berlaku rusuhan besar-besaran pada 1981.

Di lokasi lain, perusuh membakar bangunan di West Bromwich dan Wolverhampton, manakala sebuah balai polis berhampiran Nottingham dilontar bom api. Kekacauan turut dilaporkan berlaku di bandar Gloucester. - AFP

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SBS INSIGHT: MIGRATION BOOM

2011-07-29T17:43:00.004+10:00

Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/insight/episode/index/id/417#overview

[Accessed on 29 July 2011]

SBS INSIGHT: SOME THOUGHTS:

CASE 1: Natalia Garcia is a qualified engineer who is working as a cleaner. She came to Australia from Colombia in 2008. She studied English before applying for permanent residency under the general skilled migration program. Natalia was granted permanent residency in 2010, but has been unable to obtain work in her field, despite engineering being one of the most sought-after skills in the current labour climate.

[Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/insight/episode/index/id/417#overview ]

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Comments:

Well, first and foremost, do not blame the degree that you took as 'useless', sometimes you need some creativity in order to find good job opportunity:

1- Engineering can be a very wide field, yet it can also be a very narrow field of specialization, henceforth, IF you specialized in certain field during your study. e.g. Civil Engineering in Environmental. Then you may only find job in that area, as employer may be reluctant to offer you anything else, other than your specialization, as they fear that you may not have the knowledge in other specialization (even though the degree spell 'Civil Engineering' - noted that Civil Engineering can also be a very wide subject, as well as, a very narrow one) and/or the knowhow to do so, e.g. Civil Engineering in Civil Hydraulics, Civil Engineering in Transport Systems, Civil Engineering in Risk Analysis, and so forth.

2- What makes it worst is when you do not have 'work experiences', says for a few years at a certain engineering based company, so what make the employer sure that you can perform, when you yourself are not sure if you can perform?!

3- So the next option, is to do a Masters degree, and specialized in one of the many specialization in Civil Engineering subject or field of study. Examples:

Civil Engineering in Environmental
(e.g. Sustainable Management, Water and Waste Water Management, etc.)
Civil Engineering in Civil Hydraulics
Civil Engineering in Transport Systems
Civil Engineering in Risk Analysis,
Civil Engineering in Earthquake Resistant Design of Buildings

4- Another possible option is to do a certificate or diploma (in teaching) to add to your degree, and possibly be a teacher, and teach maths, or science, at the primary and/or secondary school in Australia.

5- Most of my friends would also continue their study and do an MBA, says in banking, or finance, or accounting, and then enter the business community, and/or work in an Multi-National Company after graduating, or work in a bank, or company. The point here is that, once you have a higher degree (and especially if that is acquired in one of the many Australia university here), employer would be happy to take you in.

------------------------------------------

CASE 2: Ram Upadhyaya is a Nepalese civil engineer, who applied to come to Australia as a skilled migrant in 2009, via a migration agent. He is currently employed through the Regional Migration Scheme and is now living and working in Nhill in far western Victoria as a town planner.

[Note: I could not say that everyone will be as lucky as Ram Upadhaha, but the above tips/advised as discussed, will help those looking for job opportunity in Australia].

Source: Also Watch the Video:
http://www.sbs.com.au/insight/episode/index/id/417#watchonline

Gadis (Muslimah) Trauma Kepala diBotakkan !

2011-07-03T10:25:00.003+10:00

Komen:

1-Takde ke pengecualian untuk pelatih wanita? Takkan semua mesti jadi macam sami, nama pun wanita, takkan Menteri berkenaan tak faham?

2-Kalau ye pun itu adalah peraturan, sudah tentu adanya peraturan yang berbeza untuk wanita dan lelaki, masa sudah tiba untuk ditukar peraturan berkenaan. Jangan keras kepala sangat dalam hal yang boleh ditolak-ansur.

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http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2011&dt=0703&pub=Kosmo&sec=Negara&pg=ne_03.htm

(3 JULY 2011)

Menteri pertahan potong rambut

KUALA NERANG - Seminggu selepas memohon maaf, Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, Datuk Chor Chee Heung semalam mempertahankan tindakan kakitangan Akademi Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat memotong rambut seorang pelatih wanita hingga botak di Terengganu pada 2 Mei lepas. Alasan beliau ialah tindakan itu mengikut peraturan jabatan yang menetapkan rambut pelatih akan dipotong sehingga enam milimiter (mm) dari kulit kepala.

"Saya dah dapat laporan siasatan berhubung kes pelatih wanita dibotakkan kepala mereka itu, dan itu memang syarat yang telah ditetapkan semasa latihan, semua harus dipotong sehingga 6 mm," katanya kepada pemberita di sini semalam. Kosmo! baru-baru melaporkan bekas pelatih itu, Hizyaty Othman, 28, dari Taman Berjaya, Alor Setar kecewa dengan tindakan akademi berkenaan yang membotakkan kepalanya serta 18 pelatih perempuan lain ketika mereka mendaftar diri untuk menjalani latihan di kem itu 2 Mei lepas.

Dia mendakwa tindakan itu tidak seperti apa yang dinyatakan dalam peraturan kursus yang diterima mereka sebelum melaporkan diri di akademi itu. Chee Heung pada sidang akhbarnya minggu lalu bagaimanapun meminta maaf kepada mangsa dan keluarganya tetapi permohonan maaf itu ditolak atas alasan ia tidak dilakukan secara bersemuka.

NOTA: Cita-cita murni Hizyaty Othman untuk berkhidmat dengan jabatan bomba pun 'hangus.' Lagipun, wanita biasanya diberikan 'office work' dan jarang sangat turun padang. Takkan tidak ada tolak-ansur langsung?!

BAN on Kosher Ritual Slaughter !

2011-06-29T14:45:00.003+10:00

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/143456

(29th June 2011)

Holland Likely to Pass Ban on Kosher Ritual Slaughter

by Chana Ya'ar

Holland appears set to enact a ban this week on shechita, the practice of kosher ritual slaughter. Despite an appeal to Prime Minister Mark Rutte and protests from Jewish groups, a proposed ban on the practice is likely to pass in the Dutch parliament, according to a report in the European Jewish Press. Some 45,000 Jews live in Holland at present, many of whom may be affected by the legislation.

The proposal, advanced by the pro-animal party, claims there is evidence the practice of kosher slaughtering causes animals unnecessary pain and suffering. In most regular meat processing plants, animals are usually stunned prior to slaughter. Both Jewish and Muslim groups are actively opposing the legislation.

The extreme-right Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders is also likely to support the ban, according to political observers, due to the perception that it will restrict Muslim halal butchering. However, in a letter to the Dutch prime minister ahead of the vote, European Jewish Congress (EJC) President Moshe Kantor noted that Muslim ritual slaughter does not prohibit pre-slaughter stunning of animals. Thus, the legislation would really affect only the Jewish community, which does not allow stunning.

Kantor wrote in his letter that the bill would violate Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights – the right to freedom of religious practice.

“I can speak for the Dutch Jewish community and I think for the wider Jewish world, that this law raises grave concerns about infringements on religious freedom, said Ruben Vis, spokesman for the Netherlands' NIK, an umbrella group for Jewish organizations. “What's worse is that there is no conclusive scientific evidence that slaughter without stunning is more harmful or painful for animals,” he said.

An anti-shechita amendment to the European Union's food labeling laws was rejected late last year by the European Council of Ministers. However, the Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE) warned the issue might yet come up again for another vote this year as well.

Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Baltic nations and Switzerland have had a ban against shechita in place since before World War II... AND New Zealand recently outlawed the practice of Jewish ritual slaughter as well. The ban is being challenged by the Jewish community there.

Also SEE:

http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/250311/netherlands___bashing_ritual_slaughter_.aspx

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COMMENT: You can stun in Halal so it effects only Kosher slaughter!

SEE:

http://www.pathofislam.net/2010/united-ummah/meat-from-stunned-animals-is-halal/

Meat from stunned animals is Halal

Published by Abdus-Samad at 11:35 pm under United Ummah

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http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0629&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Terkini&pg=bt_02.htm

Belanda haram penyembelihan haiwan cara Islam (dan Yahudi)

29/06/2011 3:53am

AMSTERDAM 29 Jun - Parlimen Belanda telah mengundi bersetuju untuk mengharamkan penyembelihan haiwan hari ini, langkah yang ditentang kuat oleh orang Islam dan Yahudi negara itu.

Rang undang-undang yang dikemukakan oleh Parti Hak Asasi Haiwan, parti sedemikian yang pertama di Eropah memenangi kerusi dalam Parlimen, menyatakan mereka perlu memastikan haiwan itu tidak sedar diri sebelum disembelih, berbeza dengan cara Islam dan Yahudi yang memerlukan haiwan itu berada dalam keadaan sedar.

Menurut ketua Hak Asasi Haiwan, Marianne Thieme, cara penyembelihan itu memberi kesakitan yang tidak patut kepada haiwan dan ia perlu dibanteras walaupun ia tuntutan agama. - Reuters.

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Kahwin Empat : Habis Semua Kuota

2011-06-06T17:10:00.010+10:00

http://www.hmetro.com.my/articles/2011060602114120110606021141/Article

(6 June 2011)

‘Bulan maduku’

Oleh Siti A’isyah Sukaimi

sitiaisyah@nstp.com.my

SEPANG: “Ini rezeki saya sekeluarga selepas bernikah kali keempat. Alhamdulillah, ia juga peluang kepada saya, isteri-isteri serta anak bercuti dan berkumpul beramai-ramai dalam satu keluarga besar,” kata pe

lawak dan penyampai radio terkenal, Salih Yaccob, 48.

Beliau bersama empat isteri, Norlizah Mamat, 46, Norraha Hamat, 42, Norfara Wahida Sulaiman, 32, dan Samihah Sheikh Amy, 25, bersama tujuh anak berlepas ke Beijing, China, semalam untuk bercuti enam hari. Percutian itu juga adalah pakej bulan madu kepada isteri keempatnya yang genap seminggu dinikahi di Masjid Jamek Bandar Kulaijaya, Johor, Isnin lalu.

Menurutnya, percutian bersama keluarga itu peluang yang dinanti-nantikan selama ini kerana jarang sekali dapat berkumpul bersama memandangkan masa lapang yang terhad. “Sebelum ini kami memang sukar merancang percutian beramai-ramai kerana ada yang sibuk bekerja dan belajar serta tidak dapat memohon cuti bersama.

“Jadi, inilah peluang keemasan, malah rezeki kami sekeluarga lebih-lebih lagi apabila sudah bertambah ahli keluarga baru. “Kesempatan ini kami manfaatkan sebaik mungkin walaupun empat anak tak dapat menyertainya kerana bekerja dan belajar,” katanya, ketika ditemui di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA).

US Plane Fail to Takeoff with Imam !

2011-05-09T11:55:00.005+10:00

COMMENTS:

This is a clear discrimination of races, of religious background, and dressing (dress code)! The US security staff and white mates are paranoid, due to their own bias Western media, that wrongly reported about Islam (and its loyal followers).
And who would bomb a plane, dressing in their traditional dress code? Isn't that too obvious?!
In conclusion, if the US whites are paranoid, they cannot think straight, now they are afraid... One is only afraid if one does wrong to others (e.g. a thief is afraid of the police, a killer is afraid to be caught and/or retaliated).

NOTE:

Nowadays, even the Indians, Pakistani, Indonesians, Vietnamese, and Chinese, have US citizenships, and NOT just the white guys!

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Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1384592/Muslim-religious-leaders-told-leave-U-S-domestic-flight-pilot-refuses-aboard.html (7 MAY 2011)

Robed Muslim clerics kicked off U.S. flight after pilot refuses to take off with them (and they were en route to conference on Islamophobia)

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:47 PM on 7th May 2011

Two Muslim religious leaders were asked to leave a commercial airliner in Memphis - and were told it was because the pilot refused to fly with them aboard. Masudur Rahman and another imam had already been allowed to board their Delta Connection flight from Memphis, Tennessee, to Charlotte, North Carolina before they were asked to get off the plane.

Ironically, the two men were headed to a North American Imams conference discussing Islamophobia or (irrational) 'fears of Islam' and discrimination against American Muslims. 'It's racism and bias because of our religion and appearance and because of misinformation about our religion.' Mr Rahman said. 'If they understood Islam, they wouldn't do this.'

Mr Masudur Rahman said he and Mohamed Zaghloul, of the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis, were cleared by security agents and boarded the plane for an 8.40am departure.

The aircraft pulled away from the gate, but the pilot then announced the plane must return, Mr Rahman said.

When it did, the imams were asked to go back to the boarding gate where they were told the pilot was refusing to accept them because some other passengers could be uncomfortable.

Mr Rahman said Delta officials talked with the pilot for more than a half-hour, but he still refused to fly with them aboard. The men were taken to a lounge and booked on a later flight. They flew on to Charlotte later the same day.

Mr Rahman said a Delta manager apologised for the pilot's actions, but that he and Mr Zaghloul never spoke directly with the pilot. Both passengers are Memphis-area residents. Mr Rahman, who is also an adjunct instructor of Arabic at the University of Memphis, said he was dressed in traditional Indian clothing. Mr Zaghloul was clad in Arab garb, including traditional headgear.

Transportation Security Administration spokesman Jon Allen in Atlanta confirmed the incident but said it was not initiated by that agency. A Delta Air Lines spokesman said the flight was operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which is also based in Atlanta.

Jarek Beem, a spokesman for Atlantic Southeast, said the airline was investigating the incident. 'We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience that this may have caused,' he said.

[Note: That's right, abuse first, then IF they (Muslims) make noises, then we (US authority and pilot) apologized, if not, who cares? But the important point here is 'Abuse First'... Now that's what we call 'Freedom of Religion' and 'Civil Liberty' in USA]

Mr Rahman and Mr Zaghloul have contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group in Washington. Ibrahim Hooper, of the American-Islamic organisation, said the group will follow up with the airline and with the TSA to help ensure such incidents do not continue to occur.

Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1384592/Muslim-religious-leaders-told-leave-U-S-domestic-flight-pilot-refuses-aboard.html#ixzz1MVDQ1uoR

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http://www.hmetro.com.my/articles/PesawatASusir2imam/Article
(9 May 2011)

Pesawat AS Usir 2 Imam

NASHVILLE (Tennessee): Dua pemimpin Islam tempatan mendakwa mereka diarah keluar dari pesawat komersial di Memphis kelmarin apabila juruterbang enggan berlepas selagi mereka berada di dalamnya.

Pensyarah jemputan bahasa dan kesusasteraan Arab di Universiti Memphis, Masudur Rahman, berkata pada awalnya dia bersama seorang imam dibenarkan menaiki pesawat Delta Connection dari Memphis ke Charlotte, Carolina Utara.

Bagaimanapun, sejurus kemudian mereka diminta meninggalkan pesawat berkenaan. Jurucakap Pentadbiran Keselamatan Pengangkutan, John Allen, mengesahkan kejadian itu tetapi mendakwa, agensi berkenaan tidak ada kena-mengena dengan insiden itu.

Jurucakap syarikat Delta Airlines berkata, pesawat itu dikendalikan syarikat Atlantic Southeast Airlines yang berpangkalan di Atlanta. Menurut Masudur Rahman, dia mengenakan pakaian tradisional India, manakala rakannya, Mohamed Zaghloul, berpakaian Arab lengkap dengan serban.

Mohamed Zaghloul adalah aktivis Persatuan Islam Greater Memphis. Kata Masudur Rahman, pada peringkat awal, pesawat itu bergerak perlahan-lahan meninggalkan terminal. Bagaimanapun, tidak lama kemudian, katanya, juruterbang mengumumkan mereka terpaksa berpatah balik ke terminal.

“Sejurus selepas itu, saya dan Mohamed Zaghloul diarah kru kabin supaya pergi ke pintu berlepas semula dan dimaklumkan juruterbang enggan menerima kami, kononnya kerana ada penumpang tidak selesa,” katanya. Menurut Masudur Rahman, kakitangan syarikat penerbangan itu berbincang dengan juruterbang terbabit selama lebih setengah jam tetapi gagal memujuk menukar fikiran.

Masudur Rahman dan Mohamed Zaghloul kemudian mengalah dan menempah tiket untuk penerbangan selanjutnya. - AN

Police Dress Up as Doctors to Test Citizens

2011-04-28T11:20:00.004+10:00

Comment:

IS this for real, I meant the 'people'... No suspicious ?! (Just curious to swallow the pills, and open the door, to see who it was at the door).

http://au.news.yahoo.com/odd/a/-/odd/9268075/police-dress-up-as-doctors-to-test-citizens/ 28 April 2011)

Police Dress Up as Doctors to Test Citizens
Reuters April 28, 2011, 1:15 am

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police donned white coats and stethoscopes to disguise themselves as doctors, then knocked on people's doors to see how easily they would fall for a confidence scam. The undercover police officers told residents of the southeastern city of Gaziantep they were screening for high blood pressure and handed out pills, according to Turkish media.

They were alarmed when residents at 86 out of 100 households visited on Tuesday swallowed the pills immediately. Police later returned to warn residents to be more cautious. The police pills were harmless placebos. But a local gang had been using the same technique to give people heavy sedatives and then burgle them.
Turkish police in other provinces have also used novel methods to test citizens' gullibility. Officers in Adana in southern Turkey last week called at houses, announcing through the intercom: "I am a burglar, please open the door." Police said they were stunned at the number of people who opened the door, the Radikal daily newspaper reported.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; editing by Alexandra Hudson and Andrew Heavens)

Pengurus Projek Dapat Ganti Rugi RM16,000

2011-04-22T15:25:00.008+10:00

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0422&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Mahkamah&pg=ma_06.htm
(22 April 2011)

Pengurus Projek Terima Ganti Rugi RM16,000

GARA-GARA enjin dan alat ganti kereta dicuri semasa dalam jagaan sebuah bengkel, seorang pengurus projek syarikat pembinaan menerima ganti rugi sebanyak RM16,000 daripada pemilik bengkel kereta terbabit. Kesemua barangan itu didakwa hilang selepas Bengkel Kereta Jacob di Taman Tasik, Senawang di Negeri Sembilan dipecah masuk pencuri sebulan selepas kenderaan jenis Nissan Frontier itu dihantar untuk dibaiki di bengkel terbabit.

Berang dengan kejadian itu, pemilik kenderaan tersebut, Abd. Wahab Ismail, 53, membuat keputusan mengemukakan tuntutan di Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia (TTPM) Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, baru-baru ini. Selepas mendengar hujah kedua-dua pihak, Presiden TTPM, Datuk Abu Bakar Awang mengarahkan pemilik bengkel tersebut membayar ganti rugi RM16,000 kepada Abd. Wahab memandangkan kenderaan itu masih di bawah jagaan pihak bengkel. "Semua barangan yang hilang ini merupakan tanggungjawab kamu (pemilik bengkel), maka kamu perlu bertanggungjawab atas kehilangan enjin termasuk alat ganti yang bernilai RM16,000.

"Jika kamu enggan atau gagal membayar ganti rugi ini, pihak berkuasa mempunyai hak untuk menutup premis kamu. Bayaran ini perlu dilakukan secara keseluruhan ataupun secara ansuran berdasarkan persetujuan rundingan kedua-dua pihak," katanya. Wakil bengkel berkenaan bersetuju mengadakan rundingan dengan Abd. Wahab bagi menentukan cara pembayaran ganti rugi tersebut.

Sementara itu, Abd. Wahab ketika ditemui di pekarangan TTPM memberitahu, dia menghantar kereta itu ke bengkel tersebut pada Mei 2010 setelah dimaklumkan mengenai bengkel itu oleh seorang rakannya. "Namun, saya terkejut kerana dimaklumkan bahawa kesemua barangan seperti enjin termasuk alat ganti kereta hilang sebulan selepas itu berikutan berlakunya kejadian pecah masuk di bengkel itu.

"Walaupun barangan itu hilang bukan disebabkan kecuaian mereka tetapi akibat dicuri, saya tetap mahu mereka bertanggungjawab," katanya.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia (TTPM)

The Tribunal for Consumer Claims is an independent body established under Section 85, Part XII of the Consumer Protection Act 1999. The Tribunal operates under the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism. The primary objective of establishing the Tribunal is to provide an alternative forum for consumers to file claims in a simple, inexpensive and speedy manner.

Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia (TTPM)
Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan,
Aras 5, Podium 2, No. 13, Persiaran Perdana, Presint 2,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, 62623 PUTRAJAYA.
Toll Free : 1-800-88-9811 , Telephone No. : 03-8882 5822
Fax No. : 03-8882 5831

TTPM: Official Website (Portal):
http://ttpm.kpdnkk.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&lang=en

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Komen:

Baguslah mcm tu (Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia, TTPM), kalau tidak, ramai lah kata 'Oh, barang awak sudah hilang!', 'Salahkan pencuri lah', 'Awak pergi cari pencuri tu, minta dia ganti rugi laH!'... dan mcm mcm lagi.

Hepatitis B di Malaysia !

2011-04-12T16:33:00.005+10:00

Komen:

Masya-Allah ramai juga yang kena HepB... Maksudnya kita kena sentiasa ambil langkah berjaga-jaga, dan pergi buat pemeriksaan kesihatan, dan ambil veksin untuk mencegah dari dijangkiti penyakit tersebut.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0412&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_14.htm

(12 April 2011)

1.65 Juta Rakyat Malaysia Pembawa Kuman Hepatitis B

KUALA LUMPUR 11 April - Kira-kira lima peratus atau 1.65 juta rakyat Malaysia dikesan menjadi pembawa kuman Hepatitis B yang mampu menjangkiti orang lain serta membunuh secara senyap. Profesor Perubatan dan Perunding Hepatology Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya (PPUM), Prof. Dr. Rosmawati Mohamed berkata, kira-kira 350 juta penduduk di Asia tinggal bersama dengan pembawa kuman Hepatitis B yang kronik serta lebih mudah berjangkit berbanding HIV.

Tambahnya, Hepatitis B kronik merupakan salah satu ancaman utama kesihatan di seluruh dunia dengan kira-kira 1.5 juta kematian akibat penyakit itu dianggarkan setiap tahun. "Setiap seorang daripada 12 orang di seluruh dunia hidup bersama dengan pembawa kuman ini dan Malaysia tidak terkecuali daripada bahaya kuman ini yang merosakkan hati manusia.

"Tahap kesedaran masyarakat yang masih rendah menjadikan situasi ini sebagai kritikal kerana mereka tidak sedar sama ada dijangkiti atau tidak oleh kuman ini," katanya pada sidang akhbar di sini hari ini. Beliau berkata demikian selepas menyampaikan syarahan mengenai tahap kesedaran masyarakat dunia terhadap Hepatitis B dan C bersempena Hari Hepatitis Sedunia 2011 yang bermula dari 23 sehingga 28 Julai depan.

Tambah Rosmawati, PPUM akan bekerjasama dengan semua hospital kerajaan dan swasta untuk menjalankan kempen secara besar-besaran bagi meningkatkan tahap kesedaran orang ramai mengenai bahaya penyakit hepatitis. Katanya, pelbagai aktiviti kesihatan akan dijalankan di setiap hospital utama di setiap negeri supaya dapat disebarkan ke segenap lapisan masyarakat.

"Orang ramai berpeluang membuat ujian saringan untuk menguji sama ada mereka dijangkiti atau tidak sepanjang kempen ini ia dijalankan secara percuma. Pemeriksaan awal amat penting untuk rawatan sebelum penyakit itu mencapai tahap kronik," jelasnya.

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Pastor Terry Jones and the 'Quran Burning' Stunts !

2011-04-02T13:11:00.003+11:00

Comment:

One way to be really famous in a very short time, is to do or say something very controversy, and Pastor Terry Jones (the so called brain-intelligent-civilized Christian) did just that, ‘by burning the Quran in public.’ Good way to promote Christianity to the world too… ALL religion teach peace and to ‘respect’ other religion, I Guess Pastor Terry Jones has his way of showing ‘respect’ to other religion and respect other races.

Source:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/9122847/worst-attack-on-u-n-in-afghanistan-kills-at-least-7-staff/

[…Christian preacher Terry Jones, who after international condemnation last year cancelled a plan to burn copies of the Koran, supervised the burning of the book in front of a crowd of about 50 people at a church in Florida on March 20, according to his website].

[…He told the British Broadcasting Corporation that he did NOT feel guilty over the deaths in MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, "We are not responsible for their actions," Jones said, when asked about the attack].

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Worst attack on U.N. in Afghanistan kills at least 7 staff

Mohammad Bashir, Reuters April 2, 2011, 10:09 am

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghans protesting against the burning of a Koran by an obscure U.S. pastor over-ran a United Nations compound on Friday and killed at least seven international staff in the deadliest ever attack on the UN in Afghanistan. Thousands of demonstrators flooded into the streets after Friday prayers and headed for the UN mission in usually peaceful Mazar-i-Sharif, a city slated as safe enough to be in the vanguard of a crucial security transition. The governor of Balkh province said insurgents had used the march as cover to attack the compound, in a battle that raged for several hours and raises serious questions about plans to make the city a pilot for security transfer to national forces. The UN Security Council called an emergency meeting for later on Friday to discuss the attack. The attackers overwhelmed security guards, burned parts of the compound and climbed up blast walls to topple a guard tower. Five protesters were also killed and around 20 wounded, some after trying to take weapons off the UN security guards. "The insurgents have taken advantage of the situation to attack the UN compound," said Governor Ata Mohammad Noor. He told a news conference that many in the crowd of protesters had been carrying guns. Some 27 people have already been detained over the attack, he added.

DEADLIEST ATTACK... The attack is the deadliest ever on the United Nations in Afghanistan, and one of the worst on the organization for years. "It is the worst incident ever for UN staff in Afghanistan. Mazar mobs were active in the 1990s, repeatedly ransacking UN offices...but so far as I remember they never actually killed anyone," a former UN staff member in Afghanistan told Reuters.

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Also see the information below to enlighten you on Terry Jones:

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastor_Terry_Jones#Pastor_Terry_Jones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Jones

2010 Qur'an-Burning Controversy

The 2010 Book-burning controversy arose when pastor Terry Jones of the small, non-denominational Christian Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, United States, announced plans to conduct book burnings of the Qur'an on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, which he dubbed International Burn a Koran Day. The planned Qur'an desecration event was widely condemned by politicians and religious groups. At one point, Jones declared the book-burning cancelled and announced his intention to fly to New York to meet with the imam of Park51, Feisal Abdul Rauf, but later stated that the burning was suspended, not cancelled. The proposal to burn Qur'ans began with a series of Twitter messages on July 12, and/or a related discussion on the now-removed Facebook group "Islam is of the Devil", named after Terry Jones' book. Jones invited Christians to burn the Muslim holy book to remember all 9/11 victims. It was to be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m CNN News. The idea initially had little support and considerable opposition, but Religion News Service ran a story describing Jones' claim that he had received Qur'ans to burn. CAIR refused to respond, but other religious organizations did.

On July 25 Jones posted a YouTube video in which he held up a Qur'an and said "This is the book that is responsible for 9/11. No, to me it looks like the religion of the devil CNN News" which garnered substantial media attention. On August 3, Gainsville mayor Craig Lowe asked the world's media to ignore Jones' church as a "tiny fringe group and an embarrassment to our community", but coverage continued to increase. In early August, Sunni scholars at al-Azhar University in Cairo issued a statement warning of "dangerous consequences" if Qur'ans were burned. U.S. President Obama condemned the plan saying it would endanger the lives of U.S. troops abroad. American Muslims responded by saying they would celebrate September 11, 2010 as 'love Jesus day' emphasizing the fact that Jesus is believed to be a messenger of God in Islam. Other groups asked people to celebrate Read the Koran day as a means to international understanding.

Comment:

'Freedom of Religion' does not necessitate an individual to assault, despise or hate other religion... Isn't there a law in US or Britain that prohibits that? And why wasn't Terry Jones arrested and prosecuted??

Children Upbringing in the Modern Days

2011-03-30T13:25:00.006+11:00

Comment:

You want the ‘best’ for your daughter (and son), but you don’t really know how to discipline them. For some parents, its all about the best results, the best schools, the best presents, the best clothes, but they sometimes forget about the best discipline and moral upbringing.

WHO would you blame more? The parents who don’t know how to discipline their children, and turn them into brats (demanding and selfish person)? Or the poor girl/boy, who was brought up (by such parents) with all the good material things in life, but was not given moral and discipline education?

(Note: For a Muslim, that would also means religious education and upbringing - as religion teaches the children to love, respect, take care of the parents, and respect others, and do good and kindness to oneself and others, etc.).

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/9099793/teen-pistol-whipped-mother-over-used-car (30 March 2011)

Teen 'pistol-whipped mother' over used car

Yahoo!7 March 30, 2011, 10:51 am A US teenager has been charged after reportedly pointing a gun at her mother, pistol-whipping her, and forcing her into a car. And all because the 17-year-old girl wanted a new car. The trouble started when a car salesman at a local dealership told the Rachel Anne Hochero she could not sign for a loan by herself, and would need to be accompanied by an adult. Ms Hochero reportedly got into an argument with her mother on the phone, because she refused to help her daughter with the loan.

The teen drove home, where she allegedly became infuriated and pulled out the gun, and forced her mother to drive to the Nissan dealership. The girl's mother chose not to press charges because her daughter had recently been "accepted to several Ivy League schools."

Police decided to press charges after discovering the gun was stolen. The girl has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. She has not been charged in relation to the stolen gun.

China New Apartments & Cities: No Inhabitants ?!

2011-03-26T09:38:00.004+11:00

http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/about/id/601007/n/China-s-Ghost-Cities?cid=23225
(26 March 2011)

CHINA NEW APARTMENTS AND CITIES: EMPTY ?!

Vast new cities of apartments and shops are being built across China at a rate of ten a year, but they remain almost completely uninhabited ghost towns.

It’s all part of the government’s efforts to keep the economy booming, and there are many people who would love to move in, but it’s simply too expensive for most.

Video journalist Adrian Brown wanders through malls of vacant shops, and roads lined with empty apartment buildings… 64 million apartments are said to be empty across the country and one of the few shop owners says he once didn’t sell anything for four or five days.

So are the efforts to boost the economy going to end up having the opposite effect and creating a financial crisis for China?

Also see video at:
http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/601007/n/China-s-Ghost-Cities

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China's Empty City
(10 Nov 2009)

Doubts remain whether strong economic growth in China can be sustained by public spending alone. China's economy is continuing to grow despite the global recession, helped by a massive government stimulus package of $585bn. But doubts remain whether such strong growth can be sustained by public spending alone.

Al Jazeera's Melissa Chan reports from Inner Mongolia, where a whole town built with government money is standing empty

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/11/2009111061722672521.html#

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1975397_2094500,00.html

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1975397_2094498,00.html

Comment:

ITS call investments. Its all about investments for the rich chineses. Its not for the ordinary layman. Look at how different a layman live and a rich chinese man live. Its expensive for sure, for a layman.

SPM Results: MALAYSIA

2011-03-24T20:28:00.007+11:00

Comment:

With the new year, this time around, if you say I got an 'A', it can means A, A+, or A- ... But who cares, an A is an A... But, the reality is, * Are Malaysian students getting smarter? OR* Is it the system (education grading system) that out smart them ??

1- Creative and innovative teaching and learning --> Produce creative and innovative thinking students (as opposed to students that memorized notes to pass their exams).

2- Problem solving techniques --> Produce students with the necessary skills to effectively solve problems and provide solutions (as opposed to students who produce 'script answers' to exam questions).

3- Effective 'social skills' --> Produce self-confidence students, and being able to effectively socialized in a positive way, as opposed to students that keep to themselves, shy, lack confidence, self-interests or selfish, and do not know how to interact with friends and peers.

4- Leadership skills --> Produce students with the quality of 'how to lead' and also be a 'good supporters and followers.' This is learnt directy and indirectly from co-curriculum activities and clubs (but with the recent budget cuts on clubs and other positive social activities, how far these students can learn positive leadership skills ?).

Hence, the government and school authorities need to take ALL this into considerations, and not just the final exam paper results (in PMR, SPM, STPM, college exams, etc.)!... (If they are sincerely serious in developing the youths, and constantly emphasizing that the youths are the backbone of the country).

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http://www.mmail.com.my/content/67397-spm-results-9239-straight (24 March 2011)

SPM results: 9,239 straight As

Submitted by shaza on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 Local : SMK Assunta : SPM results

Performance improves after 10-subject limit implemented last year

Ee Ann Nee Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 13:04:00

JUBILATION: SMK Assunta students celebrate after getting their SPM results this morning — Pic: Shahir Omar PUTRAJAYA: A total of 9,239 candidates obtained distinction (A+, A, A-) in all subjects in the 2010 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, compared to 7,987 candidates in 2009. Education ministry director-general Datuk Abdul Ghafar Mahmud, who announced the results here this morning, said it was the best SPM result in four years, just like last year’s UPSR and PMR examinations. He said students’ performance in the examination was encouraging and showed improvement in terms of quality and quantity.

“The move to limit each SPM candidate to a maximum of 10 subjects, which was implemented last year, gave students the opportunity to focus on their studies and work on their chosen subjects in a more intensive and comprehensive way.” A total of 363 candidates from government schools scored straight A+ or Super Distinction in the examination, compared to 214 candidates in 2009.

Overall, the Average National Grade (GPN) rose to 5.19 from 5.34 in 2009. Abdul Ghafar said the gap between urban and rural students inched closer this time around with the GPN reduced by 0.18 from 2009. “Candidates from rural areas fared better than candidates in urban areas in Bahasa Melayu and Science. "However, efforts need to be stepped up to close the gap between candidates in rural and urban areas especially in English, History, Mathematics, Islamic Education and Moral Studies.”

A total of 368,559 candidates or 91.2 per cent obtained their SPM certificates this year compared to 364,046 in 2009. This year, candidates were also able obtain their results through SMS, which would be provided until midnight on March 30.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0324&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_01.htm

(24 March 2011)

SPM terbaik dalam 4 tahun

Oleh THOMAS CHONG pengarang@utusan.com.my Abd. Ghaffar Mahmud menunjukkan keputusan peperiksaan SPM pada sidang media di Putrajaya, semalam. PUTRAJAYA 23 Mac - Keputusan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2010 adalah yang terbaik dalam empat tahun ini dengan seramai 9,239 orang atau 2.28 peratus calon sekolah Kementerian Pelajaran memperoleh gred cemerlang ( A+,A dan A-) dalam semua mata pelajaran yang diduduki.

Ketua Pengarah Pelajaran, Datuk Abd. Ghafar Mahmud berkata, daripada jumlah tersebut, seramai 363 calon berjaya mendapat gred cemerlang tertinggi iaitu A+ dalam semua mata pelajaran. ''Sebanyak 368,559 orang atau 91.2 peratus calon berjaya mendapat sijil berbanding 90.8 peratus calon pada tahun lalu.

''Sebanyak 81 daripada 103 mata pelajaran telah menunjukkan peningkatan prestasi yang menggalakkan berdasarkan Gred Purata Mata Pelajaran (GPMP)," katanya ketika mengumumkan analisis keputusan SPM 2010 di sini hari ini.

Mengenai pelajar terbaik, beliau berkata, seramai empat calon berjaya mendapat A+ dalam kesemua 12 mata pelajaran yang diambil dan 47 lagi mendapat A+ dalam semua 11 mata pelajaran. ''Terdapat 207 calon yang mendapat A+ dalam semua 10 mata pelajaran dan 105 calon mendapat A+ dalam semua sembilan mata pelajaran," katanya, Abd Ghafar berkata, sebahagian besar sekolah di Malaysia dikategorikan dalam pencapaian sekolah cemerlang, baik dan memuaskan.

''Hanya sebilangan kecil iaitu 66 buah sekolah atau 3.1 peratus sahaja yang memperoleh pencapaian berpotensi," katanya. Menurutnya, seramai tujuh calon berkeperluan khas termasuk yang rabun, buta dan pekak berjaya mendapat keputusan cemerlang bagi semua mata pelajaran. ''Seorang calon rabun telah berjaya mendapat lapan A+ dan tiga A dalam 11 mata pelajaran yang diduduki dan seorang lagi calon buta mendapat enam A+, tiga A dan satu A-," katanya. Tambahnya, pelajar paling cemerlang dalam SPM 2010 akan diraikan oleh Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dalam satu majlis yang akan diadakan di Lembaga Peperiksaan di Kuala Lumpur pada 1 April ini.

Neo-Colonialism of MNCs Banks !

2011-03-10T12:12:00.011+11:00

Comment:

'Neo-Colonialism' ... ITS just another way of saying that one has been 'exploited' and not paid adequate salaries, and other benefits accordingly.

Also how about the HIGH 'Interest Rate' of 15-18 % (per annum) charged by commercial banks on the balance on credit cards... Other developed countries like Australia, NZ, and UK, to name a few, have already lower their annual 'Interest rate' on credit cards balance, to less than 10 % per annum... something that Bank Negara (BNM) should look into !

[Note: Better still, don't own a credit card, or just keep only 1 credit card, for transactions or registration into hotels, while on holidays, online buying, etc... I know of some, who carries 4-8 credit cards in their wallet, and boast of it... More cards, means more debts!]

http://www.utusan.com.my/ (10th March 2011)

PERSATUAN Kebangsaan Pekerja-Pekerja Bank Citibank berpiket kerana tidak berpuas hati dengan pihak pengurusan bank tersebut, di hadapan Menara Citibank, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, 9 Mac. - Utusan/HAFIZ JOHARI

Angkasa Taken to Court !

2011-02-11T18:42:00.002+11:00

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/63558-angkasa-taken-court#comment-47945

(11 FEB 2011)

Angkasa taken to court

Submitted by Najiah on Friday, February 11th, 2011
Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa)
Five co-ops take apex body to court with simmering allegations
Frankie D'Cruz
NADIRAH H. RODZI
Friday, February 11th, 2011 13:25:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Crisis-ridden apex cooperative movement Angkatan Koperasi Malaysia (Angkasa) — with a membership of close to eight million — has been slammed with a suit by five cooperatives alleging criminal breach of trust, mismanagement, misappropriation and abuse of power by eight key officials.

The five cooperatives have alleged the officials of Angkasa had cost the national cooperative organisation of Malaysia, that has 7,688 cooperatives under its wings, to suffer losses running into millions of ringgit. The suit was filed amid a claim this morning by the Adviser to the Cooperative Union of Malaysia, Thuraisingham Shun, that 75 per cent of civil servants were in debt with financial institutions over various loans.

He said the figure, suggested by a Universiti Malaya economist, was a further indicator that Angkasa was in shambles and that today’s suit was a move to revamp the body. Shun said Angkasa’s operations should be suspended and the accounts frozen until the court has made a decision. The officials implicated are Angkasa president Prof Datuk Mohd Ali Bahrum, Datuk Fatah Abdullah (deputy president), Armi Zainuddin Mutadho Bahri, Jamal Abdullah (all vice-presidents), chief executive officer Nasir Khan Yahya, executive secretary Mohd Zamri Yaakob and chief accountant Suresh Kumar.

The plaintiffs are Koperasi Rangkaian Sahabat Dungun Bhd, Koperasi Insan Bantu Insan Kuala Lumpur Bhd, Koperasi Konsortium Kontraktor Bumiputera Bhd, Koperasi Pembangunan Melayu Raub Berhad and Koperasi Pengurusan Tanah Malaysia Bhd.

The cooperatives filed an originating summons with the Kuala Lumpur High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) this morning seeking a declaration to suspend the officials for allegedly:

● taking more than a million ringgit in allowances for attending board meetings from 2007-2009. The president was accused of taking RM155,118 in 2008.
● failing in their fiduciary responsibilities in the purchase of a land in Kelana Jaya and causing a loss of RM6.5 million in the deal with Malaysian Association of Productivity.
● approving and spending RM500,000 for a delegates’ conference, including allowances, in 2009 in violation of by-laws.
● spending RM1.27 million to buy seven Toyota Camry for their personal use just before Hari Raya last year while only RM400,000 was authorised for that purpose.
● approving and spending RM500,000 over and above the sanctioned budget of RM1.5 million in 2009 without permission.
● abusing their powers in suspending three members of the State liaison committee for three years.
● paying unauthorised allowances to officials of the Malaysian Cooperative Societies Commission, and other government officials who attended several board meetings. These payments were viewed as corruption.
● making false media statements that Angkasa had made a profit of RM2 billion for the financial year ending 30th June 2010.
Fatah and Muhtadho were also said to have failed to relinquish their positions at the ensuing annual general meeting after they were appointed to fill the vacant position of vice-president temporarily following the demise of the former president Datuk Rahim Bakar in 2009.

In the supporting affidavit, a director of Koperasi Rangkaian Sahabat Dungun, Datuk Seri Noor Zainan Zainul, said despite reports to the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Malaysian Cooperative Societies Commission, no action had been taken by the defendants to resolve the issues.

The cooperatives, through their lawyers, applied to the court to suspend the entire board and requested for a court administrator to manage the affairs of Angkasa. They also sought a forensic audit to ascertain the true financial situation in Angkasa and refer the findings to a special general meeting.

Noor Zainan led four representatives of the other cooperatives to file the affidavit through their lawyer Moghan Muthiah at 10.30am. Shun later told reporters the five cooperatives would file a certificate of urgency for speedy hearing of the matter.

He said the affected co-operatives had sent a letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Jan 31 and were hoping to meet him to address the state of cooperatives in the country. Angkasa, registered in May 1971, is recognised by the government as the national apex body of cooperative organisations.

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Kerajaan Cetus Keganasan: White House

2011-02-04T10:55:00.002+11:00

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0204&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Luar_Negara&pg=lu_02.htm

(4 Feb 2011)

Kerajaan cetus keganasan - White House

WASHINGTON 3 Feb. - White House semalam membangkitkan kemungkinan kerajaan Mesir mencetuskan keganasan yang sedang memuncak di Kaherah semalam apabila puak yang menyokong Presiden Hosni Mubarak melakukan pertempuran.

Jurucakap White House, Robert Gibbs juga mengulangi gesaan Presiden Barack Obama supaya peralihan kuasa yang teratur dimulakan 'sekarang'.

"Sudah tentulah jika keganasan itu dicetuskan oleh kerajaan, ia perlu dihentikan segera," kata Gibbs. Pentadbiran Obama turut menghubungi ketua tentera Mesir, untuk menekankan keperluan ketenteraman dipulihkan di Kaherah sambil memuji peranan utama yang boleh dimainkan oleh tentera dalam menyelesaikan krisis itu.

Gibbs tidak menggesa Mubarak meletakkan jawatan dengan segera tetapi katanya, peralihan kuasa mesti bermula serta-merta. Ketika ditanya sama ada White House boleh menerima Mubarak meneruskan perkhidmatannya sehingga September ini, Gibbs berkata, beliau enggan membincangkan butir perbualan Obama dengan Presiden Mesir itu.

Namun, Senator John McCain yang menemui Obama di White House berkata, 'Sudah tiba masanya untuk Mubarak berundur.'

"Situasi yang semakin buruk di Mesir mendorong saya membuat kesimpulan Presiden Mubarak perlu berundur dan melepaskan kuasa," kata McCain, anggota kanan Parti Republikan dalam Jawatankuasa Perkhidmatan Bersenjata di Senat, dalam satu kenyataan. - Reuters

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Floods in Malaysia: 40,000 Evacuated !

2011-02-01T12:37:00.004+11:00

Comment:

So much for the big floods in Queensland, Australia a few weeks back... Now Johore, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, Pahang and Sabah has its own floods to worry. The question now is, how quick is the government in landing a helping hand to ease the floods' victims, with their temporary shelters, or accommodations, foods, medicines, and others.

[Queensland Floods: Significant flooding occurred in many areas of Queensland during late December 2010 and early January 2011, with three quarters of the state declared a disaster zone.

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/ ; Also see,

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/floodrelief ]

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/1/nation/7914433&sec=nation
(1 February 2011)

40,000 evacuated to relief centres as floods hit five states

JOHOR BARU: Floodwaters have cut off communications in several towns in Johor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Pahang and Sabah while nearly 40,000 people were evacuated to relief centres.

So far three people were killed – two were swept away by strong currents while one fell into a pool. Another person is missing. Thousands of commuters going back to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year holidays were disrupted by floods on trunk roads and a section of the North-South Expressway.

KTM Berhad was forced to cancel several intercity train services in Negri Sembilan and Johor. Rohani Ismail, 51, was killed when the car she was driving was swept away by floodwaters from an oil palm plantation in Cha’ah, Johor at about 7pm. Aw Yoke Lin, 53, from Taman Pelangi was killed when her four-wheel drive vehicle was swept into a river at Kampung Rahmat, Kulaijaya.

Some 1,426 people from 342 families have been evacuated from their homes in Kulai and have taken refuge at 11 relief centres. “For the time being, there are sufficient supplies of food, medical aid and shelter for affected residents,” said Kulai MP Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, adding the situation there was under control.

In Malacca, rescuers recovered the body of security guard Yusry Mohd Yusof, 40, after he fell into a water treatment plant pool at 10am in Kampung Chinchin, Jasin.

In Sabah, farmer Meriting Andi, 52, went missing as he waded a swollen Sungai Samparita in Kota Marudu to rescue his stranded children on the other side of the river bank.

The Prime Minister is expected to visit the flood-prone areas in Johor today. A total of 29,294 people were evacuated in Johor and were housed in 200 relief centres as at 4pm yesterday, in a repeat of major floods which occurred in 2006.

Segamat has become an “island” after it was cut off by floodwaters. Police said no one can get in or out of Segamat as the roads to Muar, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur are under water.

A Ledang flood operations centre spokesman said four roads – Jalan Sialang-Tangkak, Jalan Gementah-Segamat, Jalan Simpang Bekoh and a stretch of the North-South Expressway near Km173 are only accessible to heavy vehicles.

Flash floods were also reported in Lahad Datu, Beluran and certain areas of Pitas, while many rural roads including those in plantations have been cut off by floods, making it difficult for vegetable farmers to send their produce to the main towns.

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Please Stay Fit, Yang Berhormat !

2011-01-26T00:31:00.004+11:00

Comment:

Do the rakyat knows how much the government had spent on the YB and elections (i.e. the days before election, the election days, and the post election days). Then suddenly, the YB just dies, yes its an act of God, but God also tell us to 'always stay fit and be healthy, and to lead a healthy lifestyle.' As the famous Arabic quote says 'A healthy mind posits in a healthy body.'

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/17snnd/Article/

Please stay fit, Yang Berhormat
2011/01/24

WINNABLE candidates should now be not only those who can definitely win elections but also last the pace and go the distance. Twelve of the 15 by-elections since August 2008 had to be called because the elected representatives died in office (including one in a road accident). And this leaves that stimulating question of whether, to save all that trouble, a fitness test ought to be made mandatory for politicians wanting to become wakil rakyat. Or an advisory to go slow on the gulai kawah and briyani kambing in their constituency rounds.

Perhaps it is time prospective candidates be asked to declare not just their assets but their health status as well. And it is just as well that this matter would be proposed to the cabinet, according to news reports two days ago quoting Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Yes, deaths are pre-determined by God and they are unpredictable. Even then, with all due respect to the families of the deceased, we can make efforts to reduce the prospect of by-elections every two months and the intense politicking that comes with them as much as possible.

Just be fit, Yang Berhormat.....

Let's consider these cases:

- Pas member of parliament for Bukit Gantang Roslan Shahrom died on Feb 10, 2009 while riding a bicycle. He was just 50.

Roslan had just sent in his car to a wash in Changkat Lalang, Batu Gajah, when he didn't feel right. He then borrowed a bicycle to get some medication at a nearby pharmacy. He collapsed while riding. Heart attack.

- Barisan Nasional MP for Kuala Terengganu Datuk Razali Ismail died on Nov 28, 2008 while playing badminton in Genting Highlands.

He was 59. It is learnt that Razali, the deputy education minister, was playing a doubles match at a college hall when he collapsed after trying to retrieve a smash by his opponent.

When he failed to return that shot, Razali went into a spin and was seen leaning against the wall before collapsing. His head was bleeding from the impact of the fall. Heart attack.

- Batang Ai state assemblyman and Sarawak assistant minister for agriculture Datuk Dublin Unting, 55, died on Feb 24, 2009 after being in a coma for several months.

Dublin suffered a stroke and lost consciousness after attending a radio interview with RTM. He had complained of chest pains before that but dismissed the signs as lethargy.

- Manik Urai assemblyman Ismail Yaacob died at 60 on May 22, 2009. The official cause of death was heart attack but he had been sick for quite sometime prior to his death as he was also diagnosed as having diabetes and often had gout attacks.

- Pas assemblyman for Permatang Pasir in Penang, Datuk Hamdan Abdul Rahman, died on July 31, 2009 after being in and out of the National Heart Institute (IJN). He was 60.

- Umno's Bagan Pinang assemblyman Azman Mohammad Noor died on Sept 4, 2009. He was 55. Cause of death: blood disorder. He had a heart bypass operation four months before his death but did not recover well.

According to reports, he began feeling unwell after the state assembly sitting in August 2009 and was always feeling lethargic.

It is understood that despite his condition, Azman had insisted on keeping his appointments, especially with his constituents. Just before he died, Azman was taken to hospital when he was running a very high fever but fell unconscious while being taken to the intensive care unit.

- Parti Keadilan Rakyat MP for Hulu Selangor Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad died on March 25 last year at 71. He had a brain tumour.

- BN Sibu MP Datuk Dr Robert Lau, 67, died on April 9 last year of liver cancer.

- Galas assemblyman Che Hashim Sulaiman of Pas died in Nov 4 last year. He was 48 and had lung cancer. He even sought treatment in China.

- BN assemblyman for Tenang Datuk Sulaiman Taha died on Jan 14 after going in and out of consciousness since being admitted to hospital last month.

The three-term assemblyman, who suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes, was warded in a private hospital.

- And just last week, BN's Merlimau state assemblyman Datuk Mohamad Hidhir Abu Hassan, 54, died after suffering three heart attacks following a recent angioplasty to clear a blocked artery. He was taken to hospital after complaining of stomach discomfort upon his return from Taiwan a few days earlier.

Perhaps these were cases of age suddenly catching up. Or maybe it was the stress of the job that took its toll on the elected representatives. Could it be lifestyle and diet as wakil rakyat? The endless kenduri at community meetings? The whole lot of constituency problems to attend to, hence the stress?

But the sudden surge in the number of deaths of politicians in office is a cause for concern. Notice that most of the cases involved elected representatives serving rural constituencies -- none from the bustling areas in the Klang Valley, Penang or Johor Baru.

The deaths (inevitably always described as untimely or premature) were most unfortunate. But they raised a lot of questions when money, time and resources have to be spent on the ensuing by-elections.

Read more: Please stay fit, Yang Berhormat

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/17snnd/Article/#ixzz1C3NoVdC5

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Israel and US Computer Worm

2011-01-17T22:21:00.003+11:00

URLhttp://www.news.com.au/technology/report-says-israel-tested-stuxnet-computer-worm-on-iran-with-us-help/story-e6frfro0-1225989305649 (17th January 2011)

Report says Israel tested Stuxnet computer worm on Iran, with US help
From: NewsCore
January 17, 2011 9:46AM

US and Israeli intelligence services collaborated to develop a destructive computer worm to sabotage Iran's efforts to make a nuclear bomb. A article by The New York Times quoted intelligence and military experts as saying Israel has tested the effectiveness of the Stuxnet computer worm, which apparently shut down a fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges in November and helped delay its ability to make its first nuclear weapons.

The testing took place at the heavily guarded Dimona complex in the Negev desert housing the Middle East's sole, albeit undeclared nuclear weapons program. Experts and officials told the Times the effort to create Stuxnet was a US-Israeli project with the help, knowingly or not, of Britain and Germany.

"To check out the worm, you have to know the machines," a US expert told the newspaper. "The reason the worm has been effective is that the Israelis tried it out." There has been widespread speculation Israel was behind the Stuxnet worm that has attacked computers in Iran, and Tehran has blamed the Jewish state and the United States for the killing of two nuclear scientists in November and January.

The Times report came as Iran earlier said its controversial uranium enrichment program was progressing "very strongly," just days ahead of a high-profile meeting between Tehran and six world powers over the Islamic republic's nuclear program. Both the United States and Israel have recently announced they believe the program has been set back by several years. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pointed to a series of sanctions imposed since June 2009 by the UN Security Council and individual countries.

And Moshe Yaalon, Israel's strategic affairs minister and former military chief, said last month that a series of "technological challenges and difficulties" meant Tehran was still about three years away from being able to build nuclear weapons. Israel has backed US-led efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability through sanctions, but has also refused to rule out military force.

The Stuxnet worm apparently included two major parts, one intended to make Iran's nuclear centrifuges spin out of control. Another secretly recorded normal operations at the nuclear plant, then played those recordings back to the site's operators so all would appear usual during the sabotage operation, according to the Times.

Stuxnet targets computer control systems made by German industrial giant Siemens and commonly used to manage water supplies, oil rigs, power plants and other critical infrastructure.
Most Stuxnet infections have been discovered in Iran, giving rise to speculation it was intended to sabotage nuclear facilities there.

False Claims and MP

2011-01-08T11:30:00.002+11:00

Comment:

I wonder if things like this also happen in Malaysia?! (False claims and jailed sentences for MP).

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=155780506&ocid=MSNToolbar100
(8 January 2011)

Chaytor jailed over false expenses

David Chaytor has been jailed for 18 months after making false expenses claims. Former Labour MP David Chaytor has been jailed for 18 months for making false Parliamentary expenses claims. Chaytor, 61, became the first politician to be convicted and sentenced over the expenses scandal which has rocked Westminster. He submitted bogus invoices to support claims totalling £22,650 for IT services and renting homes in London and his Bury North constituency.

But the properties were owned by him and his mother, and he did not pay out any of his own money, Southwark Crown Court in London heard. Chaytor, of Lumbutts, Todmorden, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty last month to three counts of false accounting between November 2005 and January 2008.

The former MP is now facing a large legal bill for both his defence and the costs of bringing the prosecution against him. Sentencing Chaytor, Mr Justice Saunders said the Parliamentary expenses scandal has "shaken public confidence in the legislature and angered the public".

In mitigation, James Sturman QC said Chaytor was a "broken man" who had already paid a "quite devastating price" for his actions. He said: "He accepts he has brought shame on himself, he has brought shame on his family and he has brought shame on Parliament."

A Labour Party spokesman said: "David Chaytor had already been suspended from the Labour Party and following his custodial sentence he has now been excluded from the party."

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Top Gear and Islam

2011-01-01T13:54:00.009+11:00

Source:
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0101&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Luar_Negara&pg=lu_07.htm

Top Gear persenda Islam

Jeremy Clarkson dan Richard Hammond memakai burqa bagi melindungi muka mereka dalam episod khas Boxing Day yang disiarkan pada 26 Disember, 2010. - BBC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LONDON 31 Dis. - Penyampai- penyampai rancangan televisyen pemotoran Britain, Top Gear mencetuskan kemarahan masyarakat Islam, apabila mempersendakan agama itu dengan aksi memakai burqa dalam episod khas Boxing Day yang disiarkan pada 26 Disember lalu.

Dalam episod itu, Jeremy Clarkson dan Richard Hammond memakai burqa bagi melindungi muka mereka daripada dilihat di jalan. Episod itu turut menampilkan seorang lagi penyampai, James May yang disapa mereka sewaktu dalam perjalanan pulang dari hospital selepas menerima rawatan akibat kepalanya terhantuk pada batu semasa berada di gurun Syria.

Bagaimanapun jenaka yang cuba ditonjolkan mereka dikecam hebat oleh masyarakat Islam kerana ia disifatkan sebagai mempersendakan agama Islam. "Burqa adalah simbol agama kami dan ia tidak patut dijadikan bahan jenaka oleh sesiapa.

"Ia akan dilihat sama teruk walaupun dilakonkan di negara yang majoriti penduduknya bukan Islam," kata jurucakap kumpulan Islam Britain, Islam4UK

[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam4UK ]

Dalam episod khas yang ditonton enam juta penonton itu, tiga penyampai tersebut memandu kereta sport direka khas ke Baitulaham melalui Turki, Syria dan Jordan.

Aksi mereka memakai burqa boleh dilihat semasa memandu kereta dan membantu May yang cedera di kepala, namun pemilihan pakaian itu turut dikritik di Twitter dan laman-laman web diskusi.

Stesen penyiaran BBC berkata, pihaknya masih belum menilai reaksi penonton berhubung perkara tersebut. Ini bukan kali pertama Clarkson membangkitkan kemarahan masyarakat Islam berhubung pemakaian burqa. Pada Julai lalu, dia memberitahu penonton Top Gear, dia pernah ternampak seorang wanita Islam memakai seluar dalam yang menarik di bawah burqanya. - Agensi

Komen:

Apa lagi yang hendak dinilai, takkan orang kulit putih tak faham, atau tak cukup ilmu, untuk memahami yang memakai burqa (sejenis pakaian perempuan Muslim), dan mempersenda-senda boleh menyebabkan orang Muslim marah?! Saja nak uji atau membuat orang Islam marah lagi lah tu... atau untuk menaikkan rating 'show' mereka... Cepat orang Islam kena boikot 'show' mereka dan kutuk habis2!

PTK di Mansuh !

2010-12-21T14:35:00.006+11:00

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=1221&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Terkini&pg=bt_08.htm

(21 December 2010)

Mekanisme baru ganti PTK - Najib
21/12/2010 11:21am

KUALA LUMPUR 21 Dis. - Kerajaan akan berunding dengan Cuepacs untuk mewujudkan satu mekanisme penilaian baru kakitangan awam bagi menggantikan Penilaian Tahap Kecekapan (PTK) yang telah dimansuhkan.

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata, penilaian baru itu akan dipastikan menjurus kepada aspek yang berkaitan bidang tugas kakitangan awam sahaja. - Utusan

Also see:

http://cuepacs.blogspot.com/

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/12/22/nation/7668334&sec=nation

(22nd Dec 2010)

Govt doubles Cuepacs grant to RM2mil

KUALA LUMPUR: The annual government grant for Cuepacs has been doubled to RM2mil from next year and the Government will also consider giving bonuses to civil servants if the country’s financial position improves, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

The Prime Minister said that Cuepacs will receive an allocation of RM1mil as a one-off payment for the congress to repair its headquarters in Pudu which was said to be in a dilapidated state.

The Government had earlier raised the quantum of the annual grant to the congress from RM350,000 in 2009 to RM1mil this year. Najib said the Government understood what Cuepacs wanted but the Government had to be realistic in its spending.

“We will do the best (for the people) but within the capability (of the Government). I would be most happy if I could pay bonus because I will be able to see the smiles on the faces of the 1.3 million civil servants,” he said at the Cuepacs 25th triennial seminar and convention here yesterday.

Najib said that when Cuepacs demanded a RM500 bonus for each civil servant every year, the Government had to fork out close to RM1bil. He advised Cuepacs to refrain from having a confrontational approach with the Government.

Comment:

What I see more important is not the 'bonus issue' per se (even though a bonus would be good), but more importantly the M'sian government must control and monitor the prices of essential raw materials and goods/products, so that it will not be too high and burden the lower income groups of people in the society. Whats the point of having a high salary, when you have to also pay higher prices for the goods? ; I noticed that in developed countries like, UK and Australia, even though the salaries of workers are high, but the prices of essential goods are keep relatively low ; Ask any M'sians and they will immediately tells you that the prices of goods are getting higher by the day, now thats what the M'sian government must tackle.

Hakim Mahkamah Syariah

2010-12-14T19:52:00.003+11:00

KOMEN:

Apa sudah jadi dengan hakim mahkamah syariah kita? Hakim mahkamah syariah umpama 'ustaz' yang berjawatan tinggi... gaji pun boleh tahan... tapi sempat lagi buat rasuah?!

Antara masalahnya, mungkinkah:

1- Gaji tak cukup tinggi?

2- Tidak ada sistem 'check and balance' yang berkesan daripada pihak atasan?

3- Mungkin juga tiada sistem 'maklumbalas awam' yang efektif (effective public feedback), dimana pendapat dan pandangan umum (aduan awam) dianggap 'sampah.'

Buatlah 'interview' dengan 'hakim' tersebut, dan tanyalah apakah sebenarnya yang berlaku sehingga menyebabkan keruntuhan darjat/moral yang begitu drastik?

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=1214&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Terkini&pg=bt_08.htm (14th Dec 2010)

Bekas hakim dipenjara 19 tahun kerana rasuah
14/12/2010 4:03pm
IPOH 14 Dis. - Bekas Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah Perak, Hassan Basri Shapie hari ini dihukum penjara 19 tahun dan denda RM210,000 selepas disabitkan atas tujuh pertuduhan rasuah. - Utusan

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=1214&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Mahkamah&pg=ma_02.htm (14th Dec 2010)

Bicara Hakim Syarie khalwat 31 Januari (2011)

PULAU PINANG 13 Dis. – Ketua Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah dan pasangannya yang sebelum ini ditahan oleh penguat kuasa Jabatan Agama Islam Pulau Pinang (JAIPP) kerana disyaki bersekedudukan, dilepaskan oleh Mahkamah Rendah Syariah di sini dengan bon mahkamah RM3,000 setiap seorang.

Hakim Nik Bukhari Hashimy Nik Yahya menetapkan jumlah tersebut selepas pihaknya dimaklumkan oleh peguam Ahmad Munawir Abd. Aziz yang mewakili pasangan terbabit bahawa anak guamnya sudah berkahwin di luar negara.

Pada prosiding di mahkamah hari ini, peguam itu turut mengemukakan surat pengesahan pernikahan pasangan terbabit. ‘‘Justeru itu, pihak pembelaan memohon siasatan semula dilakukan sebelum sebarang tindakan lanjut diambil terhadap suspek sama ada mereka didakwa ataupun sebaliknya atas tuduhan berkenaan,’’ kata Ahmad Munawir.

Nik Bukhari menetapkan 31 Januari depan untuk sebutan semula kes tersebut bagi membolehkan tindakan susulan dibuat oleh pihak pendakwaan terhadap suspek yang berusia 40-an dan 30-an. Terdahulu, kedua-dua suspek hadir ke mahkamah pada pukul 10 pagi diiringi peguam mereka, Ahmad Munawir yang turut dibantu oleh Wan Faridulhadi Md. Yusof.

Kes tersebut kemudiannya didaftarkan oleh Bahagian Pendakwaan JAIPP. Ketua Pendakwa Syarie, Mohd. Zulkhairi Aziz mendaftarkan kes itu mengikut Seksyen 27 (a) (b) Enakmen Kesalahan Jenayah Syariah Negeri Pulau Pinang 1996 iaitu berkhalwat. Bagaimanapun pertuduhan berkenaan tidak dibacakan terhadap pasangan itu setelah pihak pembelaan mengemukakan representasi kepada Ketua Pendakwaan Syarie Pulau Pinang supaya kes tersebut disemak semula.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=1210&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Mahkamah&pg=ma_07.htm (10 Dec 2010)

Tindakan tegas hakim khalwat

PULAU PINANG 9 Dis. – Jabatan Agama Islam Pulau Pinang (JAIPP) hari ini mengesahkan seorang hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah di negeri ini ditahan kerana disyaki bersekedudukan dengan seorang wanita di sebuah perumahan kerajaan di sini Ahad lalu.

Pengarahnya, Sazali Hussin berkata, buat masa ini, kes membabitkan hakim tersebut yang berusia lingkungan 40-an dan berkhidmat di Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah di sini sedang giat dijalankan. “Kita bertindak atas aduan yang dibuat orang awam dan buat masa ini tidak dapat beri komen kerana ia masih dalam siasatan,” katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia ketika dihubungi di sini, hari ini.

Sebuah akhbar hari ini melaporkan, seorang Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah ditahan penguat kuasa JAIPP kerana disyaki bersekedudukan dengan seorang wanita di kuarters kerajaan di Georgetown di sini, pada Ahad lalu. Menurut laporan itu, hakim terbabit ditahan kira-kira pada pukul 2 pagi dan ketika serbuan dilakukan isteri dan anaknya tiada di rumah kerana dikatakan berada di ibu kota.

Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Pulau Pinang, Datuk Ayub Yaakob ketika dihubungi turut mengesahkan pihaknya menerima laporan mengenai penangkapan seorang hakim dan wanita kerana disyaki berkhalwat. Sementara itu, di ibu negara, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom berkata, pihaknya akan mengambil tindakan terhadap hakim syariah tersebut.

http://www.hmetro.com.my/articles/Hakimsyariahbersekedudukan/Article (9th Dec 2010)

Hakim syariah bersekedudukan
Oleh Idris Musa

KUALA LUMPUR: Seorang hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah ditahan penguat kuasa Jabatan Agama Islam Pulau Pinang kerana disyaki bersekedudukan dengan seorang wanita di kuarters kerajaan di Georgetown, Ahad lalu. Menurut sumber, hakim terbabit yang berusia 40-an ditangkap ketika bersama pasangannya kira-kira jam 2 pagi.

“Sewaktu kejadian, isteri dan anaknya tiada di rumah kerana dikatakan ke ibu kota. “Pasangan itu ditangkap penguat kuasa agama hasil maklumat diperoleh,” katanya ketika dihubungi, semalam.

Hakim terbabit dikatakan berkhidmat di Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah di sebuah negeri di utara Semenanjung sejak lebih setahun lalu. Sebelum ini, beliau bertugas di Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Malaysia (JKSM), Putrajaya. Kes berkenaan bagaimanapun masih di peringkat siasatan Jabatan Agama Islam Pulau Pinang dan hakim terbabit belum didakwa, sebaliknya dia dibebaskan dengan jaminan Jabatan Agama Islam selama seminggu.

Sumber itu berkata, kes berkenaan agak sulit (??) kerana mempunyai unsur ugutan daripada tertuduh terhadap pegawai penyiasat. Namun, katanya, pihak penyiasat sudah membuat laporan polis berhubung perkara berkenaan. “Pada masa ini hakim terbabit diberi jaminan penguat kuasa. Tempoh jaminan akan berakhir Isnin depan dan pada hari berkenaan, kes dijangka disebut di mahkamah syariah.

“Beliau sebelum ini dikatakan mengugut pegawai siasatan dan penguat kuasa dengan mengancam untuk mengambil tindakan jika mereka meneruskan kes berkenaan kerana beliau mendakwa mempunyai hubungan rapat dengan pihak atasan,” katanya.

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Program Realiti atau Realiti Kehidupan?!

2010-12-09T18:46:00.004+11:00

Komen:

Bagaimana mereka menang?? Bukankah mereka ini terpilih daripada ratusan calon, dengan kriteria yang amat ketat?! ... Lakonan saja... Itu lah sejak dulu lagi saya 'anti' program realiti... Tak tengok pun... Maksiat.

http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Sein_Nanasahbercerai/Article/index_html
(9th December 2010)

Sein, Nana sah bercerai
SHAH ALAM: Bagaikan sudah terkena badi, mahligai perkahwinan juara program realiti Sehati Berdansa musim ketiga, Sein Ruffedge dan Nana menemui titik nokhtah apabila Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah, di sini, membenarkan permohonan perceraian pasangan itu dengan talak satu, semalam.

Sein, 27, atau nama sebenarnya Syed Hussein Syed Mustaffa melafazkan talak pada jam 2.46 petang, selepas mahkamah membenarkan permohonan Nana, 26, yang juga anak bekas Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib untuk berpisah secara baik. Nana yang pernah menyertai rancangan realiti, Mentor musim pertama memfailkan permohonan itu mengikut Seksyen 47 Enakmen Undang-Undang Keluarga Islam Selangor 2003.

Prosiding perceraian berkenaan berlangsung di hadapan Hakim Syarie Zainor Rashid Hassin dan Nana atau nama sebenarnya, Noor Diyana Muhammad diwakili peguam syarie, Zuri Zabudin Budiman. Sein bagaimanapun tidak diwakili peguam syarie.

Terdahulu, Zuri Zabudin memberitahu, permohonan untuk bercerai itu difailkan berikutan pasangan terbabit tidak lagi mempunyai persefahaman dalam rumah tangga yang dibina sejak Julai 2006. “Pasangan ini tidak dapat lagi menjalani kehidupan sebagai suami dan isteri dan wujud perbalahan berpanjangan. Mereka masih serumah tetapi tidak tidur bersama. Pelbagai usaha sudah dijalankan tetapi tiada jalan penyelesaian,” katanya. Zainor Rashid selepas mendengar lafaz itu mensabitkan gugur talak satu kali pertama secara rajie terhadap Nana dan memerintahkan dia untuk beredah selama tiga kali suci.

Beliau juga memerintahkan supaya perceraian itu didaftarkan di Pejabat Agama Daerah Petaling dan surat nikah pasangan tersebut dibatalkan. Sein dan Nana mendirikan rumah tangga pada Julai 2006 dan hasil perkongsian hidup mereka dikurniakan dua cahayamata, Syed Tamriz Al-Qudsy, 3, dan Sharifah Inaiya Al-Qudsy, 1. Sein yang kini aktif sebagai pelakon dan pernah menjayakan drama bersiri ‘Adamaya’ bergandingan dengan Lisa Surihani. Dia juga pernah muncul sebagai pelakon undangan dalam Hotel Mania terbitan KRU Studio selain membintangi filem Sepi arahan Khabir Bhatia. Sein dan Nana adalah pasangan peserta Sehati Berdansa terbaru yang tidak dapat mempertahankan rumah tangga mereka. Sebelum ini, pasangan Asheed Def-Gab-C, Atilia, Dira Abu Zahar, Radhi OAG, Sabrina Ali dan Anne Ngasri turut menerima nasib sama. Pengacara Fahrin Ahmad yang menjalinkan hubungan dengan Linda Onn dan Scha Al Yahya ketika mengacara program ini turut berdepan kontroversi panas.

[Alamak... Macam tuhan tak restu program realiti ini... Macam-macam musibah ditimpa!]

Sementara itu, pada prosiding sama, mahkamah juga merekodkan persetujuan bersama Nana meliputi nafkah edah, mutaah dan harta sepencarian serta hak penjagaan dua anak mereka.

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Internet SCAM... ITS a worldwide phenomena

2010-12-09T17:29:00.006+11:00

Comment:

Internet SCAM... ITS a worldwide phenomena, the question is, when is the Interpol (International Police) going to do something about it? In some case, the scammer face was caught on cctv, his Identity Card was used to withdraw the money, and yet local police did not do anything to apprehend the man?? What more proof does the police need then?

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/mp/8481039/woman-loses-600-000-in-love-scam/
9th December 2010)

Woman loses $600,000 in 'love scam'

JAYNE RICKARD, The West Australian
December 9, 2010, 10:18 am

A 43-year-old Perth widow was scammed out of $600,000 after falling for a man online who was involved with a professional crime gang. The woman, who has two children aged 16 and 17, is now homeless, bankrupt and without a car after selling everything to give the man she believed loved her with funds for a business venture.

"All the time I was questioning myself but I had to give something a go, I wasn't working and I was trying to change my life, trying to make it better, a better life for my kids," the woman said. The woman met the man through an online dating service in November 2009.

She went online in search of a partner after her husband died 11 years ago and met 'Christopher', who told her he was of Greek origin and living in the US with business interests in West Africa. The pair were soon messaging each other directly in what she believed was a budding romance. Christopher began calling his victim almost every day and after chatting with him for a month, invited her to invest in an oil export project in the vicinity of the Nigerian/Cameroon border.

Later she began wiring him money through a series of deposits to overseas bank accounts over 12 months. "He was really convincing, he was a master, a master of convincing and making me feel loved and trusted that he knew what he was doing," she said. "I had to borrow funds from my investment property, which they helped me set up, I sold my properties, sold jewellery, sold my cars to raise the funds for this."

She was sent numerous fake documents and certificates supposedly from lawyers and accountants in the US and Nigeria. The victim borrowed against her Redcliffe home and investment property in Swan View and also borrowed money from family and friends before realising she had been scammed.

"I didn't want more of the same from the past, I wanted to do something more, I wanted to travel the world and experience everything. "I was lonely and the kids are grown up now so I thought I could have a man to grow old with," the woman said. "It was like Christopher hypnotised me into a false sense of a dream of what could be possible. I am back to reality now and I want my life and home back.

"I'm bankrupt now, none of my family talk to me, except my daughter, my daughter still loves me and I've got a couple of friends left but no, everyone deserted me." The scam is a timely reminder for women who could be dealing with fraudsters online.

NOTE: ITS also a reminder for 'men' as well, beware of girls from China, Cambodia, Thailand, (to name a few, but not exclusively to this list only), who said that they 'cannot live without you' and need you to send money to support their families, relatives, and/or to do business in their countries.

Consumer Protection Commissioner Anne Driscoll said romance scams targeted vulnerable people and built up trust using false documents and websites to support their claims. "The person perpetrating this scam is a professional conman. There is no sense of remorse as he has cold heartedly groomed his victim with regular telephone calls and promises that have convinced her to send money overseas," Ms Driscoll said.

"People searching for partners online should never entertain business propositions or send money to people they have never met in person or don't know they can trust." The woman's complaint to WA ScamNet at Consumer Protection has also been reported to the WA Police for further investigation. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission estimated money lost by Australians in romance scams totalled $6.5 million in 2009. WA ScamNet has got information and advice about romance scams.

.

Internet Scam lagi...

2010-11-22T09:48:00.004+11:00

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=1122&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Jenayah&pg=je_01.htm (22nd November 2010)
Wanita rugi hampir RM40,000
Oleh RANIA PARAN
pengarang@utusan.com.my
MIRI 21 Nov. - Gara-gara ingin mendapatkan wang tunai yang banyak dalam tempoh segera, seorang wanita tempatan kerugian RM39,350 selepas diperdayakan seorang lelaki dari United Kingdom yang dikenalinya melalui Internet. Mangsa yang berusia lingkungan 30-an memberitahu, dia mengenali lelaki itu sejak dua tahun lalu menerusi sebuah laman sosial di Internet.

Sejak tiga bulan lalu, katanya, mereka mula bercerita mengenai topik pelaburan dan kenalannya itu yang mendakwa bekerja sebagai peguam bela memberitahu bahawa dia merancang untuk melabur sebanyak 200,000 pound sterling (RM1 juta) bersama mangsa. Tidak berapa lama kemudian, mangsa menerima panggilan telefon daripada seseorang yang mendakwa dirinya merupakan ejen logistik dari Kuala Lumpur.

Pemanggil itu memberitahu mangsa bahawa ada satu bungkusan yang dikirim oleh seorang lelaki dari London kepadanya namun pemanggil tidak pasti apakah kandungannya kerana bungkusan itu dibalut dengan ketat dan tidak boleh dibuka.

Sementara itu, kenalannya itu mengesahkan ada mengirimkan satu bungkusan mengandungi wang 200,000 pound sterling. Namun demikian, ejen logistik itu meminta mangsa membayar RM4,000 untuk mendapat kelulusan kastam sekali gus bagi membolehkan bungkusan itu dihantar terus kepadanya.

Selang beberapa ketika, mangsa sekali lagi menerima panggilan daripada seorang 'pegawai kastam' di Kuala Lumpur yang memberitahu kandungan kotak itu tidak boleh diperiksa atau diimbas sebagaimana diarahkan oleh rakan sejawatannya di London. Ejen logistik itu sekali lagi menghubungi mangsa dengan memberitahu dia memerlukan bayaran RM12,000 bagi membolehkan mangsa menuntut bungkusan itu.

Teruja dengan isi kandungan bungkusan itu, pada 2 November lalu, mangsa memasukkan sejumlah wang RM5,000 diikuti RM2,350 pada 3 November dan RM12,000 pada 4 November. Pada 7 November, wanita itu sekali lagi memasukkan sejumlah RM9,900 dan diikuti RM5,100 pada jam 12.55 tengah hari pada hari yang sama menjadikan kesemua wang yang dimasukkan ke dalam akaun terbabit sebanyak RM39,350.

Note: They ‘jackpot’ you until you realized you are being cheated… Then you stop sending money… ah, its too late… they have played the jackpot till the lady wake up !

"Selepas memasukkan duit yang begitu banyak, baru saya tersedar ada sesuatu yang tidak kena. Saya rasa pihak terbabit menipu untuk memasukkan wang ke dalam akaun mereka," katanya selepas melaporkan kes itu kepada Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Pujut, Andy Chia di pejabat Parti Rakyat Bersatu Sarawak (SUPP) Pujut, Pujut 7, semalam. Selain itu, mangsa telah membuat laporan polis. Menurut mangsa, setiap panggilan yang diterima adalah daripada individu yang berbeza berdasarkan bunyi suara dan masa yang berbeza.

INTERNET SCAM:

The Phone Callers:

1- Kenalan lebih 2 tahun, mana boleh tipu.
2- Orang lain panggil, lain-lain orang, mana boleh tipu (kalau tipu mesti seorang).
3- Orang 'kastam’ yang panggil (bukan orang jalanan).

The Facts:

1- Kenalan lebih lama, lebih untung.
2- Orang lain panggil, lain-lain orang, kawan dia lah !
3- Orang 'kastam’ sebenarnya budak cuci tandas !

COMMENT:

Put some money to ‘clear’ tax and insurance and postage, and get $200,000… Must be my good luck boyfriend / girlfriend /overseas rich friend / Buyer!

IT’S THE SAME story, but with different ‘victim’ !

Airport Nude Scanner and Health Issue

2010-11-13T18:57:00.003+11:00

Comment:

For the non-Muslim, it’s the issue of ‘privacy and health’ concerns, some lamented that ‘What is all the fuss of a little radiations at the airport for a safe journey’, ‘After all, there is the nude beaches, and people are all the more at risk from alcohol, cigarettes (tobacco), and road accidents than a little radiations at the airport.'

My answer to them is – ‘A little radiation a day, multiple that to a few weeks and months, then you get a really radiated pilots and air crews, and airport staff.’ Furthermore, for Muslim, the idea of nudity is always a major concern, because Islam prohibited and condemned nudity in public places and mass-media... and now that Western scientists have claimed (and possibly also proved in the near future) that the Nude Scanners are harmful, what is all the fuss of not stopping its wide usage?!

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/8312701/scanners-at-us-airports-may-be-dangerous/ (13th November 2010)

Scanners at US airports 'may be dangerous'
AAP November 13, 2010, 6:23 am
US scientists have warned that the full-body, graphic-image X-ray scanners being used to screen passengers and airline crews at airports around the country may be unsafe. "They say the risk is minimal, but statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these X-rays," Dr Michael Love, who runs an X-ray lab at the department of biophysics and biophysical chemistry at Johns Hopkins University school of medicine, told AFP on Friday.

"No exposure to X-ray is considered beneficial. We know X-rays are hazardous, but we have a situation at the airports where people are so eager to fly that they will risk their lives in this manner," he said. The possible health dangers posed by the scanners add to passengers and airline crews' concerns about the devices, which have been dubbed "naked" scanners because of the graphic image they give of a person's body, genitalia and all.

A regional airline pilot last month refused to go through one of the scanners, calling it an "assault on my person" and a violation of his right to privacy.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began rolling out full-body scanners at US airports in 2007, but stepped up deployment of the devices this year when stimulus funding made it possible to buy another 450 of the advanced imaging technology scanners.

A group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) raised concerns about the "potential serious health risks" from the scanners in a letter sent to the White House Office of Science and Technology in April. Biochemist John Sedat and his colleagues said in the letter that most of the energy from the scanners is delivered to the skin and underlying tissue. "While the dose would be safe if it were distributed throughout the volume of the entire body, the dose to the skin may be dangerously high," they wrote.

The Office of Science and Technology responded this week to the scientists' letter, saying the scanners have been "tested extensively"by US government agencies and found to meet safety standards. But Sedat told AFP Friday that the official response was "deeply flawed."

"We still don't know the beam intensity or other details of their classified system," he said, adding that UCSF scientists were preparing a rebuttal to the White House statement. Some 315 "naked" scanners are currently in use at 65 US airports, according to the TSA.

France's Richest Woman Sues Daughter

2010-10-21T13:01:00.012+11:00

Comment: MONEY, HAPPINESS... AND L'OREAL

I don’t know what goes on between the mother and daughter, but thing don’t look so good… who says money can buy happiness… who says ALL rich people are happy… money too have a limit to your happiness… Money is the root of all evil when… Individualism, materialism, secularism, greediness, and moral-decay are the center point/focus (and not moral enrichment, philanthropy, compassionate, humanity, benevolence, and definitely also religious enrichment !!).

I heard that people around Liliane Bettencourt, 87 yrs old, sole heir to the Loreal cosmetics empire, the richest woman in France, and 17th richest in the world (Forbes Magazine)... The accused is Banier, 63 yrs, close companion to Liliane Bettencourt, since her husband dead, is accused of 'abuse of frailty', a criminal offence in France, according to court documents, Banier had been the recipient of cash, cheques, and gifts worth a staggering $1.3 billion. Also involved in the limelight are her Chief Financial Adviser, and French politicians... (Writer: Meg Mason, 10 Oct 2010, 'Who Stole the Loreal Millions', Sunday Herald Magazine).

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/8170920/frances-richest-woman-sues-daughter/

(21 October 2010)

France's richest woman sues daughterAAP October 21, 2010, 4:00 am.

France's richest woman, the L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, has lodged a suit against her only daughter alleging psychological abuse, one of the multibillionaire's lawyers said. Lawyer Pascal Wilhelm on Wednesday announced the civil case against Francoise Meyers-Bettencourt after the estranged daughter tried for a third time to have her 87-year-old mother deemed mentally unsound."Psychological violence is a very recent offence close to physical abuse," Wilhelm told AFP.

Bettencourt's only daughter earlier this month asked a judge to have her mother made a ward of court. Two previous attempts were rejected because of a lack of medical evidence. "It is unacceptable to be targeted three times in a short space of time by attempts to be made a ward of court when you have transferred... almost 16 billion euros ($A22.75 billion) to your daughter," Wilhelm said on Sunday.

The daughter's lawyer, Olivier Metzner, called the suit a public relations stunt. "What's funny is that the law governing the charge of psychological abuse concerns vulnerable persons, they're shooting themselves in the foot," Metzner told AFP. Several judicial investigations are under way into affairs linked to Bettencourt's fortune, including allegations of tax evasion and illegal campaign funding that have implicated French Labour Minister Eric Woerth.

Bettencourt's daughter alleges people close to her mother, including celebrity photographer Francois-Marie Banier, have taken advantage of her and claims she is no longer in a fit mental state to manage her fortune.

Pusat Islam NY Bercirikan Moden: " This is it !! "

2010-10-04T15:18:00.010+11:00

Comment:

This is it !! This is the 'unity' among Muslims that we are praying daily... This mosque will be built based on the 'unity' of many contributors, from philanthropies, charitable organizations, and sincere Muslims... InsyaAllah... This is it !!

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=1004&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Luar_Negara&pg=lu_02.htm (4 October 2010)

Pusat Islam New York Berciri Moden

Lakaran pusat Islam yang dikeluarkan oleh SOMA Architects kelmarin bercirikan reka bentuk moden merakamkan pemandangan luaran pusat tersebut yang dirancang dibina dekat Ground Zero di New York. - AP

NEW YORK 3 Okt. - Lakaran pusat Islam yang dirancang pembinaannya dekat Ground Zero di sini menggambarkan ia mempunyai ciri-ciri reka bentuk moden yang lebih futuristik dan menarik.

Gambar lakaran yang dipamerkan di laman web rasmi projek tersebut masih di peringkat cadangan, tetapi pemajunya telah menyatakan hasrat untuk menggunakan reka bentuk yang santai dan kosmopolitan di tapak kontroversi itu.

"Kami mahu ia menggabungkan ciri-ciri reka bentuk Islam dan moden bandar New York, selain mengekalkan konsep kehijauan yang menenangkan.

"Saya yakin selepas ia siap sepenuhnya, tidak ada mana-mana pihak yang akan menganjurkan piket untuk membantah pembinaannya kerana reka bentuknya yang moden," kata pemajunya, Sharif El-Gamal. Kata Sharif, upacara pecah tanah projek itu mungkin diadakan dua atau tiga tahun lagi, tetapi beliau berharap, ia dapat dilakukan secepat mungkin.

Empat tingkat daripada pusat Islam setinggi 16 tingkat itu, akan dilengkapi dengan pusat sukan, jimnasium dan kolam renang, manakala satu tingkat lagi akan dijadikan pusat penjagaan dan tempat permainan kanak-kanak. Bangunan berkenaan juga akan dilengkapi beberapa buah restoran, kelas memasak, studio rakaman, pusat pameran dan auditorium yang disediakan untuk penganjuran upacara kebudayaan.

Menurut Sharif, pihaknya merancang untuk menyediakan kemudahan yang membolehkan masyarakat setempat melakukan pelbagai aktiviti termasuk melakukan senaman harian serta tempat untuk pasangan muda beragama Islam mengadakan temu janji makan malam. Dewan solat dua tingkat pula akan dibina terletak di tingkat bawah pusat Islam itu.

Di tingkat 12 bangunan itu pula akan menempatkan memorial bagi memperingati mangsa yang terkorban dalam serangan 11 September dan ia akan dibuka kepada semua pelawat dari pelbagai agama. - AP

Pentagon and Mosque

2010-09-04T19:22:00.008+10:00

Comment:

Believe it or not, Muslim have already prayed and continue to pray inside the Pentagon, the headquarter of U.S. military intelligence and war-strategic decision-making body. Its goes to show that Islam (and Muslim) are not to be belittle, even by the so-called world number one super power (U.S.). No other religion has make such a bold move and deep impact such as Islam... and its for the betterment of the ummah.

[Source: Justin Elliot, Salon.Com:
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/08/05/muslims_infiltrate_pentagon
(5 Ogos 2010) ]

Why did no one object to the ‘Pentagon mosque’?

Muslims have been praying inside the Pentagon since Sept. 11, but right-wingers have been strangely silent. Navy imam Chaplain Abuhena M. Saifulislam lifted his voice to God as he called to prayer more than 100 Department of Defense employees, Monday at a celebration of Ramadan at the Pentagon. God is most great, sang the lieutenant commander and Islamic leader, in Arabic, as iftar - the end of the daily fast began.

Uniformed military personnel, civilians and family members faced Mecca and knelt on adorned prayer rugs chanting their prayers in quiet invocation to Allah.

The ‘ground zero mosque’ story seems to be dying down, but nothing lays bare the absurdity of what we've just lived through quite so much as this Washington Times story, quoted above, from 2007. Yes, Muslims have infiltrated the Pentagon for their nefarious, prayerful purposes -- daring to practice their religion inside the building where 184 people died on Sept. 11, 2001. They haven't even had the sensitivity to move two blocks, let alone a mile, away from that sacred site.

The ‘desecration’ began shockingly soon after the attacks. Cox reported in October 2001: Army Chaplain Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, the first Muslim chaplain to serve in the military, read a verse from the Koran at the memorial service at the Pentagon on Thursday, exactly one month after the attack. Muhammad, who became a chaplain eight years ago and works at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, ministered to rescuers in front of the smoldering Pentagon after the attack.

Any guesses as to why no one has ever heard about Muslims praying at the Pentagon - let alone cared? It's almost as if the entire ‘ground zero mosque’ controversy was whipped up out of nothing by a right-wing tabloid and politicians in search of a wedge issue.

[Source: Salon.Com]

Obama & Religious Freedom

2010-08-15T13:05:00.007+10:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/us/politics/15mosque.html?_r=1&src=me (15 Aug 2010)

With Remarks on Mosque

From the moment he took the oath of office, using his entire name, Barack Hussein Obama, as he swore to protect and defend the Constitution, Mr. Obama has personified the hopes of many Americans about tolerance and inclusion. He has devoted himself to reaching out to the Muslim world, vowing, as he did in Cairo last year, “a new beginning.”

“As a citizen, and as president,” Mr. Obama said then, “I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan (close to the Ground Zero, WTC), in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”

“I think it’s very important, as difficult as some of these issues are, that we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are all about,” the president said here on Saturday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_ground_zero_mosque_obama (15 Aug 2010)

Obama supports 'the right' for ground zero mosque

Speaking to a gathering at the White House Friday evening to observe the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Obama said that he believes "Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country."

"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."

Iran and Drugs

2010-08-03T16:56:00.003+10:00

http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/LapanlelakiIrantelan500ketulansyabu/Article (27 Sept 2010)

Lapan lelaki Iran telan 500 ketulan syabu
Oleh Mohd Jamilul Anbia Md Denin dan Raja Noraina Raja Rahim2010/09/27

KUALA LUMPUR: Lapan daripada sembilan lelaki warga Iran yang ditahan polis di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) kelmarin sanggup menelan lebih 500 ketulan dadah syabu dalam usaha menyeludup dadah itu ke Malaysia. Semua suspek terbabit yang kebanyakan bekerja sebagai peladang diupah sindiket dadah antarabangsa agar menelan bungkusan dadah kecil sebesar ibu jari tangan dewasa itu dengan upah AS$20 (RM60) bagi setiap bungkusan yang ditelan.

Pemangku Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Narkotik (JSJN) Bukit Aman, Datuk Othman Harun ketika dihubungi berkata, suspek ditahan petang kelmarin sebaik tiba di KLIA. Menurutnya, semua suspek yang dilihat dalam keadaan mencurigakan kemudian ditahan untuk soal siasatan sebelum pihak berkuasa melakukan pemeriksaan dan menemui bungkusan dadah jenis syabu seberat empat kilogram yang disembunyikan di dalam bagasi seorang daripada suspek.

“Hasil siasatan mendapati, suspek cuba menyeludup dadah berkenaan yang dianggarkan bernilai kira-kira RM1 juta mengikut nilai pasaran tempatan.

“Pihak polis kemudian melakukan pemeriksaan rapi terhadap lapan lagi rakan suspek, namun gagal menemui sebarang dadah di dalam beg bagasi dibawa. Namun, semua teka teki terjawab apabila suspek yang diarah menjalani ujian X-Ray didapati menyembunyikan dadah di dalam perut masing-masing,” katanya. Menurutnya, semua lapan lelaki terbabit kemudian dihantar ke Hospital Kajang dan Hospital Serdang untuk membolehkan bungkusan dadah terbabit dikeluarkan.

“Doktor yang bertugas menggunakan kaedah khas bagi membolehkan semua dadah terbabit dikeluarkan melalui dubur. Difahamkan sehingga hari ini (semalam), semua suspek yang ditahan di hospital berkenaan sudah mengeluarkan kira-kira 500 ketulan dadah dari dalam perut mereka.

“Dianggarkan setiap suspek mampu menelan antara 56 hingga 75 ketulan dadah dalam satu masa. Setakat ini, pihak polis memberi tempoh antara dua hingga lima hari lagi sehingga semua dadah berkenaan habis dikeluarkan dari perut semua suspek berkenaan,” katanya. Menurutnya, setiap bungkusan kecil dadah terbabit dianggarkan seberat 10 gram.

“Jumlah ini benar-benar mengejutkan berikutan suspek sanggup mempertaruhkan nyawa dengan menelan bungkusan kecil dadah terbabit dalam jumlah kuantiti yang besar.

“Semua bungkusan kecil dadah terbabit mencecah nilai RM1.25 juta mengikut nilai pasaran. Polis kini sedang berusaha menjejaki dalang sindiket dadah terbabit yang dipercayai masih berada di dalam negara ini,” katanya. Othman berkata, semua mereka ditahan mengikut Seksyen 39B Akta Dadah Berbahaya 1952, yang memperuntukkan hukuman mati mandatori, jika disabitkan kesalahan. “Siasatan awal mendapati suspek yang berusia 20 dan 50-an terbabit bekerja sebagai peladang di Iran sebelum diperdaya dan dipujuk untuk menjadi keldai dadah,” katanya.

Penahanan terbabit adalah kejayaan terbaru selepas Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Narkotik (JSJN) Bukit Aman turut menahan tujuh lelaki warga Iran awal minggu lalu dan merampas syabu bernilai RM3.9 juta dalam serbuan di makmal haram di Petaling Jaya.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=0803&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Jenayah&pg=je_02.htm (3 August 2010)

108 warga Iran terlibat dadah ditahan sehingga Julai

KUALA LUMPUR 2 Ogos - Dalam tempoh tujuh bulan pertama tahun ini, seramai 108 warga Iran termasuk 13 wanita ditahan polis kerana terlibat dalam penyeludupan dan memproses dadah di seluruh negara. Angka yang didedahkan Timbalan Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Narkotik (JSJN) Bukit Aman, Datuk Othman Harun nyata mengejutkan kerana jumlah tangkapan direkodkan sepanjang tahun lalu hanyalah 20 orang termasuk tujuh wanita.

Beliau berkata, jumlah itu menunjukkan peningkatan 500 peratus untuk tempoh tersebut berbanding sepanjang tahun lalu. Katanya, berdasarkan perkembangan semasa, angka itu mungkin bertambah dalam lima bulan akan datang.

"Jumlah dadah khususnya syabu yang dirampas adalah 270 kilogram (kg), dianggarkan bernilai hampir RM60 juta sehingga Julai lalu berbanding 13 kg sepanjang tahun lalu.

"Sejak Januari lalu, kegiatan dadah yang didalangi warga Iran kian menjadi-jadi dan hampir setiap hari ada tangkapan dibuat terhadap kurier manusia yang digunakan untuk menyeludup dadah masuk ke negara ini," katanya pada sidang akhbar di sini hari ini. Katanya, bermacam-macam modus operandi digunakan sindiket termasuk yang terbaru menyorok dalam tapak kasut dan pemegang bagasi.

"Daripada analisis, untuk tiga bulan pertama, mereka cuba menyeludup di antara dua dan 30 kilogram tetapi apabila kerap ditahan pihak berkuasa, sindiket itu membawa pula dalam jumlah sedikit iaitu satu kilogram atau kurang bagi mengelakkan kerugian," katanya.

Beliau menambah, bulan-bulan berikutnya iaitu April dan Mei menampakkan kegiatan sindiket reda seketika namun mereka bergiat aktif semula pada Jun. Othman memberitahu, selain menggunakan kurier manusia, mereka juga menjadikan kediaman-kediaman mewah sebagai makmal memproses dadah.

"Mereka membawa masuk pula minyak syabu yang sebenarnya sudah tiga suku siap, cuma perlu dilakukan proses pengeringan sebelum ia menjadi dadah syabu," katanya merujuk kepada kejayaan polis Kuala Lumpur merampas minyak syabu bernilai RM40 juta baru-baru ini.

Komen:

Macam-macam teknik dilakukan sindiket dadah warga Iran ini. Hukuman yang paling berat negara, iaitu hukuman gantung sampai mati pun tidak dapat menghalang sindiket dadah antarabangsa warga Iran ini daripada melupakan hasrat mereka. Ternyata kehidupan yang daif di negara Iran menjadikan mereka berani untuk membuat macam-macam untuk mencari duit (tak kira lah kalau duit itu halal atau haram).

MUFLIS Kad Kredit & Loan

2010-07-24T12:43:00.012+10:00

Ramai eksekutif terjerat godaan kad kredit untuk hidup mewah.

Comment:

The mass media are all to be blame for the daily showing of Malay dramas (also Chinese dramas, etc.) that portray the luxury lifestyle of not only the rich BUT also the normal layman, who can afford to live extravagantly (with his/her meager salary). The hero and herion in the dramas drove BMW, 4-Wheel-Drive, and other design modified cars.

This also lead to corruption among public and private officers, as they soon learn that their meager salaries are not sufficient to sustain their extravagant lifestyle, hence, corruption and abuse of power become the normal practices of the day.

Lately, there also exists a trend among the middle-age man, who portray middle-age man that live a ‘Dato-like’ lifestyle with his meager salary. Wearing brended clothes and driving expensive cars. Hence, it is not surprising nowadays to read from newspapers that so and so director and manager of firms and public offices indulge in corruptions (see the statistics below).

The mass media and local dramas’ directors need to be more vigilant when making local movies and dramas, better still, local directors should paint a true picture of the negative impact of the extravagant lifestyle, and educate the young (and middle-age) generations on credit traps and other loan debts.

Live smart by living according to your means!

URLhttp://www.bharian.com.my/bharian/articles/Muflismuda/Article/ (24 July 2010)

Muflis muda

Laporan Khas oleh Mohd Aziz Ngah dan Alzahrin Aliasbminggu@bharian.com.my2010/07/24

KUALA LUMPUR: Seramai 38,357 individu berusia 25 hingga 44 tahun diisytiharkan muflis di seluruh negara dalam tempoh 65 bulan sehingga Mei lalu, trend yang amat membimbangkan kerana status itu boleh menjejaskan masa depan golongan muda.

Ini bermakna 41 orang bankrap setiap hari yang antaranya berpunca daripada kegagalan menyelesaikan pinjaman sewa beli kenderaan, tidak dapat mengawal penggunaan kad kredit hingga banyak hutang tertunggak selain pinjaman peribadi.

Kebanyakan pemegang kad kredit di kalangan golongan muda menggunakan kemudahan itu untuk berbelanja barangan tidak penting, mewah serta mengeluarkan wang tunai untuk perbelanjaan harian.

Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Insolvensi, Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, berkata dalam tempoh itu, 80,348 kes direkodkan muflis membabitkan semua golongan. Ini bermakna 41 orang muflis setiap hari. “Sepanjang tempoh itu, golongan berusia 35 hingga 44 tahun paling ramai diisytiharkan bankrap. “Golongan pertengahan umur (35 hingga 44 tahun) mencatatkan 25,229 kes atau 31.4 peratus kes diikuti golongan 45 hingga 54 tahun dengan 21,051 kes (26.2 peratus), golongan berusia 25 hingga 34 tahun (13,128 kes atau 16.34 peratus) dan 55 tahun ke atas 9,722 atau 12.1 peratus),” katanya kepada Berita Harian. Beliau berkata, daripada 80,348 kes muflis itu, kes pinjaman sewa beli kenderaan mencatatkan 19,380 kes atau 24.12 peratus daripada keseluruhan kes. Ini bermakna, setiap hari ada 10 pembeli kenderaan diisytiharkan muflis kerana gagal menjelaskan hutang dan keseluruhannya 41 individu diisytiharkan bankrap. Jumlah itu diikuti faktor kegagalan menyelesaikan pinjaman peribadi dengan 9,464 kes (11.78 peratus), pinjaman perniagaan dengan 8,786 (10.93 peratus), pinjaman perumahan (6,022 kes atau 7.49 peratus) dan hutang kad kredit (4,417 kes atau 5.5 peratus).

Abdul Karim turut mengakui kebanyakan kes muflis membabitkan golongan muda adalah berkaitan penggunaan kad kredit tidak terkawal dan gagal membayar balik hutang dalam tempoh ditetapkan berbanding kes golongan lebih berusia yang majoritinya berkaitan soal pinjaman perumahan, kenderaan dan perniagaan. Bagaimanapun, katanya, mereka yang sudah diisytiharkan muflis masih berpeluang membuat rayuan termasuk berunding dan merayu tindakan itu tidak diteruskan serta membuat perkiraan bagaimana hutang boleh dijelaskan sekiranya kes petisyen kebankrapan belum difailkan ke mahkamah. Berdasarkan jumlah aduan diterima, masalah berkaitan pinjaman peribadi didapati meningkat dengan ketara bermula dengan 1,487 kes pada 2005, menurun kepada 961 kes (2006) tetapi meningkat semula kepada 1,425 kes (2007), 1,506 kes (2008) dan 2,806 kes pada 2009.

Mengikut Akta Kebankrapan 1967, ada tiga cara bagaimana mereka boleh melepaskan diri daripada status muflis iaitu melalui pembatalan perintah penghukuman; pelepasan dengan perintah mahkamah dan pelepasan melalui Sijil Ketua Pengarah Insolvensi. Mengulas situasi itu, Setiausaha Agung Gabungan Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA), Muhamad Sha’ani Abdullah menyifatkan ia suatu yang membimbangkan kerana status muflis itu sendiri dianggap menutup masa depan mereka. “Ada pengadu yang datang ke FOMCA mengakui terlebih berbelanja, sanggup berhutang semata-mata mahu hidup gaya mewah,” katanya. “Mereka sanggup beli set teater rumah yang mewah, aksesori kereta mahal, televisyen canggih sedangkan itu tidak begitu penting berbanding keperluan asas lain. Lebih banyak berhabis duit membeli rumah,” katanya.

Turki Kuasa Baru Dunia?!

2010-07-15T21:41:00.007+10:00

GAMBAR menunjukkan bangunan Krasnye Kholmy di Moscow yang dibina oleh syarikat Turki, ENKA Construction and Industry.

http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2010&dt=0715&pub=Kosmo&sec=Dunia&pg=du_01.htm

Turki Jadi Kuasa Baru Pembinaan Dunia

ANKARA - Turki kini muncul sebagai kuasa baru sektor pembinaan apabila firma negara berkenaan membina pelbagai infrastruktur termasuk empangan, stadium dan lebuh raya di Asia Barat, Asia Tengah dan Afrika.

Kecewa kerana usaha untuk menyertai Kesatuan Eropah (EU) tidak berjalan lancar, pemerintah Islam Turki menggunakan strategi yang menggabung pengaruh politik dan kekuatan ekonominya untuk mendapatkan projek di negara-negara membangun, terutamanya dunia Islam dan rantau bekas Kesatuan Soviet (USSR), sebelum bertapak di benua Afrika sejak beberapa tahun lalu.

Walaupun masih belum setanding berbanding pesaing utama mereka dari Eropah, Amerika Syarikat (AS), China dan Jepun, nilai projek luar negara Turki melonjak daripada AS$750 juta (RM2.3 bilion) pada 2000 kepada AS$23.6 bilion (RM75.4 bilion) pada 2008.

Pemerintah Turki menyatakan, mereka berharap nilai kontrak antarabangsa negara berkenaan dapat ditingkatkan kepada sekitar AS$50 bilion (RM159.8 bilion) menjelang 2015. Turki merupakan kontraktor utama di negara-negara bekas USSR.

Hampir suku perniagaan pembinaan di negara Rusia dilakukan firma-firma Turki. Firma-firma dari Turki turut mempunyai projek pembinaan di Libya dan dua negara bekas USSR, Turkmenistan serta Kazakhstan. Firma-firma negara itu melancarkan projek perintis di Brazil dan Angola pada 2009 dan turut terbabit di Qatar, Algeria, Iraq, Romania dan Afghanistan.

Antara projek besar melibatkan firma Turki termasuk membina pusat membeli-belah mirip sebuah khemah yang dinamakan Khan Shatry di ibu negara Kazaskhtan, Astana dan bangunan Piramid Keamanan setinggi 77 meter yang dibina daripada gelas, juga di Astana. Piramid berkenaan yang dilengkapi sebuah dewan opera, perpustakaan dan pusat penyelidikan kebudayaan dibina dengan kos AS$65 juta (RM207.8 juta). - AP

Komen:

Mungkinkah negara Turki kembali menguasai dunia (Islam dan Eropah) seperti dalam era kegemilangannya pada zaman Kesultanan Othmaniah.

Anak Tak Sah Taraf / Anak Luar Nikah

2010-07-02T11:46:00.003+10:00

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=0702&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Muka_Hadapan&pg=mh_02.htm (2nd July 2010)

257,000 sijil kelahiran tanpa bapa

IPOH 1 Julai – Raja Muda Perak, Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah bertitah, negara sedang berdepan krisis moral yang membimbangkan apabila perangkaan menunjukkan 257,000 sijil kelahiran yang dikeluarkan dari tahun 2000 hingga Julai 2008 tidak mencatatkan nama bapa.

Titah baginda, berdasarkan perangkaan Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) itu, ini bermakna 2,500 anak luar nikah direkodkan setiap bulan atau purata 84 kes setiap hari.

Tambahnya, perangkaan dari 1999 hingga 2003 mencatatkan 70,430 anak luar nikah didaftarkan iaitu 30,978 beragama Islam, Hindu (18,085), Buddha (17,236) dan Kristian (3,395). Baginda bertitah, anak luar nikah berketurunan Melayu meningkat daripada 16,100 pada tahun 2007 kepada 16,541 dalam tahun 2008 dan 17,303 pada 2009.

“Nyatalah masalah anak luar nikah makin meningkat. Lebih mendukacitakan, perlakuan meninggalkan bayi baru lahir termasuk di tepi-tepi jalan dan di dalam tong sampah semakin menjadi-jadi.

“Perangkaan Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat mencatatkan sejak tahun 2004, sebanyak 506 kes membuang bayi dengan jumlah terbesar sebanyak 102 kes pada tahun 2008,” titah baginda. Baginda bertitah pada Persidangan Ke-172 Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Melayu Perak (MAIAMP) di Kompleks Islam Darul Ridzuan di sini.

Nasib Penulis Kita: Malaysia

2010-06-07T13:25:00.008+10:00

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Minda_Nasibpenuliskita/Article (7th June 2010)

Minda: Nasib Penulis Kita
2010/06/07

MUNGKIN ada asasnya mengapa Kementerian Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan mempersoalkan mengapa 5,150 penulis buku di negara ini tidak dapat hidup mewah seperti penulis di luar negara daripada hasil penulisan kreatif mereka sedangkan nilai jualan buku tempatan mencecah RM2.1 bilion pada 2009.

Jumlah yang dicatatkan ini sangat mengagumkan, bukti kejayaan dan menjadi petanda yang baik kepada industri buku di negara kita untuk melangkah lebih jauh. Namun, sebaliknya nasib dan masa depan penulis buku di negara ini masih tidak menentu, terumbang-ambing ibarat ‘hidup segan mati tak mahu’ dan memerlukan kepada pembelaan sewajarnya. Tidak seperti penulis luar negara, di negara kita tidak ramai penulis yang menjadi jutawan dengan menulis sepanjang hidupnya walaupun tidak dinafikan ada beberapa kerat yang berjaya. Isu royalti menjadi perkara asas dan pokok kepada polemik ini berbanding royalti yang tinggi diperoleh penulis luar negara yang mampu menjadikan mereka kaya-raya.

Dalam pada itu, terdapat hampir 8,184 syarikat penerbitan tempatan dan luar negara yang bertapak di Malaysia boleh mencatatkan keuntungan luar biasa mencecah jutaan ringgit setiap tahun melalui penjualan buku dan mereka juga berjaya membina empayar perniagaan masing-masing di dalam industri dan pasaran buku dalam negara.

(Komen: Yang mencatat keuntungan 'luar biasa' dan untung terbesar adalah tauke syarikat penerbitan, sebaliknya, penulis tetap miskin, yang peliknya, 'barang' (buku) kepunyaan penulis, tetapi penulis hanya dapat 7-10% royalti hasil dari jualan buku tersebut??? Yang baki 90%, syarikat penerbit rampas... Sepatutnya, bagi lah penulis sekurangnya 40%, maklumlah 'barang' harta intelek itu kepunyaan penulis... Lebih teruk lagi, ada syarikat penerbitan mensyaratkan supaya penulis 'serah terus' harta intelek buku tersebut kpd syarikat penerbitan sebelum buku tersebut dapat diterbitkan... syarikat mcm ini, dan syarat 'luar biasa' mcm ini memang saya awal2 lagi tak setuju... saya awal2 lagi minta syarikat mcm itu supaya tidak menerbitkan buku saya).

Tentu ada sesuatu yang tidak betul di sini yang memerlukan kepada peranan dan tanggungjawab kementerian, penerbit buku dan penulis buku untuk mencari jalan bagaimana masalah ini dapat diselesaikan sebaik mungkin dalam situasi menang-menang. Berdasarkan kepada rekod nilai hasil jualan buku 2009 iaitu RM2.1 bilion adalah pencapaian membanggakan dalam satu industri besar. Hasil jualan buku meningkat setiap tahun. Berdasarkan kepada perbandingan pada 2008 bernilai RM1.65 bilion iaitu meningkat 27 peratus berbanding RM1.3 bilion pada 2007. Jumlah penerbitan buku juga meningkat pada 2009, sebanyak 16,767 judul meningkat empat peratus berbanding 16,044 pada 2008 dan 11,023 pada 2007. Statistik ini sangat menarik untuk membuktikan bahawa industri buku tempatan mempunyai potensi besar kerana buku adalah harta intelek dan harta nasional yang menjadi modal ekonomi yang boleh mencipta kekayaan.

Ini juga membuktikan industri buku di negara kita telah berkembang pesat dan sihat tetapi yang menjadi masalahnya ialah tidak ada satu pun penulis buku tempatan yang dapat mencapai status penulis jutawan atau mampu hidup mewah dengan hasil penulisan mereka. Ini kerana masalah relatif iaitu tuntutan royalti yang terlalu rendah sekitar tujuh hingga 10 peratus bagi setiap buku yang terjual, malahan pembayarannya juga sering kali lewat dan tidak setanding dengan kualiti penulisan serta pengorbanan penulis. Ini tidak sepatutnya berlaku dan jalan penyelesaian perlu dicari segera bagi merungkai permasalahan ini. Situasi ini jika tidak ditangani sebaik mungkin boleh menyebabkan penulis generasi muda dan penulis separuh masa tidak berminat untuk berkecimpung secara serius di dalam industri ini kerana tidak menguntungkan, tidak ekonomik dan kerjaya yang tidak stabil.

Komen: Jangan cakap hidup mewah, hidup sederhana (untung sederhana) hasil drp royalti buku adalah sangat menyedihkan.

Oleh yang demikian, secara umum industri buku di negara kita berjalan lancar, positif, kalis gawat biarpun dalam keadaan ekonomi tidak menentu dan persaingan hebat, namun sentiasa meningkat dari semasa ke semasa. Cuma masalahnya masih terdapat ketidakseimbangan yang ketara dalam pembahagian keuntungan di antara penulis dan penerbit buku sejak sekian lama memandangkan terdapat pihak yang mengaut keuntungan lebih berbanding penulis buku itu sendiri. Ketidakadilan yang berlaku serta kewujudan birokrasi dalam industri buku tempatan memerlukan penyelesaian menyeluruh agar kedua-dua pihak mendapat faedah yang sama dalam usaha membangun dan memacu industri buku negara di landasan betul setanding luar negara. Penulis ialah seorang peguam.

Internet SCAM / SPAM: Be Careful !!

2010-04-08T14:09:00.010+10:00

COMMENT:

I received this information in my email, and many similar emails (on Internet Scam/Spam), but I am all too careful of SCAM/SPAM, so should you too, please be careful of such email that required you to give in your bank account number, credit card details and account info, etc.

INTERNET SCAM / SPAM : BE CAREFUL !!

----- Forwarded Message ----From: security@maybank2u.com.my

To: ….. @yahoo.com

Sent: Tue, March 30, 2010 9:43:48 PM

Subject: Maybank2u.com Account Alert !

Dear Maybank Customers, We hereby inform our customers that we have successfully put an immediate stop to the entire security problem on our online banking servers by introducing a Secured Database (SA-42M*).

We are automatically registering our customers to the secured server for added security and for a convenience and faster online banking experience.

This server relocation is mandatory to all customers and unregistered accounts will be deactivated on our server.

Proceed Here.
http://www.rp-multimedia.nl/m2u/ ; http://maybank.online-banking-services.com/

Thank You, Maybank Bank Berhad

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COMMENT:
Following the thousands of false EMAILS sent by scamMers to thousands of email users, some idiots or fools, or unsuspecting customers do really reply to these EMAILS and sent their details to the scammers... BUT I always wonder whether the POLICE do anything about it after receiving such 'complaints' (i.e. police reports) by the general public about such scams. Surely 'Third Party' transfer to account necessitates the 'receiver' NAME, ADDRESS, I/C No., and Bank Account.... (and in most cases, the image of the suspect is even recorded on CCTV). The question is, WHY did the police not arrest such scammers?! What other proofs is required? Or just excuse to be lazy?!

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http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0303&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Jenayah&pg=je_03.htm

(3rd March 2011)

Hati-hati dengan Perbankan Internet - Polis

KUALA LUMPUR 2 Mac - Polis mengingatkan para pengguna perkhidmatan perbankan Internet agar tidak mudah terpedaya dengan e-mel, khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) atau panggilan telefon yang meminta mereka mendedahkan maklumat perbankan.

Penolong Pengarah Bahagian Siasatan Jenayah Siber dan Multimedia, Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersial (JSJK) Bukit Aman, Asisten Komisioner Mohd. Kamarudin Md. Din berkata, kes penipuan melibatkan perbankan Internet meningkat dengan amat ketara.

"Mengikut statistik, pada 2009, 75 kes penipuan melalui perbankan Internet dilaporkan dengan kerugian berjumlah lebih RM200,000 dan ia terus meningkat dengan 353 kes dan kerugian kira-kira RM1.2 juta, pada tahun lepas," katanya dalam satu kenyataan di sini hari ini.

Menurutnya, siasatan mendapati kebanyakan mangsa terdiri daripada pengguna Maybank2U yang terpedaya dengan modus operandi digunakan melalui penghantaran e-mel kepada pengguna. "E-mel yang berbentuk 'Security Alert' itu kemudian mengarahkan mangsa mengemas kini akaun perbankan Internet mereka dengan memasukkan kata nama, kata laluan dan nombor TAC.

"Ia kononnya bagi tujuan keselamatan bank dan mengelakkan akaun mereka dibatalkan," katanya. Katanya, mangsa bagaimanapun hanya mengetahui mereka ditipu setelah menerima SMS dari pihak bank yang memaklumkan wang mereka telah dipindahkan ke akaun ketiga.

"Untuk makluman pengguna, pihak bank tidak menggunakan perkhidmatan e-mel untuk tujuan kemas kini akaun perbankan Internet. "Sehubungan itu, sekiranya pengguna menerima e-mel sedemikian, sila abaikannya," katanya.

Beliau berkata, orang ramai yang mempunyai maklumat berkaitan kes penipuan perbankan Internet boleh menyalurkan maklumat tersebut ke Pusat Kawalan Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersial Bukit Aman di talian 03-26163999.

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COMPLIANT REGARDING CYBER CRIME CAN ALSO BE REPORTED TO:

Cyber Security Malaysia
Level 7, SAPURA (@MINES)
7, Jalan Tasik, The Mines Resort City
43300 Seri Kembangan,
Selangor Darul Ehsan, MALAYSIA.
Tel: +60 3 8992 6969
Fax: +60 3 8945 3442
Website: http://www.mycert.org.my
Email Incidents Reporting: mycert@mycert.org.my

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POLICE: Emergency Contact:

999 (from landline phone)
112 (from mobile phone)

Bukit Aman's Malaysia Control Centre (MCC)/ Pusat Kawalan M'sia:

Tel: 03-2031 9999 / 03-2266 3333 OR
Tel: 03-2262 7555 / 03-2262 2755 / 03-2262 2655

Emel (MCC): mcc@rmp.gov.my

Head Office: Address and Telephone:

Ibu Pejabat Polis Diraja Malaysia,
Bukit Aman, 50560 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 603 - 2266 2222
Fax: 603 - 2070 7500

Emel (Umum): rmp@rmp.gov.my
Emel (eAduan Awam): aduanawam@rmp.gov.my
Laman Web: http://www.rmp.gov.my/base.cfm?path=complaint/complaint_menu.cfm

LAMAN WEB (WEBSITES):
http://www.rmp.gov.my/
http://www.999.com.my/dir999/police-pdrm/police-pdrm.htm

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Bagaimanakah caranya untuk menjadi anggota Sukarelawan Polis?

Untuk menyertai Pasukan Sukarelawan Polis, seseorang itu perlu menunggu iklan disiarkan terlebih dahulu. Permohonan secara bertulis boleh dibuat, tetapi borang hanya akan dihantar apabila terdapat kekosongan jawatan. Permohonan perlu dihantar kepada Ketua Polis Negeri (Untuk Perhatian : Komandan Sukarelawan Polis) masing-masing.

Adakah saya akan berhadapan dengan kelulusan pelepasan dari majikan saya sekiranya saya terpilih?

Setiap permohonan hendaklah mendapat kebenaran ketua jabatan atau majikan masing-masing. Setelah mendapat kebenaran, apabila anda dipanggil untuk menjalani latihan atau bertugas, ketua jabatan atau majikan wajib memberi pelepasan

Mesin Imbas Bogel

2010-03-04T18:46:00.008+11:00

http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2010&dt=0304&pub=Kosmo&sec=Dunia&pg=du_02.htm (4th March 2010)

2 wanita (Islam) Enggan lalui Mesin Bogel
GAMBAR fail menunjukkan seorang kakitangan Lapangan Terbang Manchester di England menguji alat pengimbas bogel.

MANCHESTER - Seorang wanita Islam dilarang menaiki satu penerbangan ke Pakistan selepas enggan melalui mesin pengimbas baru di Lapangan Terbang Manchester yang memaparkan tubuh manusia dalam keadaan bogel, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Seorang lagi wanita yang merupakan rakannya juga enggan menjalani imbasan mesin Rapiscan itu kerana masalah perubatan.

Dua wanita itu sedang dalam perjalanan ke Islamabad apabila mereka dipilih untuk melalui imbasan mesin Rapiscan selepas mendaftar masuk di lapangan terbang berkenaan.

Setakat ini, kira-kira 15,000 orang telah melalui alat pengimbas itu manakala pasangan tersebut merupakan penumpang pertama yang enggan berbuat demikian.

Pasangan tersebut yang sanggup kerugian dua tiket penerbangan berharga £400 (RM2,000) daripada menjalani prosedur imbasan, kemudiannya bertindak meninggalkan lapangan terbang itu.

Beberapa mesin Rapiscan yang berharga £80,000 (RM406,000) diperkenalkan di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Heathrow dan Lapangan Terbang Manchester pada 5 Februari lepas. Mesin sinar-X itu membolehkan kakitangan-kakitangan keselamatan melihat imej bogel penumpang untuk mengesan sama ada senjata dan bahan letupan disembunyikan pada tubuh mereka tetapi penggunaannya dikritik kerana ia memaparkan bentuk kemaluan penumpang.

Ulama-ulama di Amerika Syarikat (AS) mengeluarkan fatwa yang melarang orang Islam melalui mesin itu kerana ia melanggar hu-kum agama berhubung isu bogel. "Islam jelas melarang lelaki atau wanita dilihat dalam keadaan bogel oleh mereka yang bukan muhrim," kata fatwa itu.

Sementara itu, seorang aktivis sebuah badan bukan kerajaan di Britain, Alex Deane menyatakan pertubuhannya bersedia mewakili dua wanita itu sekiranya mereka mahu mencabar keputusan pihak berkuasa di mahkamah. - Agensi

.

Dasar Baru Imigresen Australia

2010-02-08T16:47:00.006+11:00

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/AustraliaperketatdasarImigresen/Article (28th February 2010)

Australia perketat dasar Imigresen

MELBOURNE: Rakyat Malaysia yang ingin berhijrah ke Australia adalah antara ribuan yang akan terjejas apabila kerajaan Australia mengetatkan dasar Imigresennya. Penambahbaikan program migrasi kerajaan Australia itu akan menyebabkan permohonan mereka dibatal.

Menteri Imigresen Australia, Senator Chris Evans pada Isnin mengumumkan kerajaan menukar program penghijrahan kekal pekerja mahir daripada berasakan penawaran kepada program yang memenuhi permintaan.

Di bawah skim baru itu, pekerja yang mempunyai kemahiran tinggi seperti dalam bidang kesihatan dan kejuruteraan akan menjadi antara yang paling diperlukan, kata menteri berkenaan dalam kenyataan di sini. Evans berkata, perubahan besar yang akan dibuat termasuk membatal dan mengembalikan permohonan 20,000 bakal pendatang yang pada masa ini tinggal di luar negara dan mengetatkan senarai permintaan pekerjaan bagi membolehkan visa hanya layak dikeluarkan kepada mereka yang mempunyai kemahiran tinggi.

Ujian berasaskan mata bagi menilai mereka yang berhijrah akan dikaji semula bagi memastikan hanya mereka yang terbaik dan pintar dipilih, pelan penghijahan negeri dan wilayah khusus akan dibangunkan.

Peraturan baru itu akan memberi keutamaan kepada mereka yang berkemahiran dan mempunyai tawaran kerja dengan majikan Australia. "Kita ada banyak tawaran kerja dan kita mempunyai ramai lulusan sekolah terdiri daripada rakyat Australia yang masih muda... untuk memenuhi tawaran pekerjaan itu," kata Evans. -Bernama.

Komen: Masalahnya, saya tidak berminat pun nak duduk lama kat Australia, setakat yang perlu, orang Australia pada saya adalah 'racist', dan ada kajian pun yang menyokong hipotesis tersebut. Masalahnya, apakah Kevin Rudd akan buat utk menambahbaikan dasar anti-racist kepada yang lebih 'friendly'... Nampaknya dasar tersebut masih jauh lagi.

Quotes:

“Forty percent of Australians believe some ethnic groups do not belong in the country with one in 10 having outwardly racist views, a new study shows.”

“It's too high, isn't it?" Prof Dunn said. "We've got to bring that number down.” (Prof Dunn, University of Western Sydney, 2008)

Study Reveals Australian Racist Views

05:06 AEST Mon Sep 29 2008

Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=638470

Anger Mounts as Haiti Sees Little Sign of Aid

2010-01-15T21:32:00.006+11:00

Source:
URLhttp://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/mp/6680505/anger-mounts-as-haiti-sees-little-sign-of-aid/ (15th January 2010)

Anger mounts as Haiti sees little sign of aid
AFP January 15, 2010, 11:41 am

US President Barack Obama sought to lift up a despairing people, facing acute shortages of food, water and shelter, offering 100 million dollars in immediate assistance.

"To the people of Haiti, we say clearly and with conviction, you will not be forsaken, you will not be forgotten," he said.

Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, along with Brazil and Canada and other concerned nations are planning to hold an international conference on Haiti's reconstruction, the French presidency said.

Comment:

I wonder what OIC or Dubai, or Saudi Arabia, or other oil rich countries would do? Or donate to help relieve the earthquake victims in Haiti? (Will it be more than 100 million dollars? 50 million dollars, maybe? 20 million dollars?). Maybe they will say, oh… WE don’t have that kind of money.

Personally for me, the 100 million dollars that US contributed to the earthquake victims in Haiti is a small sum, compare to their GNP and GDP which annual up to trillion of dollars. But its a good start.

Burj Khalifa (Burj Dubai)

2010-01-12T15:52:00.007+11:00

Burj Khalifa (Burj Dubai)

Thousands of cheering, clapping spectators watched as a tally projected on huge screens at the opening ceremony revealed the tower's most closely guarded secret -- its height of 2,717 feet (828 metres). That made it more than 1,000 feet (305 metres) higher than the skyscraper known as Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which at 1,667 feet (508 metres) had been the world's tallest since 2004.

Comment:

IT’S A brilliant and excellent achievement, the ‘tallest building’ in the world, right here in Dubai. It’s a monumental landmark since the fall of the Ottoman Empire in Turkey, and the continual downfall of Muslim intellects, but their raise especially in the 1990s and 2000s are also encouraging. With Muslim countries producing many local intellects.

Thus, I would just wish that Dubai, United Arab Emirate, Saudi Arabia, and other oil rich countries in the middle-east would provide generous ‘International Scholarships’ to international students (especially Muslim), so that they can take up academic candidature (or residential) at established universities in the middle-east and/or in Europe, USA, UK, Japan, South Korea, and so forth.

It is only through these generous scholarships offer to deserving Muslim that the world Muslim intellect can grow and prosper, and once again redeem the excellency of the teaching of Islam, which promote not only the teaching of the verses of the Quran and Sunnah, but also the development of science and technology - knowledge and innovation.

The tallest building doesn’t mean anything to other Muslim if it just stand where it is and not baring any ‘fruits’ to its inhabitants or other Muslim.

The tallest building doesn’t mean anything if it is just mean only for ‘showmanship’, that costs billions of dollars.

.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

2009-11-23T18:23:00.002+11:00

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Source:
URL http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml

Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

RIGHTS TO WORK & EDUCATION

Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Pelajar Melayu & India Pun Cemerlang UPSR !

2009-11-20T15:36:00.006+11:00

URLhttp://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=1120&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_08.htm (20th November 2009)

Pelajar Melayu, India dapat 7A (UPSR)
MUHAMMAD Daniel Idrus (kanan) bersama S. Karthika Dewi merupakan dua murid dari sekolah aliran Cina yang memperoleh 7A dalam UPSR di Melaka.

MELAKA 19 Nov. - Dua murid Melayu dan India yang belajar di sekolah aliran Cina membuktikan walaupun belajar dalam persekitaran yang berbeza, mereka mampu meraih 7A dalam Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) yang diumumkan hari ini. Muhammad Daniel Idrus dari Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Bachang dan S. Karthika Dewi dari SJKC Notre Dame masing-masing memperoleh A dalam mata pelajaran Bahasa Melayu Pemahaman dan Penulisan, Bahasa Inggeris, Matematik, Bahasa Cina (Penulisan dan Pemahaman), Sains dan Peka (Penaksiran Kerja Amali Sains).

Ketika ditemui pada sidang akhbar Jabatan Pelajaran negeri di sini, Muhammad Daniel yang ditemani ibunya, Suhani Maarof, 35, berkata, kejayaannya itu adalah hasil sokongan ibu bapa dan komitmen para guru serta rakan sekelas yang tidak jemu memberi tunjuk ajar kepadanya. Menurutnya, dia tidak mengambil masa yang lama untuk menyesuaikan diri sepanjang mengikuti pembelajaran di SJKC Bachang dan tidak berasa terpinggir walaupun hanya dia seorang sahaja murid Melayu di dalam kelas.

''Para guru dan murid lain di SJKC Bachang tidak pernah melayan saya seperti orang asing, layanan mereka sama sahaja. Buktinya saya berjaya meraih keputusan cemerlang UPSR hari ini dan ia kejayaan mereka juga," katanya.

Muhammad Daniel yang berminat menguasai bahasa asing itu berkata, dia berhasrat meneruskan pelajarannya di sekolah aliran Cina kerana berasakan banyak pengetahuan yang boleh diperolehinya. Hasratnya itu dipersetujui oleh ibunya yang menyatakan kemungkinan akan menghantar Muhammad Daniel meneruskan pelajaran peringkat menengah di Sekolah Tinggi Melaka, Bandar Hilir.

Selain persamaan belajar di sekolah aliran Cina dan meraih keputusan cemerlang UPSR, Muhammad Daniel berkongsi cita-cita yang sama dengan Karthika Dewi iaitu mereka ingin menjadi seorang saintis apabila dewasa kelak.

Menurut Karthika Dewi, peluang mengikuti pembelajaran di sekolah aliran Cina menjadikan dirinya mahir menguasai bahasa Mandarin selain bahasa Tamil dan bahasa Inggeris. ''Pada mulanya memang agak sukar kerana masih kurang memahami bahasa Mandarin, namun lama kelamaan berkat didikan para guru dan sokongan rakan-rakan sekelas, saya akhirnya berjaya menguasai bahasa ini," kata anak kedua dari empat beradik ini.

Katanya, kejayaan meraih 7A dalam UPSR hari ini hasil kerja kuat dan kesungguhan ibu bapanya dan para guru SJKC Notre Dame yang tidak berputus asa membimbingnya menjadi insan cemerlang.

Komen:

Tahniah lah kepada mereka berdua... Moral of the story 'Talk less (complain less) and more efforts'... InsyaAllah success!

Bai'ah Taat Setia...

2009-11-17T11:25:00.003+11:00

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/myMetro/Tuesday/Mutakhir/20091110171733/Article/index_html (17 November 2009)

Nik Aziz nafi wujud Bai'ah

KOTA BHARU: Mursyidul Am Pas, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat hari ini menafikan wujudnya apa yang dinamakan sumpah bai'ah yang membawa kepada perceraian isteri sehingga menjadi polimik baru dalam kepimpinan Pas sekarang.

Menteri Besar Kelantan itu berkata isu itu sengaja ditimbulkan oleh pihak tertentu di kalangan orang Islam sendiri yang dengki terhadap perjuangan Pas yang mula diterima oleh masyarakat umum. "Sebenarnya Pas ini telah didengki oleh orang Islam sendiri, oleh kerana parti ini berkembang akhir-akhir ini maka golongan sekular ini berusaha juga dan mencari juga jalan yang boleh menggugat kedudukan Pas.

"Di Kelantan, isu bai'ah ini tak timbul langsung," katanya kepada pemberita di sini hari ini, mengulas isu yang ditimbulkan oleh anggota Parlimen Shah Alam, Khalid Samad baru-baru ini.

Khalid Samad dari Pas, mengakui wujudnya syarat yang menghendaki pemimpin pemimpin parti itu melafazkan bai'ah iaitu sumpah taat setia bahawa akan jatuh talak tiga terhadap isteri masing-masing jika mereka mengkhianati parti.

Bagaimanapun Naib Presidennya Salahuddin Ayub berkata Majlis Syura Pas tidak pernah mengeluarkan sebarang dasar yang menghendaki pemimpin-pemimpin parti itu melafazkan bai'ah sedemikian.

Komen:

Ada yang nafi, ada yang mengakui… tak duduk bincang bersama ke?

Bai'ah PAS... Sudah Advance... Macam-macam...

2009-11-09T13:12:00.004+11:00

URLhttp://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=1109&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Muka_Hadapan&pg=mh_02.htm

(9th November 2009)

Isteri menangis, suami menggigil
Oleh saiful haizan hasam
saiful.hasam@utusan.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR 8 Nov. - Terdapat isteri calon wakil rakyat Pas yang menangis dan menggeletar pada majlis bai'ah apabila mendengar ikatan perkahwinan mereka dijadikan bahan tebusan demi kepentingan politik kepartian yang sempit dan jumud. Gelojak rasa itu turut dikongsi si suami yang menggigil sewaktu mengangkat bai'ah yang memberi kata dua sama ada terus setia kepada parti atau bercerai talak tiga dengan isteri.

Debaran dan suasana hiba pada majlis bai'ah Pas itu didedahkan oleh Ahli Parlimen Kulim Bandar Baharu, Zulkifli Noordin selepas mendengar pengakuan daripada beberapa wakil rakyat parti itu. Malah kata Zulkifli, wakil rakyat terbabit juga meminta bantuannya supaya membawa isu bai'ah itu ke tengah selepas ia menjadi perdebatan umum apabila disahkan oleh Ahli Parlimen Pas Shah Alam, Khalid Samad, Khamis lalu.

Katanya, mereka sudah tidak mampu menanggung bebanan yang dipikul tetapi tiada kekuatan untuk mendedahkannya kerana takut dikutuk dan dikenakan tindakan. "Mereka meminta isu ini dibincangkan supaya tindakan segera dapat diambil dan kemungkaran yang berlaku dapat dicegah.

"Mereka berharap apabila isu ini terdedah, maka ada jalan keluar buat mereka dari ikatan bai'ah dan sumpah ini," kata Ahli Parlimen dari Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) itu dalam laman blog beliau http://zul4kulim. blogspot.com/. Zulkifli memberitahu, beliau lebih terkejut apabila diberitahu dasar bai'ah talak tiga itu diluluskan dan direstui kepimpinan Pas. Katanya, beberapa tokoh parti yang dihubungi bukan sahaja tidak berasa bersalah dan berdosa dengan bai'ah itu, malah mempertahankannya dengan alasan-alasan yang dangkal lagi memualkan tanpa sandaran kepada al-Quran, sunah Rasulullah mahupun amalan para sahabat.

Sebaliknya jelas beliau, ia sekadar dasar yang berpaksikan kepada alasan dan sandaran akal dangkal semata-mata. "Inilah apa yang saya labelkan sebagai mempertuhankan politik, mempertuhankan demokrasi.

"Apakah kita terlalu taksub dengan politik sehingga sanggup menggadai kesucian, kemuliaan dan kemurnian perkahwinan sebagai bahan gadaian politik," katanya. Mengulas lanjut Zulkifli berkata, dasar tersebut umpama kembali ke zaman jahiliah dengan menjadikan wanita sebagai bahan dagangan, pajakan dan gadaian.

"Tidakkah kita sedar bahawa perceraian adalah perkara halal yang paling dibenci Allah dan kita jadikan perkara yang paling dibenci Allah ini sebagai dasar bai'ah dan sumpah taat setia," katanya. Beliau turut mempersoalkan kenapa bai'ah taat setia Pas itu tidak dibuat dalam bentuk lain seperti bersumpah laknat. Dengan cara itu katanya, semua wakil rakyat diyakini akan berfikir banyak kali sebelum bercadang melompat parti.

"Bagaimana rakyat nak meletakkan harapan dan kepercayaan untuk kita memimpin dan memerintah negara jika kita sanggup menggadai dan menjadikan isteri dan perkahwinan kita sendiri sebagai gadaian politik?

"Apakah kelak bila menjadi kerajaan Persekutuan dan memerintah maka semua pegawai dan kakitangan kerajaan akan dipaksa bai'ah menceraikan isteri mereka jika tidak taat kepada kerajaan," katanya.

Komen:

Tak tahu lah PAS praktik Demokrasi jenis apa, atau sistem politik jenis apa?! Apapun ia adalah sistem jahiliyah... tak ikut prinsip Islam dan rasional akal... Kalau takut ahli melompat parti (walaupun melompat parti adalah prinsip yang dibenarkan dlm sistem Demokrasi), ada cara lain utk menyelesaikannya, seperti mengubal Perlembagaan, supaya ahli yg melompat parti akan 'kehilangan kerusi' yg dimenangi (pada pilihanraya yg lepas), maksudnya ahli yg melompat parti tidak boleh membawa 'kerusi' mereka ke parti lain... Ahh mcm tu lah caranya.

Suspect Terrorists, Who?

2009-11-05T14:24:00.003+11:00

URLhttp://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=1105&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Terkini&pg=bt_01.htm (5th November 2009)
25 Ejen CIA dipenjara
05/11/2009 3:01am

MILAN 5 Okt. – Seramai 23 rakyat Amerika Syarikat (AS) dan dua warga Itali yang merupakan ejen khas Agensi Perisikan Pusat (CIA) didapati bersalah oleh Hakim negara ini atas kesalahan penculikan ulama Mesir pada 2003.

Robert Seldon Lady yang ketika itu ketua balai CIA Milan telah dijatuhkan hukuman lapan tahun penjara dan rakyat AS yang lain menerima hukuman lima tahun penjara. Dua rakyat negara ini pula menerima hukuman tiga tahun penjara.

Sementara itu, Ketua CIA Itali, Jeffrey Castelli dan Ketua Perisikan Tentera Itali, Nicolo Pollari dilindungi daripada undang-undang penyimpan rahsia negara, kata hakim Oscar Magi. – AFP

Comment:

A rare but good news, this only goes to show that one cannot simply kidnapped or arrested people, just as they please, even if they are CIA agents.

We need more transparent courts like the one above. Well done!

2009-10-24T14:23:00.001+11:00

URLhttp://www.bharian.com.my/klikkhas/bajet/Artikel2010/Terkini/20091023181327/Article/ (Accessed on 24th October 2009)

Bayaran khas RM500 untuk Gred 41-54, pesara
KUALA LUMPUR: Penjawat awam bagi Gred 41 hingga Gred 54 dan setaraf dengannya serta pesara wajib kerajaan akan menerima bayaran khas RM500 pada Disember ini.

Perkara ini diumumkan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, pada pembentangan Bajet 2010 di Dewan Rakyat sebentar tadi.

Bulan lalu, kerajaan mengumumkan bayaran khas kewangan itu kepada 860,000 penjawat awam kumpulan sokongan yang dibayar dua kali iaitu pada September dan Disember.

Ia membabitkan implikasi kewangan sebanyak RM430 juta.

Terdapat kira-kira 1.2 juta kakitangan awam pada masa ini, bermakna sebanyak 340,000 lagi penjawat awam dalam Gred 41 hingga Gred 54 akan menikmati faedah itu sekarang.

"Ini menunjukkan kerajaan amat prihatin dengan beban perbelanjaan yang ditanggung oleh penjawat awam dan pesara dan diharapkan mereka akan menggunakan pemberian ini dengan sebaik-baiknya," katanya.

Najib berkata, kerajaan menghargai komitmen dan kegigihan penjawat awam dalam memastikan pembangunan negara tercapai demi kesejahteraan rakyat.

"Bagi mengalakkan pengunaan komputer, penjawat awam kini boleh membuat pinjaman kerajaan bagi maksimum RM5,000, sekali dalam setiap tiga tahun bermula tahun depan, berbanding sekali setiap lima tahun sekarang," katanya. - Bernama

Majistret Muda dan Rasuah

2009-10-12T22:36:00.006+11:00

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/myMetro/Monday/Mutakhir/20091012180730/Article (Accessed on 12th Oct 2009)

Majistret ditahan dipercayai terbabit rasuah

KOTA BAHARU: Seorang majistret di Kelantan hari ini ditahan reman selama dua hari berhubung dakwaan terlibat rasuah. Majistret Azrul Abdullah membenarkan reman itu bagi membolehkan majistret berkenaan membantu siasatan yang dijalankan oleh Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM). Azrul membenarkan keputusan reman dua hari itu setelah Timbalan Pendakawa Raya Mohd Asnawi Abu Hanifah daripada SPRM memohon tempoh tahanan reman selama lima hari. Majistret yang berusia 27 tahun itu disiasat kerana dipercayai terbabit dalam rasuah berhubung satu kes dadah. Majistret itu diwakili peguam Datuk Shukri Mohamad. -Bernama

Komen:

Itulah, Majistret sekarang muda-muda saja, umur 27 tahun boleh jadi majistret, mau pakai kereta besar, rumah besar, barang-barang mewah, jadi rasuah lah jawabnya.

Sepatutnya, kalau nak jadi Majistret, kena ada had umur (i.e. 30 tahun keatas), berperwatakan baik, berakhlak, adil dan beramanah - bukannya hanya bersandarkan kepada lulusan LLB saja.

Biro Khidmat Guaman Syarie

2009-09-30T19:12:00.006+10:00

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/myMetro/Wednesday/Setempat/20090930085319/Article/index_html (Accessed on 30th September 2009)

Ramai tak tahu prosedur khidmat guaman percuma
KUALA LUMPUR: Tidak mengetahui prosedur mendapatkan bantuan guaman bagi individu tidak berkemampuan adalah antara punca kes membabitkan masalah syarie tertangguh hingga bertahun-tahun. Naib Presiden Persatuan Peguam Syarie Malaysia (PGSM), Musa Awang, berkata pihaknya ada menawarkan khidmat guaman percuma menerusi Biro Khidmat Guaman Syarie (BKGS) yang dimulakan sejak April tahun 2008 lalu.

Namun, masih ramai pihak bermasalah terutama wanita yang gagal membuat tuntutan fasakh belum mengetahui mengenai kewujudan BKGS itu. “Untuk mendapatkan khidmat guaman percuma menerusi BKGS, seseorang itu perlu melalui prosedur dan syarat tertentu.

**Antara syaratnya pemohon mesti bermastautin di Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur sekurang-kurangnya tiga bulan.
**Pemohon juga perlu merujuk kes mereka kepada Baitulmal Wilayah Persekutuan terlebih dulu sebelum pihak Baitulmal menyaring kes itu untuk memastikan kelayakan bagi mendapatkan khidmat peguam syarie percuma yang akan ditanggung Baitulmal.

**Kemudian Baitulmal akan menyerahkan kes yang layak kepada kami (BKGS).

Setakat ini, 30 individu dirujuk Baitulmal mendapatkan khidmat guaman kami,” katanya ketika dihubungi di sini, semalam. Beliau mengulas laporan Harian Metro semalam mengenai kekecewaan seorang wanita berusia 47 tahun kerana kes tuntutan fasakh tidak dilayan Mahkamah Syariah Petaling Jaya dan Kuala Lumpur yang antara sebab kegagalannya mengupah peguam. Wanita terbabit yang hanya mahu dikenali sebagai Sapiah meluahkan kekecewaannya kerana mengalami penderitaan dan penderaan mental serta fizikal.

Komen:

Macam mana lah orang ramai tahu ‘cara-cara’ untuk mendapatkan khidmat peguam (BKGS - Biro Khidmat Guaman Syarie percuma bagi individual yang tidak berkemampuan). Mereka ini bukannya pelajar undang-undang, atau bekerja di syarikat guaman.

Biro Khidmat Guaman Syarie (BKGS) sepatutnya menydiakan kuaunter pertanyaan atau meja khidmat pelanggan untuk memudahkan orang ramai, terutamanya mereka yang bermasalah ini untuk bertanya dan seterusnya mendapatkan khidmat guaman percuma ini.

Jangan disebabkan ‘guaman percuma’ (untuk mereka yang tidak berkemampuan ini), layanan yang disediakan adalah kelas ketiga.

2009-09-27T17:51:00.002+10:00

http://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/myMetro/Sunday/Ekspresi/20090920004731/Article/indexv_html (27th September 2009)
Victoria pelihara sejarah
Oleh NOR AZIAH SHARIF noraziasharif@hmetro.com.my

MENYAMBUNG catatan perjalanan saya, suami dan anak perempuan ke Victoria, Australia, kunjungan kami seterusnya ke bandar di pesisiran laut yang cantik, Warrnambool dengan harapan untuk melihat ikan paus. Kami diberitahu, jika bernasib baik, kami boleh melihat pemandangan segerombolan ikan paus yang mencapai angka sehingga 150 ekor.

Kami menunggu di pelantar meninjau yang disediakan, namun terpaksa beralah tidak lama selepas itu kerana angin laut yang bertiup kencang seiring dengan hujan mencengkam sehingga ke tulang sum-sum. Warrnambool yang berdepan Lady Bay adalah bandar terbesar di Great Ocean Road yang menawarkan pelbagai perkhidmatan bandar moden dan dalam masa sama mengekalkan suasana desa.Keadaan pantai yang dilindungi, taman dan kebun bunga yang terjaga menjadi tarikan berbanding kebisingan hidup di kota. Kami ada di sini dua malam dan mengambil kesempatan ke Port Fairy, kira-kira sejam perjalanan dari Warrnambool. Port Fairy adalah bandar bersejarah paling utama di Victoria dengan 50 bangunan lama diisytiharkan Yayasan Kebangsaan Australia. Pekan ini bukan sekadar kaya dengan sejarah, malah turut menggabungkan muara sungai laluan nelayan ke laut yang cantik. Ia boleh dikatakan perkampungan nelayan dengan deretan bot nelayan berlabuh di depan rumah penduduk.

Bot nelayan berlabuh di air bersih dan jernih di depan rumah dua tingkat yang selesa dan segar dengan taman di laman rumah. Begitulah rumah nelayan Australia. Kami berbual dengan seorang nelayan tempatan yang memberitahu dia keluar menangkap ikan jam 6 pagi dan pulang ke pangkalan di sini jam 5 petang. Itulah hakikatnya, walau apa pun pekerjaan mereka di sini, waktu bekerja tetap habis jam 5 atau 6 petang kecuali perkhidmatan penting dan utama. Portland menjadi tempat lawatan kami berikutnya. Bandar ini terletak di barat daya Victoria dan ia penempatan pertama orang dari Eropah pada 1834. Saya melihat Portland mengekalkan banyak bangunan bersejarah, termasuk rumah penduduk. Dari taman di bandar ini saya melihat kapal besar seluruh dunia berlabuh untuk memunggah masuk hasil pengeluaran penduduk tempatan, manakala kapal ikan tempatan pula menurunkan hasil tangkapan. Seterusnya kami ke Ballarat yang melalui ladang buah-buahan di kiri dan kanan jalan. Kami singgah di ladang strawberi yang terletak berdekatan jalan besar. Papan tandanya sungguh menarik, untuk sekilo strawberi berharga $10 tetapi harganya $7 jika kutip sendiri strawberi. Sudah pasti kami mengambil pilihan kedua. Sambil kutip, sambil makan.Penduduk Ballarat dulunya melakukan aktiviti melombong emas dan sehingga hari ini peninggalan aktiviti perlombongan dijaga dalam muzium di Sovereign Hill.Bertentangan Sovereign Hill ialah Muzium Emas yang menghimpunkan pelbagai rekaan koleksi emas. Aktiviti perlombongan emas juga dipamerkan di pusat pelancongan Eureka. Kesan kemewahan itu dapat dilihat hari ini dengan rumah besar nan cantik dengan kemudahan jalan raya yang luas di pusat bandar. Tasik Wendouree di Ballarat pula pernah menjadi tuan rumah untuk acara kayak pada Sukan Olimpik 1956 tetapi kini ia kering dan dipenuhi lalang. Dalam perjalanan kembali ke Melbourne, kami singgah di Bendigo dan Clayton dan menghabiskan masa tiga hari di situ. Di Clayton, kami ke Mornington yang mempunyai taman dengan pelbagai pokok bunga ros dan melihat pameran seni bina. Kami turut ke pasar basah Dandeenong dan melihat buah-buahan seperti oren dan aneka jenis epal. Yang membuat saya terkedu ialah harga sekilo cili padi ialah $50. Mahalnya!

Orang Islam yg Gagal Memahami Masalah Orang Islam?

2009-09-11T20:56:00.005+10:00

Komen:

NGO Islam sepatutnya dibantu dalam usaha mereka untuk meringankan beban rakyat Palestin (orang Islam) di dalam bulan Ramadhan, ini pula berlaku sebaliknya, di manakah kesilapannya?

Bagi saya, perkara macam ini terjadi akibat 2 sebab:

1- Kegagalan untuk memahami ajaran agama Islam yang sejati, yang diajar Rasul kita.

2- Kelemahan sistem pentadbiran dan karenah birokrasi yang jumud (tidak maju ke hadapan).

URLhttp://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0911&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_26.htm (11 September 2009)

Global Peace bantah penahanan Azlan

KUALA LUMPUR 10 Sept. - Global Peace Malaysia hari ini menghantar nota bantahan ke pejabat Kedutaan Mesir di sini sebagai memprotes penahanan dan penderaan terhadap wakilnya, Azlan Muhammad Sharif selama tiga hari tiga malam di Lapangan Terbang Kaherah, pada 2 September lalu.

Semasa ditahan Azlan, Pengarah Bantuan Kecemasan dan Kemanusiaan ke Gaza itu sedang mengetuai misi menghantar bantuan kewangan sumbangan kerajaan dan rakyat Malaysia bagi meringankan bebanan rakyat Palestin pada bulan Ramadan dan menyambut ketibaan Aidilfitri.

Pengerusi Global Peace Malaysia, Ahmad Azam Abdul Rahman berkata, Azlan telah disiasat tanpa henti dan tidak diberi makanan serta minuman sepanjang dalam tahanan tersebut.

Katanya, Azlan dibebaskan pada 5 September lalu dan terus dihantar pulang ke Malaysia selepas campur tangan wakil Kedutaan Malaysia di Kaherah.

''Apa yang paling mendukacitakan kita, ekoran penahanan tersebut bantuan kewangan untuk disalurkan kepada rakyat Palestin turut terbantut,'' katanya pada sidang akhbar di luar pekarangan pejabat Kedutaan Mesir di sini..

Menurutnya, nota bantahan dua muka surat itu yang ditujukan kepada Presiden Mesir, Hosni Mubarak melalui Duta Mesir ke Malaysia, Hani Abdel Kader bagi meminta kerajaan Mesir memberi jaminan kejadian menahan dan mendera sukarelawan Malaysia yang diamanahkan melaksanakan misi kemanusiaan ke Gaza tidak berulang.

''Kami juga memprotes mengapa beliau dihalang semasa mahu menjalankan misi kemanusiaan terhadap rakyat Palestin yang tenat menderita.

''NGO dari negara-negara Islam sepatutnya dibantu menjalankan tugas mereka bukannya ditangkap seperti yang dilakukan polis Mesir,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata, nota bantahan tersebut telah diserahkan kepada Timbalan Ketua Misi Duta Mesir ke Malaysia, Tamer G. El-Mawaziny.

Menurutnya, Global Peace Malaysia telah diberi tempoh 15 minit untuk berbincang mengenai penyerahan nota bantahan tersebut.

''Wakil Kedutaan Mesir tersebut telah berjanji untuk menyerahkan nota bantahan tersebut secepat mungkin kepada kerajaan Mesir,'' kata beliau.

Sementara itu, turut memberi sokongan terhadap tindakan Global Peace Malaysia menghantar nota bantahan tersebut ialah wakil pemimpin daripada Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM), Pencerdasan Ummah (WADAH) dan Future Global Network.

2009-08-27T16:11:00.003+10:00

Komen:
Orang dah nak sangat sebat, bagi je lah… Lagipun hukum Islam tak melarang.

URLhttp://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0827&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_06.htm (27th August 2009)

Kartika bukan orang pertama dihukum sebat

KUANTAN 26 Ogos - Model sambilan, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor, 32, merupakan pesalah kelima yang dijatuhi hukuman penjara dan sebat oleh Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah di sini atas kesalahan minum arak di khalayak umum sejak lima tahun lalu.

Ketua Pendakwa Syarie Jabatan Agama Islam Pahang (JAIP), Datuk Abdul Rahim Jaafar berkata, daripada jumlah terbabit, dua daripada mereka adalah wanita termasuk Kartika Sari Dewi. Bagaimanapun, kata beliau, hukuman sebat ke atas kesemua pesalah terbabit masih belum dapat dilaksanakan sehingga kini kerana menunggu proses rayuan.

''Selepas selesai proses undang-undang di Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah, mereka membuat rayuan di Mahkamah Rayuan pula.

''Oleh itu, sehingga kini tiada sesiapa yang disebat dan jika Kartika disebat, dia merupakan pesalah pertama yang menjalani hukuman tersebut," katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia ketika dihubungi di sini hari ini.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Dakwah Islamiah dan Badan-Badan Bukan Kerajaan (NGO) Pahang, Datuk Mohd. Sahfri Abdul Aziz memberi alasan hukuman itu tidak dapat dijalankan kerana menghormati bulan Ramadan.

Kes tersebut mendapat perhatian pelbagai pihak termasuk Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yang mahu Kartika Sari Dewi membuat rayuan kepada Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah sebelum hukuman itu dilaksanakan. Menurut Najib, hukuman secara fizikal merupakan langkah terakhir dalam melaksanakan undang-undang jenayah syariah terhadap pesalah terutama wanita.

Lori Maut...

2009-07-27T14:40:00.003+10:00

Komen:

Sudah tiba masanya hukuman yang lebih berat dikenakan untuk pesalah kenderaan besar/berat, seperti, treler, lori, dan sebagainya. Selain itu, syarat untuk kelulusan lesen kenderaan berat juga patut diteliti dan diperketatkan.

Pemeriksaan kesihatan yang lebih rapi untuk memastikan pemandu lori bebas daripada penyalahgunaan dadah. Selain, mereka perlu menghadiri kursus ‘Pemandu berhemah’ juga sangat digalakkan.

Kementerian Pengangkutan dan kerajaan Malaysia perlu lebih proaktif dalam hal ini.

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Monday/BeritaUtama/20090727062747/Article (27th July 2009)
Lori terbang
Oleh Zaitie Satibi
am@hmetro.com.my

MARAN: “Berderau darah saya melihat mayat bayi dalam longkang, tiga mayat lagi bergelimpangan, manakala satu lagi tersepit dalam kereta.

“Saya menitiskan air mata kerana suasana ketika itu begitu dahsyat dengan keadaan mayat cukup mengerikan terutama mayat bayi itu yang pecah kepala hingga menampakkan isi,” kata Azmi Mohamad, 42.

Dia antara saksi awal kemalangan membabitkan sebuah lori kontena dengan Perodua Kenari di Jalan Kuala Lumpur-Kuantan berhampiran Kompleks Rakan Muda Maran di sini, semalam.

Dalam kejadian jam 1.30 tengah hari itu, lima sekeluarga terbabit maut apabila kereta dinaiki mereka dirempuh sebuah lori kontena ‘terbang’ sebelum diseret kira-kira 80 meter dan melanggar tebing bukit.

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/myMetro/Sunday/Setempat/20090726085212/Article/index_html (26th July 2009)
Umur panjang
Oleh MARY VICTORIA DASS
maryvictoria@hmetro.com.my

JOHOR BAHRU: Pantang maut sebelum ajal. Begitulah nasib seorang pelajar perempuan yang masih panjang umur walaupun dilanggar dan terseret di bawah sebuah treler sejauh enam meter, mengakibatkan tulang di pinggang patah selain mengalami pendarahan dalaman di kepala dalam kemalangan di Jalan Kempas Lama, Seelong-Senai di sini, pagi kelmarin.

Dalam kejadian jam 11.45 pagi, pelajar tingkatan satu Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Impian Emas, Nur Farina Azhar, 13, yang tersangkut di bawah treler berukuran 14 meter selamat dikeluarkan dalam tempoh 10 minit oleh sekumpulan penduduk Kampung Maju Jaya sebelum dihantar ke Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA).

Kemalangan di depan rumah pelajar berkenaan turut disaksikan ibunya, Haliza Hashim, 37, selain seorang adik bongsunya serta beberapa rakan mangsa yang ada di dalam bas sekolah. Haliza berkata, kejadian berkenaan berlaku dalam sekelip mata apabila anak ketiga daripada lima beradik itu ingin melintas jalan untuk menaiki bas sekolah.

“Kejadian itu seolah-olah berlaku dalam mimpi kerana sebaik Farina bersalam dan meminta kebenaran untuk ke sekolah, tiba-tiba treler berkenaan yang dipandu laju terus melanggarnya.

“Saya yang berlari ke arahnya terkejut apabila mendapati dia tersangkut dan ada di bawah kenderaan berat itu dengan kesan darah di beberapa bahagian anggota badan.

“Saya hampir putus asa pada awalnya melihat keadaan Farina berikutan dia satu-satunya anak perempuan dalam keluarga. Tambahan pula darah yang keluar dari telinga dan mulut tidak berhenti selama beberapa jam,” katanya.

Haliza berkata, yang mengecewakan, pemandu treler berkenaan seolah-olah lepas tangan dan enggan bertanggungjawab di atas kejadian itu. Menurutnya, lelaki berkenaan dipercayai berusia dalam lingkungan 30-an masih tidak berjumpa keluarganya biarpun menyedari keadaan anaknya belum stabil dan dirawat di Unit Kebergantungan Tinggi (HDU) di tingkat empat hospital terbabit.

“Lelaki berkenaan sepatutnya memperlahankan kenderaan ketika menggunakan laluan berkenaan memandangkan ia kawasan perkampungan dan biasanya menjadi tempat pelajar sekolah menunggu bas,” katanya.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0726&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Muka_Hadapan&pg=mh_03.htm (26th July 2009)

LIMA MAUT DIREMPUH LORI DAN TRELER
Oleh HAMDAN TAWADI
utusanjohor@utusan.com.my

KERETA Proton Wira Aeroback remuk teruk setelah dirempuh oleh lori treler di persimpangan lampu isyarat di Pekan Kelapa Sawit, Kulaijaya, semalam. Gambar kecil, dua daripada mangsa yang terbunuh, Zakaria Marjone, 40, dan isterinya, Hawa Kassim, 40.
________________________________________

KULAIJAYA 25 Julai – Lima termasuk empat beranak maut setelah kereta yang mereka naiki dirempuh dari belakang oleh sebuah treler yang dipercayai dipandu laju ketika berhenti di lampu isyarat di Kilometer 42, Jalan Johor Bahru-Air Hitam, Pekan Kelapa Sawit di sini hari ini.
Kejadian berlaku pada pukul 2 petang itu mengakibatkan kereta jenis Proton Wira Aeroback yang mereka naiki terseret ke hadapan lalu tersepit di belakang sebuah lori membawa muatan pasir.

Mangsa yang terbunuh ialah Zakaria Marjone, 40; isterinya, Hawa Kassim, 40; dua anak pasangan itu, Nor Fatin Nadia, 13; dan Mohd. Amirul Fahmi, 10; serta anak jiran mereka, Awaludin, setahun. Dua lagi anak pasangan berkenaan, Mohd. Aidil Hakim, 16, dan Mohd. Faris, 8, cedera parah.

Ketua Polis Daerah, Supritendan Zulkefly Yahya berkata, ketika kejadian kereta dinaiki mangsa dalam perjalanan dari Johor Bahru ke Batu Pahat. Katanya, kereta itu berhenti di persimpangan lampu isyarat tetapi dirempuh oleh sebuah treler yang gagal dikawal kerana dipercayai dipandu laju.

“Akibat rempuhan kuat itu, kereta mangsa remuk setelah terseret dan tersepit di belakang sebuah lori pasir di hadapannya,” katanya ketika dihubungi di sini hari ini. Zulkefly berkata, pemandu dan dua kanak-kanak mati di tempat kejadian, manakala isterinya dan seorang lagi kanak-kanak meninggal dunia sebaik sampai di Hospital Kulai, di sini.

Menurutnya, dua lagi anak pasangan itu yang parah masih dirawat di hospital sama. Pemandu treler terbabit ditahan mengikut Seksyen 117 Kanun Acara Jenayah dan disiasat mengikut Seksyen 41(1) Akta Pengangkutan Jalan 1987 kerana memandu secara cuai sehingga menyebabkan kematian.

H1N1 UiTM

2009-07-24T12:29:00.006+10:00

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0724&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_20.htm (24th July 2009)

UiTM Dungun pula ditutup
DUNGUN 23 Julai - Selepas kampus Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Lendu, Seri Iskandar dan Permatang Pauh ditutup berikutan pelajarnya disyaki menghidap selesema babi atau Influenza A H1N1, kini kampus UiTM Dungun turut menerima nasib serupa.

Kampus UiTM Dungun itu diarah tutup selama seminggu bermula pukul 10 pagi ini sejurus pengumuman mengenainya dibuat oleh pihak pentadbiran kampus. Sejurus itu, sejumlah pelajar mula meninggalkan kolej masing-masing dan akan akan diteruskan secara berperingkat-peringkat pada malam ini dan esok.

Seorang pelajar Diploma Pengurusan Pelancongan, Ezzaty Abdullah, 19, ketika ditemui berkata, dia sudah menjangka kampus itu akan ditutup apabila ramai pelajar mengalami demam panas selepas pulang daripada bercuti pada 20 Julai lalu.

"Saya dah mula syak, mungkin kampus kami akan turut ditutup kerana ramai pelajar yang pulang dari bercuti selepas cuti umum 20 Julai lalu kena demam teruk," ujarnya yang berasal dari Bentong, Pahang.

Rakannya, Wan Mohd. Farhan Omar, 20, juga memberitahu, dia mula tidak sedap hati apabila menyedari ramai pelajar mengalami demam panas kira-kira pukul 12 tengah malam tadi dan menjangka kampus itu akan ditutup.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0723&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_07.htm (23rd July 2009)

UiTM Permatang Pauh ditutup
Oleh ABDUL MUIN SAPIDINmuin.sapidin@utusan.com.my
BUKIT MERTAJAM 22 Julai - Para pelajar Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Permatang Pauh di sini mula meninggalkan kolej masing-masing selepas kampus itu diarah tutup ekoran 10 pelajarnya disahkan positif virus selesema babi atau influenza A (H1N1).

Tinjauan Utusan Malaysia di kampus tersebut hari ini mendapati, banyak kenderaan dilihat keluar masuk membawa pelajar sejak pukul 11 pagi dengan kawalan ketat pihak pengawal keselamatan.

Difahamkan, 200 pelajar lagi yang mempunyai simptom H1N1 ditempatkan di beberapa blok hostel iaitu Kolej Baiduri, Zamrud dan Mutiara sehingga mereka disahkan sembuh sepenuhnya.
Pelajar kursus Kejuruteraan Awam, Edinur Ali Muhammad, 19, yang ditemui memberitahu, dia turut dikuarantin selama dua hari mulai Sabtu lalu tetapi dibenarkan keluar selepas didapati tidak mengalami simptom virus tersebut.

''Pihak pengurusan universiti membuat pengumuman kira-kira pukul 11 pagi ini dan saya dan rakan-rakan terus bergegas keluar," katanya yang akan pulang ke kampungnya di Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

Kampus tersebut diarah ditutup selama tujuh hari mulai hari ini berikutan 10 pelajarnya dijangkiti wabak tersebut dan kini menerima rawatan di Hospital Seberang Jaya (HSJ) di sini.
Arahan penutupan serta-merta kampus itu dikeluarkan oleh Kementerian Kesihatan pagi ini bagi mengelak penularan wabak berkenaan di kampus tersebut yang mempunyai kira-kira 5,000 pelajar.

Seorang lagi pelajar, Ezanee Abdullah, 18, berkata, pelajar dimaklumkan oleh pensyarah masing-masing serta pihak pentadbiran kampus bahawa ada kemungkinan kampus itu akan ditutup. ''Kami diberitahu bahawa kampus ini ditutup selama seminggu dan dibenarkan balik dengan syarat perlu diambil sendiri oleh ibu bapa masing-masing. ''Saya berpendapat adalah wajar kolej ditutup kerana virus ini berbahaya dan jumlah pelajar di sini bukan sedikit," katanya.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0723&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_08.htm (23rd July 2009)

UiTM Seri Iskandar tutup seminggu
IPOH 22 Julai - Kampus Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Seri Iskandar dekat sini ditutup selama seminggu selepas 280 pelajarnya disyaki menghidap penyakit selesema babi atau influenza A, H1N1. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kesihatan negeri, Datuk Dr. Mah Hang Soon berkata, kampus berkenaan yang menempatkan seramai kira-kira 10,000 pelajar dan kakitangan wajar ditutup bagi mengelakkan virus berkenaan terus merebak.

''Pada mulanya, seramai 55 pelajar disyaki menghidap penyakit tersebut pada semalam tetapi kes itu telah meningkat dengan mendadak kepada 280 orang pada hari ini.

''Jadi kita tidak pilihan selain daripada menutup keseluruhan kampus tersebut dan semua yang terlibat dengan penyakit itu dikehendaki menjalani kuarantin di rumah," katanya pada sidang media di sini hari ini.

Hang Soon berkata, pihak Jabatan Kesihatan negeri telah mengambil sepuluh contoh daripada 280 pelajar terbabit dan keputusan mengenainya akan diketahui dalam tempoh terdekat. Menurut beliau, kampus tersebut hanya akan dibuka semula pada 31 Julai selepas pihak Jabatan Kesihatan melakukan kerja-kerja pembersihan dan mencegah penyakit tersebut.

Katanya, pihak Kementerian Kesihatan juga sedang membuat siasatan lanjut kerana kes berkenaan dikatakan mempunyai kaitan dengan Kampus UiTM Lendu, Melaka dan Kampus UiTM Permatang Pauh, Pulau Pinang.

Dalam pada itu, Hang Soon berkata, penduduk di sekitar UiTM Seri Iskandar dinasihatkan mengambil langkah-langkah pencegahan seperti tidak pergi ke kawasan yang sesak dengan orang ramai serta menjaga kebersihan diri.

''Kalau ada yang terkena demam, batuk dan sesak nafas yang kuat mereka mesti segera mendapatkan rawatan segera di hospital berhampiran," katanya.

Sementara itu, tinjauan Utusan Malaysia mendapati, pelajar dan kakitangan universiti mula meninggalkan Kampus UiTM Seri Iskandar kira-kira pukul 3 petang. Pada masa sama, pihak Jabatan Kesihatan juga dilihat mengedarkan topeng muka kepada pelajar dan kakitangan universiti tersebut bagi membendung penularan selesema babi.

Komen:

UiTM Lendu, Melaka

UiTM Seri Iskandar, Perak

UiTM Permatang Pauh, Pinang

UiTM Dungun, Terengganu

UiTM Sungai Petani, Kedah (Dekat dengan Thailand) ?? (Apakah langkah2 pencegahan)??

UiTM Segamat, Johore (Dekat dengan Singapura) ?? (Apakah langkah2 pencegahan)??

ISA di Mansuh

2009-07-18T17:47:00.005+10:00

URLhttp://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0718&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_01.htm (18th JULY 2009)

Abdullah mahu ISA dimansuh
Oleh SAFINA RAMLI
utusankedah@utusan.com.my

Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah (dua kiri) dan Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi bergambar kenangan bersama para akademik sebelum Majlis Konvokesyen Khas Universiti Utara Malaysia di Dewan Muadzam Shah UUM di Sintok, semalam. – BERNAMA
________________________________________

SINTOK 17 Julai - Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) wajar dimansuh dan diganti dengan perundangan baru yang membenarkan penahanan pencegahan terhadap tertuduh. Bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berkata, undang-undang baru itu mampu menjamin hak asasi rakyat apatah lagi ISA sering dikaitkan dengan persepsi negatif.

Beliau berkata, ISA memberi skop kuasa yang terlalu besar kepada pihak berkuasa untuk menentukan apa yang boleh dianggap sebagai ancaman keselamatan. "Oleh itu, akta baru boleh dihadkan khusus untuk mencegah kegiatan keganasan sahaja dan mengurangkan kemungkinan penyalahgunaan kuasa demi matlamat politik," katanya.

Beliau menyatakan demikian dalam ucapan selepas menerima Ijazah Kehormat Doktor Falsafah Demokrasi di Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) di sini hari ini. Sultan Kedah, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah berkenan menyempurnakan penganugerahan berkenaan. Menurut Abdullah, untuk benar-benar melakukan pembaharuan, kerajaan perlu berani melangkaui kerangka lama dan membuka lembaran baru.

"Saya percaya kerajaan perlu berani melakukan perubahan seumpama itu sebagai satu petanda komitmen kepada agenda pembaharuan demokrasi negara," ujarnya. Jelas beliau, ia merupakan transformasi yang rakyat harapkan kerana tindakan pencegahan itu seharusnya tidak mengorbankan kebebasan hak asasi manusia atau disalahgunakan untuk tujuan politik.

Sementara itu, Abdullah menyifatkan anugerah yang diterimanya hari ini sebagai pengiktirafan kepada wawasan, pendekatan dan kaedah kepimpinan beliau dalam kerajaan. "Falsafah demokrasi mencerminkan pengiktirafan kepada aliran falsafah yang amat dekat dengan pendirian dan prinsip kepimpinan yang telah saya pelopori. "Sejak kecil saya telah diasuh untuk mencari kejernihan, menjalinkan silaturahim menyatakan kebaikan serta membina persahabatan," ujarnya.

Komen: Mahukah Najib dengar kata-kata Abdullah (selepas Abdullah turun)?!

Guru Sokong Permansuhan Dasar Bahasa Inggeris

2009-07-12T15:46:00.006+10:00

Komen:

Apa kurangnya bahasa Melayu digunakan sebagai ‘bahasa ilmu’. Pada zaman kegemilangan Kesultanan Melayu Melaka pada abad ke-14, Bahasa Melayu digunakan sebagai bahasa antarabangsa ('Lingua Franca'). Pada zaman moden pula, bahasa Melayu banyak pinjam dan guna perkataan dari bahasa Jawa, bahasa Inggeris, bahasa India, bahasa Cina, dan sebagainya – maksudnya, bahasa Melayu di zaman moden sudah mantap, sehingga boleh digunakan sebagai ‘medium’ untuk mengajar pelajar di IPTA.

Bahasa Melayu pula digunakan dengan rasmi di mahkamah-mahkamah dan Parliament di Malaysia.

Jadi kenapa pula kita hendak susahkan pelajar kita, yang baru hendak mengenali huruf, dengan mengajar mereka matapelajaran sains dan matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris. Dengan mengajar dalam bahasa Melayu pun ramai yang gagal matapelajaran tersebut, ini pula hendak mengajar dalam bahasa Inggeris. Kajian dan Statistiks yang dijalankan secara ‘sulit’ oleh pihak kerajaan, NGOs dan individual juga mendapati ramai pelajar gagal setelah bahasa Inggeris diperkenalkan sebagai bahasa ilmu sains dan matematik di sekolah.

Ini bukan bermakna bahasa Inggeris dilupakan terus, ia boleh diajar dan dimantapkan di sekolah sebagai bahasa kedua.

Nota: Guru pun pening bila disuruh mengajar matapelajaran sains dan matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris, ini pula pelajar yang baru mengenali huruf.

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/myMetro/Sunday/Setempat/20090712083410/Article/index_html (12th July 2009)
Guru sokong (Permansuhan Dasar)
Oleh FUAD HADINATA YAACOB

KUALA LUMPUR: “Sebagai bekas pendidik, kami menyokong keputusan kerajaan memansuhkan PPSMI (Pembelajaran dan Pengajaran Sains dan Matematik Dalam Bahasa Inggeris).“Sebenarnya sejak dulu lagi kami membantah pelaksanaannya, malah menghantar surat bantahan kepada kerajaan dan ini satu kejayaan,” kata Timbalan Pengerusi Yayasan Guru Malaysia Berhad (YGMB), Prof Datuk Dr Hussein Ahmad, mengenai isu PPSMI. Kedudukan Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa ilmu mesti dimantapkan, namun Bahasa Inggeris juga harus diberi tumpuan dan ini mesti dilaksanakan di semua peringkat, sama ada sekolah rendah, menengah, kolej dan universiti secara sistematik,” katanya selepas merasmikan Seminar Wakil Perhubungan YGMB negeri, di sini, semalam. Menurutnya, beliau berharap dengan kaedah yang betul dan terbaik, kanak-kanak boleh bertutur dalam dua bahasa berkenaan dengan lancar.

Rabu lalu, Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, yang juga Menteri Pelajaran mengumumkan pemansuhan dasar itu, sekali gus pengajaran dan pembelajaran kedua-dua subjek itu kembali kepada bahasa Melayu mulai 2012.

Sementara itu, Hussein berkata, YGMB yang kini memiliki 135,755 ahli di seluruh negara akan menyediakan lebih perkhidmatan.

WE ARE THE WORLD...

2009-06-26T23:32:00.003+10:00

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Frontpage/20090626072623/Article/index_html (26th June 2009)

Michael Jackson dies

AFP

LOS ANGELES, Fri:
Pop icon Michael Jackson died on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest, multiple US media outlets reported, sending shockwaves around the entertainment world. The Los Angeles Times and TMZ.com celebrity news website reported Jackson, 50, died after suffering an arrest just after 12:00 pm (1900 GMT) local time and paramedics were unable to revive him.

The Times cited multiple city and law enforcement officials as confirming the pop icon’s death. Jackson’s manager Tohme E. Tohme was not immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP. Officials at UCLA Medical Center where Jackson was treated also could not be reached for comment.National and local television networks showed hundreds of media gathered at UCLA Medical Center for what appeared to be a briefing. CNN was unable to confirm the death, stating that Jackson was in a coma.Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Devin Gales did not confirm Jackson’s identity but said paramedics went to an address corresponding to the star’s home at 12:21 pm (1921 GMT) and the person was taken to UCLA Medical Center.

An unidentified family member earlier told TMZ — the first outlet to report that Jackson had suffered a cardiac arrest — that the star was in “really bad shape.” Michael’s father Joe Jackson told E! Online he was aware of the emergency but did not know further details.“I am in Las Vegas, but yes, people in Los Angeles called me and are with Michael and tell me he was taken to the hospital,” he said. “I am not sure what’s wrong. I am waiting to hear back from them.” The reports came as Jackson prepared to make a keenly anticipated concert comeback in London, his first series of shows in more than a decade and the first since his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges. However those concerts — billed as the “final curtain” — had been thrown into doubt after Jackson pushed back the opening dates last month.Organizers of the concerts at the time stressed the delay was not linked to Jackson’s health. In a press conference from the United States broadcast over the Internet, AEG Live president Randy Phillips was asked about Jackson’s health and said: “I would trade my body for his tomorrow. He’s in fantastic shape.” While Jackson reigned as the “King of Pop” in the 1980s, his once-stellar career had been overshadowed by his colorful public behavior, his startling physical transformation and multiple allegations of child abuse. Jackson lived as a virtual recluse following his 2005 acquittal on charges, including child molestation and plotting to kidnap his young accuser. Despite his acquittal, the trial was a body blow from which the pop music superstar struggled to recover. Four years later, Jackson is still worshipped by fans for revolutionising music, dance and music videos at the peak of his success. The attention however paid to him in recent years has been less flattering, focusing on apparent cosmetic surgery — which he denies — his baby dangling antics and a decade of swirling child abuse allegations. Born on August 29, 1958, Jackson made his show business debut with four of his older brothers in the Jackson Five pop group, and went on to lead the stage clan with a piping soprano and dazzling dance moves.By 1969, the group had signed a contract with Motown Records, becoming one of the last great acts to emerge from the legendary label. The Jacksons produced seven platinum singles for Motown, selling over a million, and three multi-platinum albums, selling more than two million. They moved to CBS’s Epic Records in 1976.Despite the early success, Jackson was to recall those years as unhappy and lonely ones. Eventually the family act broke up, as Jackson went solo.In 1979, Quincy Jones produced Jackson’s first solo album for Epic, “Off the Wall,” a huge disco-oriented success that sold 10 million copies.They teamed up again in 1982 for what would be Jackson’s breakthrough album as a composer and co-producer, “Thriller,” which became the top-selling album of all time, with sales exceeding 41 million.

Comment:

Jermaine Jackson (Michael Jackson's elder brother) was quoted as saying "May Allah be with you always!"

Also check this out:
URLhttp://www.despardes.com/people/default.html

Attack on Indians A Random Act of Hooliganism?!

2009-06-10T14:37:00.003+10:00

Comments:

IS it certain that Indian students are attack based on ethnicity/races hatred? OR is it a random act of hooliganism, taking into consideration that Indians usually work late till midnight and/or drink in public places till midnight. Still I believe that no one should be attacked, whether based on races, religion or hooliganism. But the thing with ‘hooliganism’ is that it happens to anyone anywhere in the world! AND it also happens to any Aussie not vigilant of their safety at night, let alone a foreigner, walking late at night.

URLhttp://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5640381/students-want-india-pm-act-attacks/ (10th June 2009)
Students want India PM to act on attacks
AAP June 10, 2009, 10:54 am

An Indian student leader has written to India's Prime Minister to intervene with the Australian government over attacks they say are racially motivated. The letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was sent by Melbourne man Thiruvallam Bhasi, the Indian Student Magazine Australia's chief editor, representing The Indian Students Forum in Australia, Fairfax newspapers said.

"We humbly appeal to you to send a delegation of ministers and senior officials to assess the situation here so that appropriate rectification measures can be undertaken," the letter read. But Melbourne-based Federation of Indian Students secretary Gautum Gupta called for calm.

"Violence is not the solution to this, we will not be taking the law into our own hands," Mr Gupta said. Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna has also called on Indian students to remain calm, urging them "to be patient".

The letter follows a spate of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne in recent times and assaults on others in Sydney that led to violent protests. NSW Labor and Liberal leaders and police say crime statistics fail to show a greater number of Indian victims than other ethnic groups but they say Indians are reluctant to report crimes against them. There were two reported assaults on Indian students in Sydney on Monday but no complaints were made to police.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has called on Indian students to be calm. The Australian government was working with the Indian High Commission and state police forces to bring the attackers to justice. "It may well take some time to bring these matters entirely under control but we're working very assiduously and closely with the Indian government on it," he told ABC Television.

Indian students had made their point "generally peaceful" protests both in NSW and in Victoria.
"But I simply echo the comments of my Indian counterpart - the time has now come for restraint, the time has come for calm." Police authorities should be allowed to get on with their job.

"We know that both in Victoria and NSW those relevant authorities are working very hard on this," Mr Smith said. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has also called for calm, warning against vigilante action. Mr Rudd said Australia was one of the safest countries in the world for international students. He said while violence in all Australian cities was "a regrettable part" of urban life, vigilante action was equally unwelcome.

"This is one of the safest countries in the world for international students," Mr Rudd told Fairfax Radio on Wednesday. "It's unacceptable for anyone to commit an act of violence against any student of any ethnicity anywhere in Australia." But he said it was also unacceptable for any student group to take the law into their own hands. "I fully support hardline measures in response to any act of violence towards any student anywhere - Indian or otherwise," Mr Rudd said. "And furthermore we also need to render as completely unacceptable people taking the law into their own hands.

"Everyone needs just to draw some breath on this and we need to see a greater atmosphere of general calm." Mr Rudd said students should report any acts of violence against them to police and if their complaints were not followed through, they should go to their local members of parliament. When asked whether the student protests signalled future racial tension in Australia, Mr Rudd said the nation had an inherent culture of tolerance. "With each new wave of immigrants to this country there's been debates and concerns and they've all faded and they've have all been resolved," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said governments would continue to work with Indian students to make sure they felt safe, but the community should not lose sight of the fact Australia was a welcoming nation. "We want to focus on the problems, we want to rectify the problems, but we want to remind ourselves we are a welcoming country and overwhelmingly safe country and this has been a great place and will continue to be a great place for international students," she told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.

"When they are asked, `Did they have a good time in Australia?', `Did they get a good education?', `Would they recommend it to their friends?', overwhelmingly they say yes to those questions." Ms Gillard said it was important that authorities heard about any problems. "We can respond to any problems, we can be talking to the community about safety, what would make them feel safe and what more can be done."

Credit Card Survey

2009-06-03T23:06:00.004+10:00

URLhttp://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/National/2572800/Article/index_html (3rd May 2009)

2009/06/03
Survey shows most have two credit cards
KUALA LUMPUR: Credit cardholders in Malaysia on average carry two cards in their wallets, with more than half of them swiping between one and three times weekly, a survey by the Nielsen Company shows.

"Their monthly credit card spending averages over RM900. This is considered relatively high when compared with the nation's average household income," said Vinod Paul, director for financial services at Nielsen Malaysia. Because of this high spending, he said, more than half the cardholders rotated their payments to the next month, and ended up paying the high interest imposed by the banks for delayed payment. More than 14 per cent of Malaysians owned credit cards, according to the findings. The survey interviewed 3,890 Malaysians, between the ages of 18 and 64, from last November to January. The area covered included semi-urban and rural areas.

The study also found that Malaysians were still reluctant to take their banking transactions online, although Internet penetration in the country had exceeded 60 per cent. Only one in 10 Malaysians uses Internet banking, the study reported. Most of them did not see the benefits of online banking, while others cited concerns about security. Those who use online banking view account balances, pay utility or credit bills and transfer funds.

999 ??

2009-05-27T22:51:00.002+10:00

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/myMetro/Wednesday/Mahkamah/20090527065230/Article/index_html (27th May 2009)

Peguam beritahu suami Zakiah Anas muflis
SHAH ALAM: Mahkamah Rendah Syariah di sini semalam diberitahu bahawa suami pengacara rancangan 999 di TV3, Zakiah Anas diisytiharkan muflis, lima tahun lalu.

Peguam syarie Rubiah Jaafar yang mewakili Zakiah, 43, (plaintif) berkata suami pengacara itu, Mohamed Yusoff Mohamed Taib, 46, (defendan) diisytiharkan bankrap pada Mac 2003 selepas membuat semakan melalui Jabatan Insolvensi pada 15 Mei lalu.

“Akibat defendan seorang bankrap, dia perlu mendapat kebenaran pegawai pemegang harta sebelum membuat sesuatu seperti menyaman atau disaman di mahkamah.

“Ini berdasarkan peruntukan Seksyen 38 Akta Kebankrapan 1967 (Akta 360) mengatakan jika seseorang bankrap hendaklah tidak kompeten untuk menyenggara apa-apa tindakan kecuali mendapat kebenaran ketua pengarah insolvensi,” katanya. Sementara itu, peguam syarie Fakrul Azman Abu Hasan yang mewakili Mohamed Yusoff memberitahu mahkamah, beliau terkejut sebaik mengetahui anak guamnya diisytiharkan bankrap.

“Saya perlu mendapat kepastian berhubung isu ini daripada anak guam sama ada dakwaan itu betul atau tidak.

“Selain itu, saya perlu merujuk kepada defendan jika dia ada membuat apa-apa tindakan berhubung isu berkenaan,” katanya.

Bagaimanapun, Hakim Syarie Kamarulzaman Ali memerintahkan kedua-dua pihak mengemukakan hujahan berhubung isu dibangkitkan sama ada seseorang muflis boleh membela diri di mahkamah dalam kes perceraian. Kamarulzaman turut menetapkan 9 Julai depan untuk penghujahan itu.

Sport in Melbourne

2009-04-28T18:59:00.002+10:00

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Sport/2543080/Article/index_html (28th April 2009)

Educational guarantee for Azizul

WORLD No 1 keirin rider Azizul Hasni Awang's future is secure, so long as the 21-year-old doesn't lose focus on the medal target at the 2012 Olympic Games. Azizul, who won the historic silver medal in the 200m sprint at the World Championships last month, will be enrolled to pursue a degree in Sports Management at Deakin University in Melbourne, where he is based, fully funded by the National Sports Council (NSC).NSC director general Datuk Zolkples Embong said the offer had been approved by previous Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob."This is to ensure that Azizul secures what he needs for his long term future, but at the same time it should not disrupt his focus on the 2012 target," said Zolkples.The academic programme, said Zolkples, is being arranged by national head coach John Beasley, who will also monitor Azizul's academic progress.

He added that Azizul, who this week began his training regime in preparation for the new season that starts in October, will have a flexible regime as far as his academic pursuit is concerned."He has full support of what he needs in order for him to keep performing on the track," said Zolkples. New Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek also had a lunch meeting with Azizul yesterday during which he was briefed on the pint-sized sprinter's programme."I am excited as the academic programme will help me after my cycling career is over," said Azizul."I will only look at it when I get back to Melbourne. I still have not discussed it all with John, as he's still on holiday." -- ARNAZ M. KHAIRUL

2009-04-27T13:17:00.006+10:00

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/myMetro/Monday/Setempat/20090427050613/Article/index_html (27th April 2009)

Doktor curi tulang
KUALA LUMPUR: Timbalan Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan, Datuk M Saravanan, semalam ‘menangkap’ dua doktor di Jabatan Kecemasan Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) kerana membaca akhbar dan melakukan kerja peribadi, bukannya merawat lebih 20 pesakit yang menunggu dalam kesakitan untuk mendapat rawatan. Penemuan yang memeranjatkan Saravanan itu berlaku kira-kira 10.30 pagi ketika beliau ke hospital itu untuk melawat seorang pelajar universiti yang cedera selepas dilanggar kereta yang dipandu pemandunya (Saravanan).“Saya juga menunggu seketika untuk pelajar perempuan itu mendapat rawatan dan setelah menyedari tidak seorang pun pesakit dipanggil masuk oleh doktor, saya terus membuka pintu bilik rawatan. Saya terkejut apabila mendapati seorang doktor sedang membaca surat khabar dan seorang lagi buat hal sendiri dan melakukan kerja peribadi.“Ada lebih 20 pesakit yang menunggu di luar untuk mendapat rawatan. Ini bukanlah cara seseorang doktor bekerja. Pesakit sepatutnya diutamakan. Lagipun, ini adalah unit kecemasan, yang sepatutnya pantas dalam memberikan rawatan,” kata Saravanan, yang jelas kelihatan kesal.

Saravanan berkata, beliau menegur doktor itu kerana kelakuan mereka dan mendesak untuk berjumpa pegawai atasan mereka, yang muncul 30 minit kemudian. “Selepas itu, pesakit yang menunggu segera diberi rawatan. Tak bolehkah doktor itu melayani pesakit dulu? Ini bukan sepatutnya cara perkhidmatan di hospital kerajaan dilaksanakan,” katanya. Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, dalam satu daripada lawatan mengejutnya di ibu kota kelmarin berkata, beliau mahu barisan hadapan institusi kerajaan di Kuala Lumpur meningkatkan perkhidmatan mereka kepada rakyat.Saravanan berkata, sungguhpun beliau `menangkap’ doktor terbabit secara tidak sengaja, mulai sekarang beliau akan kerap melakukan lawatan mengejut ke jabatan di bawah kementeriannya bagi memastikan kakitangan di barisan hadapan melaksanakan tugas mereka untuk berkhidmat kepada masyarakat.“Ini adalah pembuka mata. Kami, sebagai pemimpin, tidak boleh hanya menabur janji sahaja dan tidak memeriksa sama ada kerja dilaksanakan kakitangan kerajaan di barisan hadapan. Kami mesti turun ke bawah (ke akar umbi) bagi memastikan penyelesaian segera ditemui untuk masalah rakyat.“Apatah lagi dalam keadaan ini apabila orang sedang sakit dan menanggung penderitaan akibat kesakitan itu. Jika mereka tidak sakit, mereka tidak akan datang ke unit kecemasan. Ini adalah pengajaran untuk semua hospital. Tolong bekerja untuk rakyat jika anda menganggotai perkhidmatan awam,” katanya. - Bernama

Comment:

Bukannya hendak tuduh sesiapa, tetapi perkara mcm ini memang sudah lama berlaku, di hospital kerajaan, unit kecemasan ataupun unit pesakit luar. Jururawat dan doktor buat kerja ala kadar (mediocre work), masa saya sakit dulu pun, time pergi unit kecemasan, doktor duduk jauh2, tanya saya sakit apa, tak sentuh pun badan, tak pakai skop pun, lepas itu doktor berpura-pura suluh lampu, kat muka saya (kononnya buat pemeriksaan) dari jarak jauh.

Apa lagi, saya kata saya sakit demam, pening, selesema, batuk, semua lah... supaya saya dapat kumpul ubat banyak2, tak payah lah pergi jumpa doktor dah selepas ini... Tak rela tengok muka doktor 'berpura-pura' buat pemeriksaan kesihatan.

Rombakan dlm Jabatan Agama Islam?!

2009-03-29T16:18:00.004+11:00

Comments:

Ramai mualaf tidak memerlukan bantuan, bahkan ramai antara mereka sumbang kpd pembangunan agama Islam dan masyarakat Islam. Tetapi ada segelintir yang memerlukan bantuan, dari segi bimbingan agama, aktiviti sosial yang bersifat Islam, sedikit bantuan zakat dan pandangan positif masyarakat sekeliling, tetapi tidak mendapat bantuan/perhatian sewajarnya. Justeru mereka pun kembali kepada agama asal mereka (ataupun Islam dari segi 'nama' saja). Setahu saya, perkara ini memang sudah lama wujud, tetapi tidak juga di anggap serious oleh pihak berwajib/Jabatan Agama Islam/kementerian. Jabatan Agama Islam pula lebih mementingkan status ‘Islam’ atau ‘murtad’ daripada membimbing mereka ini... Nampaknya, mereka perlu ‘pembaharuan’ dan rombakan dlm Jabatan Agama Islam/kementerian, seiring dgn rombakan kabinet yang kerap diadakan.

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Sunday/BeritaUtama/20090329044303/Article (29th March 2009)

Murtad 30 tahun
Oleh NAZARALI SAERIL dan ASMIZAN MOHD SAMIRAN
KUALA LUMPUR: Siapa patut dipersalahkan apabila ada mualaf kembali kepada agama asal mereka selama puluhan tahun kerana gagal mendapat bimbingan serta perhatian sewajarnya selepas memeluk Islam?Itulah realiti pahit yang perlu difikirkan semua pihak.Mujur, di celah kepahitan itu masih ada insan prihatin yang gigih menghulur bantuan dan bimbingan untuk mengislamkan semula sebahagian daripada mualaf terbabit, biarpun berdepan seribu kesukaran.Wartawan Metro Ahad, NAZARALI SAERIL dan ASMIZAN MOHD SAMIRAN mencungkil kisah dan pengalaman lima mualaf terbabit yang kini dibimbing pendakwah dan aktivitis sosial, Mohd Hisham Surgi, 35, atau individual yang lebih mesra dengan panggilan Ustaz Hisham.

YUSUF ABDULLAH, 50:“SAYA masuk Islam ketika berumur 20 tahun dan mendaftar di Pejabat Agama Islam Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Selangor pada 1977.“Saya menjangka akan menerima bantuan dan bimbingan, tetapi tiada siapa pedulikan saya. Akhirnya saya tidak mengamalkan ajaran Islam biarpun selepas berkahwin dan mempunyai tiga anak,” katanya. Apabila tiada siapa peduli, Yusuf yang berasakan kurang kasih sayang daripada masyarakat Islam di sekelilingnya terus murtad dan mengamalkan hidup lamanya kira-kira 30 tahun hinggalah dia didekati Ustaz Hisham, dua tahun lalu. Selepas diambil perhatian dan diberi didikan serta bimbingan Ustaz Hisham, Yusuf kembali mengucap kalimah syahadah.“Yang saya kesalkan, ada di kalangan masyarakat Islam sendiri memandang serong pada mualaf hingga akhirnya individu seperti saya kembali kepada agama asal.“Saya bukan mahu bantuan kewangan atau apa-apa imbuhan. Saya memeluk Islam secara ikhlas berkat hidayah Allah SWT,” katanya yang kini mengikuti kelas fardu ain dan fardu kifayah setiap minggu.Yusuf enggan menyalahkan mana-mana pihak, sebaliknya berharap agensi berkaitan serta masyarakat tidak meminggirkan mualaf atau mereka yang mahu memeluk Islam kerana ia bukan saja ‘membunuh’ sifat Islam itu yang menyayangi umatnya tanpa mengira kaum, malah menjadi penyebab mualaf tidak teragak-agak untuk murtad.

WAHAB ABDULLAH, 80-an:Warga emas ini memeluk Islam sejak puluhan tahun lalu, tetapi akhirnya tinggal di sebuah rumah ibadat bukan Islam di sekitar Sungai Besar kerana tiada siapa mempedulikannya, selain dipandang serong agensi kerajaan yang sepatutnya membantu orang sepertinya. Akibatnya, dia menjadi jahil mengenai Islam dengan tidak melakukan amalan diwajibkan. Lebih teruk lagi, kerana tiada bantuan mana-mana pihak, dia terpaksa bekerja di sebuah rumah ibadat bukan Islam kerana disediakan penginapan di sana.“Saya bekerja sebagai mekanik ketika muda dan masuk Islam selepas mendapat hidayah Allah SWT. Namun saya sukar mendapat didikan serta bimbingan kerana ramai tidak peduli.“Saya mengharapkan ada pihak hadir dan memberi saya semua itu tetapi selepas puluhan tahun, saya hampa hinggalah akhirnya terpaksa tinggal di rumah ibadat bukan Islam,” katanya yang mempunyai seorang isteri serta seorang anak lelaki berpenyakit mental. Menurut Wahab, walaupun hidupnya susah dan terpaksa makan semangkuk nasi dibahagi dua dengan isterinya sekali sehari, dia tetap bersyukur kerana akhirnya muncul Ustaz Hisham yang mengambil berat masalah dihadapinya. Katanya, dia cuma mahu menjadi penganut Islam yang baik, tetapi jika tiada siapa mahu atau mampu memberi didikan serta bimbingan, bagaimana dia mahu melakukannya.“Saya dibawa keluar oleh Ustaz Hisham dari rumah ibadat itu dan ditempatkan di sebuah kediaman usang di Sungai Burung, Kuala Selangor. Biarpun di situ saya hidup serba kekurangan ibarat kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang, saya tetap bersyukur kerana ada juga insan yang prihatin.“Saya terpaksa mengharapkan bantuan orang lain untuk meneruskan hidup kerana saya sudah tua dan tidak mampu bekerja. Saya bukan mengemis atau mahukan kemewahan, tetapi berilah apa yang patut saja,” katanya dengan linangan air mata.

HARUN ABDULLAH, 80-an:BELIAU mendakwa diberi gelaran Datuk ketika era almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman sebagai Perdana Menteri atas sumbangannya mengislamkan ratusan penduduk kampung di sekitar Sungai Besar. Bagaimanapun, beliau akhirnya murtad selepas turut gagal diberi didikan serta bimbingan, malah dituduh mengamalkan ajaran agama asalnya sejak lima tahun lalu. Harun yang kecewa akhirnya menetap di sebuah rumah ibadat bukan Islam di sekitar Sungai Besar sebelum Ustaz Hisham mengetahui perkara itu dan berjaya memujuknya kembali ke pangkuan Islam. Sejak lebih setahun lalu, Harun turut giat membantu aktivis Islam mengesan beberapa mualaf yang murtad sebelum diberi didikan selain bimbingan. Sehingga kini beliau berjaya menarik semula empat individu murtad untuk kembali ke jalan Allah SWT.

SALIM CHIA ABDULLAH, 69:“AWAK boleh makan babi ketika bersarapan. Itu tidak salah. Apabila selesai sembahyang Zuhur, dosa itu diampunkan Allah SWT,” itu antara yang diajar oleh seorang lelaki bergelar ustaz dalam kelas fardu ain. Bagi Salim yang memeluk Islam sejak 33 tahun lalu, perkara terbabit sangat menyedihkan kerana mualaf seperti mereka dilayan seolah-olah orang bodoh yang tidak tahu langsung berkaitan Islam. Dia yang berkahwin dengan wanita Muslim dan mempunyai enam anak memaklumkan, mualaf lain yang turut belajar dalam kelas itu terkejut dengan kata-kata lelaki terbabit.“Kami terus maklumkan ustaz itu, kami tidak mahu dia mengajar kami lagi kerana kami tahu dia tidak ikhlas dalam menjalankan tugas kerana ada masanya dia menuduh kami minum arak dan masih mengamalkan ajaran agama asal.“Mengapa itu berlaku? Kami bukan masuk Islam kerana mahukan wang, menerima taraf Bumiputera atau keistimewaan lain, tapi kami ikhlas. Kami mahu belajar berkaitan keindahan Islam, ajarannya dan pelbagai lagi yang baik dan bukan sindiran atau tuduhan tidak berasas,” katanya geram. Menurut penternak kambing itu, kadangkala ada masanya mereka perlu mendapatkan bantuan individu lain yang ikhlas memberi didikan dan bimbingan kerana tidak mahu terpesong akidah dan berlaku pelbagai lagi perkara buruk. Katanya, jangan kerana mereka mualaf, masyarakat atau agensi berkaitan tidak memberi walau sedikit peluang untuk belajar atau menjadi sebahagian daripada komuniti Islam kerana ia bukan saja tidak adil, malah boleh dianggap zalim.“Yang kami mahu ialah keredaan di dunia dan akhirat. Beri kami panduan dan sayangi kami sebagai saudara Islam, bukan mualaf yang mahukan kemewahan hidup atau wang zakat,” katanya.

ABDUL RAHMAN CHIA ABDULLAH, 43:“SAYA kenal beberapa mualaf yang juga rakan akhirnya murtad kerana tidak menerima didikan serta bimbingan pihak berkaitan.“Lebih teruk lagi, mayat beberapa mualaf tidak disempurnakan mengikut cara Islam kerana agensi berkaitan tidak tahu mereka meninggal dunia. Bagaimana perkara seperti itu boleh berlaku?” soalnya. Menurut nelayan itu, dia mengetahui beberapa kes kematian mualaf yang mayat mereka tidak disempurnakan mengikut cara Islam kerana agensi berkaitan gagal melaksanakan kewajipan sepatutnya.“Tolong lakukan sesuatu. Jangan hanya sibuk bercakap mengenai halal haram atau agama saja, tetapi dalam masa sama membiarkan mualaf terkapai-kapai tanpa bimbingan sempurna.“Kepada pegawai agensi berkaitan di Sabak Bernam, jangan hanya memarahi mualaf, sebaliknya lakukan sesuatu untuk kebaikan. Tidak perlu marah-marah menyatakan mahu terus dalam Islam atau murtad kepada mualaf. Kita mahu dikasihi dan disayangi, bukan dijadikan musuh,” katanya tenang.

.

Ada-ada Saja Ibubapa yang Pelik

2009-03-28T21:52:00.008+11:00

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/myMetro/Saturday/Setempat/20090328094032/Article/index_html (28th March 2009)

Atlit dilarang sertai sukan

GEORGETOWN: Hanya kerana perbalahan mengenai pakaian sukan, seorang pelajar yang juga atlit cemerlang peringkat sekolah digantung daripada menyertai sebarang acara sukan. Pelajar berusia 13 tahun dari Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Haji Mohd Nor Gelugor di sini, digantung pihak sekolah daripada menyertai sebarang acara sukan peringkat sekolah atau negeri, sejak Rabu lalu. Arahan itu berikutan dia (pelajar perempuan itu) ingkar dengan kod pakaian sukan yang ditentukan pihak sekolah. Bapa pelajar terbabit, Mohd Rashid Asrol Mohd Ikbar, 36, mendakwa anaknya bersama tiga lagi rakan yang juga olahragawati sekolah berkenaan tertekan dengan arahan terbabit.

Katanya, anaknya yang cemerlang dalam sukan olahraga (cemerlang di dunia) memenangi 36 pingat emas, dua perak dan satu gangsa sejak menyertai acara sukan itu mulai peringkat sekolah rendah.

“Saya kecewa dengan tindakan pengetua sekolah terbabit yang mengenakan peraturan tidak masuk akal dengan tidak membenarkan anak saya menyertai acara sukan hanya kerana tidak ikut kod pakaian. “Pengetua mahu mereka pakai baju labuh, seluar longgar dan tudung untuk bersukan. Apabila anak saya memakai seluar larian jenis ketat dengan baju-T sukan sekolah, dia dikenakan tindakan itu,” katanya ketika ditemui selepas menyertai mesyuarat dengan pengetua sekolah terbabit di sini, semalam. Turut hadir pada mesyuarat itu, seorang pegawai Ketua Unit Hal Ehwal Pelajar Kementerian Pendidikan Negeri (JPN) Pulau Pinang.

Comment:

Kepada ibubapa (yang beragama Islam) yang tak gemar pakai tudung / pakaian elok itu.. saya tidak ada apa-apa komen yg sesuai utk anda!

My first stop at Melbourne once upon a time..

2009-03-19T22:22:00.011+11:00

Salam,

I would like to welcome ALL Malaysians to Melbourne, Australia... Have a good and productive time here... enjoy your stay and study smart... Also dont forget to stay healthy... do some jogging or light walking to pump your blood. Remember, a healthy body ensure a healthy mind!

Also dont forget to get registered at your Uni soonest possible, registered at a local Bank (for ease of money transfer, etc.), then go sightseeing... around the beautiful Melbourne for some fresh air... and lastly, dont indulge in 'rumours mongers' and stuff like that, its bad for health.

May the force be with you...

The Differences between M’sia and Australia Stimulus Package

2009-03-14T17:59:00.001+11:00

Some 8.7 million Australian workers earning $100,000 (Rm240,000) or less per annum, are eligible to receive $900 as part of the $42 billion Economic Stimulus Package the Rudd Government announced on 3rd February 2009.

Source:

http://www.etax.com.au/content/files/tax_bonus.aspx?sReferrer=yahootaxbonus

In M’sia, Najib Tun Razak has announced the RM60 billion Economic Stimulus Package, which among others… did not mentioned anything about giving the M’sian families who earn less than Rm100,000 (Let alone the sum Rm240,000 as announced by the Australian government)… to help ease the burden of the middle and lower income families in M’sia.

The RM$60 billion stimulus package came as a surprise to most analysts who were predicting a more moderate RM$15 billion to RM$30 billion package. The move comes just four months after Malaysia announced a M$5 billion stimulus with its 2009 budget.
Source:
http://www.financeasia.com/article.aspx?CIaNID=98372

Shahirah Nikah dgn Reza

2009-03-08T17:29:00.004+11:00

RAJA Shahirah Aishah dibawa dengan tandu ke tempat persandingan di Aryani Resort, Merang, Setiu, semalam. Gambar kecil, Syarul Reza Abd. Aziz.

URLhttp://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0308&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_11.htm (8 March 2008)
Raja Shahirah, suami ditandu ke persandingan

SETIU 7 Mac - Bagaikan perkahwinan putera dan puteri di zaman dahulu kala. Itulah yang boleh digambarkan mengenai majlis perkahwinan anak kedua arkitek terkenal Terengganu, Raja Shahirah Aishah Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah, 24, dengan pasangannya, Syarul Reza Abd. Aziz, 29, yang berkonsepkan Melayu tradisional. Majlis berkenaan bermula kira-kira pukul 8 pagi ini dengan ketibaan pasangan pengantin di Aryani Resort, Merang di sini. Kedua-dua pengantin kemudian dimandikan dalam upacara mandi bersiram kira-kira pukul 9.30 pagi.

Raja Shahirah dan Syarul Reza yang kemudian mengenakan pakaian sedondon berwarna krim dan kuning, diarak berasingan dengan tandu oleh 14 hulubalang ke tempat persandingan kira-kira pukul 1.45 petang. Sebanyak 17 pembawa dulang, dua pengiring dan dua panglima mengiringi kedua-dua pengantin. Perarakan tersebut diiringi muzik etnik nusantara dimainkan oleh kumpulan muzik, Dendang Anak yang turut terdiri daripada dua adik pengantin perempuan, Raja Badruddin Hakim, 22, dan Raja Bahyuddin Ansari, 20.
Lebih 3,000 jemputan termasuk moyang pengantin perempuan, Tengku Ampuan Intan Zaharah; nendanya, Tengku Ampuan Bariah; dan Tengku Ampuan Pahang, Tengku Azizah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj menyaksikan majlis persandingan tersebut. Tengku Ampuan Zaharah dan Tengku Azizah turut berkenan menepung tawar kedua-dua pengantin baru tersebut. Majlis perkahwinan tersebut berakhir kira-kira pukul 3.30 petang selepas upacara memotong pulut kuning.
Abang Raja Shahirah, Raja Mohd. Baharuddin ketika ditemui berkata, beliau gembira adik keduanya daripada enam beradik itu kini telah menemui kebahagiaan. Beliau memberitahu, ibu mereka, Jacqueline Pascarl-Gillespie tidak dapat datang menghadiri majlis perkahwinan itu.
"Bagaimanapun, saya dan Raja Shahirah bersama suaminya akan ke Australia pada 24 Mac ini untuk menghadiri majlis yang diadakan oleh ibu sempena perkahwinan mereka," katanya.

Time Artis Nikah Berdulang2, Time Cerai Pakai SMS Aje...

2009-03-08T17:17:00.005+11:00

URLhttp://www.hmetro.com.my/Current_News/myMetro/Sunday/Setempat/20081130110335/Article/index_html (30th Nov 2008)

Bimbang jadi ikutan (Kes Cerai)
Oleh ASMIZAN MOHD SAMIRAN dan SHAMRAN SARAHAN

KUALA LUMPUR: Barangkali ada beranggapan ia kebetulan, tetapi realitinya belum pernah industri hiburan tanah air menyaksikan terbongkar kisah sekurang-kurangnya 18 artis terbabit masalah rumah tangga dengan sebahagian besar membabitkan kes perceraian hanya dalam tempoh 11 bulan.Lebih ‘menakjubkan’, dalam tempoh itu perceraian di kalangan golongan terbabit berlaku hampir setiap bulan.Berdasarkan rekod, penyanyi, Azharina Azhar atau Azharina, 23, membuka tirai episod perceraian 2008 apabila bercerai dengan suaminya Datuk Sukri, 50, pada Februari lalu.Ini diikuti penyanyi, Farah Asyikin Zulkifli atau Farah Asyikin, 28, dengan Dr Fariz Yahya, 30 (26 Mei), sehinggalah yang terakhir pelakon, Nasrizal Ngasri (atau Bell), 29, dengan Nur Farhana Mahamad Fauri, 26, (24 November). Noraniza Idris, 40, turut bercerai untuk kali kedua dalam tempoh berkenaan, tetapi tarikhnya tidak diketahui.
Menarik mengenai kontroversi membabitkan Bell, pelakon filem baru Antoo Fighter itu pernah membuat penafian menghantar SMS cerai kepada isterinya dan mengakui hanya mengikuti sesi kaunseling di akhbar ini, tetapi kebenaran akhirnya terungkai apabila kes SMS itu dibawa ke mahkamah sehingga sah bercerai talak satu.Selain perceraian, beberapa artis turut terbabit pergolakan rumah tangga dengan kisah pelakon, Mohamed Nurhakim Zaidon atau Norman Hakim, 32, dan Arbaeyah Abdul Manan atau Abby Abadi, 30, paling hangat diperkatakan, terutama selepas Norman ditangkap khalwat dengan pelakon baru, Suhaiza Suhaimi atau Memey, 20. Abby meminta supaya diceraikan tetapi sehingga hari ini tiada kisah terbaru daripada mereka.Kisah penyanyi, Dayang Zaira Erema Awang Moshdad, 25, atau Erema yang memfailkan cerai terhadap suaminya, Jamaludin Sulik atau Seri Bayu, 43, juga mendapat perhatian kerana permohonan cerai dibuat ketika penulis lirik itu menderita penyakit saraf dan dalam keadaan tidak upaya.Kes tuntutan cerai Erema akan didengar di Mahkamah Rendah Syariah Petaling Jaya Selangor, 1 Disember ini.Turut tersenarai dalam kontroversi pergolakan rumah tangga sepanjang tempoh 11 bulan ini ialah pelakon, Mohd Aszerul Nizam Abdullah, 28, atau Beego dengan isterinya Intan Shahira Mohd Shahru, 27, yang kesnya masih dalam perbicaraan dan penyanyi, Jamaluddin Elias, 48, atau Nash dengan Sosilawati Lawiya, 44, yang perbicaraan kes perceraian mereka sudah selesai tetapi masih tinggal berasingan walaupun mahkamah memutuskan mereka sah sebagai suami isteri.Pengarah dan pelakon, Aziz M Osman, 46, pula meragui status perkahwinannya dengan ustazah, Nor Radhiah Ramli, 22, sehingga terpaksa mencari penyelesaian di Mahkamah. Kes ini masih dalam perbicaraan.Terbaru, penyanyi dan pelakon, Mohd Radhi Razali, 31, atau Radhi OAG turut terbabit dalam kemelut pergolakan rumah tangga di kalangan artis apabila isterinya, Shazlin Sharif, 30, memohon fasakh dan pengesahan perceraian. Bagaimanapun, Radhi tidak hadir buat kali ketiga 25 November lalu.Bagi Persatuan Peguam Syarie Malaysia (PGSM), ia fenomena membimbangkan, manakala Persatuan Seniman Malaysia (Seniman) dan Persatuan Penyanyi Pemuzik Dan Penulis Lagu Tanah Air (Papita) mahu campur tangan untuk membantu dengan mempertimbangkan mengadakan kursus mengenai pentingnya institusi perkahwinan dan kebahagiaan rumah tangga kepada golongan terbabit.Presiden PGSM, Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar, berkata apabila timbul masalah membabitkan artis, sekalipun mengenai pergolakan rumah tangga, ia wajar diberi perhatian serius.“Artis perlu sedar mereka ada peminat yang mengikuti perkembangan hidup mereka. Sebab itu mereka perlu berhati-hati dan bersikap rasional dalam apa jua tindakan yang bakal diambil.“Segala keputusan, sama ada suka atau tidak, mereka perlu fikir panjang. Ini kerana permasalahan itu, mahu tidak mahu, terpaksa dikongsi dengan peminat dan masyarakat,” katanya.Beliau berkata, dia khuatir perceraian di kalangan artis dianggap perkara biasa dan secara tidak langsung menjadi ikutan membuta tuli.“Kita tidak mahu tanggapan begini terjadi, ia (perceraian) dianggap norma biasa. Orang akan kata, perceraian bukan perkara asing lagi, apatah lagi membabitkan artis,” katanya.

2009-02-09T19:40:00.000+11:00

Extreme Weather and Bushfire in Australia

2009-02-09T15:08:00.000+11:00

Melbourne, Victoria and other parts of Australia over the past months have witnessed a dramatic change of weather, from as cold as 04 celsius in the winter, to as hot as 45c for 3 days in a row in summer (Jan/Feb 2009) ... so much so that bushfire are reported in some parts of Australia, prompting the PM, Kevin Rudd to call for extra budget to help the victims of bushfire. Already 110 people are reported death, and the tolls are climbing as of today. Needless to say, thousands of farm animals are burnt to death in the bushfire. Lost of properties and farm goods are in the millions of dollars.

See news reported at:

http://issues-in-melbourne.blogspot.com/

Obama Train Rides to Presidency_21 Jan 2009

2009-01-21T22:18:00.001+11:00

Retailers Call for Ban on Hijabs, Hoodies!!

2009-01-15T19:09:00.000+11:00

URLhttp://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/5263595/retailers-ban-hijabs-hoodies/ (Accessed on 15 January 2009)

Retailers call for ban on hijabs, hoodies
ABC - January 15, 2009, 3:48 pm
The Retailers Association has called for hijabs, hoodies and helmets to be banned from shops and banks. The Queensland-based organisation says it represents smaller, independent retailers in Australia.

Association executive director Scott Driscoll says the items could be used as a disguise by criminals. Mr Driscoll says the issue is about security, not religion… ??!!

"We're certainly getting reports from overseas (??!!), that these pieces of clothing are actually being utilised by people that are not of the Muslim faith and certainly have ulterior motives," he said.

"That's bringing us to a point now of realising we need to be moving into the current times and addressing these things right across the board…??!! (Racists or Discriminations??).

"It is not intended whatsoever to show disrespect to the Muslim community - indeed it's the opposite”, Mr Driscoll added ….??! "We want to protect the reputation of all good people in the community - we've got the support and the backing of some senior Muslim leaders (??!! WHO??!!) from across the country."

The debate was triggered by on-air comments from a commercial radio presenter in Brisbane. The Australian Retailers Association says the comments are xenophobic and immature.

Richard Evans from the Australian Retailers Association says people should be allowed to wear their cultural dress in shops and Mr Driscoll should apologise. "I'm calling on anyone who thinks this is a respectable debate to rethink their position," he said.

"And for those that are making comments that we should be banning these cultural and custom outfits, they should be apologising to not only those people that wear them but all of Australians."

Comments:

Oh… Oh… Racists and religious discrimination groups are already knocking on the doors of ‘civilized’ Australia… BUT from what I studied at university, the concept of ‘civilized’ nation that embraced the concept of ‘civil society’ does NOT discriminate people based on race and/or religion.

These are maybe from small group of secular (Jewish based) that are upset on the fact that Muslim are banning their Jewish and US products, so this ‘action’ may be a retaliation to Muslim.