Bird Flu Near Kuala Lumpur!!!

It's true, the H5N1 bird flu virus has hit a village in Sungai Buloh, quite near to Kuala Lumpur. Dozens of chicken were dead. Will other villagers who rear chicken for a living sneak out their chicken elsewhere?

Will it cause panic in the city of Kuala Lumpur? Will the government keep the public well informed?

Reading: Bird flu: No humans infected so far - The Star
Reading: Bird flu detected at Sungai Buloh, culling begins - Tunku Aisha
Reading: Malaysian teams fan out to contain spread of H5N1 bird flu virus - IHT
Reading: Bird flu reappears in Malaysia - Yahoo! News

Watch this space!

Tags: H5N1, Bird Flu, Sungai Buloh, Malaysia, Chicken, Health

No Rights in Egypt?

It seems that Egypt will arrest anyone they deemed posing a threat to the country. Could be worse than Malaysia's ISA law.

Lately, Egyptian police ordered the arrest of 75 members of the opposition Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood. With the upper house of parliament's election being next week, such arrest came at the right timing for the government in power. True? Although the group is outlawed, the suspected members do stand for election as independents (you can't stop them from doing so). And the Islamist party did receive a significant result in the last parliamentary election in 2005. Maybe the present government felt their 'presence'.

With that arrest, it drove about 100 lawyers to the military court trying to bail those 75 guys out. Can you imagine the mayhem at the court with 100 lawyers jostling to get their clients out as fast as possible. Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights has objected on the mass arrest. Not a good public relation for Egypt.

Not only opposition members are arrested, even bloggers were not spared. Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman, who blogs under the name of Kareem Amer, was arrested last November which drawn wide protest from blogging community locally and internationally.

Together with him, another blogger by the name of Abdul-Moneim Mahmud was also arrested where he blogs under Ana Ikhwan. Their arrests has triggered protest from Reporters Without Borders which has added Egypt into their list of 13 countries that censor and harass people who publish online news. Another piece of human rights issue that doesn't put Egypt in a good standing.

Tags: Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood, Islamist, Human Rights, Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, Kareem Amer, Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman, Ana Ikhwan, Abdul-Moneim Mahmud, Reporters Without Borders, Bloggers, Military Court

Malaysian PM Getting Married

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has announced that he'll be getting married this coming Saturday.

awwwwwwwwwww during the weekend? Why not on a weekday, it could be a public holiday. Anyway, going back to the original topic, it has been confirmed officially by the Prime Minister's Office as well. And you can't join the party as it's a closed door akad nikah held at the Seri Perdana official residence.

Who is this lady or bride-to-be? She's none other than Jeanne Danker Abdullah. A former Assuntarian girl, born in Kuala Lumpur on 29 July 1953.

An administrator and hotelier by training/profession where she has worked in KL Hilton and Pan Pacific Hotel before. She was also the manager of the Seri Perdana complex.

Congrats to both of them and a saying goes "for behind a successful man there is always a very supportive wife".

Reading: Rumour is fact: Pak lah will have a new wife - Susan Loone
Reading: Selamat pengantin baru... Pak Lah & Jeanne - Screenshots
Reading: The protégé turned prodigal - Malaysia Today (paragraphs 13 to 17)
Tags: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Jeanne Danker Abdullah, Jeanne Danker, Malaysian Prime Minister, Marriage

Help Required: Blood A Negative

Received an email from a trusted friend where help is needed urgently. If you know of anyone which has A negative blood type, the blood is greatly needed. Only 1 pint person.

Dear Friends,
My name is Susan Yong, I'm with HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd. My husband needs to undergo bypass surgery at Subang Jaya Medical Centre on the 12th Jun 07. He requires 8 pints of A "negative" blood.

As this type of blood is uncommon, the blood bank does not keep stock and the blood needs to be collected (fresh) only on the day of surgery, i.e. on the 12th Jun 07. Prior screening of the blood is necessary to check for suitability.

If anyone is in a position to help, you may contact me at 017-3624843(susanyong@hsbc.com.my) or you may contact SJMC Blood Bank directly.

Details as follows:-
SCREENING FOR CABG DONORS (Subang Jaya Medical Centre)
Monday - Friday: 8.30 am to 5.30 pm
Saturday: 8.30 am to 12.30 pm.
Sundays & Public Holidays: Closed
(Open during lunch hours too.)
Venue: Blood Bank, 5th Floor, Outpatient Centre, SJMC
Tel No.: 03-56306575
Patient's Details: Lachamanan Vasudevan MR No. 340577

Please mention my husband's details if you call SJMC directly. Appreciate if you could also help to circulate this mail to all your friends and relatives. Many thanks & may God bless all of you.
regards
susan
Tags: A Negative Blood, Subang Jaya Medical Centre, SJMC, SJMC Blood Bank, HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd, HSBC, Lachamanan Vasudevan, Susan Yong

Hot War

Cold War was over when the communist regime fell across Europe. With USSR disintegrated and most East Europeans' communism regime fell down the drain, the Cold War disappeared silently too.

Lately, the USA was trying to place some of its missles and radar system in Poland and Czech Republic in which Russia took it seriously and said that USA has breached ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) Treaty. Russia stated that those placements were meant to target Russia.

Meanwhile, USA has responded by saying that those interceptor missiles and radar system's placement were meant to counter any future threats from Iran and North Korea.

Very sensitive situation. Was USA's reasons justified? It seems that Russia was not buying it.

On the other hand, in showing that their arms' strength are still powerful, Russia launched a RS-24 missile from the Plesetsk cosmodrome last Tuesday. This missle could be armed with up to 10 warheads and was designed to evade missile defence systems. Wow! Evade? If you don't intend to bomb people in future why a need for a missile that could evade...... and a missile that could fit in 10 warheads???????? This missile could have been planned for few years back when everything was peaceful and their mind was already filled with destruction of another country with just one powerful missile....tsk tsk tsk

The NATO-Russia Council stated that it will continue to to address Russia’s concerns regarding the plans. Concerns on what when Russia was also well prepared?

Ain't this going to be a HOT WAR!!! Must practice my shooting skills with my Counter Strike game. You'll never know when it will come in handy.
Tags: Cold War, USA, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, NATO-Russia Council, ABM Treaty, RS-24, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Missile Defence System, Iran, North Korea

Funeral Service

Went to a friend's funeral service just now.....knew her long time ago but lost touch. Got news that she had passed away - committed suicide. What a tragedy!

Knew her to be a joyful person, the one that could get excited with news/events. But she took her life. This was not the way to find out where your long time friend was.

At the funeral service, the pastor shared with us on "John 3:16 - for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have an everlasting life." The pastor stressed on "for God" - that we people, while on this earth, should live our life for God. Be it in our work, family life, relationships.

He also mentioned "whoever" - that this marvellous God is really for whoever.
Tags: Tragedy, Commit Suicide

How to Survive With Your Salary?

Our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has advised the public to spend your money wisely. And no more moonlighting. "With your salary increase, you should manage your budget and money wisely," he told them. "Unlimited spending will only create problems for yourself."

On 21 May, the prime minister announced a pay increase of between 7.5% and 42% for the country's more than one million civil servants, in what is seen as the best ever pay increment for the civil service.

Any clue whether the prime minister has to issue the statement as above due to an email (as shown below) being widely circulated in Malaysia:-

Subject: Can a family man with a salary of RM3,000 survive in Malaysia
Let's do some simple calculations here. In Malaysia, the average family income is RM3,000 per month (where father works, mother doesn't). I understand there are many families whose monthly income does not reach RM3,000, but, to make things simple, let's take RM3,000 as the figure. Ok lah, right?

Okay, let's start rolling with a family which has Papa, Mama, 1 daughter and 1 son. Ngam-ngam ...... Calculation starts...
Electricity and water bill: RM100 (No air-con, No home theatre, No water heater ... ok?)
Phone bill (Digi, Maxis, Celcom or Telekom): RM100
Meals for a happy family: RM775 (3 meals on RM25/day, RM25 for 4 persons...?)
Papa makan / teh-tarik during working hrs: RM155 (RM5/day, RM5 ... can eat what?)
Car repayment: RM400 (A proton saga aeroback, 7 yrs repayment)
Petrol (living in city, traffic-jam): RM300 (go to work, bring son to school, only can afford one car running)
Insurance: RM400 (kids, wife and myself)
House repayment: RM750 (low cost housing repayment for 30 yrs, retired still have to work to pay!)
Tuition: RM80 (got that cheap meh? i don't think so)
Children pocket money @ school: RM20 (RM1/day, eat bread?)
School fees: RM30 (enough ah?)
School books and etc: RM100 (always got extra to pay in school)
Miscellaneous: RM100 (shampoo, rice, sauce, toilet paper)

Oh wait!!! I have to stop here, so... No Astro, no movie @ cinema, no DVD, no CD, no online, cannot KFC, cannot McDonald, cannot go walking in the park during weekend (petrol expensive), no chit chat on phone with grandparents, and etc...

Let's use a calculator to total up... WALAO EH! Sxxx! RM3,310 already...EPF (old age retirement fund) belum potong, income tax lagi........ oledi RM3,310 ... How to survive lah tuan-tuan dan puan-puan sekalian??? Our Deputy Prime Minister asked us to change lifestyle? How to change? Don't eat? Don't work? Don't send children to school and study?

Besides that, I believe in Malaysia population, there are millions of rakyat Malaysia which still don't earn RM3,000/month! !! What is this? Inilah Malaysia Boleh... Sorry... it should be Malaysians Boleh, because we're still alive and kicking!! Our politicians must be mad!!!! Please forward and comment boleh or tak boleh. No wonder so many Ah Loongs (illegal moneylender) around..
Tags: Malaysia, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Salary