Banning Hindraf a solution?

MCPXIn the eyes of critics, the latest threat to ban the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), the group credited for the Indian awakening in the country, is the latest move by the Barisan Nasional-led federal government to 'demonise' the group.According to them, the BN may have kick-started a contorted campaign to smear the movement, which may ultimately lead to a ban.Many regard Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, MIC president S Samy Vellu (right) and Utusan Malaysia as the driving forces behind this murky campaign to paint the human rights group as an unruly, ill-mannered and impolite body.Thus, understandably, the government had to get even with Hindraf, which has been largely blamed for shifting Indian votes en bloc from BN to the opposition in the March general election, they said.Hindraf inspired Makkal Sakti or people power has stung the government into realising the importance of minority Indian votes for its electoral survival. It has also woken up the community from a deep slumber and state of denial.The majority of Indians in the country had for a long time believed that only the MIC and BN could look after their interests, a syndrome perpetuated and constantly highlighted by media campaigns and stereotypical image-building.Hindraf's emergence awoke the community, eliminated the 'BN is best' myth and instilled anger and frustration in Indians, who now blame the government for 51 years of betrayal, mistrust and marginalisation.Critics believe the government waited for its chance to exact revenge and it duly arrived when Hindraf activists paid a Hari Raya visit to the prime minister's open house in the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 1.They said BN leaders then seized the chance to criticise, not mincing their words in calling Hindraf a rude and ungrateful movement out to disrupt racial and religious harmony in the country."It was an insult to Islam," said Syed Hamid, an obvious over-statement arising from a sense of urgency to go for a quick kill.

A ban looms
Now the threat is on to ban the unregistered body."How could the government ban an unregistered body?" asked London-based Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy.Even if the government somehow manages to ban Hindraf, he is convinced that it would only fuel the burning Makkal Sakti spirit of the Indians."The government may be able to get rid of Hindraf, but not the Makkal Sakti fervour," said the self-exiled leader, who left the country just before the government's clampdown on the movement late last year, following its mammoth rally on Nov 25.Five Hindraf leaders –P Uthayakumar, 47, M Manoharan, 47, R Kenghadharan, 41, V Ganabatirau 35, and T Vasanthakumar, 35, have been in detention in Kamunting under the Internal Security Act since Dec 13.Hindraf visited the prime minister's open house to urge Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to release the five and repeal ISA.Waythamoorthy insisted that the Putrajaya administration extended an open invitation to Hindraf to come to the open house and that its activists lined up in an orderly manner to shake hands and wish Abdullah well in the festive season.BN leaders, Utusan Malaysia and certain Umno-linked NGOs have been accused of distorting the Hindraf visit.The movement has since lodged a series of nationwide police reports against Syed Hamid, Utusan and several non-government organisations and threatened to file multi-million ringgit suits against its critics.Not wanting to be left out, MIC leaders accused the activists of sabotaging the party's efforts to persuade the government to release the Hindraf 5.Bafflingly, Samy Vellu has emerged to champion the Hindraf cause, a struggle that he belittled and loathed when he was in the government. Not surprisingly he has been accused of hijacking the Hindraf cause to re-brand and re-position MIC as a vital political entity for the Indian community.But the unequivocal truth is, MIC is rapidly becoming irrelevant to Indians.In the last election, the community widely rejected BN's divide and rule policy and voted in multi-racial political bodies to represent their interests.Although Pakatan Rakyat leaders like PAS president Hadi Awang, bloggers, NGOs and civil activists have defended Hindraf's Hari Raya visit , the government is disinterested to listen, contrary to Abdullah's claim that he has "big ears to hear grievances of all Malaysians".Sincere efforts neededWaythamoorthy believes Hindraf is being used as a pawn to increase the individual popularity of Umno leaders in their race for supremacy in the run up to party elections next March."It shows that Umno has lost touch with grassroots sentiments and undercurrent demands for a different political approach to govern a multi-racial Malaysia," Waythamoorthy said.Banning Hindraf would not solve the outstanding Indian issues in the country nor will it pave way for MIC and BN to regain lost votes.BN and MIC must realise that they must first address and resolve Hindraf's 18 issues submitted in a memorandum last year, which touched on the non-existence of kindergartens in Tamil schools, the high suicide rate among Indians, the indiscriminate demolition of Hindu temples and direct discrimination, marginalisation and racism against Indians, both in the public and private sector.
Strong action against an unregistered body would not dampen the Makkal Sakti spirit that has become the heart and soul of the majority of Malaysian Indians.They demand constructive government action to address and resolve their dilemma, provide them with wider opportunities for both business and employment and upgrade their standard of living.In all, they demand that the government does away with its marginalisation policy.Banning Hindraf is not the solution.Getting rid of an Indian mouthpiece will only aggravate the situation and isolate BN further from the community.

source from malaysiakini

Bush says the government's financial rescue plan is aggressive and big enough to work

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Friday that the government's financial rescue plan was aggressive enough and big enough to work, but would take time to fully kick in. "We can solve this crisis and we will," he said in brief remarks from the White House Rose Garden.
Bush spoke as leaders of the world's top economies gathered in Washington amid frozen credit markets, panic selling in stock markets and a looming global recession.
The president noted that major Western countries were working together in an attempt to stabilize markets and end the spreading panic, including coordinated cuts in interest rates.
"Through these efforts, the world is sending an unmistakable signal. We're in this together and we'll come through this together," Bush said.
Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven — the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany, France Italy and Canada — were here for a weekend meeting. Bush plans to meet with the leaders on Saturday.
Bush said he understood how Americans could be concerned about their economic future. "That anxiety can feed anxiety and that can make it hard to see all that's being done to solve the problem," he said.
But despite a relentless sell-off that has seen the Dow Jones industrials plunge 20 percent in the past seven trading days, Bush said, "We are a prosperous nation with immense resources and a wide range of tools at our disposal."
The president said the new $700 billion rescue plan that he signed into law a week ago authorizes the Treasury Department to use a variety of measures to rebuild their balance sheets including "purchasing equity of financial institutions."
It was the first time the president has mentioned suggestions that the government buy shares of banks, although it has been mentioned by other administration officials.
Since the bailout package was signed into law, the conversation about how it will be used has shifted from taxpayers buying troubled mortgages to taxpayers buying troubled banks. Or at least pieces of them.
Such a move would amount to a partial nationalization of the U.S. banking industry, a move once considered unthinkable.
The government is authorized under the law to buy "troubled assets."
Those assets include mortgages, but according to the law, they may also include "any other financial instrument" that is "necessary to promote financial market stability ... ."
It is the government's position that this authority extends to bank stocks.
"The plan we are executing is aggressive. It is the right plan. It will take time to have its full impact. It is flexible enough to adapt as the situation changes. And it is big enough to work," Bush said.
He also noted that the Federal Reserve has injected hundreds of billions into the system and with other central banks has made interest-rate cuts that should help thaw frozen credit markets and enable loans to flow again.
Government insurance on bank and credit union deposit accounts has been raised to $250,000 and the Treasury is offering insurance for the first time for money-market funds, he added.
"The federal government has a comprehensive strategy and the tools necessary to address the challenges in our economy," Bush said.
While he sought to reassure Americans that the government is doing all it can, Bush also acknowledged mounting worry among people about their retirement and investment accounts.
Bush said his administration had launched initiatives that "have helped more than 2 million Americans stay in their homes."
He also noted "rigorous enforcement" steps taken by the Securities and Exchange Commission to make sure that some investors don't "take advantage of the crisis to illegally manipulate the stock market."
Stock market volatility continued, with the Dow Jones industrials falling nearly 700 points soon after trading began, regaining all of that deficit to show an advance and then turning lower again.
"Over the past few days," Bush said, "we have witnessed a startling drop in the stock market, much of it driven by uncertainty and fear. This has been a deeply unsettling period for the American people."

Antioxidants

How much do you know about antioxidants? Human body is programmed to automatically generate antioxidants. Antioxidants are used to neutralize byproducts that are being produced during normal human body processes. These byproducts are usually oxidative in nature and they need antioxidants to neutralize them, or else they will damage or body cell.

Human body only produces a limited dose of antioxidants. Those whom live in the city, especially those whom are exposed to more pollution, sun, stress, and etc will have to boost their antioxidants by consuming antioxidants in medication form or ensuring a balanced diet which is enriched with antioxidant.

Antioxidants are found abundant in beans, grain products, fruits and vegetables. Look for fruits with bright color - lutein in some of the yellow pigments found in corn; orange in cantaloupe, butternut squash and mango; red from lycopene in tomatoes and watermelon, and purple and blue in berries. So enjoy eating a variety of these products.

Consuming Vitamin C in heavy dosage is an encouraged behaviour as they can transform into antioxidants if taken in excess.It is best to obtain these antioxidants from foods instead of supplements. In addition, minimize the exposure of oxidative stress such as smoking and sunburn.

Source by Daveena R.R.

Eye care

Who is affected by computer vision syndrome?

More than 143 million Americans work on a computer each day, with 88 percent of them suffering from computer eye strain, according to estimates.
In addition, nearly 54 million children work at a computer each day either at home or in school.* Prolonged computer use can stress a child's eyes and impact his or her vision development.

What are the symptoms of computer vision syndrome?

If you or your child spend more than two hours each day in front of a computer screen, you likely experience some degree of computer vision syndrome (CVS). Symptoms of CVS include:
-Headaches
-Loss of focus
-Burning/tired eyes
-Double/blurred vision
-Neck and shoulder pains

What causes CVS?

CVS is caused by our eyes and brain reacting differently to characters on the screen than they do to printed characters. Our eyes have little problem focusing on most printed material, which is characterized by dense black characters with well-defined edges. Healthy eyes can easily maintain focus on the printed page.
Characters on a computer screen, however, don't have this contrast or well-defined edges. These characters (pixels) are brightest at the center and diminish in intensity toward their edges. This makes it very difficult for our eyes to maintain focus and remain fixed onto these images. Instead our eyes drift out to a point called the "resting point of accommodation" or RPA.
Our eyes involuntarily move to the RPA, and then strain to regain focus on the screen. This continuous flexing of the eyes' focusing muscles creates fatigue and the burning, tired-eyes feeling that is so common after long hours at the computer.

What can I do about it?

The solution is simple: see an eyecare professional that specializes in computer vision care.
In most cases, standard reading glasses

or over-the-counter readers are not accurate enough, because viewing a computer is usually at a different distance (18"-28") than reading distance (16"-21"). Once an eye doctor accurately diagnoses your computer vision problem and determines your correct computer working distance, it's a simple matter to prescribe computer glasses that will allow you to work comfortably and productively at that distance.
Also, please read about studies that show computer eyewear can increase computer worker productivity significantly, with cost savings for employers who provide the eyewear.

Will glare screens prevent CVS?

Glare screen filters may help somewhat, but they will not solve your computer vision problems because they only affect glare from the computer screen — not the visual problems related to the constant refocusing of your eyes when working at a computer.
Only when your eyes can focus clearly at the plane of proper distance on the computer screen can they experience relief from the fatiguing effects of CVS. An anti-reflective coating (AR) is also highly recommended on all computer eyeglasses. An AR coating prevents glare and reflections on the front and the back of the lenses that would interfere with focusing on the screen.

Will computer eyeglasses make the screen clearer?

Yes, because they will eliminate the constant refocusing effort that your eyes go through when viewing the screen. It has also been proven clinically that having the correct prescription in computer eyeglasses increases productivity and accuracy.
Using proper computer eyewear can prevent eye strain.

Do computer eyeglasses look like safety glasses?

No. Almost any style of frame can be used for computer eyewear.
More important are the lenses that your eye doctor chooses for your computer eyeglasses. Ninety percent of the time, multifocal lenses will be your best choice, as they are designed specifically for working at a computer. They allow you to see clearly at your correct computer screen distance and can give you some distance vision beyond the computer.
But whether the lenses are multifocal or single vision, you and your eye doctor must determine the best lenses for your work environment.

What about the tints I've heard of for computer lenses?

If you work in a brightly lit office, you may benefit from a light tint applied to your computer lenses. This can cut the amount of light that reaches your eyes and provide relief in some cases. But tints and filters don't address the underlying cause of computer eye srain

.

Does every computer user need computer glasses?

More than 70 percent of computer users need computer eyeglasses.** In fact, according to a study out of the University of California, Berkeley, 25 percent to 30 percent of children would benefit from computer eyewear.

If I don't have symptoms of CVS, do I still need computer eyewear?

Maybe. According to a University of Alabama study (2004), computer users who are not experiencing symptoms of computer vision syndrome may also need computer eyewear. The study reports that it does not matter whether subjects reported symptoms of CVS.
The fact is that viewing a computer screen is a different stimulus for the eyes than reading printed materials. It is much more difficult for the eyes to focus on pixels than on printed characters. Individuals with no visual problems may still be losing productivity and accuracy at the computer. This is the number one reason to get a regular eye exam from a computer vision specialist.

Will insurance pay for these glasses?

In some cases, it will. If you have medical coverage, but not vision insurance

, the exam portion of the cost may be covered by your medical carrier. If you have vision insurance, you may be entitled to an annual exam, which could be used to cover the computer exam and a portion of the cost of the computer eyewear. A few progressive companies are already providing exams and eyewear for their employees who work at computers.

Will my reading glasses work at the computer?

Not necessarily. As with anything else you do in life, it is important to have the right tool for the job. You would not use a hammer when you need a screwdriver. The same goes for your vision: you would not use distance glasses for doing close work. So, in most cases, your reading glasses are probably not going to do the job at the computer.
The correct computer eyeglasses will optimize your comfort and productivity at the computer screen while also allowing you to read and see out at some determined distance (10-13 feet). Reading glasses are usually prescribed to read at a distance of 16"-18", but computer glasses are usually designed to work at 18" to 28".

Is it true that if a person doesn't see the computer screen clearly, he may not be as productive?
Yes, but in cases where the correction is only slightly off, the computer user may think he is seeing the screen clearly. Yet a recent study at the University of Alabama found that, over time, even the smallest miscorrection can cause big problems down the road, including loss of productivity and accuracy in the workplace.
The eyes viewing a computer for many hours a day is analogous to the eye muscles being forced to do push-ups for hours and hours. Over time, these push-ups will significantly affect productivity, accuracy, and comfort.

Isn't ergonomics the solution to computer eye strain?

Ergonomics is important — changing one's computer workstation can certainly help to minimize other physical symptoms. But ergonomics cannot fix a visual problem. The proper prescription computer eyeglasses at the proper computer distance (18" to 28") is most important. This can be done only with the right computer lens prescription.

Will wearing computer eyeglasses make my eyes worse?

No. In fact, prescription eyeglasses can prevent further damage to the eyes. Depending on your prescription, an eyecare professional will probably fit you in either single vision or multifocal lenses. The single vision lens is designed to optimize your vision at one distance only: near for reading or work at the computer; or far for distance (watching a movie or driving).
Many eyecare professionals are now fitting computer users in a multifocal lens that has a wide intermediate zone, which optimizes computer work. This lens also allows the wearer to read printed material while working at the computer and see a limited distance (10 to 13 feet). It is true that your eyes will get worse if you continue to stress the eye muscles and do not wear prescription eyeglasses.

Malaysian Education System

When it comes to education in Malaysia all students will start grumbling towards the system which have been practiced so far since independence.
4-6 years – kindergarten.
During this period children study fundamental education such as alphabet, words, sentence, numbers, colors, songs, phrases, coloring.

7-12 years – Primary School
During this period student learn more about language, basic mathematics, calculation, writing essays, and other co curricular activities. This 6 years will pass by very fast and finally they will end up in sitting for UPSR in the final year of primary school. These will be the deciding factor for those who want to enter into premier school or vocational schools.

13-15 years – Lower Secondary School
During his period student will be having fun and enjoyable moment of their entire life. The number of subjects they took will definetly burden them.
BM,BI, Math’s, History, Geography, Science, Moral, Arts, Kenahiran Hidup and Tamil or Chinese OR Jawi are those subjects that have to be studied during form 1 until form 3. Smart student will be scoring easier in their PMR examination in form 3 and those who not very keen in studies will having their red marks in the report book.

16-17 years – Upper Secondary School
Those who get red marks will facing hard time whether want to proceed studying or quit. But education in Malaysia don’t allow student who have bad result to stop studying. They still have the choice to continue study, but will be entering art stream. Those who score flying colors will be sitting in the science stream. The number of subjects keeps increasing to 10 or more subjects that compulsory for the SPM exam. With no other choice all form 4 student will be biting their nails to face the SPM exam in the following year end. They have less than two years to cover more than 10 subjects with a complicated syllabus. Students who are in the premature stage don’t have any choice to decide on their carrier path,
like wise in the Srilanka or even India, education system totally different from here. They have the vision in education of what they want to be in future. They have the education system that provides necessary skills and knowledge which helps them in the future. Of course it is important to include all sort of knowledge in early stage, but if this is the case Malaysian education doesn’t give much importance to IT related studies in the early stage. Do you know IT will be controlling the world in the future? What is going to be to our student in the future? Are they going to be left behind from the western countries, Japan, Singapore, India and China, Korea, Taiwan? They are very far away from us. Event we start now we can’t catch up with them in coming 50 years.
The secondary education system should be customized according to needs of the students who decide what will be their future career path. In accordance with that, the subject that they pursue must help them in the future. The system must make sure that, student are eager to develop their knowledge and skills thru the education system. By preparing for exam, student doesn’t really gaining knowledge but practicing to pass the exam by choosing short cut methods. On of the short cut methods is doing the same type of question again and again because student just want to pass the examination…that’s all their aim.
To be continued..

Selamat Hari Raya

I'm wishing all of the muslimin and muslimat around the world selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.


People who going back ( balik Kampung) please drive safely and dont rush during your journey.


Think of the people that you love most and all the while follow the speed limitation when you are driving on highways.


I'm not able to balik kampung because all my malay colleague take leave so i have to replace them working in this days..I hope they will replace me during my festive season.

Just to share the Hari Raya open house that organized by Pak lah and his Cabinet Ministers.
I was there around 12.30 pm to enter the open house. But unfortunately i able to get into the house around 3 '0 clock. I feel so exhaust waiting and waiting and waiting because of the improper crowd managemnt by the people incharge. Ministers that shaking hands to everyone who enter the room makes the delay. It is not neccessary to shake hands to all of them at a very narrow line. It doesn't make sense at all.

thousands who queing untill outside of PWTC really pist of with the event. After all the way waiting for enter the room, because of this hand shaking deal that make to the very long queue.

I hope Next time organizers will take this into consideration and do not make the same mistake in the future.

Trash the ISA.. release those in

Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin was sent to the Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping, Perak, this morning to begin his two-year detention without trial under the Internal Security Act.

MCPX
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar last night signed the detention order for the blogger to be held under section 8(1) of the tough security law. Under the Act, the initial two-year detention period can be renewed indefinitely.According to journalists stationed outside the Kamunting detention camp, Raja Petra arrived at 11.50am in a white van with heavily-tinted windows.
"The act by the minister to sign the section 8 order yesterday is completely unacceptable," said Raja Petra's lead lawyer Malik Imtiaz. The legal team believes the minister’s decision was linked to a habeas corpus hearing in the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning, which had been filed by Raja Petra's lawyers to secure his release.A writ of habeas corpus orders the authorities to produce detainees before a judge to determine whether the government has the right to continue holding them.
Speaking to reporters later, Malik (left) argued that “the arrest was issued last night to avoid the consequences of this habeas corpus”.
Amarjit Sidhu, another of Raja Petra's lawyers, said the government had pulled a "mean, dirty trick" by issuing the detention order last night.
"The government can now hide behind a veil of secrecy because they do not have to disclose reasons for detaining him," he said.
Senior federal counsel Abdul Wahab Mohamad in his preliminary objection argued that the hearing was rendered academic as the clause under which Raja Petra is now detained supercedes section 73(1) of the ISA, under which he was initially held.However, Malik countered: “Section 73(1) detention was without basis, unconstitutional and in bad faith… so the minister’s order could only have been the result of enquiry by the police, meaning that the section 73(1) order flows into the minister’s (present) order. “Because it flows, what we say is that the question of whether this section 73(1) detention was lawful is a matter which is relevant for the challenge on the section 8 order.”Malik pointed out that, if the matter is argued under the section 73(1) order, the court can review the matter objectively and look into the basis of detention.Still, the legal team will file another suit to challenge the section 8 order - even if the court’s jurisdiction is limited to weighing the procedure only.Malik said the basis of detention under section 73(1) and section 8(1) is the same. “(Section 8) is relevant to section 73(1). So if we declare this to be unlawful, we can have a basis to argue that the minister’s detention is not just irregular for procedure - therefore showing the minister has no power to make the order. And that would give a wider basis to argue,” he said.Judge Suraya Othman told lawyers to make their submissions on Oct 28. Ex-minister attends hearing Also making a surprising appearance in the courtroom was former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim, who sat next to Marina. “He (Raja Petra) writes well, he speaks his mind and we need more people like him," said Zaid (left in photo), who had resigned to protest the use of the ISA to detain Raja Petra and two others on Sept 12.Zaid said he attended the hearing to show support for the wives of many others being held under the restrictive law. “We should encourage people to speak out. If (those detained) have done wrong (then) we (should) charge them (in court),” he said.Zaid also said that freedom of expression and of speech are important values and that “we cannot intimidate with fear”.Earlier this morning, Raja Petra's wife Marina Lee Abdullah had confirmed the continued detention of her husband.“(Police) said my husband had been sent to Kamunting this morning and that he will remain there for two years with no trial.
"This is the worst news I can receive but we will keep fighting for his release,” she told AFP, holding back tears.“This is very unfair… we have filed our affidavit, they don’t reply to our affidavit for five days… this is ridiculous. This is a political move, it is very clear… he is not a threat to national security - it is bullshit.“This is dirty foul play by the government as they know that we are in the process of fighting for his release in the court, but I was expecting this.”Raja Petra, 58, has been under police custody in an unknown location since his arrest.Fellow-detainees Sin Chew Daily senior journalist Tan Hoon Cheng, 33, was freed 18 hours after being arrested, while Selangor senior executive councillor and Seputeh parliamentarian Teresa Kok, 43 was released after seven days. According to his lawyer J Chandra, Raja Petra was arrested for publishing articles on his news portal which allegedly tarnished the leadership of the country and insulted the sanctity of Islam.The former newspaper columnist had earlier been charged with sedition and defamation after linking Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife to the sensational murder of a Mongolian woman.
Minister confirms detention
Meanwhile minister Syed Hamid confirmed Raja Petra's detention under the ISA, stating that he was satisfied with the reasons given by the police for the blogger's detention."The detention is due to Raja Petra's articles that ridiculed Islam which could arouse anger among Muslims."The police had recommended his detention and after going through the papers, we are satisfied that there are strong grounds for him to be further detained for two years (in Kamunting)," he said. This is second time that Raja Petra has been arrested under the ISA.
He was detained under the draconian law in 2001, at the height of the reformasi movement triggered by the sacking and jailing of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, who is now opposition leader.However, he was released by the police after 53 days without being sent to Kamunting detention centre.

source by http://www.malaysiakini.com/