AG's hidden hand 'confirmed' in Anwar trials

A high-level investigation has ‘confirmed’ that current attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail had abused his power to fabricate evidence in Anwar Ibrahim’s trials 10 years ago, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

source by malaysiakini

Altantuya-Najib

Altantuya Shariibuu, the controversially murdered Mongolian national, and Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak are back again in the spotlight.
MCPX
Making waves in cyberspace is an article entitled ‘Abuse of power by the deputy prime minister’ appearing in ISA detainee Raja Petra Kamarudin’s Malaysia Today website. The report reveals a string of SMS messages purportedly exchanged between Najib and lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah over a period of nearly one month, starting from Nov 8 to Dec 2, 2006.Their correspondence revolved around Abdul Razak Baginda, one of Najib’s advisors charged with abetting two police officers in the slaying of the 28-year old Mongolian national - with whom the deputy premier has been alleged to have had a sexual relationship.
Tipped to succeed Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he steps down by March next year, Najib is now in locked in the throes of a heated race for top party posts in his Umno party.
Not only is he contesting the Umno presidency, which Abdullah is vacating, he is also busily organising and installing a line-up of lieutenants who can help him shore up power in his bid to become the next premier.
No effect on campaign
However, his supporters deny the latest news could have any effect on his campaign.
"We are not bothered about that," said a long-time close supporter told Malaysiakini. "It is obviously intended to sabotage him but he is riding a wave of popularity now. I don't think Umno members have much choice anyway."
Yet the 55-year old Najib, who has repeatedly denied the allegations, has taken the trouble to swear his innocence twice. The last was at mosque during the Permatang Pauh by-election tussle with Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.
In delegates' conferences at 191 Umno divisions across the country, Najib has secured 28 nominations - winning the thumbs-up from all the divisions that have voted so far.The UK-trained economist needs to obtain a total of 58 nominations in order to stand for party election in March next year.
So far, no one else has been nominated to contest the presidency - which comes with the premiership in tow - but party watchers say it it is still a long journey ahead, with another three weeks to go until nominations end on Nov 9.
Anti-Najib banners
Meanwhile, anti-Najib banners have sprung up in some parts of the city. Civil groups have been condemning Raja Petra's detention under the Internal Security Act, calling for the oppressive law - that was originally intended to contain terrorists - to be repealed.
Some critics have even suggested that his arrest was to stop him from writing about the Altantuya murder, which could potentially upset Najib's plan of becoming the nation's next prime minister.
"The extension detention order is clearly politically motivated to silence critics and dissenting views from the government. Raja Petra has been very vocal in exposing corruption and abuse of powers in the government, especially the gruesome murder of the Mongolian women, Altantuya that may implicate powerful figures in the government," said Syed Ibrahim, chairman of the Abolish ISA movement.
String of SMSes
The Malaysia Today article, which came out on Saturday, said while the SMS correspondence did “not answer lingering questions about Najib's alleged past relations with Altantuya, the text messages show clearly Najib's active intereference in the case very early on.” One of the text messages allegedly sent by Najib said that Razak “will face a tentative charge but all is not lost.” The article went on to question: “This message raises a lot of questions about Najib's role in this case. Why did he mention ‘tentative’ charge and that ‘all is not lost’ for Razak Baginda? How would Najib know this before Razak was charged? Is there already a deal in place that will see Razak aquitted?”
Raja Petra, the editor of Malaysia Today, was arrested under the ISA last month and jailed for two years for allegedly disrespecting Islam in some of the articles that had appeared on the website.
A thorn in Najib's flesh, Raja Petra - who is also a well-known supporter of Anwar - has published numerous exposes about Najib and his wife on his website.
He is also facing sedition charges for having allegedly implied the deputy premier and his wife, Rosmah Mansor were involved in Altantuya’s death. Both have denied the allegation

source by malaysiakini

Application for Industrial Technical Course

Jabatan Tenaga Manusia opens applications for Industrial Technical course for January 2009 intake (closing date) 20 Oct 2008. Please visit www.jtm.gov.my for more details. Please assist me to pass the information to all our brothers and sisters out there.

For online application, please ,logon to http://www.jtm.gov.my/UPLSept08/index.jsp

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.