Pattern

Speech given by Prof Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank

"Poverty is the Absence of All Human Rights"

This is the speech given by Prof Muhammad Yunus when he and the Grameen Bank received the Nobel Peace Prize last Sunday in Oslo. Read and be humbled. If you want to congratulate him, go to ww.grameenfoundation.org.

Nobel Lecture, Oslo, December 10, 2006.

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Honorable Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Grameen Bank and I are deeply honoured to receive this most prestigious of awards. We are thrilled and overwhelmed by this honour. Since the Nobel Peace Prize was announced, I have received endless messages from around the world, but what moves me most are the calls I get almost daily, from the borrowers of Grameen Bank in remote Bangladeshi villages, who just want to say how proud they are to have received this recognition.

Nine elected representatives of the 7 million borrowers-cum-owners of Grameen Bank have accompanied me all the way to Oslo to receive the prize. I express thanks on their behalf to the Norwegian Nobel Committee for choosing Grameen Bank for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. By giving their institution the most prestigious prize in the world, you give them unparalleled honour. Thanks to your prize, nine proud women from the villages of Bangladesh are at the ceremony today as Nobel laureates, giving an altogether new meaning to the Nobel Peace Prize.

All borrowers of Grameen Bank are celebrating this day as the greatest day of their lives. They are gathering around the nearest television set in their villages all over Bangladesh , along with other villagers, to watch the proceedings of this ceremony.

This years' prize gives highest honour and dignity to the hundreds of millions of women all around the world who struggle every day to make a living and bring hope for a better life for their children. This is a historic moment for them.

Poverty is a Threat to Peace
Ladies and Gentlemen:

By giving us this prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has given important support to the proposition that peace is inextricably linked to poverty. Poverty is a threat to peace.

World's income distribution gives a very telling story. Ninety four percent of the world income goes to 40 percent of the population while sixty percent of people live on only 6 per cent of world income. Half of the world population lives on two dollars a day. Over one billion people live on less than a dollar a day. This is no formula for peace.

The new millennium began with a great global dream. World leaders gathered at the United Nations in 2000 and adopted, among others, a historic goal to reduce poverty by half by 2015. Never in human history had such a bold goal been adopted by the entire world in one voice, one that specified time and size. But then came September 11 and the Iraq war, and suddenly the world became derailed from the pursuit of this dream, with the attention of world leaders shifting from the war on poverty to the war on terrorism. Till now over $ 530 billion has been spent on the war in Iraq by the USA alone.

I believe terrorism cannot be won over by military action. Terrorism must be condemned in the strongest language. We must stand solidly against it, and find all the means to end it. We must address the root causes of terrorism to end it for all time to come. I believe that putting resources into improving the lives of the poor people is a better strategy than spending it on guns.

Poverty is Denial of All Human Rights
Peace should be understood in a human way 3/4 in a broad social, political and economic way. Peace is threatened by unjust economic, social and political order, absence of democracy, environmental degradation and absence of human rights.

Poverty is the absence of all human rights. The frustrations, hostility and anger generated by abject poverty cannot sustain peace in any society. For building stable peace we must find ways to provide opportunities for people to live decent lives.

The creation of opportunities for the majority of people ? the poor ? is at the heart of the work that we have dedicated ourselves to during the past 30 years.

Grameen Bank
I became involved in the poverty issue not as a policymaker or a researcher. I became involved because poverty was all around me, and I could not turn away from it. In 1974, I found it difficult to teach elegant theories of economics in the university classroom, in the backdrop of a terrible famine in Bangladesh . Suddenly, I felt the emptiness of those theories in the face of crushing hunger and poverty. I wanted to do something immediate to help people around me, even if it was just one human being, to get through another day with a little more ease. That brought me face to face with poor people's struggle to find the tiniest amounts of money to support their efforts to eke out a living. I was shocked to discover a woman in the village, borrowing less than a dollar from the money-lender, on the condition that he would have the exclusive right to buy all she produces at the price he decides. This, to me, was a way of recruiting slave labor.

I decided to make a list of the victims of this money-lending "business" in the village next door to our campus.

When my list was done, it had the names of 42 victims who borrowed a total amount of US $27. I offered US $27 from my own pocket to get these victims out of the clutches of those money-lenders. The excitement that was created among the people by this small action got me further involved in it. If I could make so many people so happy with such a tiny amount of money, why not do more of it?

That is what I have been trying to do ever since. The first thing I did was to try to persuade the bank located in the campus to lend money to the poor. But that did not work. The bank said that the poor were not creditworthy. After all my efforts, over several months, failed I offered to become a guarantor for the loans to the poor. I was stunned by the result. The poor paid back their loans, on time, every time! But still I kept confronting difficulties in expanding the program through the existing banks. That was when I decided to create a separate bank for the poor, and in 1983, I finally succeeded in doing that. I named it Grameen Bank or Village bank.

Today, Grameen Bank gives loans to nearly 7.0 million poor people, 97 per cent of whom are women, in 73,000 villages in Bangladesh. Grameen Bank gives collateral-free income generating, housing, student and micro-enterprise loans to the poor families and offers a host of attractive savings, pension funds and insurance products for its members. Since it introduced them in 1984, housing loans have been used to construct 640,000 houses. The legal ownership of these houses belongs to the women themselves. We focused on women because we found giving loans to women always brought more benefits to the family.

In a cumulative way the bank has given out loans totaling about US $6.0 billion. The repayment rate is 99%. Grameen Bank routinely makes profit. Financially, it is self-reliant and has not taken donor money since 1995. Deposits and own resources of Grameen Bank today amount to 143 per cent of all outstanding loans. According to Grameen Bank's internal survey, 58 per cent of our borrowers have crossed the poverty line.

Grameen Bank was born as a tiny homegrown project run with the help of several of my students, all local girls and boys. Three of these students are still with me in Grameen Bank, after all these years, as its topmost executives. They are here today to receive this honour you give us.

This idea, which began in Jobra, a small village in Bangladesh, has spread around the world and there are now Grameen type programs in almost every country.

Second Generation
It is 30 years now since we began. We keep looking at the children of our borrowers to see what has been the impact of our work on their lives. The women who are our borrowers always gave topmost priority to the children. One of the Sixteen Decisions developed and followed by them was to send children to school. Grameen Bank encouraged them, and before long all the children were going to school. Many of these children made it to the top of their class. We wanted to celebrate that, so we introduced scholarships for talented students. Grameen Bank now gives 30,000 scholarships every year.

Many of the children went on to higher education to become doctors, engineers, college teachers and other professionals. We introduced student loans to make it easy for Grameen students to complete higher education. Now some of them have PhD's. There are 13,000 students on student loans. Over 7,000 students are now added to this number annually.

We are creating a completely new generation that will be well equipped to take their families way out of the reach of poverty. We want to make a break in the historical continuation of poverty.

Beggars Can Turn to Business
In Bangladesh 80 percent of the poor families have already been reached with microcredit. We are hoping that by 2010, 100 per cent of the poor families will be reached.

Three years ago we started an exclusive programme focusing on the beggars. None of Grameen Bank's rules apply to them. Loans are interest-free; they can pay whatever amount they wish, whenever they wish. We gave them the idea to carry small merchandise such as snacks, toys or household items, when they went from house to house for begging. The idea worked. There are now 85,000 beggars in the program. About 5,000 of them have already stopped begging completely. Typical loan to a beggar is $12.

We encourage and support every conceivable intervention to help the poor fight out of poverty. We always advocate microcredit in addition to all other interventions, arguing that microcredit makes those interventions work better.

Information Technology for the Poor
Information and communication technology (ICT) is quickly changing the world, creating distanceless, borderless world of instantaneous communications. Increasingly, it is becoming less and less costly. I saw an opportunity for the poor people to change their lives if this technology could be brought to them to meet their needs.

As a first step to bring ICT to the poor we created a mobile phone company, Grameen Phone. We gave loans from Grameen Bank to the poor women to buy mobile phones to sell phone services in the villages. We saw the synergy between microcredit and ICT.

The phone business was a success and became a coveted enterprise for Grameen borrowers. Telephone-ladies quickly learned and innovated the ropes of the telephone business, and it has become the quickest way to get out of poverty and to earn social respectability. Today there are nearly 300,000 telephone ladies providing telephone service in all the villages of Bangladesh . Grameen Phone has more than 10 million subscribers, and is the largest mobile phone company in the country. Although the number of telephone-ladies is only a small fraction of the total number of subscribers, they generate 19 per cent of the revenue of the company. Out of the nine board members who are attending this grand ceremony today 4 are telephone-ladies.

Grameen Phone is a joint-venture company owned by Telenor of Norway and Grameen Telecom of Bangladesh. Telenor owns 62 per cent share of the company, Grameen Telecom owns 38 per cent. Our vision was to ultimately convert this company into a social business by giving majority ownership to the poor women of Grameen Bank. We are working towards that goal. Someday Grameen Phone will become another example of a big enterprise owned by the poor.

Free Market Economy
Capitalism centers on the free market. It is claimed that the freer the market, the better is the result of capitalism in solving the questions of what, how, and for whom. It is also claimed that the individual search for personal gains brings collective optimal result.

I am in favor of strengthening the freedom of the market. At the same time, I am very unhappy about the conceptual restrictions imposed on the players in the market. This originates from the assumption that entrepreneurs are one-dimensional human beings, who are dedicated to one mission in their business lives 3/4 to maximize profit. This interpretation of capitalism insulates the entrepreneurs from all political, emotional, social, spiritual, environmental dimensions of their lives. This was done perhaps as a reasonable simplification, but it stripped away the very essentials of human life.

Human beings are a wonderful creation embodied with limitless human qualities and capabilities. Our theoretical constructs should make room for the blossoming of those qualities, not assume them away.

Many of the world's problems exist because of this restriction on the players of free-market. The world has not resolved the problem of crushing poverty that half of its population suffers. Healthcare remains out of the reach of the majority of the world population. The country with the richest and freest market fails to provide healthcare for one-fifth of its population.

We have remained so impressed by the success of the free-market that we never dared to express any doubt about our basic assumption. To make it worse, we worked extra hard to transform ourselves, as closely as possible, into the one-dimensional human beings as conceptualized in the theory, to allow smooth functioning of free market mechanism.

By defining "entrepreneur" in a broader way we can change the character of capitalism radically, and solve many of the unresolved social and economic problems within the scope of the free market. Let us suppose an entrepreneur, instead of having a single source of motivation (such as, maximizing profit), now has two sources of motivation, which are mutually exclusive, but equally compelling 3/4 a) maximization of profit and b) doing good to people and the world.

Each type of motivation will lead to a separate kind of business. Let us call the first type of business a profit-maximizing business, and the second type of business as social business.

Social business will be a new kind of business introduced in the market place with the objective of making a difference in the world. Investors in the social business could get back their investment, but will not take any dividend from the company. Profit would be ploughed back into the company to expand its outreach and improve the quality of its product or service. A social business will be a non-loss, non-dividend company.

Once social business is recognized in law, many existing companies will come forward to create social businesses in addition to their foundation activities. Many activists from the non-profit sector will also find this an attractive option. Unlike the non-profit sector where one needs to collect donations to keep activities going, a social business will be self-sustaining and create surplus for expansion since it is a non-loss enterprise. Social business will go into a new type of capital market of its own, to raise capital.

Young people all around the world, particularly in rich countries, will find the concept of social business very appealing since it will give them a challenge to make a difference by using their creative talent. Many young people today feel frustrated because they cannot see any worthy challenge, which excites them, within the present capitalist world. Socialism gave them a dream to fight for. Young people dream about creating a perfect world of their own.

Almost all social and economic problems of the world will be addressed through social businesses. The challenge is to innovate business models and apply them to produce desired social results cost-effectively and efficiently. Healthcare for the poor, financial services for the poor, information technology for the poor, education and training for the poor, marketing for the poor, renewable energy ? these are all exciting areas for social businesses.

Social business is important because it addresses very vital concerns of mankind. It can change the lives of the bottom 60 per cent of world population and help them to get out of poverty.

Grameen's Social Business
Even profit maximizing companies can be designed as social businesses by giving full or majority ownership to the poor. This constitutes a second type of social business. Grameen Bank falls under this category of social business.

The poor could get the shares of these companies as gifts by donors, or they could buy the shares with their own money. The borrowers with their own money buy Grameen Bank shares, which cannot be transferred to non-borrowers. A committed professional team does the day-to-day running of the bank.

Bilateral and multi-lateral donors could easily create this type of social business. When a donor gives a loan or a grant to build a bridge in the recipient country, it could create a "bridge company" owned by the local poor. A committed management company could be given the responsibility of running the company. Profit of the company will go to the local poor as dividend, and towards building more bridges. Many infrastructure projects, like roads, highways, airports, seaports, utility companies could all be built in this manner.

Grameen has created two social businesses of the first type. One is a yogurt factory, to produce fortified yogurt to bring nutrition to malnourished children, in a joint venture with Danone. It will continue to expand until all malnourished children of Bangladesh are reached with this yogurt. Another is a chain of eye-care hospitals. Each hospital will undertake 10,000 cataract surgeries per year at differentiated prices to the rich and the poor.

Social Stock Market
To connect investors with social businesses, we need to create social stock market where only the shares of social businesses will be traded. An investor will come to this stock-exchange with a clear intention of finding a social business, which has a mission of his liking. Anyone who wants to make money will go to the existing stock-market.

To enable a social stock-exchange to perform properly, we will need to create rating agencies, standardization of terminology, definitions, impact measurement tools, reporting formats, and new financial publications, such as, The Social Wall Street Journal. Business schools will offer courses and business management degrees on social businesses to train young managers how to manage social business enterprises in the most efficient manner, and, most of all, to inspire them to become social business entrepreneurs themselves.

Role of Social Businesses in Globalization

I support globalization and believe it can bring more benefits to the poor than its alternative. But it must be the right kind of globalization. To me, globalization is like a hundred-lane highway criss-crossing the world. If it is a free-for-all highway, its lanes will be taken over by the giant trucks from powerful economies. Bangladeshi rickshaw will be thrown off the highway. In order to have a win-win globalization we must have traffic rules, traffic police, and traffic authority for this global highway. Rule of "strongest takes it all" must be replaced by rules that ensure that the poorest have a place and piece of the action, without being elbowed out by the strong. Globalization must not become financial imperialism.
Powerful multi-national social businesses can be created to retain the benefit of globalization for the poor people and poor countries. Social businesses will either bring ownership to the poor people, or keep the profit within the poor countries, since taking dividends will not be their objective. Direct foreign investment by foreign social businesses will be exciting news for recipient countries. Building strong economies in the poor countries by protecting their national interest from plundering companies will be a major area of interest for the social businesses.

We Create What We Want
We get what we want, or what we don't refuse. We accept the fact that we will always have poor people around us, and that poverty is part of human destiny. This is precisely why we continue to have poor people around us. If we firmly believe that poverty is unacceptable to us, and that it should not belong to a civilized society, we would have built appropriate institutions and policies to create a poverty-free world.

We wanted to go to the moon, so we went there. We achieve what we want to achieve. If we are not achieving something, it is because we have not put our minds to it. We create what we want.

What we want and how we get to it depends on our mindsets. It is extremely difficult to change mindsets once they are formed. We create the world in accordance with our mindset. We need to invent ways to change our perspective continually and reconfigure our mindset quickly as new knowledge emerges. We can reconfigure our world if we can reconfigure our mindset.

We Can Put Poverty in the Museums

I believe that we can create a poverty-free world because poverty is not created by poor people. It has been created and sustained by the economic and social system that we have designed for ourselves; the institutions and concepts that make up that system; the policies that we pursue.

Poverty is created because we built our theoretical framework on assumptions which under-estimates human capacity, by designing concepts, which are too narrow (such as concept of business, credit- worthiness, entrepreneurship, employment) or developing institutions, which remain half-done (such as financial institutions, where poor are left out). Poverty is caused by the failure at the conceptual level, rather than any lack of capability on the part of people.

I firmly believe that we can create a poverty-free world if we collectively believe in it. In a poverty-free world, the only place you would be able to see poverty is in the poverty museums. When school children take a tour of the poverty museums, they would be horrified to see the misery and indignity that some human beings had to go through. They would blame their forefathers for tolerating this inhuman condition, which existed for so long, for so many people.

A human being is born into this world fully equipped not only to take care of him or herself, but also to contribute to enlarging the well being of the world as a whole. Some get the chance to explore their potential to some degree, but many others never get any opportunity, during their lifetime, to unwrap the wonderful gift they were born with. They die unexplored and the world remains deprived of their creativity, and their contribution.

Grameen has given me an unshakeable faith in the creativity of human beings. This has led me to believe that human beings are not born to suffer the misery of hunger and poverty.

To me poor people are like bonsai trees. When you plant the best seed of the tallest tree in a flower-pot, you get a replica of the tallest tree, only inches tall. There is nothing wrong with the seed you planted, only the soil-base that is too inadequate. Poor people are bonsai people. There is nothing wrong in their seeds. Simply, society never gave them the base to grow on. All it needs to get the poor people out of poverty for us to create an enabling environment for them. Once the poor can unleash their energy and creativity, poverty will disappear very quickly.

Let us join hands to give every human being a fair chance to unleash their energy and creativity.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me conclude by expressing my deep gratitude to the Norwegian Nobel Committee for recognizing that poor people, and especially poor women, have both the potential and the right to live a decent life, and that microcredit helps to unleash that potential.

I believe this honor that you give us will inspire many more bold initiatives around the world to make a historical breakthrough in ending global poverty.

Thank you very much.

Six killed in Johor floods

JOHOR BARU: The floods have claimed six lives in Johor – four in Segamat and two in Kluang. Police discovered three bodies floating in Segamat, one of the worst hit areas.

The dead were identified as Ahmad Sarkawi, 70, Marsiah Ahmad, 69, and Nor Azahari Nordin, 28.

It is believed that all three drowned.

Also in Segamat, 61-year-old Teh Sook Ching died after hanging on for 24 hours for help to get her to the hospital.

DESPERATE RESCUE: Kota Tinggi residents being evacuated after their home was flooded following heavy rains in Johor.

Teh had fainted in her home on Wednesday morning and her family members had called various authorities for immediate aid but efforts to reach their home were hampered by shoulder-deep waters.

In Kluang, two bodies were found in a car submerged along the Paloh road.

They were identified as M. Mageswari, 26, a teacher, and A. Muniandy, 59, believed to be her uncle.

Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Hazmi Ali said a lorry driver had reported seeing two people in a car being swept away at 7am on Wednesday, but was unable to save them.

“We could not launch a rescue operation earlier as the current was too swift,” he said.

The car was discovered at 2.30pm yesterday submerged in 3m of water, some 80m away from where they were last seen.

So far, across Malaysia, 60,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, including 50,000 in Johor.

Four train services – Ekspres Senandung Malam KL-Singapore; Ekspres Senandung Malam Singapore-KL; Ekspres Timuran Tumpat-Singapore; and Ekspres Timuran Singapore-Tumpat – will resume normal service today. The Ekspres Wau KL-Tumpat and Tumpat-KL was back on the tracks yesterday.

The other train services to the affected areas remain disrupted.

The Meteorological Department has issued a Red Stage warning and warned people to brace for emergencies. Heavy rain is expected to hit the east coast states in the peninsula as well as the Klang Valley.

Red Stage denotes heavy monsoon rain, and the warning has gone out to Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, as well as southern Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

The department cautions that intermittent rain in these states is expected to turn heavy and last till Sunday. The warning was issued at 9am yesterday. The other warning stages are “orange” and “yellow”.

Orange means moderate to heavy monsoon rain with wind speed of 50-60kph and floods in low-lying areas. Yellow is just the possibility of a “monsoonal surge” in the next 24 to 48 hours. The North-South Expressway is now open to the public, with the Tangkak area free of floods.

A PLUS operator said the Tangkak area of the highway, which was initially closed because of floods, was declared clear as of 2pm on Thursday.

In Malacca, more people were taken to flood relief centres as the situation worsened – at 2pm yesterday, a total of 6,860 people or 1,565 families were affected.

In Kelantan, the latest state to be hit by flooding, some 400 people had to be evacuated when a tributary of the Sungai Kelantan broke its banks near Gua Musang early yesterday.

Areas affected by flooding are Kampung Kerinting, Kampung Baru, Kampung Baru Hilir, Kampung Limau Kasturi and Kampung Ciku Lama in the Tualang area where floodwaters rose to knee level.

A district fire and rescue department spokesman said the Gua Musang-Jeli, Gua Musang-Kuala Lipis and Gua Musang-Kuala Krai roads remained open despite heavy rain.

State Drainage and Irrigation Department director Lim Chow Hock said the water level at Sungai Golok had breached the warning level of 7m. Water level readings at Sungai Kelantan taken at Tualang and Tangga Krai in Kuala Krai were also reported to have exceeded the warning level of 29m. In Pahang, water was still rising in Rompin and Kuantan districts. As at press time, 2,000 people had been evacuated.

Some 6,000 residents in nine Felda schemes in the area lost their only link to the Segamat-Kuantan road when part of the bridge over the river was washed away on Wednesday.

In Terengganu, 260 people from four villages in the Kemaman district had to be evacuated from their houses.

The situation in Negri Sembilan has improved, with 467 people at evacuation centres in Gemas and Tampin yesterday, compared with 760 people the previous day.

Nama nabi atasi George

Ramai pasangan warga England, Wales namakan bayi Muhammad

LONDON: Mohammed atau yang turut dieja sebagai Muhammad kini tersenarai sebagai nama paling popular bayi di England dan Wales berbanding nama George yang sekali gus membuktikan kehadiran penduduk pelbagai etnik kian ketara di Britain.

Akhbar The Telegraph melaporkan semalam bahawa Jabatan Pendaftaran mencatatkan seramai 2,833 bayi diberikan nama Mohammed manakala seramai 1,422 bayi lain dinamakan sebagai Muhammad pada 2006.

Jika dicampur, bilangan nama Mohammed dan Muhammad mencapai 4,255, jauh mengatasi bilangan nama George iaitu 3,386 dan Joseph, 3,755.

Nama yang mengambil sempena nama junjungan mulia Nabi Muhammad, juga naik satu anak tangga pada kedudukan ke-22 nama paling banyak diberi kepada budak lelaki di seluruh Britain pada tahun ini berbanding pada tahun lalu.

Bagi senarai paling popular, nama Mohammed itu juga buat pertama kalinya menghiasi senarai 50 nama paling banyak digunakan iaitu pada kedudukan ke-44 , sebaris dengan Noah, Oscar, Lucas dan Rhys.

Senarai nama popular tahun ini juga menunjukkan ramai ibu bapa Britain memilih nama mengikut selebriti dan tidak mengikut arus sebelumnya yang mengambil nama keagamaan.

Ada seramai 38 bayi dinamakan Cruz (sempena nama anak ketiga bintang bola sepak David Beckham), yang meletakkannya pada kedudukan 650 daripada tempat ke 1,508 tahun lalu. Selain itu, seramai 14 bayi perempuan diberi nama Peaches iaitu nama anak perempuan artis veteran Bob Geldof.

Secara keseluruhannya, nama Jack mengungguli senarai nama paling popular buat tahun ke-12 berturut-turut.

Bagi bayi perempuan, nama Olivia naik tiga anak anak tangga di tempat pertama yang menyaksikan kejatuhan nama Jessica di tempat ketiga.

Ada tiga nama baru dalam senarai nama popular bayi perempuan - Imogen, Sophia dan Anna.

Nama popular lain adalah Evie, Freya, Poppy dan Jasmine bagi budak perempuan. Nama popular lain bagi bayi lelaki adalah Harrison, Alfie, Cameron dan and Henry. – Agensi

Happy Kettles

This is one of the funniest (and coolest!) optical illusions I have seen recently! If you look at this photo more closely, you will notice that the eyes and happy mouth aren't drawn on these two kettles, instead it's the perfect example of anamorphism. It's hard to believe, that the photo was taken from the perfect angle, so that the reflection of the stove makes the happy face on the kettles. If you like this, you will surely adore Walt Disney and Jules Verne anamorphic portraits. Originally I posted cylindrical mirrors, but as wee see it works with the other kitchen accessories as well! Also check: Jean De Dinterville optical illusion.

KEMASUKAN KE TINGKATAN EMPAT TAHUN 2007 MRSM

MARA mempelawa pelajar Tingkatan Tiga untuk kemasukan ke Tingkatan Empat bagi tahun 2007 ke MRSM di Semenanjung Malaysia.

1. SYARAT KELAYAKAN

1.1 Warganegara Malaysia

1.2 Permohonan ini terbuka kepada pelajar ;

a) Bumiputera Tingkatan Tiga di Semenanjung Malaysia

b) Bukan Bumiputera Tingkatan Tiga yang sedang menuntut di Sekolah Menengah di Semenanjung Malaysia.

Pelajar yang sedang menuntut di Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP, SBPI) Kementerian Pelajaran dan Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) di bawah Jabatan Pendidikan Islam dan Moral (JAPIM), Kementerian Pelajaran tidak dibenarkan memohon.

1.3 Pemohon hendaklah memperoleh keputusan minimum 6A (A dalam Matematik dan Sains) dan baki subjek lain adalah B serta tiada gred C, D dan E dalam subjek teras Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) tahun 2006.

2. CARA MEMOHON

2.1 Pemohon hendaklah datang sendiri ke Pejabat MARA Negeri atau Daerah yang berdekatan untuk mendapatkan borang permohonan bermula pada hari keputusan PMR 2006 diumumkan secara rasmi.

2.2 Pemohon hendaklah membawa bersama Salinan Kad Pengenalan serta Salinan Keputusan PMR 2006 yang telah disahkan semasa membeli borang.

2.3 Bayaran sebanyak RM10.00 (RM: Sepuluh Ringgit) boleh dibuat secara tunai atau dalam bentuk wang pos berpalang atas nama Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA).

Untuk maklumat lanjut sila layari laman web MARA di alamat :
http://www.mara. gov.my

3. TARIKH TUTUP JUALAN BORANG PERMOHONAN

Borang permohonan akan dijual di semua Pejabat MARA Negeri dan Pejabat MARA Daerah selama 5 hari bekerja selepas keputusan PMR diumumkan secara rasmi.

4. TARIKH TUTUP PERMOHONAN

Borang permohonan yang telah lengkap diisi hendaklah dikembalikan ke alamat dibawah tidak lewat dari 5 hari bekerja selepas tarikh tutup jualan borang permohonan :

Pengarah
Bahagian Pendidikan dan Latihan (Menengah)
Tingkat 19, Ibu Pejabat MARA
Jalan Raja Laut
50609 Kuala Lumpur

5. PERINGATAN

5.1 Hanya permohonan yang memenuhi syarat kelayakan sahaja akan dipertimbangkan.

5.2 Permohonan yang tidak lengkap atau lewat diterima daripada tarikh tutup akan ditolak.

5.3 MRSM menawarkan Jurusan Sains Tulen sebagai Jurusan Utama (Subjek Lukisan Kejuruteraan tidak ditawarkan)

5.4 Pemohon yang telah menghantar borang permohonan tidak perlu membeli borang permohonan lagi.

5.5 Pemohon yang ditawarkan ke Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP, SBPI) dan Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia tidak akan ditawarkan ke MRSM.

5.6 Pemohon yang berjaya sahaja akan dihubungi. Sekiranya tiada jawapan yang diterima selepas 30 April 2007 permohonan dianggap tidak berjaya.

5.7 Pemohon yang berjaya akan ditempatkan di MRSM yang bersesuaian mengikut kriteria yang telah ditetapkan oleh MARA.

5.8 Keputusan Pemilihan Jawatankuasa Pengambilan Pelajar MRSM adalah
muktamad.

Seksyen Hal Ehwal Pelajar

Bahagian Pendidikan & Latihan (Menengah) MARA

Time vs Technology

The SAFETY INSIDE a Ferrari

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE DRIVER IF A FERRARI HITS A POLE AT 320+KMPH????

The answer: Nothing !!!

The man only had some bruising ( seat belt ) that's all!!

Loss = 1.3MILLION DOLLARS

Waiting list for a new one = 2 years.



The driver talking to the cop just after the accident !!!





Check the cockpit .....no visible damage !!!

The engine is at the back of the car so that the driver doesn't get crushed at high speeds...!!!


Yes that's the power of Ferrari .!!!

New toll rates

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is sharing the burden of the public by subsidising the toll increase for five expressways.

Works Minister Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu said, for example, the Government was paying 50 sen for every passenger car passing through the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) toll plaza.

“Although the toll will be increased by 60 sen from Jan 1 next year, the Government will still be subsidising 50 sen,” he told a press conference at his office here yesterday.

He also announced the toll increase for the Cheras-Kajang (or Grand Saga) Highway, Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway, Guthrie Corridor Expressway and Kesas (or Shah Alam) Expressway during the press conference.

Samy Vellu said the Government had paid RM479.7mil in toll subsidy in the past six years.

The Government, he added, had restructured the concession agreements with the concessionaires of the Shah Alam Highway, Cheras-Kajang Highway, Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway and Guthrie Corridor Highway in 2002.

This had resulted in a sharp reduction in compensation paid to the companies.

He said with the restructured concession agreements, the number of toll increases for the Shah Alam Expressway had been reduced from 12 to five, and it was being compensated RM371.8mil.

The number of increases for the Cheras-Kajang Highway, he said, had been reduced from seven to four with RM226mil compensation.

As for the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway, the number of increases had been reduced from 13 to six with a compensation of RM1.197bil.

On the LDP, Samy Vellu said concessionaire Lingkaran Trans Kota Holdings Bhd had the right to set the toll at RM2.10 for private cars from 2007 to 2010, when another increase was due.

However, the Government had decided to allow an increase from RM1 to RM1.60, with the 50 sen shortfall being paid through subsidy.

“We will pay RM75mil next year and another RM75mil in 2008 in compensation. We will also allow the company to extend its 30-year concession for another year in lieu of compensation for the remaining two years,” he said.

The extension is estimated at RM164 mil.

Samy Vellu said toll rates in Malaysia were one of the cheapest in the world, with PLUS charging an average of 13.6 sen per km, compared with 35.57 sen per km in the Philippines, 27.62 sen in China, 22.76 sen in Thailand and 14.8 sen in Indonesia.

Baby Art

Sultan Mizan sworn in as 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin ibni Almarhum Sultan Mahmud AlMuktafi Billah Shah of Terengganu takes oath of office as Malaysia's 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in a traditional ceremony Wednesday filled with pomp and pageantry.

Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, was sworn in at the Istana Negara. At 44, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin is the youngest among the current nine state rulers and the second youngest royal to ascend the throne.

Earlier, the royal couple were given a 12-gun salute in a ceremonial welcome at Parliament Square after inspecting a guard of honor and meeting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and other Cabinet ministers.

They were then driven in a Rolls-Royce to the palace for the coronation. His majesty, dressed in resplendent yellow, the royal color, took his oath of office and signed his investiture letter witnessed by other state rulers and Cabinet ministers.

Bigger, better and faster with Measat-3

KUALA LUMPUR: The launch of the Measat-3 satellite today from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome will triple Malaysia’s satellite communication capacity.

For Malaysians, the new satellite will herald a significant change in their access to information through various avenues.

Malaysians will not only be able to enjoy a greater selection of television channels but also have easy access to the Internet using high-speed connections, which will be available throughout the country.

The new satellite, which introduces bandwidth-intensive broadcasting applications such as High Definition Television (HDTV) and Video On Demand (VOD) services, will also improve communications network 10-fold.

This will be possible with the new high bandwidth, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) networks, which leverages the latest satellite technology to reduce cost and increase efficiency.

The satellite's launch will also expand the Measat fleet's coverage to more than 100 countries embracing Australia, Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa, representing about 70% of the world's population.

Airport Signage -> Malaysia "Localise" Version

Versi Kelantan


Versi Sarawak

Historic victory for Al Ghasar

Baharain’s Ruqaya Al Ghasar won the women’s 200m final at Khalifa Stadium on Monday. Despite being slowest out of the blocks, just as she was when winning bronze in the 100m, this time she came storming through to take gold in 23.19 seconds.

Hundred metres winner Guzel Khubbieva took silver in 23.30 and 100m silver medallist Jayasinghe Susanthika Mannalage made sure there will be a podium re-union by taking bronze in 23.42. Twenty four year old Al Ghasara, who adheres to Arab dress code by wearing a white hijab and long track pants when she competes, is the first Bahraini woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in athletics.

Al Gharasa said, “I deserve the 200m gold medal, I was the strongest and the best. On winning bronze in the 100m, she said, “I was unfit then, but I prepared psychologically and physically for this event."

Mannalage said, “I am really happy. These two medals for me are like two golds, nobody thought that I would be here. My mother had made an oath to the bodhi tree that I would take part in these Games.”

In the men’s 200m final, defending champion and former World Championships bronze medallist Shingo Suetsugo (Japan) justified his pre-race favourite tag by storming home in 20.60 seconds. Yang Yaozu of China, bronze medallist four years ago, clocked 20.71 for the silver and Shinji Takahira took bronze in 20.81.

After his win Suetsugu said, "I felt the race was like a flash. I had confidence I could win the gold medal at the Asian Games twice. It was good. The wind was strong, but winning the race is the most important thing. It will be a good step for next year.

Yang said, "I'm very satisfied with my start, but I'm disappointed that I didn't sprint at the end. This is my fault. I wasn't good at improving during the race in areas such as rhythm and pace."

Buat duit dengan menulis buku

Oleh JENIRI AMIR
Utusan Malaysia

DI Malaysia, sebagai penulis buku anda sudah pasti tidak akan mungkin dapat mengalahkan kekayaan Robert Kuok, Ananda Krishnan, atau Lim Goh Tong, atau mengalahkan J.K Rowling, Dan Brown, Bill Bryson, dan ratusan lagi penulis Barat.

Buku siri Harry Potter karya J.K Rowling telah dijual melebihi 300 juta naskhah. The Da Vinci Code karya Dan Brown telah dijual melebihi 1.7 juta naskhah.

Begitu banyak penulis Barat menjadi kaya-raya kerana buku mereka laris. Bayangkan pendapatan R.L Stine yang menulis 80 buah buku, dengan jualan melebihi 220 juta naskhah, atau Enid Blyton yang meninggal dunia pada 1968, dengan sejumlah 700 tajuk buku kanak-kanak, dengan jualan melebihi 100 juta naskhah.

Enid Blyton merupakan pengarang dalam bahasa Inggeris yang paling laris bukunya sebelum munculnya J.K Rowling.

Bayangkan jumlah wang yang mengalir ke dalam bank Agatha Christie, penulis novel jenayah, apabila lebih daripada satu bilion naskhah novel beliau laris dalam bahasa Inggeris, dan satu bilion lagi dalam 45 bahasa lain dunia.

Jauh sebelum itu, pada 1901 lagi seorang penulis Britain, Beatrix Potter telah menjadi jutawan apabila buku The Tale of Peter Rabbit meledak dengan jualan sembilan juta naskhah.

Bukan sedikit penulis Barat yang telah menjadi jutawan dan kaya-raya dengan menulis buku.

Di Malaysia, bagaimana? Adakah menulis buku dapat mendatangkan wang? Atau membolehkan penulis menjadi kaya-raya?

Di Malaysia dianggarkan sekurang-kurangnya terdapat 10 orang penulis mendapat RM200 ribu setahun, sekurang- kurangnya 20 orang memperoleh sekitar RM100 ribu setahun, 25 orang memperoleh RM50 ribu setahun dan ratusan orang memperoleh sekurang-kurangnya RM15 ribu setahun dan ini termasuk penulis novel popular, buku motivasi, buku teks dan buku rujukan.

Satu daripada sistem yang diamalkan ialah sistem pembayaran royalti, iaitu sistem yang menentukan kadar yang perlu dibayar kepada penerbit berdasarkan jumlah naskhah yang laris.

Terjual

Lazimnya, di Malaysia, kadar royalti adalah antara 7-20 peratus daripada harga buku yang terjual.

Bayangkan jumlah royalti yang akan anda terima jika buku anda meledak di pasaran? Berapakah jumlah yang bakal anda terima jika buku anda laris lima ribu naskhah, 10 ribu naskhah, 20 ribu naskhah, 50 ribu naskhah atau 100 ribu naskhah?

Bayangkan anda menerima royalti 10 peratus dan harga buku ialah RM30? Anda kira sendiri, berapa wang yang mengalir ke dalam poket anda. Tentu anda akan tersenyum lebar ke bank.

Kini, bukan menjadi rahsia lagi, agak banyak novel popular Melayu yang meledak di pasaran, sehingga melantunkan penulisnya ke papan atas.

Rata-rata buku tersebut dijual melebihi RM25, dan penulis meraih 10 peratus royalti. Tidak hairanlah, semakin banyak penulis baru muncul dengan novel popular bertemakan cinta cuba bersaing di pasaran.

Azizi Ali, penulis buku pengurusan kewangan yang banyak menulis buku tentang bagaimana menjadi kaya dan merancang wang dan kekayaan merupakan antara yang kaya kerana menulis.

Beliau telah membuat banyak wang dengan menulis buku dan tahu bagaimana menggunakan wang daripada bukunya untuk menggandakan wangnya.

Pendapatan daripada menulis buku lebih besar daripada pendapatan yang diraihnya daripada kerja sebagai juruterbang.

Siapa kata, kita tidak dapat membuat wang dengan menulis?

Kata Azizi dalam sebuah bukunya, ‘‘Walaupun duit yang saya dapat sebagai juruterbang hebat, tetapi duit yang saya dapat daripada penulisan amat menakjubkan. Kewangan saya melonjak tinggi hasil daripada pendapatan penulisan.

‘‘Bukan saya nak cakap besar, tetapi saya boleh bersara daripada menjadi juruterbang hari ini jika saya mahu. Saya boleh bersara daripada menjadi bekerja.’’

Malah, buku beliau yang seterusnya, Lahirnya Seorang Jutawan mengukir prestasi yang lebih baik.

Anda tahu? Pada hari ini, Azizi Ali merupakan salah seorang daripada beberapa penulis di Malaysia yang telah menghasilkan enam buah buku yang laris jualannya.

Anda pergi sahaja ke kedai buku ternama: MPH, Borders, Kinokunya, anda pasti akan melihat buku Azizi dideretkan di rak buku, termasuk buku terbaru beliau, Retire Rich.

Beliau berkata: ‘Seperti air yang mengalir turun, duit akan mengalir kepada orang yang tahu apa yang mereka lakukan.”

Tetapi tunggu dulu. Jangan anda tersilap faham. Jangan pula fikir ketika menulis anda hanya perlu memikirkan tentang wang.

Anda perlu mempunyai cinta dan komitmen yang mendalam terhadap usaha yang hendak anda lakukan.

Jika penulis seperti Azizi membaca sebanyak 700 buah buku tentang bidang yang hendak ditulisnya, sanggupkah anda melakukan perkara yang sama?

Atau lebih baik lagi, melakukan lebih baik daripada itu - mungkin 1,000 buah buku? Sanggupkah anda berkorban dari segi masa, wang, tenaga, dan keselesaan dahulu hanya untuk memenuhi impian itu? Masalahnya, sebahagian kita akan memikirkan tentang masalah dan alasan untuk tidak menulis atau menghalalkan tindakan tidak menulis.

Kita bangga kerana menjadi orang yang malas dan membuang masa! Kita lebih sibuk memikirkan alasan, daripada sibuk memikirkan strategi dan langkah konkrit ke arah itu.

Thomas J. Stanley di dalam buku The Millionaire Mind mendedahkan bahawa ramai daripada jutawan memberitahu beliau bahawa rahsia kejayaan mereka adalah kerana perasaan cinta kepada kerjaya mereka.

Kata beliau berulang kali, “Jika anda menyukai sepenuh hati apa-apa yang anda lakukan, peluang amat cerah untuk anda berjaya."

Jadi, mengapa tidak cuba menulis buku? Siapa tahu, selain menyebarkan ilmu pengetahuan, anda dapat membuat duit dengan menulis.

Bananas -You will never look at banana in the same way again

This is interesting. After Reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.Bananas. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS : Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure : This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation : High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help
restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers : One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels,while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn : Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness : Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites : Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves : Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady

Ulcers : The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal
disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control:Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal = Affective Disorder (SAD) : Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6,B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress : Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the
heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes : According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine,"eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

Melayu didodoikan kejayaan palsu & bodoh...

'Di Singapura, kami tidak mendewakan pemain-pemain bola.' Begitulah kata-kata Phillip Yeo, Ketua Agensi Penyelidikan Untuk Sains dan Teknologi Singapura. Saya yakin Singapura juga tidak mendewa-dewakan golongan artis seperti yang berlaku kepada kita di Malaysia.

Saya tidak pernah terbaca atau mendengar berita yang penyiar TV di sana menganjurkan banyak siri realiti TV yang tidak mendatangkan sebarang faedah jangka panjang untuk kemajuan negara kecil mereka. Tetapi berlainan pula dengan negara kita, itu yang lebih diutamakan sejak kebelakangan ini.

Jika beginilah sikap rakyat negara kita nampaknya kita akan terus menjadi sebuah negara yang terbelakang dalam segala bidang yang berfaedah untuk masa depan negara.

Di Singapura, idola mereka adalah orang terpelajar, bukan artis. Orang terpelajar dijadikan contoh kepada anak-anak muda Singapura untuk mengejar kemajuan dalam bidang sains dan teknologi. Anak-anak mereka digalakkan mendapat pelajaran setinggi yang mungkin kerana mereka sedar tanpa generasi yang berpelajaran dan berpendidikan tinggi negara mereka akan ketinggalan.

Singapura sedang menuju ke arah apa yang disebut ''knowledge economy'' (ekonomi ilmu pengetahuan) tetapi kita lebih kepada ''entertainment economy'' (ekonomi hiburan).

Artis-artis yang berjaya meraih `ijazah' dari Akademi Fantasia (AF) lebih diberikan tempat dalam liputan akhbar daripada kejayaan anak-anak Malaysia yang berjaya dalam bidang sains dan teknologi.

Kalau beginilah cara orang Melayu menguruskan anak bangsa mereka nampaknya peluang untuk menjana Towering Malays atau Melayu Unggul akan punah.

Mana ada anak Melayu yang berjaya dalam bidang nyanyian di peringkat antarabangsa sehingga mereka terkenal seperti artis-artis dari Barat. Pernahkah kita mendengar jualan album artis-artis Melayu dijual jutaan keping di pasaran antarabangsa?

Kalau setakat menyanyi di Royal Albert Hall sudah dianggap satu kejayaan besar bagi anak Melayu dan bukan meraih ijazah kelas pertama di universiti Cambridge atau Oxford, rosaklah anak Melayu.

Kaum Cina dan India mendahulukan kejayaan akademik daripada hiburan tetapi untuk anak-anak Melayu, ibu bapa mereka sanggup berkorban apa saja, bergolok bergadai asalkan anak mereka mendapat tempat dalam Malaysian Idol dan AF.

Mereka tidak sanggup berkorban atau bergolok bergadai untuk memastikan anak-anak mereka mendapat pendidikan yang terbaik. Sesungguhnya orang Melayu akan jadi bahan ketawa kaum lain pada suatu hari nanti. Orang Melayu masih buta dengan agenda orang lain untuk menjatuhkan mereka.

Tulisan saya ini mungkin tidak akan menyenangkan orang yang tidak mengambil berat tentang arah tuju orang Melayu. Ia mungkin bagai cili yang terpepak atau pahit bagai hempedu tetapi seperti kata orang, yang pahit itulah ubat.

Malangnya orang Melayu suka digula-gulakan, dipuji berlebih-lebihan. Biar menang sorak kampung tergadai. Biar papa asalkan bergaya. Sampai bila kita hendak dodoikan orang Melayu dan anak Melayu dengan kejayaan yang palsu. Kita mahukan durian tapi benih tomato yang kita tanam.

Di mana rasional dan logiknya? Begitu rendahkah daya fikir orang Melayu dan anak Melayu? Kalaulah pejuang kemerdekaan dari kalangan orang Melayu yang lalu masih hidup, mereka pasti akan menangis kerana kita telah gagal mendidik anak bangsa ke arah kemajuan yang dituntut oleh agama Islam.

Kita gagal mengisi kemerdekaan dengan anak-anak bangsa yang bijak berfikir dan bertindak demi kesinambungan kemegahan orang Melayu. Mungkin Hang Tuah akan geleng kepala melihat orang Melayu hari ini menyalahgunakan kebebasan yang diperoleh. Mungkin Melayu tak hilang di dunia tetapi jika ada bangsa Melayu yang layu apalah gunanya. Layu dengan lagu yang mendayu. Layu di pusat-pusat serenti. Layu di atas jalan raya yang serba moden. Layu di peringkat pengajian tinggi.

Newspaper robbers

Beware of newspaper lying on the road. If you are driving in Malaysia, do take note of the advice below. Plse pass this onto yr friends. Avoid driving over newspapers strewn on the road It would appear that this technique has reached Malaysia from Indonesia.

Life here is getting more like in Indonesia these days. This story which was circulated to me reminds me of the traps set in certain parts of Jakarta by robbers. Some people have lost their lives over this. They drive into certain lonely roads in Jakarta to find pieces of wood with nails in them on the road. This causes their tyres to go flat. If they get out of their cars, they are set upon by robbers who will take everything: their cars, wallets, anything valuable and sometimes their lives.

Avoid driving over newspapers strewn on the Road a new trap set by Robbers. This incident happened some where in KL and forwarded to me by a friend. This person was driving alone at night when he saw newspapers lying around in the middle of the road. Without giving it much thought, he drove pass the stack of papers. No one would expect to find heaps of rocks and stones beneath the papers!! Wanting to know the damage to his car, he stopped to check.

Need I say more.the moment he got out of his car, he was robbed by a group of guys and lost his properties/belongin gs. Just imagine what would have happen if this had happen to a girl/woman.. ..

So folks, please be careful, do not stop when you're driving alone at night no matter what ! Avoid driving over the papers if you see newspapers lying on the road, this could be a new trick for the desparate fraternity out there !!!!!!

Giant Digging Machine

This is the largest digging machine (or trencher or rotating shovel) in the world. It was built by Krupp and is shown here crossing a road in Germany on the way to its destination, an open air coal mine. Although at the mine the treads are unnecessary, it was cheaper to make the machine self-propelled than to try and move it with conventional hauling equipment. Some factoids:
* The machine is 95 meters high and 215 meters long (almost 2.5 football fields in length)
* Weight is 45,500 tons (that's equivalent to a bumper to bumper line of jeeps 80 miles long)
* It took 5 years to design and manufacture at a cost of $100 million
* Maximum digging speed is 10 meters per minute
* Can move more than 76,000 cubic meters of coal, rock, and earth per day

The biggest resort in Bahrain - Durrat Al Bahrain

Durrat Al Bahrain is jointly owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain's Government and Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain). It is named after the most perfect pearl and sets out to be a model city resort of life as it should be in the 21st century. The character and design of Durrat Al Bahrain will reflect the highest quality of design principles and will set a new standard for urban development in the Kingdom.

This 20sq.km. seaside city resort, located on the south coast of Bahrain, will include 13 different islands with over 2,000 villas, more than 3,000 apartments, luxury hotels, restaurants, promenades, shopping centres, spas, a planned marina, and a proposed golf course among its many sports facilities. Plans for ongoing development will evolve according to the city's needs and wants.