EARTHQUAKES, TSUNAMIS AND TYPHOON
WREAK HAVOC
INDONESIA QUAKE KILLS 75
STRONG MAGNITUDE 7.6 EARTHQUAKE OFF THE COAST OF WEST SUMATRAN
TRAIL OF DEVASTATION IN PADANG
DEATH TOLL COULD BE HIGHER THAN 1,000
THOUSANDS MORE TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE RUBBLE
HIGH SCALE DISASTER MORE POWERFUL THAN EARTHQUAKE IN YOGYAKARTA IN 2006 THAT KILLED MORE THAN 3,000 PEOPLE
QUAKE IS ALONG SAME FAULT LINE THAT SPAWNED 2004 TSUNAMI
FEAR QUAKE MIGHT CAUSE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
SAMOA HIT BY TSUNAMIS
MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE HIT THE SOUTH PACIFIC
GENERATED MONSTER 10 FOOT TSUNAMI WAVES
WIPED OUT ENTIRE VILLAGES AND FLATTENED MOST TOURIST RESORTS
LEAVING PATH OF WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION
KILLING AT LEAST 113 PEOPLE
TYPHOON KETSANA
ITS DESTRUCTIVE RAMPAGE THRU' OUT SOUTH EAST ASIA
VIOLENT RAMPAGE DEVASTATES VIETNAM, CAMBODIA, LAOS AND PHILIPPINES
THE STORM UNLEASHED SOME OF THE WORST FLOODING IN A DECADE IN PHILIPPINES - SUBMERGED MOST OF CAPITAL MANILA - 246 ARE DEAD & 2 MILLION HAVE BEEN DRIVEN FROM THEIR HOMES
BLOWING AWAY WHOLE VILLAGES IN VIETNAM, CAMBODIA & LAOS
RISING DEATH TOLL TO 331
STORM AND TORRENTIALS RAIN CAUSED FLOODS AND LANDSLIDES
KILLING 11 MORE PEOPLE IN CAMBODIA
MISERY AND DEATH IS NOT OVER YET
ANOTHER LOOMING TYPHOON MAY ADD TO THE DEVASTATION
TYPHOON PARMA IN SET TO HIT THE PHILIPPINES TODAY OR TOMORROW
WHY DOES THE MOTHER EARTH IS SO ANGRY & AGITATED?
IT'S SEEM THAT HUMANKIND IS TO BE BLAMED.
HILLS HAD BEEN FLATTENED, FOREST HAD BEEN DEFORESTED, LAKES HAD BEEN DRAINED, ALL IN THE NAME OF DEVELOPMENT & PROGRESS. NEW STRUCTURES HAD BEEN SPROUTED UP ALL OVER THE FACE OF MOTHER EARTH. NEW THINGS HAD BEEN INVENTED. ALL OF THIS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO A NEW PROBLEM CALLED POLLUTIONS ( AIR, WATER, ENVIRONMENTAL ETC). HUMAN GREEDS FOR MONEY, POWER & IDEOLOGY BY THE CORRUPTED MINDS OF THE SO CALLED POLITICAL & INDUSTRIALIST LEADERS HAVE CAUSED HAVOC TO THE HUMANKIND'S PEACE & HARMONY. RESULTING IN WARS AND FURTHER INFLICTING THE MOTHER EARTH.
OR
IS IT GOD THE ALMIGHTY IS PUNISHING US
FOR NOT TAKING THE RIGHT PATH !!
MOST OF US HAVE FORGOTTEN THE DIVINE TEACHING
AND BECOMES A SINNER.
Paddy terrace at Tegallalang, Bali.
Gua Kelam or Kelam Cave is situated approximately 36km from Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia. It was once wellknown for its high quality of tin ore. Gua Kelam is also acts as a gateway for village folks of Wang Kelian and Kaki Bukit. According to history, En Nayan also known as Tauke Nyan, who was originated from Kg Kechor, Mukim Salang, Perlis and his wife, Pn Aminah from Wang Kelian started mining tin ore at Sg Pelarit, which is near to Gua Kelam. He later sold the tin mine to chinese miners and between 1850 to 1890, the tin ore was in great demand due to the Industrial Revolution in Europe. The miners started to mine inside the Kelam Cave as large amount of casiterite or tin ore deposited were found. It was later became the only place in the world that tin was mined extensively from natural caves.
Nowdays, the mines have been abandoned or flooded and the remnants of miners can also be found in the caves. Perlis State Government has taken steps to preserve the history and the caves were converted into a recreational park with boardwalk and train track right up to centre of the cave. The caretaker, Perlis Forestry Department charged a nominal fee for the train ride, RM5 (Adult) and RM3 (Children).
I considered this trip as exciting and educational. Next school holiday, do try this historical site as your next destination.
Today, we are celebrating the 40 years anniversary of humankind's first steps on the lunar surface. It was on July 20, 1969 at 10.56 p.m. EDT, Commander Neil Armstrong set his foot on the lunar surface after descending the ladder of Lunar Module (LM) Eagles and proclaimed "that's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," followed by loud cheers and applauses on earth.
The mission to the moon becomes reality with the successful liftoff of Apollo 11 on the morning of July 16, 1969 with astronauts, Commander Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins sat atop Saturn V at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre, Cape Canaveral. After one and a half orbits, Apollo 11 gets a "go" for what a mision controller called "Translunar Injection" or in other words, it's time to head for the moon. Three days later the Apollo 11 was in lunar orbit. A day after that, Armstrong and Aldrin climbed into the LM Eagle and began the descent, while Collins orbits in the command module Columbia.
When the LM landed at 4.18 p.m. EDT only 30 seconds of fuel remain; Armstrong radio, "Houston. Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." The mission control erupted in celebration as the tension breaks.
The celebration of Apollo 11 continues for months and years. I was studying at Ahmad Primary School, Pekan, Pahang in Standard 2. When the LM Eagle landed on the moon, I was unaware of that event at that time. As any other kids, we were happily playing hide and seek, shooting the cards collection in the middle of circle with woven rubberbands and throwing slipper over a bunch of rubber bands on top of tin can; not knowing that the first human had sat foot on the moon. At that time not all people owned TV set and in my neighbourhood only one person owned its (I have forgotten his name but he is a headmaster). We would normally at Sunday night congregated infront of his house to watch the TV. The neighbour would take out his TV to his verandah and switched on for the kampung folks to watch it. Together with my sisters and uncle, we would bring along the mat and titbits. Usually we would place the mat in between the coconut trees not far from the TV set. The picture was in B&W and at that time, I can never imagined that someday we could see it in colour and sleek in size, not like those day bulky in size.
As we watched the news, it was amazing and unbelievable when we heard that Apollo 11 orbiting the earth while Neil Armstrong performed the moonwalk. Wow!!! it is true people can fly to outer space and landed on the moon. Every night when I gazed at the moon, it never crossed my mind that human like me can walk on it. It was just like a bomb exploding in my mind, breaking the unthinkable into pieces. I suddenly realised that a lots of things around me needs to be explored. Images of people walking on the moon becomes normal. The school also started to instill and cultivate the children's interests by organizing essay writing and drawing competition. Images like Aldrin saluting the American flag, Aldrin descending the LM ladder, Aldrin walking on the moon and the LM Eagle were deeply etched in our mind and this images were popularly drawn by us during the drawing competition.
"One Small Step For A Man, One Giant Leap For Mankind"
(All photographs on this blog are courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, specifically the NASA History Office and the NASA JSC Media Services Center.)
Do you know that "the Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia" is located in Johor, Malaysia? Yes, it is located at a place called Tanjung Piai, Johor National Park, named after a fern locally known as "Paku Piai". It is a type of fern that can live in saline conditions. Tanjung Piai is also home to many species of mangrove plants and animals. It was designated as Johor State Park's wetland on 31 March 2003 with land area of 526 hectares, consisting of coastal mangroves and intertidal mudflats.
Tanjung Piai State Park is very important and was gazetted as Mangrove Forest Reserve.
- Home to many species of mangrove plants
- Home to many species of animals
- Mangroves protect the shorelines from erosion and storms
- Mangroves prevent the mainland from flooding
- Mangroves provide shelter and food for fishes, crabs, prawns and other animal
- Mangroves and mudflats are important stopover for migratory birds to feed and rest
- Mangroves are breeding ground for fish and other animals.
It is also a RAMSAR site for wetland category.
The park is managed by Johor National Parks Corporation (JNPC) and has facilities such as Information Gallery, Ramsar Office, board walk, jetty, observation tower, camp site, surau and activity hall. To enter the park, we have to pay a fee of RM5 (adult) and RM3 (children) per person. To reach the southernmost tip of mainland Asia, we have to walk about 1 km from the information gallery via the board walk. As we walked along the board walk, we would definitely encounter the long-tailed macaques, birds and mangroves plants. JNPC has took initiatives to educate visitors about the surroundings by placing information board on the wetland habitats.
Overall, I am pleased with this trip but sad to say that visitors still litter the park by throwing rubbish especially empty plastic bottles into the wetland.
To commemorate our visit to Tanjung Piai State Park, we could purchase a certificate for RM5 certifying that we have reached the southernmost tip of mainland Asia.
What is Influenza A (H1N1)?
A highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs, caused by influenza A viruses that regularly causes diseases and outbreaks of influenza in pigs. H1N1 viruses causes high level of illness (high morbidity) and low death rates (low mortality) at about 1-4% in pigs. The mode of spreads of this virus among pigs is by aerosols and direct/indirect contact, and asymptomatic carrier pigs exist. In temperate countries, outbreaks in pigs occur throughout the year with an increased incidence in the fall and winter similar to outbreaks in humans.
How many Influenza A (H1N1) viruses are there ?
H1N1 viruses change constantly as other influenza viruses. There are 4 main influenza A virus subtypes been isolated in pigs. Those viruses are H1N1 subtype A, H1N2, H3N1 and H3N2. Pigs can also be infected with avian influenze viruses and human seasonal influenza viruses. The H3N2 swine virus was thought to have been originally introduced into pigs by humans. Sometimes pigs can also be infected with more than one virus type at a time, which allow the genes from a number of sources called a "reassortant" virus. Although influenza A (H1N1) viruses are normally species specific and only infect pigs, they do sometimes cross the species barrier to cause disease in humans. Most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.
When & where does H1N1 started infecting human ?
Since implementation of IHR (2005) in 2007, WHO has been notified of Influenza A (H1N1) cases from the USA and Spain. The Influenza A also affecting countries such as Mexico, Canada, Australia and now could be considered a global outbreaks.
What are the symptoms of Influenza A (H1N1) in people ?
Similar to the symptoms of regular flu which includes fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhoea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported associated to Influenza A. It's also could cause a worsening for chronic medical conditions infected people.
Is it safe to eat pork and pork products ?
There is no evidence that Influenza A (H1N1) can be transmitted through eating properly cooked pork or other products derived from pigs. The Influenza A (H1N1) viruses can be killedf by cooking under temperatures of 160 degrees F or 70 degrees C.
How does human become infected ?
Influenza A (H1N1) does not normally infect humans. People usually get H1N1 through contact with infected pigs or contaminated environment with H1N1 viruses. Human to human transmission has been documented in recent cases which was due to close contacts with the infected people.
Is there a human vaccine to protect from Influenza A (H1N1) ?
No.
What drugs are available for H1N1 treatment ?
Most of the previously reported cases, recovered fully from the disease without requiring medical attention or antiviral medicines.
How long can an infected person spread Influenza A (H1N1) to other ?
People with influenza A virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possibly up to 7 days. Younger children might be contagious for a longer period.
What can I do to protect myself from getting sick or infected by H1N1 virus ?
Certain prevention measures could be taken to prevent spreading of viruses that caused influenza such as;
- cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or hankerchief when cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue into the waste basket after use it.
- wash hands regularly with soap and water especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are very effective.
- try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- if sick with influenza; stay at home and limit contact with others. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
- consult your nearest health care facilities.
(Source: Malaysia's Ministry of Health)
20 June 2009, Tanjong Agas, Pekan, Pahang
I have attended the ground breaking of a mega project that would cost total investment of about RM8B and would change the landscape of Tanjong Agas into an integrated oil & gas and maritime industrial park covering 1,620ha. The ambitious project is undertaken by Tanjong Agas Supply Base & Marine Services Sdn Bhd, a company entrusted to ensure the completion of the project in the next 7 years. The industrial park would house a fully automated shipyard, fabrication yard, dredger yard, supply base, fabrication and oil & gas wharves for repair & lay-ups, manufacturing plant, steel billet plant, bulk terminal, petroleum terminal, warehouses, factories & commercial development and residential & commercial development. It will be a one-stop service centre and offshore base, serving and supporting the region's rapidly growing upstream and downstream oil and gas exploration and production activities.
YAB Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Razak also announced that the government will consider designating the new RM2B Tanjong Agas Oil & Gas and Maritime Industrial Park as a Free Trade Zone once it is fully operational in 2016. This project is expected to create about 5,000 jobs in the first phase and another 30,000 within 10 years.
HRH Sultan of Pahang performed the ground breaking ceremony witnessed by HRH Tengku Mahkota Pahang, YAM Tengku Muda Pahang, YAB Dato' Seri Mohd Najib and the Menteri Besar of Pahang, Dato' Sri Adnan Yaakub.
Eventhough I have heard dissatisfaction regarding this mega project;
one thing for sure
the people of Tanjong Agas, Pekan and Pahang would benefit the spillover of this new
industrial park once it is fully operational.
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ARIF JAIS said:
Memang indah tidak dicemari tetapi majoriti masyarakat yang menghuninya adalah Batak Karo yang beragama Kristian. Makanan halal tidak banyak diperolehi. read more
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