THE QUAKE STRIKES AGAIN

This morning it was reported in New York Times that an earthquake of 6.9 had rubble Jiegu Town in Yushu county, Western China killing 589 and injuring approximately 10,000 people.

As alarming as the statistics are, the real question is all of these seismic activities had one wonder if earthquakes are increasing in frequency? Let's recalled back some events in 2010:

1. Jan, 12 - 7.0 in Haiti
2. Feb, 27 - 8.8 in Chile
3. Apr, 4 - 7.2 in Mexico
4. Apr, 13 - 6.9 in China

These series of unfortunate events are not usual. To have such multitude of quakes in less than 6 months signal a significant news of how agonizing the state of our Earth's crust can be here right on this moment. In the case of Malaysia, though the quake did not happen directly in our epicenter, tremors can sometimes be felt anywhere in the country. Seems the inclusion of the region under the protection of The Great Pacific Ring of Fire can now be rechecked.

It's not about why or will it happen, the more acute question is when? At least, by that time, we've counter attack measures under our sleeves - it starts with the practices of our construction method and development criteria. Such measures that we can instantly look into are:

1. Enforce more strict construction rules & regulations.
2. Ensure stringent design codes.
3. No more 'under-the-table' transaction.
4. Educate the public on the do's & don'ts during disaster.
5. Mimic San Francisco's 72hours plan.
Click www.72hours.org
6. Earthquake doesn't kill people, unsafe buildings do!

It is time to ponder on this issue seriously. Yesterday, it may be Haiti, today China, what about tomorrow? Prevention is always better than cure, at least, that's the best we can do. There's a Malay saying that states 'sesal dahulu pendapatan, sesal kemudian tidak berguna'

p/s The English has theirs too 'There is no smoke without fire, still London Bridge is falling down...'

Till the next postings.

WHEN EVERYTHING MEANS NOTHING

Back in childhood days when a scoop of your vanilla-flavoured ice-cream was nudged by someone, obviously you'd let it passed. Even when you lost in the feet of a courageous defeat, still you can smile. Well, at least, as they said, that's what gentlemen do. But, what about if you were to lodge a police report that you've been assaulted by a group of hooligans and instead you yourself is being arrested? Sadly to say but it's the truth. Read here.


My view is simple. Any sane person wouldn't take the risks of beating himself nearly to death just to set up pranks in the police station. Better still, April's Fool is over! Assuming all these are true, the real question is, what's happening to our enforcement authorities? Something is rotten here in The Land of Hornbills.

Talking about the issue of land and the natives is like chicken and egg story. They cannot be separated and always come together. That shows how important both elements to each other. Back to the days where rules and regulations were just innuendos, lands were entitled to those who discovered them first. They were no land ordinance, specific rulings and any legal documents needed to verify one's land. It's as easy as this; you have a piece of land, you look after it, toiling each day with diligence and sorrow hoping for the best for the fertile soil to bear fruits of your labors, then you are the landlord. Since then, it's been passed down through generations after another. For Native Customary Rights Land (NCR) read here.

The point is, for Heaven's sake, what's wrong with someone whose doing his every day chores in HIS LAND just to be intimidated by group of gangsters and upon lodging police report being arrested himself? That's incredibly funny and illogical. For the natives of Sarawak, their lands mean everything. They are not just mere lands, they are the source of daily life. They are sacred and the natives have rights to their lands, without doubts. Yet, some people disowned these rights? But hey, where's our politicians again at this particular time or did we ever have one though? Care to explain Minister? While their effort in aiding less fortunate people in Haiti are commendable but couldn't they care more for the plights of their own people? I think we seriously need an election.

Somehow, I recalled my grandpa used to say "In the end, unless we fight for our rights, we'll be doomed where the natives will be hewers of wood and drawers of water, becoming coolies in our own country"

Till the next postings.

SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: ARE WE ON THE RIGHT TRACK?

9:30pm yesterday marked the end of the annual Earth Hour 2010 which lasted for 1 hour, a global event organized by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) every year starting in Sydney, Australia 2007. The main purpose is to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate changes. Attendees are from all sides of the globe with approximately 1.2 billion people participated and still counting. According to the WWF 2010 officials, it was estimated that about 5 billion kWh of electricity demand has plunged globally, which was 3 times larger than the first event back in 2007. All in all, the event is a success!


However, sustainability should not only be limited to the cripple notion involving energy and environmental fall outs. On other perspective, Brundtland Commission stated that to be sustainable is 'to meet present needs without compromising future's demands'.

Compellingly, a native tribe leader in the heart of Africa once said 'Mother Earth is not what we inherited from our forefathers but the one we borrowed from our future generations'.


From these 2 statements, we can conclude with a degree of certainty that the main point to be stressed is RESPONSIBILITY towards the surroundings. Be it in the name of energy conservation, environmental degradation, economic turmoil, social welfare, scientific discoveries, research & innovations, cultures & biodiversity etc. In layman word, the true essence of being sustainable is to be responsible.

And here goes the lists that we've gone through in the pursuit of sustainability:

1. Formation of UN (United Nations) + all of its sub-organizations i.e. UNICEF, WHO, WWF etc. - which covers all aspects of global interests & represents the whole multitude of human beings. Checked.

2. Earth Hour. Checked.

3. Copenhagen Summit - to address the long lasting issue of greenhouse gasses. Half true with a big question mark asking is it a 'walk the talk' type of summit or just another 'talk & walk' kind of gentleman's occasion? Answer for yourself.

4. Rehabilitation & Conservation (R&C) of natural (flora + fauna) habitats. Not so close. While various laws, regulations and even gazetted lands are commendable but it seems that the equation of R&C is far from balanced. While there are efforts to maintain nature in harmony, there are still people who poached and lumber jacking illegally. You can see for yourself everywhere. So, where's the deal?

5. Economic stability & win-win situation among nations. We are very far indeed from even taking the first step to collaborate let alone unite. Other than self interest, anything else doesn't matter.

6. Social welfare in terms of public security, extreme poverty, marginalized individuals, underfed populations, educational setback etc.? Now that's louder than the explosions of 'Little Boy' & 'Fat Man' which befall Hiroshima & Nagasaki back in 1945.

Of course people may argue that different countries have their own ways in dealing on various issues but here, we are talking about the issue of sustainability as a whole, the Earth as we know it, is ageing and that happens to occur rapidly due to our doings. Is that matters only for Kenyans in Nairobi and doesn't concerns the Americans in New York? Hello, nobody lives in Neptune.

Sometimes I wonder, funny is this life.. While there are people especially those in the UN organizations who dine with silver spoons and drink in gold chalices while 'discussing' on matters pertaining to the world made up of 6.6 billion populations, there are others who are living on less than US$3 (RM10) a day!

Also, here are some alarming statistics for us to ponder:

1. In his book, The End of Poverty (2005), Jeffrey Sachs reported that 'more than 20,000 people perished every day due to extreme poverty'.

2. Every year some 10 millions die of hunger and hunger related diseases, a majority of whom are children.

3. Ironically, in 2006, an estimated 1.5 billions people are said to be overweight globally according to the 10th International Congress on Obesity.

4. The reality is, according to UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDG), in 2005 alone, some 1.5 billions people are still estimated to live on US$1.25 a day.

So, what's there in those figures? Painstakingly, those figures are over 100 times more than the number of people killed in Chernobyl Disaster, Ukraine (1986). But what's the difference? Here is one that I can figure out (anybody can simply figure this out, it's just a matter of saying it or not). We still remember the plights and outbursts of the Chernobyl tragedy, Tsunami, 9/11 attack etc. years after that, they still resonate in us.

But why is the case so different when 20,000 people dying of poverty? Is it less tragic compared to the others? Both are dying isn't it yet, why the ignorance? Could it be because most victims are from developing or less developed countries? Why the double standards and for how long?

I think this is where academic institutions fit in or shouldn't they be in the first place? Education, often touted as 'leveller of society' failed to live up to the expectations leaned upon them. Worse still, white-collar strategists, intelligences, masterminds and spin doctors are all undoubtedly talented scholars, products of established universities! Seems to me that education, believed to stem global disparity, in the end, guarantees its arrival.

Hence, with this acute awareness in mind (during an Earth Hour dinner while texting someone), I started to pen down this lengthy writing believing that 'Yes, humanity might has been robbed of a potential chances to unity but it takes more than all these to vanquish the idea of sustainable future, at least for now!' - D.M.B.L.

Till the next postings.

TIT FOR TAT

RM0>Promotion's SHELL.SDN.BHD.
Tahniah..
Sim kad anda
Berjaya meraih
Cabutan bertuah
RM19,000
Sila Call di Talian
PEJABAT SHELL
0178949116

sender:+60145641200

This was a message sent to me this evening while I was enjoying the movie Confucius (clap2 to Chow Yun Fatt). When I first saw the message, I feel like my feet were millimeters above ground (we are talking about $ here) but as I came to my senses, I recalled some friends who had advise me to stay alert on possible scams which are lingering around freely on the net without proper supervision.

I directly googled the net; just to confirm that indeed it was for heaven's sake, a scam! So, what's there under their sleeves?

Actually, their modus operandi is quite simple i.e. those filthy scammers wanted us to believe that we are the 'lucky' one who had won their special draws by promising quite an amount of money (which of course, didn't belong to them). Out of excitation, victims will be forced to make contact and disclosed their personal particulars i.e. details, bank account, address etc. Once the victims were cornered, off they go! After couple of days, while the victims are busy listing down their shopping lists to make full use of the money, those scammers might have been already enjoying their vacation in Phuket! Sayonara to us, Sawadikkap for them.. Fair? Surely not.

Here are some 'rule-of-thumb' basics to counter this kind of scams BEFORE it happens because AFTER that, it's your own business duck!

1. Almost everyone knows that important matter as official as this can't be simply conveyed via a message. That's unprofessional so to speak. Why don't they just called or came with a formal letter?

2. Should a company desperately ought to send messages (we understand the impact of global crisis) why not use an official company number which is registered in the licensing board?

3. Esteemed company as great as Shell will never barge in to this kind of special draws, promotions etc. They have many great things to do in their mind. Rather than giving up capitals like this, I believed they would rather invest in something better. So, Shell would not involve in this type of play in the very first place, let alone pouring you RM19k.

4. Those scammers should mind their language the next time they wish to swindle. Tell you guys, your languages are very so-so.. Idris Jala wouldn't even think of you as Shell's counter receptionist with that level of command.

Should I learned something from this experience, it will be two things. Firstly, there's no short cut to everything. Yes, there maybe roads to success but as we journey on along the way, still there's loopholes that require us to be prepared all the time. Lastly, 'Google' really helps (thanks to both Larry Page & Sergey Brin)

p/s - The moment they said "You are lucky... winning..." is the part I realized that this is truly a scam because; I never gets lucky & I don't believe in luck!

Till the next postings.