Budaya Ketimuran Menuju Kepupusan?

Dipetik dan diedit dari tulisan Markus Lim bertajuk:  Anda...kurang ajar?

Kita selama ini diajar untuk menghormati orang yang lebih tua daripada kita. Pastinya, budaya menghormati orang yang lebih tua daripada kita merupakan amalan terpuji dan dituntut di sisi agama. Apabila budaya menghormati orang tua terus dipertahankan, secara tidak langsungnya ia membuktikan bahawa tunjuk ajar yang diberikan oleh ibubapa tidak sia-sia. Malahan, ia turut melambangkan keperibadian seseorang. 

Bagi masyarakat di Timur, aspek ini cukup penting. Penting kerana ia merupakan ciri utama yang membezakan dengan masyarakat di Barat. Budaya ketimuran menekankan kepada “filial piety” dan ketaatan sementara di Barat, ia lebih menjurus kepada kebebasan individu, hak asasi manusia sekaligus mewujudkan vakum yang ketara. 

Kata-kata orang tua ada menyebut apabila kita menghormati orang lain, kita juga akan dihormati kemudiannya. Apa yang diperkatakan itu memang ada kebenarannya. Namun demikian, dalam dunia yang semakin dibayangi dengan elemen kebendaan dan pentingkan diri sendiri, amalan menghormati antara satu sama lain kini tinggal omongan kosong sahaja. 

Apabila bercakap mengenai sikap biadap atau kurang ajar, ia berlaku di mana-mana sahaja. Di tempat kerja, rumah, sekolah, jalan raya bahkan juga dalam pergaulan seharian dengan orang lain. Barangkali label paling sesuai yang boleh diberikan kepada orang yang biadap ialah mereka mempunyai “siege mentality”. Bagi golongan ini, mereka merasakan dirinya sentiasa betul manakala orang lain tetap bersalah biarpun keadaan adalah sebaliknya. 

Perhatikan sahaja sikap kebanyakan pemandu di atas jalan raya. Saban hari, ada sahaja kes yang mana pemandu menggunakan laluan kecemasan. Tidak cukup dengan itu, ada pula yang gemar membunyikan hon apabila kenderaan di hadapan mereka bergerak perlahan. Lebih memalukan, ada yang nekad untuk terus memandu biarpun lampu isyarat di persimpangan menunjukkan warna merah.

Situasi di tempat kerja juga tidak kurang hebatnya. Cuma, tahap kebiadapan diterjemahkan dalam gaya berbeza. Dalam konteks ini, pekerja yang diletakkan di bawah pengawasan anda enggan menerima arahan dan memberontak. Bermacam-macam kerenah cuba dicetuskan dengan harapan untuk menyukarkan proses kerja. Entah apa yang ingin dibuktikan oleh golongan ini. Ingin tunjuk lagak? Menarik perhatian ataupun semata-mata untuk menyakitkan hati orang? Apakah manfaat yang mereka boleh perolehi dengan berkelakuan sedemikian? Hanya mereka sahaja yang dapat menjawab persoalan itu. 

Tidak kira di mana sahaja kita berada, sikap biadap perlu dikikis. Jadilah seorang individu yang bersopan-santun dan sentiasa dikenang sebagai masyarakat yang kaya dengan budi bahasa. Bukankah masyarakat Timur terkenal dengan jolokan itu? Jangan biarkan sikap biadap menguasai diri kita. Ego hanya akan memusnahkan segala-galanya. Hayatilah mesej ini!

Baca lagi di sini.

Conversation With God!

Man:   Hi, God?
God:   Yes? 

Man:   Can I ask you something? 

God:   Of course! 

Man:   What's a million years to you? 

God:   A second.

Man:   And a million dollars? 

God:   A penny. 

Man:   God, can I have a penny?  

God:   Yes, please wait a second.

Man:   Thanks God, you are very kind.

Source: An email from Kok A.M.    

                          

Socialism Doesn't Work....??

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. 

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Socialist's plan". All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A ....  

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. 

As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. 

To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. 

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment: 

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. 

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. 

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. 

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it! 

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation. 

Source: An email from Tan CK.

This Is Mars..!

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity snapped these pictures on Mars.
The photo was released by NASA on Aug. 6, 2012.

See more pictures here:

Record-Breaking Galaxy Cluster Found!

Astronomers find record-breaking galaxy cluster

A massive so-called galaxy cluster, one of the largest structures in the universe, has been discovered about 5.7 billion light years from Earth and credited with setting several important new cosmic records.

The cluster, which has shown a prodigious rate of star formation, may force astronomers to rethink how such colossal structures and galaxies that inhabit them evolve over time.

Known officially by an alphabet soup of numbers and letters as SPT-CLJ2344-4243, the cluster has been nicknamed “Phoenix,” after the mythological bird that rose from the dead.

That's partly due to the constellation in which it lies. The Phoenix was also a great way of thinking about the latest astronomical marvel.

“While galaxies at the center of most clusters may have been dormant for billions of years, the central galaxy in this cluster seems to have come back to life with a new burst of star formation,” said McDonald, the lead author of the paper on Phoenix, appearing in the Aug. 16 issue of Nature.

Based on observations from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the U.S. National Science Foundation's South Pole Telescope and eight other observatories, researchers said the centre of the Phoenix cluster had been linked to the creation of about “740 solar masses” or stars a year. By comparison, the Perseus cluster forms stars at a rate about 20 times slower than Phoenix.

Huge clusters like Phoenix are thought to host thousands of galaxies and there was still a lot to learn about what goes on within them.

Supermassive black holes in the central galaxy of a cluster have long been associated with low observed star formation rates, as they pump energy into the system and prevent the cooling of gases needed for the creation of stars.

But researchers said the “massive starburst” seen in Phoenix, as it gave birth to about two stars per day, suggested that its central galaxy's black hole had failed to interfere with an extremely strong cooling flow.

Stars are forming in the Phoenix cluster at the highest rate ever observed for the middle of a galaxy cluster. The object also is the most powerful producer of X-rays of any known cluster and among the most massive. The data also suggest the rate of hot gas cooling in the central regions of the cluster are the largest ever observed.

Read more here.

Lesson of Time

You may be powerful today.

But remember, time is more powerful than you.
Slowly but surely you be eaten by time.
So be good.
Don't devalue and hurt others even if you think
you are in real powerful today.
Nothing is so great being powerful if the power you have today is not used to serve your fellow human beings and the environment well.
Time will never forget about you but to be your best and absolute judge.
Time is not corruptible, 
not indulging in croynism,
not practicing favouritism 
and surely cannot be bought in order to delay or to decide the judgement in your favour.

Remember, time is forever behind you,
definitely you can't win over it, 
ultimately you be beaten.....
and certainly, what is that to be proud of , to be arrogant and to be abusive if indeed you are really powerful today.

Source: Innovation of an email from CH Lim.

Hey! U Power Crazy, Power Abuser, Racist, Greedy or Everything-Grabber etc. Bring Along Everything You Have Grabbed When This Event Happen

If They Can Be Genuine Friends Why Not You Malaysians! Is It Because You Got The Big Brains?

Sistem Pengurusan Sekolah Kualiti SMK Tinggi Kajang

Sistem Pengurusan Sekoah Kualiti, SPSK -

Teacher's Nightmare!

Got these from someone through email and like to share them here...

TEACHER:  "Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?"

HAROLD:     "A teacher."

TEACHER:  "Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago?" 

WINNIE:        "Me!"

TEACHER:   "Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?"
DONALD:     "H I J K L M N O." 

TEACHER:  "What are you talking about?"
DONALD:     "Yesterday you said it's H to O."

TEACHER:  "Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?' "
GLENN:       "K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L"
TEACHER:  "No, that's wrong"
GLENN:       "Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it."  

TEACHER:  "John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?"

JOHN:          "You told me to do it without using tables."

TEACHER:  "Maria, go to the map and find North America."
MARIA:         "Here it is."
TEACHER:  "Correct.  Now class, who discovered America?"
CLASS:        "Maria."
 

It's True Light is the Speed Limit...

Einstein was right, neutrino researchers admit

KYOTO, June 9 — A team of scientists who last year suggested neutrinos could travel faster than light conceded Friday that Einstein was right and the sub-atomic particles are — like everything else — bound by the universe's speed limit.

Researchers working at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) caused a storm when they published experimental results showing the particles could out-pace light by some six kilometres per second.

The findings threatened to upend modern physics and smash a hole in Albert Einstein's 1905 theory of special relativity, which described the velocity of light as the maximum speed in the cosmos.

The neutrinos were timed on the journey from CERN's giant underground lab near Geneva to the Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy, after travelling 732 kilometres (454 miles) through the Earth's crust. To do the trip, the neutrinos should have taken 0.0024 seconds. Instead, the particles were recorded as hitting the detectors in Italy 0.00000006 seconds sooner than expected, the preliminary experiment had shown.

But on Friday the researchers told the International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics, being held in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto, that the earlier results were wrong and faulty kit was to blame.

"The previous data taken up to 2011 with the neutrino beam from CERN to Gran Sasso were revised taking into account understood instrumental effects.A coherent picture has emerged with both previous and new data pointing to a neutrino velocity consistent with the speed of light," the team said.

 The initial findings had been greeted with a combination of excitement and scepticism, even from those involved in the experiment, who urged other physicists to carry out their own checks to corroborate or refute what had been seen. As part of this verification, an experiment called ICARUS at the Gran Sasso Laboratory took a separate look at the flight of seven neutrinos that had also been recorded by the original team of researchers known as OPERA. Carlo Rubbia, a Nobel winner and spokesperson for the ICARUS project announced the neutrinos had kept within the universal speed limit.

In March the Italian physicist at the head of OPERA resigned following calls for his dismissal after tests contradicted the original experimental findings. "I hope OPERA will find new unity and a new leadership to pursue its main target of observing the appearance of a new type of neutrinos," said Antonio Masiero, the deputy head of the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics. The initial findings had provoked howls of incredulity in some quarters.

"If this result at CERN is proved to be right, and particles are found to travel faster than the speed of light, then I am prepared to eat my shorts, live on TV," Jim Al-Khalili, a professor of theoretical physics at Britain's University of Surrey, declared at the time.

Read more here.

The Good Old Days

                                              
                                               Kiasi to Bokiasi
 

                                               Bokiasu to Kiasu

 

9 Reasons to Eat More Strawberries

1. They’re antioxidant powerhouses. Actually, as fruits go, strawberries have the fourth highest level of antioxidants of foods recently tested. Antioxidants protect your body from free radicals linked to aging and disease.

2. They’re excellent sources of vitamin C which boosts the strength of arteries, prevents bruising, and strengthens your body’s stress glands—the adrenals—which require the highest levels of vitamin C of all organs or glands in your body.  Eight strawberries have more vitamin C than an orange.

3. Strawberries have been shown in studies to regulate blood sugar levels.  Eating one cup of fresh strawberries caused a significant reduction in blood sugar spikes.  Blood sugar spikes are linked with weight gain, mood swings, diabetes, and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).  That’s because the spikes are followed by plummeting blood sugar levels soon afterward.

4. Strawberries have anti-inflammatory and anti-pain properties.  Studies show that they lower levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP).  One study showed that they need to been consumed at least 3 times per week to capitalize on their anti-inflammatory nature.  

5. They’ve been proven helpful in the management of heart disease and arthritis.

6. Strawberries contain anthocyanins which stimulate the burning of stored fat in the body to use as fuel.  Research published in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed reduces weight gain in animals fed a high fat diet.  Research also shows anthocyanins boost short-term memory by 100 percent in eight weeks.

7. They have anti-cancer properties.  Their flavonoid content causes the body to interfere with the stages of development of cancer cells, preventing their ability to multiply.

8. Strawberries’ phenolic acids demonstrate anti-allergenic properties, meaning they help reduce the biochemical processes that are linked to allergic reactions.  Of course, as with any food, some people are allergic to strawberries, so if you suspect an allergy you should avoid them.

9. They’re delicious and versatile. Add fresh or frozen strawberries to smoothies, shakes, or blender “juices.”  Top whole grain waffles or pancakes with fresh strawberries, blend them with avocado to create a delicious pudding, or just enjoy them on their own.

Read more here:

Another Bee Gee Left Us!

Robin Gibb: He ‘Started a Joke,’ and Left Us in Tears

Did a singer's name ever seem so prophetic and appropriate as in the case of Robin, one of the great male songbirds of rock's golden age? Bee Gee Robin Gibb succumbed to a longtime struggle with liver cancer Sunday, a spokesperson confirmed. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was 62.

His death dashed the hopes of Bee Gees fans who'd hoped that a miracle was in store after the  singer emerged from a coma late last month. Prior to his regaining consciousness, his family had revealed that Gibb had been given only a 10 percent chance of surviving and seemed to be preparing the public for his imminent death. Despite the shock fans are now experiencing, family members surely feel grateful for the month they had with Gibb after his unexpected awakening.

Read more here and here.

???

I remember,
when you were asked why you chose to join this one not the others,
you have said, because from your long observation, this one is consistent with its principles,
then now,
you are opting out after only three years of the association,
is it now you are seeing this one is no more consistent with its principles as you have observed for a long time?
Or something else.....?

Work

Certainly, it won't work by merely directing others to work because of one's power and position. But it works to work the work together no matter what's one's position.

Anonymous

Corrupt! Loyalty!

 
It's not power that corrupt,

it's the fear of losing power that corrupt.


Aung San Suu Kyi

Loyalty is earned,

it's not demanded,

and it's certainly not bought.


Ambiga Sreenevasan

Can't We Always Be Like This Beyond Bersih 3.0?

Picture adopted from zorro-unmasked.

Whaoo.... So Huge...!

.... the RM12.5 billion lost in the PKFZ scandal could be used to “build 25 universities at RM500 million each, 125 hospitals at RM100 million each, 1,250 schools at RM100 million each, 312,500 low-cost houses at RM40,000 each or to give everyone of the 27 million Malaysians regardless of age a payout of RM338”.

Read more here.

Five Degrees In-Demand With Employers

College Degrees Employers Want Most

By Lisa Manterfield - Read more here.

Want to know which degrees are linked to stellar career opportunities?

Let's look to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' (NACE) "Job Outlook 2012" survey for clues. The annual survey is a forecast of employers' intentions to hire new college graduates.

Each year, many of the same degrees - business, engineering, and computer science - make it to the top of the hiring list. But why?

"In some cases companies are looking for a specific skill set unique to a position," says Andrea Koncz, employment information manager at NACE. "Computer science, for example, requires a specific technical knowledge."

Want to ensure you earn an in-demand degree? Keep reading to see which degrees are standing out to employers this year.

---

Degree #1 - Business Administration

If you're interested in earning an in-demand degree that can help you learn about business policy and strategy, a bachelor's degree in business administration could be a great option.

NACE's Job Outlook 2012 survey found that 48.5 percent of employers who responded to the survey plan to hire business majors, many of whom might study topics like accounting, marketing, human resources, and law.

Click to Find the Right Business Administration Program.

Why it's in demand: According to the Job Outlook survey, employers prefer candidates who have problem solving and leadership skills, which could potentially be acquired or honed through a business program, notes the Colleges Board, an organization that administers academic aptitude tests like the SAT. Business classes could also give students a broad understanding of business practices that might be used in industries ranging from finance to health care.

Potential careers:*

• Human Resources Manager
• Financial Analyst
• Financial Manager

---

Degree #2 - Engineering

Do you like to figure out how things are built and what makes certain things run? Consider pursuing an engineering bachelor's degree, which is a hot hiring field, according to NACE's Job Outlook survey.

Of the surveyed employers, 51.5 percent plan to hire electrical engineering grads; 50 percent anticipate hiring mechanical engineering grads; and 43.3 percent have plans to hire computer engineering grads.

Why it's in demand: Graduates in all engineering fields acquire in-demand skills such as problem solving and analysis according to the U.S. Department of Labor. These sought-after skills could transfer to a range of careers.

Potential careers:*

• Environmental Engineer
• Petroleum Engineer
• Biomedical Engineer

---

Degree #3 - Computer and Information Sciences

Computer science bachelor's degree graduates are in luck. Their tech-savvy skills are appealing to many employers, according to the Job Outlook survey.

Computer science majors, who usually study technical subjects like computer programming, operating systems, and database or software engineering, are expected to have a great hiring year, with 59.3 percent of surveyed employers planning to hire them.

Click to Find the Right Computer and Information Systems Program.

Why it's in demand: As Koncz says, computer science graduates have a particular technical skill set that is unique to that position. What's more, the U.S. Department of Labor also notes that "as technology advances, employers will need workers with the latest skills," and a computer and information sciences degree could help provide students the skill-set they want.

Potential careers:*

* Software Engineering
* Computer Programmer
* Computer Systems Analyst

---

Degree #4 - Accounting

Do you want to pursue an in-demand degree that can help hone your all-about-numbers talents? If so, consider earning a bachelor's degree in accounting.

Accounting majors, who usually study topics like accounting basics, computer skills, and document processing, have a bright 2012 outlook, with 59.3 percent of surveyed employers planning to take on these graduates this year.

Click to Find the Right Accounting Program.

Why it's in demand: One reason for the demand, according to Koncz, is that accounting majors develop strong analytical skills that employers seek. The U.S. Department of Labor also notes that accounting and auditing hopefuls "should have an aptitude for mathematics and be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures quickly," which are skills that could be acquired in earning a degree in this area.

Potential careers: *

• Accountant
• Budget Analyst
• Financial Manager

---

Degree #5 - Economics

Want to figure out why the economy is in such a rut? A bachelor's degree in economics might help you form some hypotheses. And to top it off, it's also a popular degree among employers.

In fact, according to the Job Outlook survey, economics degree grads have the attention of some 34 percent of surveyed employers who plan to hire them in 2012.

Why it's in demand: Economics majors generally take classes in mathematics, statistics, and finance, learning to "analyze how the seemingly simple acts of buying and selling can be complicated by factors such as taxes, interest rates," says the College Board. Through such a program, students could acquire abilities in data analysis, which places high in the desirable skills employers are looking for, according to the Job Outlook survey.

Potential careers: *

• Personal Financial Advisor
• Loan Officer
• Financial Analyst

Are We Deviated From The Original?

Edited from here.

If you study the history of Malaysia. Why have we lost the generation that can mingle together regardless of religion?

"We have deviated. It is very dangerous. I just want us to see our humanity and love again," said Mohammad Nawar Ariffin, an orthopedic surgeon, who is also member of a national inter-faith committee that reports to the Prime Minister’s Department.

"In those days, because of the understanding of the religion, my father and his father actually did wonderful things to understand others."

"Now we think in terms of you are less religious, we are more religious. We are the majority, you are the minority."

"Let’s not do all that because that is not the original teachings."

"Many don’t even understand their own religion and some who claim to speak for the religion contradict each other."

"Don’t concentrate on what you should do and not do. We should actually practice what the Prophet Muhamad taught, which is love."

He has stories that he has actually fed a Jew on one occasion. "This shows that he could cut across boundaries of religion and race. Why can’t we practice that?”

Choking back tears, Mohammad Nawar said “I still remember a Chinese boy who helped carry an older Muslim man to the mosque and he said ‘I just want to help him pray’. Isn’t that what is good in our hearts?”

Are We Gullible And Stupid?

So what does that makes us, we Malaysians, the voters?
That makes us gullible and stupid.
Do you really want to be amongst the ranks of the stupid?
I suppose 90% of Malaysians do not mind.
And that is why politicians can continue to fool us
and use us to get into power --
because we are stupid and do not mind being used.
RPK

Read more here.

Life Beyond Breast Cancer - An International Symposium

Come join hands for an International Symposium on Breast Cancer
and at the same time enjoy and experience the beauty of Malaysia

Please browse through the brochure attached below for more information, benefits, contacts and to register as a participant.

Life Beyond Breast Cancer Symposium -

Dr. M: Investigate All The Tuns

Does that mean the higher the title one gets the more corrupt or the greater sins one has done!

Read more here.

Vincent Tan, Robert Kuok Are Billionaires...! So What...? Not You and Me... What Benefit We Got?

"People only mention the few Malays who became millionaires... but there are also (those from) other races who became millionaires during my time. You can count the number of non-Malays who became millionaire or even billionaires during my time," Dr. M

Read more here and here.

So what when these few fellows are millionaires or billionaires? What benefits do they give to you and me?

They are rich but that does not mean we, just because we are of the same kind, are also rich.

Would these millionaires or billionaires share their fortune with us.

Even if our uncles, brothers or any one of our relatives are rich, that does not mean we are also rich or receive any benefit from their richness.

We, the ordinary people, no matter what race, without much privileges or advantages like those millionaires or billionaires, still have to sweat and toil to earn some decent living.

Worse is, just because these few millionaires or billionaires are of our kind, we all are looked upon or highly be perceived to be rich, thus do not entitle for any help or benefits.

So why must we the ordinary people whoever we are fighting among us just to protect these elitists who have actually benefited from the policies which systematically have discriminated us? Aren't we been cowed all these while?

Dr. M - All Malaysians Are Racists

“This country, everybody is racist. Now, everybody talks about his own interest, doesn’t care about other people’s interest.

“So let’s not hide and say we are not racist,”

“All of them, the people who say I’m racist, they are racist because they say I’m racist,”

Read more here.

Only Criminals and Those Who Support Zina Fear Hudud

Interesting Quotes
by Jackson Ng

Only criminals and those who support zina or adultery fear Hudud!

Malaysia is already almost a bankrupt nation. I rather have PR bankrupting the nation for the benefit of Malaysians than BN bankrupting the nation for their own pockets.

I am a Chinese and I am so ashamed of this MCA, a party that supports immorality.

Read more here.

Let's Ponder (4)

Watch video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bClJK6Ke620

Then decide soon!

Whitney Houston Has Died - End of Power and Beautiful Songs

R.I.P Whitney Houston

Read more here and here and here and here:

In Memory of the Loved One

6th ANNIVERSARY
06-02-2012

Mr. Ng Kok Ching

(30 July 1953 - 06 February 2006)

Another CNY have come and gone and today, exactly six years ago, you left us, but we still feel you are with us. Memories of you are still lingering and cherished. You always be a towering and significance personality in the family. Deeply missed and remembered by all and always have a place in our hearts. Pray for your soul be blessed by Almighty.