# Story Highlights
# Average American produces US$63,885 worth of wealth per year, U.N. says
# U.S. tops EU nations in amount of wealth created per hour, ILO report says
# Lack of investment holding back economies in Africa, Asia and Middle East
Suprising report but it good to know that American work the best !!!!
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Monday, September 03, 2007
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will undergo coronary bypass surgery
PETALING JAYA: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will undergo coronary bypass surgery at the National Heart Institute (IJN) tomorrow morning. His son, Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir confirmed that Dr Mahathir had been admitted into IJN yesterday for the surgery.
“He is all right and preparing for the operation. He wanted to wait until after the Merdeka celebrations,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Dr Mahathir’s most recent public appearance was during the Merdeka Day Parade at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, with his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali where he was seen waving the Jalur Gemilang to the beat of the music.
Mokhzani said Dr Siti Hasmah was with his father at the hospital. IJN is expected to release a statement on Dr Mahathir today.
No visitors are allowed.
“We ask that all Malaysians pray for his good health,” Mokhzani added.
Dr Mahathir underwent a coronary bypass operation in 1989 at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital following a heart attack.
Best wish from me, to you our dearest Mahatir
comments from jeffayn ... ..
CCM: Reasons why charges against Zakaria and Co dropped
PETALING JAYA: The Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) withdrew charges against Harvest Court Industries Berhad after a further inspection by its enforcement team showed that the company had done nothing wrong. Port Klang assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Md Deros, who is one of the directors of Harvest Court Industries, had 37 charges against him and his five business partners in two companies dropped on Aug 24.
The other company was Titi Steel Sdn Bhd.
They said in a statement Monday that the charges were initially filed because its enforcement team could not find the display of name and number for Harvest Court Industries as required by the Companies Act 1965.
“This led to the charges being registered against the company and directors for failing to notify that the registered address of the company had changed.”
The statement said that after the charges were registered, Zakaria and the other directors met with CCM enforcement officials to forward their grounds of appeal.
“A further inspection was then conducted and it was established that the name and number of the company were displayed. However, it was in an inconspicuous area which was not easily visible.”
The statement said based on the evidence gathered, The CCM was satisfied that the company and directors were not in default, and decided to withdraw all the charges.
“Furthermore the company has taken steps to display the company name and number at a conspicuous place as required.”
The statement clarified that action against Titi Steel only involved compound notices being issued against the company and not the directors
Do you really think that the Malaysia is really that stupid after all? You guys think that we dont care, actually we do, but your attitude of doing things and your ability to manage the country has cause us to take care of ourself first before caring the nation we live in... and its the fact....
Amid sex scandal, Sen. Craig resigns
Sun September 2, 2007
BOISE, Idaho (CNN) -- Sen. Larry Craig said Saturday he will resign, succumbing to rapidly intensifying pressure from within his own Republican Party.
"The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issues of our state and of our nation," said Craig, speaking under a clear blue sky at 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. ET) outside the historic Boise Depot in Idaho's capital city.
"Therefore it is with sadness and deep regret that I announce that it is my intent to resign from the Senate, effective September 30th."
His announcement was greeted by scattered applause. A woman called out, "We love you, Larry!" Craig's wife, Suzanne, Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter and other supporters stood behind Craig as he spoke. Video Watch the crowd react »
Craig had been under intense pressure to quit since news surfaced this week that he was arrested in June in a men's room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by a plainclothes police officer.
Police were investigating reports of sexual activity in the restroom.
In August, Craig pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge related to the arrest
Powerful Hurricane Felix heads for Central America
(CNN) -- A potentially catastrophic Hurricane Felix barreled toward Central America Monday packing winds up to 165 mph (266 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.
The Category 5 storm is expected to hit the coasts of northeastern Nicaragua and northeastern Honduras early Tuesday morning, according to the hurricane center.
As Felix intensified and closed in on the Central American coastline, the Honduran government issued a hurricane warning from Limon to its border with Nicaragua, the center said.
A hurricane watch was issued west of Limon to the Honduras-Guatemala border, which means that hurricane conditions -- including sustained winds of 74 mph (119 kph) or higher -- are possible within the next 36 hours.
A tropical storm watch remained in effect for Jamaica and for Grand Cayman Island.
"As it stands, we're still thinking that it will be a potentially catastrophic system in the early portions of this week, Tuesday evening, possibly affecting Honduras and then toward the coast of Belize," Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist at the center in Miami, Florida, told The Associated Press.
The Category 5 storm is expected to hit the coasts of northeastern Nicaragua and northeastern Honduras early Tuesday morning, according to the hurricane center.
As Felix intensified and closed in on the Central American coastline, the Honduran government issued a hurricane warning from Limon to its border with Nicaragua, the center said.
A hurricane watch was issued west of Limon to the Honduras-Guatemala border, which means that hurricane conditions -- including sustained winds of 74 mph (119 kph) or higher -- are possible within the next 36 hours.
A tropical storm watch remained in effect for Jamaica and for Grand Cayman Island.
"As it stands, we're still thinking that it will be a potentially catastrophic system in the early portions of this week, Tuesday evening, possibly affecting Honduras and then toward the coast of Belize," Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist at the center in Miami, Florida, told The Associated Press.
Two sisters fall into Arizona mine shaft
1 dead, one injured
PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) - A 13-year-old girl who fell into a brush-covered mine shaft while riding an all-terrain vehicle was found dead at the bottom Sunday, and her 10-year-old sister was rescued with serious injuries, authorities said.The girls, 13-year-old Rikki Howard and 10-year-old Casie Hicks, were out for a holiday weekend ride around 7 p.m. (10 p.m. ET) Saturday when their father, who was riding ahead of them on a dirt bike, noticed the girls were missing.
"They were driving along and they went into the mine. It was a total accident," Mohave County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Sandy Edwards said.
The mine, believed to be inactive, is located in Chloride, Arizona, about 17 miles north of Kingman. It was next to a dirt road, concealed by brush and had no signs or barriers.
Sheriff's personnel searched throughout the night, but they weren't able to follow the ATV's tracks into the 125-foot mine shaft until 6:20 a.m. (9:20 a.m. ET) Sunday. The team walked by the site overnight because the hole was covered, she said.
When the entrance was discovered, the father called out and one of the girls answered, officials said. Crews later rappelled into the mine and found the girls and the vehicle at the bottom. The 10-year-old girl was transported to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Edwards said. She was in critical condition Sunday afternoon, a hospital spokesman said. The family declined to comment through the hospital.
Seth Johnson, a neighbor of the girls and their family's landlord, said the two were half-sisters. Their family was at the Las Vegas hospital, he said.
"It's an awful shock," Johnson said. "Their parents are very distraught."
PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) - A 13-year-old girl who fell into a brush-covered mine shaft while riding an all-terrain vehicle was found dead at the bottom Sunday, and her 10-year-old sister was rescued with serious injuries, authorities said.The girls, 13-year-old Rikki Howard and 10-year-old Casie Hicks, were out for a holiday weekend ride around 7 p.m. (10 p.m. ET) Saturday when their father, who was riding ahead of them on a dirt bike, noticed the girls were missing.
"They were driving along and they went into the mine. It was a total accident," Mohave County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Sandy Edwards said.
The mine, believed to be inactive, is located in Chloride, Arizona, about 17 miles north of Kingman. It was next to a dirt road, concealed by brush and had no signs or barriers.
Sheriff's personnel searched throughout the night, but they weren't able to follow the ATV's tracks into the 125-foot mine shaft until 6:20 a.m. (9:20 a.m. ET) Sunday. The team walked by the site overnight because the hole was covered, she said.
When the entrance was discovered, the father called out and one of the girls answered, officials said. Crews later rappelled into the mine and found the girls and the vehicle at the bottom. The 10-year-old girl was transported to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Edwards said. She was in critical condition Sunday afternoon, a hospital spokesman said. The family declined to comment through the hospital.
Seth Johnson, a neighbor of the girls and their family's landlord, said the two were half-sisters. Their family was at the Las Vegas hospital, he said.
"It's an awful shock," Johnson said. "Their parents are very distraught."
Monday, August 27, 2007
Making new money ?
Travelling on Afghanistan's main Jalalabad to Torkham road, you eventually arrive at Shaddle Bazaar, a market of around 30 shops in the eastern province of Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan.
At first glance, it looks like any other normal market offering everyday goods.
But in reality, this is one of Afghanistan's biggest opium markets.
Farmers from Nangarhar and other adjacent provinces bring opium to Shaddle to sell. Much of it comes from Nangarhar and Helmand - two of Afghanistan's biggest opium-producing provinces.
Stupid Ferry !
HONOLULU - A dozen surfing protestors temporarily blocked the first-ever passenger ferry service among the Hawaiian islands as it tried to complete its second voyage, saying the craft could harm marine life.
Hours after the Hawaii Superferry’s maiden voyage from Honolulu to Maui and back, it was stalled for more than an hour outside Kauai’s Lihue harbor before Coast Guard patrol boats cleared away the surfers and escorted the 349-foot vessel to the dock. Cars were still being driven off the ferry when it was scheduled to be on its way back to Honolulu.
The four-deck, double-hulled ship, named Alakai, turned back from the Lihue harbor to the cheers of several hundred protesters beating drums and shouting Hawaiian chants along a seawall, witnesses said. The protestors, who paddled out to within a few yards of the ship, objected to the ferry’s failure to obtain an environmental impact report before launching.
France's Sarkozy wants G8 to become G13
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday that the G8 should eventually become the G13 adding China, India, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa to the existing group of leading industrialized countries.
"The G8 should continue its slow transformation," Sarkozy said in a speech to French ambassadors.
"I want the G8 to become the G13."
U.S. Attorney General Gonzales resigns
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing a senior administration official.
The official said an official announcement would be made later in the day.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sony Sweet Bio Battery !
TOKYO - Sony has developed an environmentally-friendly prototype battery that runs on sugars and that can generate enough electricity to power a music player and a pair of speakers, the Japanese company said. The bio battery's casing is made of a vegetable-based plastic.
It measures 1.5 inches along each edge and works by pouring sugar solution into the unit, where enzymes break it down to generate electricity. Test cells had an output of 50 milliwatts, Sony said.
"Sugar is a naturally occurring energy source produced by plants through photosynthesis," Sony said in a statement.
"It is therefore regenerative, and can be found in most areas of the earth, underlining the potential for sugar-based batteries as an ecologically-friendly energy device of the future."
The company said it aims to produce the batteries for commercial use, without specifying when.
Good work for the environmen !!! More companies should do the same too for a better future ...
It measures 1.5 inches along each edge and works by pouring sugar solution into the unit, where enzymes break it down to generate electricity. Test cells had an output of 50 milliwatts, Sony said.
"Sugar is a naturally occurring energy source produced by plants through photosynthesis," Sony said in a statement.
"It is therefore regenerative, and can be found in most areas of the earth, underlining the potential for sugar-based batteries as an ecologically-friendly energy device of the future."
The company said it aims to produce the batteries for commercial use, without specifying when.
Good work for the environmen !!! More companies should do the same too for a better future ...
Midwest storms deliver knockout punch to power lines
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Hundreds of thousands of people were without power after their homes were battered by fierce winds and flooding rainstorms that slammed the rain-soaked Midwest.
Tornado warnings were issued Saturday afternoon for parts of central and southeast Ohio. Downed trees and power lines were reported in the southern part of the state, said National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Hatzos.
Flooding this week spread across an 80-mile swath through the northwest and north central parts of the state. Gov. Ted Strickland toured some of the damaged areas Saturday.
"What I've tried to do and what we've all tried to do is let these folks know ... that we are working to get assistance to them as rapidly as possible," Strickland said.
Powerful storms rolling through the Upper Midwest during most of the past week caused disastrous floods from southeastern Minnesota to Ohio that were blamed for at least 18 deaths.
In southern Michigan, the skies were clearing but more than 100,000 customers were without power, utilities said. The National Weather Service confirmed multiple tornadoes touched down Friday in a 12-mile area in Livingston, Genesee and Oakland counties.
Tornado warnings were issued Saturday afternoon for parts of central and southeast Ohio. Downed trees and power lines were reported in the southern part of the state, said National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Hatzos.
Flooding this week spread across an 80-mile swath through the northwest and north central parts of the state. Gov. Ted Strickland toured some of the damaged areas Saturday.
"What I've tried to do and what we've all tried to do is let these folks know ... that we are working to get assistance to them as rapidly as possible," Strickland said.
Powerful storms rolling through the Upper Midwest during most of the past week caused disastrous floods from southeastern Minnesota to Ohio that were blamed for at least 18 deaths.
In southern Michigan, the skies were clearing but more than 100,000 customers were without power, utilities said. The National Weather Service confirmed multiple tornadoes touched down Friday in a 12-mile area in Livingston, Genesee and Oakland counties.
Peru quake victims face long, cold nights
PISCO, Peru - An unforgiving wind lashes Juan Escate as he huddles around a bonfire with his three children, chilling him as he ponders how to fulfill his wife’s dying plea.
Last week’s magnitude-8 earthquake sent Escate’s home on the outskirts of Pisco tumbling down, burying his wife Doris in rubble as she rushed their 16-year-old daughter to safety.
“Promise me you’ll take care of my children,” he says were his wife’s last words.
May god be with you all......
Last week’s magnitude-8 earthquake sent Escate’s home on the outskirts of Pisco tumbling down, burying his wife Doris in rubble as she rushed their 16-year-old daughter to safety.
“Promise me you’ll take care of my children,” he says were his wife’s last words.
May god be with you all......
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Fire! Fire! and more Fire !!!
ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Fires burning across southern Greece that razed dozens of villages and killed at least 49 people were stabilized Sunday, but fire officials worried thick smoke and strong winds might hamper emergency workers' efforts.
"It's not getting worse," Fire Brigade Officer Nikos Tsogas said of the fires, but added "we have to act fast because the winds might pick up."
Greek officials have arrested and charged two individuals in connection with the fires.
One of the individuals is a 65-year-old man, who witnesses said they saw torching areas in the southern Peloponnese region near the town of Areopolis, located 190 km (120 miles) southwest of Athens.
The second person was a 77-year-old woman who reportedly started a fire while cooking in her garden in Zaharo, one of the hardest hit areas in the south. Tsogas said authorities are deeming her behavior criminal neglect. Officials are also investigating a gas canister explosive device found attached to a cell phone on the outskirts of Athens, he said.
"It's not getting worse," Fire Brigade Officer Nikos Tsogas said of the fires, but added "we have to act fast because the winds might pick up."
Greek officials have arrested and charged two individuals in connection with the fires.
One of the individuals is a 65-year-old man, who witnesses said they saw torching areas in the southern Peloponnese region near the town of Areopolis, located 190 km (120 miles) southwest of Athens.
The second person was a 77-year-old woman who reportedly started a fire while cooking in her garden in Zaharo, one of the hardest hit areas in the south. Tsogas said authorities are deeming her behavior criminal neglect. Officials are also investigating a gas canister explosive device found attached to a cell phone on the outskirts of Athens, he said.
He's still out there. The hunt for bin Laden
Sept. 3, 2007 issue - The Americans were getting close. It was early in the winter of 2004-05, and Osama bin Laden and his entourage were holed up in a mountain hideaway along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Suddenly, a sentry, posted several kilometers away, spotted a patrol of U.S. soldiers who seemed to be heading straight for bin Laden's redoubt.
The sentry radioed an alert, and word quickly passed among the Qaeda leader's 40-odd bodyguards to prepare to remove "the Sheik," as bin Laden is known to his followers, to a fallback position. As Sheik Said, a senior Egyptian Qaeda operative, later told the story, the anxiety level was so high that the bodyguards were close to using the code word to kill bin Laden and commit suicide. According to Said, bin Laden had decreed that he would never be captured.
"If there's a 99 percent risk of the Sheik's being captured, he told his men that they should all die and martyr him as well," Said told Omar Farooqi, a Taliban liaison officer to Al Qaeda who spoke to a NEWSWEEK reporter in Afghanistan.
The secret word was never given. As the Qaeda sentry watched the U.S. troops, the patrol started moving in a different direction. Bin Laden's men later concluded that the soldiers had nearly stumbled on their hideout by accident. (One former U.S. intelligence officer told NEWSWEEK that he was aware of official reporting on this incident.)
And so it has gone for six years. American intelligence officials interviewed by NEWSWEEK ruefully agree that the hunt to find bin Laden has been more a game of chance than good or "actionable" intelligence.
Since bin Laden slipped away from Tora Bora in December 2001, U.S. intelligence has never had better than a 50-50 certainty about his whereabouts. "There hasn't been a serious lead on Osama bin Laden since early 2002," says Bruce Riedel, who recently retired as a South Asia expert at the CIA.
"What we're doing now is shooting in the dark in outer space. The chances of hitting anything are zero."
More to be read in newsweek
The sentry radioed an alert, and word quickly passed among the Qaeda leader's 40-odd bodyguards to prepare to remove "the Sheik," as bin Laden is known to his followers, to a fallback position. As Sheik Said, a senior Egyptian Qaeda operative, later told the story, the anxiety level was so high that the bodyguards were close to using the code word to kill bin Laden and commit suicide. According to Said, bin Laden had decreed that he would never be captured.
"If there's a 99 percent risk of the Sheik's being captured, he told his men that they should all die and martyr him as well," Said told Omar Farooqi, a Taliban liaison officer to Al Qaeda who spoke to a NEWSWEEK reporter in Afghanistan.
The secret word was never given. As the Qaeda sentry watched the U.S. troops, the patrol started moving in a different direction. Bin Laden's men later concluded that the soldiers had nearly stumbled on their hideout by accident. (One former U.S. intelligence officer told NEWSWEEK that he was aware of official reporting on this incident.)
And so it has gone for six years. American intelligence officials interviewed by NEWSWEEK ruefully agree that the hunt to find bin Laden has been more a game of chance than good or "actionable" intelligence.
Since bin Laden slipped away from Tora Bora in December 2001, U.S. intelligence has never had better than a 50-50 certainty about his whereabouts. "There hasn't been a serious lead on Osama bin Laden since early 2002," says Bruce Riedel, who recently retired as a South Asia expert at the CIA.
"What we're doing now is shooting in the dark in outer space. The chances of hitting anything are zero."
More to be read in newsweek
Venetian Macao Boldest Move !!!
HONG KONG (AP) - The new casinos popping up in Macau in the past three years have helped the Chinese territory surpass the Las Vegas Strip as the world's most lucrative gambling center.
This week, the city begins its most ambitious _ and perhaps riskiest _ phase of development with Tuesday's opening of the US$2.4 billion (euro1.75 billion) Venetian Macao Resort Hotel. It's the latest mega project from American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corp.
The big bet is that Macau can be much more than a playground for day-tripping gamblers _ mostly from China _ who spend most of their time in the casinos.
Developers are hoping the tiny city on the southern Chinese coast will also be able to attract shoppers, conventioneers and tourists hungry for gourmet dinners, pool-side sun-tanning and glitzy shows. The Venetian Macao is the first mega resort that will try to bring in the new crowds of visitors willing to spend two or three days in the city.
With gondoliers sailing down canals, the 3,000-room Venetian tries to recreate the beauty of Venice. The complex also boasts a 15,000-seat sports arena, retail space for 350 stores, 1.2 million square feet of convention space, fine dining, and a Cirque du Soleil-produced show. Everything will be housed in what will be the largest building in Asia and the second largest in the world, just behind a Boeing Co. plant in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington.
J.P. Morgan Securities analyst Billy Ng said the Venetian's plan makes sense to him. The mega resort "will broaden the customer base,'' he said.
"In theory, it should bring in a lot of customers who have never thought about going to Macau,'' he added.
Ng and some other observers are also bullish that Las Vegas Sands can capitalize on its expertise in running trade shows at casinos in Vegas and replicate that success in Macau. The Venetian's convention facilities will help fill up the thousands of rooms and boost weekday traffic, they say.
Business travelers to conventions have a larger budget to spend on hotels and the Venetian will probably be attractive to this segment, said Jonathan Galaviz, a partner at Globalysis Ltd., a Las Vegas-based consultancy.
This week, the city begins its most ambitious _ and perhaps riskiest _ phase of development with Tuesday's opening of the US$2.4 billion (euro1.75 billion) Venetian Macao Resort Hotel. It's the latest mega project from American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corp.
The big bet is that Macau can be much more than a playground for day-tripping gamblers _ mostly from China _ who spend most of their time in the casinos.
Developers are hoping the tiny city on the southern Chinese coast will also be able to attract shoppers, conventioneers and tourists hungry for gourmet dinners, pool-side sun-tanning and glitzy shows. The Venetian Macao is the first mega resort that will try to bring in the new crowds of visitors willing to spend two or three days in the city.
With gondoliers sailing down canals, the 3,000-room Venetian tries to recreate the beauty of Venice. The complex also boasts a 15,000-seat sports arena, retail space for 350 stores, 1.2 million square feet of convention space, fine dining, and a Cirque du Soleil-produced show. Everything will be housed in what will be the largest building in Asia and the second largest in the world, just behind a Boeing Co. plant in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington.
J.P. Morgan Securities analyst Billy Ng said the Venetian's plan makes sense to him. The mega resort "will broaden the customer base,'' he said.
"In theory, it should bring in a lot of customers who have never thought about going to Macau,'' he added.
Ng and some other observers are also bullish that Las Vegas Sands can capitalize on its expertise in running trade shows at casinos in Vegas and replicate that success in Macau. The Venetian's convention facilities will help fill up the thousands of rooms and boost weekday traffic, they say.
Business travelers to conventions have a larger budget to spend on hotels and the Venetian will probably be attractive to this segment, said Jonathan Galaviz, a partner at Globalysis Ltd., a Las Vegas-based consultancy.
Fluent in seven languages
BALING: Great-grandmother Yam Said never attended school but can proudly boast of being able to speak seven languages and a Chinese dialect.
Yam, 98, who has 13 great-grandchildren, picked up English and Japanese during British rule and the Japanese occupation while she learned Thai, Javanese, Hindi and Tamil when working in estates in her early days.
Yam, who is fondly known as Tok Som by her kampung folk, also speaks fluent Hokkien, which she learnt from her Chinese friends. Her favourite memories are those of Merdeka 50 years ago when the country fought for independence and the struggles of the leaders and people.
Although feeble and weak with age now, Yam’s eyes lighted up when she recollected her days as an outspoken young woman who refused to be cowered by the orang putih or Japanese soldiers.
“During the British occupation, my job was to pluck coconuts after the soldiers found out I could climb trees,” she recalled with a chuckle when met at her home in Kampung Titi Mentalin in Lanai here.
“When the Japanese came, I worked as a cook. I learnt to speak their language and was not tortured. Those days, the Japanese looked up to you if you could speak their mother tongue,” she added.
Yam, who grew up in Pendang, moved to Lanai in Baling after her marriage. She had a son who passed away two years ago and nine grandchildren who still keep in touch with her. Yam has declined to live with any of her grandchildren as she wants to remain in her small wooden house which she referred to as her “castle”.
Her grandchildren will send her food three times a day and help clean the house.
Despite her age, Yam still believes in being independent and supports herself by picking cotton to make into soft pillows.
Yam is proud to see how much the country has developed since Merdeka.
“We have certainly come a long way!” she said, flashing a toothless grin.
A really true Malaysian
Yam, 98, who has 13 great-grandchildren, picked up English and Japanese during British rule and the Japanese occupation while she learned Thai, Javanese, Hindi and Tamil when working in estates in her early days.
Yam, who is fondly known as Tok Som by her kampung folk, also speaks fluent Hokkien, which she learnt from her Chinese friends. Her favourite memories are those of Merdeka 50 years ago when the country fought for independence and the struggles of the leaders and people.
Although feeble and weak with age now, Yam’s eyes lighted up when she recollected her days as an outspoken young woman who refused to be cowered by the orang putih or Japanese soldiers.
“During the British occupation, my job was to pluck coconuts after the soldiers found out I could climb trees,” she recalled with a chuckle when met at her home in Kampung Titi Mentalin in Lanai here.
“When the Japanese came, I worked as a cook. I learnt to speak their language and was not tortured. Those days, the Japanese looked up to you if you could speak their mother tongue,” she added.
Yam, who grew up in Pendang, moved to Lanai in Baling after her marriage. She had a son who passed away two years ago and nine grandchildren who still keep in touch with her. Yam has declined to live with any of her grandchildren as she wants to remain in her small wooden house which she referred to as her “castle”.
Her grandchildren will send her food three times a day and help clean the house.
Despite her age, Yam still believes in being independent and supports herself by picking cotton to make into soft pillows.
Yam is proud to see how much the country has developed since Merdeka.
“We have certainly come a long way!” she said, flashing a toothless grin.
A really true Malaysian
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Helicopter crashes in Iraq, killing 14 soldiers
U.S. military says no indication of hostile fire in incident
BAGHDAD - A helicopter went down in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing all 14 U.S. soldiers aboard, the military said, the deadliest crash since January 2005.
The military said initial indications showed the aircraft experienced a mechanical problem and was not brought down by hostile fire, but the cause of the crash was still under investigation.
The UH-60 Black Hawk was part of a pair of helicopters on a nighttime operation when the crash occurred. The four crew members and 10 passengers who perished in the crash were assigned to Task Force Lightning, the military said. It did not release identities pending notification of relatives.
Pro-democracy students arrested in Myanmar
Group says 9 detained in protest against military regime over gas prices
BANGKOK, Thailand - Myanmar’s military regime has arrested at least nine leaders of a pro-democracy group which had staged a rare protest against massive fuel price hikes, an activist group said Wednesday.
The Washington-based U.S. Campaign for Burma said in a release that virtually the entire leadership of the 88 Generation Students was taken to a detention center in Yangon.
Five university students and three members of another activist group were also arrested in separate sweeps by the authorities, the release said.
Members of the 88 Generation Students were at the forefront of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising and were given lengthy prison terms after the rebellion was brutally suppressed by the military.
The arrests at midnight Tuesday came two days after the group led more than 400 people in a protest march through Yangon against the doubling of fuel prices on Aug. 15.
Those reportedly arrested included Min Ko Naing, one of Myanmar’s most prominent activists, Mya Aye, Pyone Cho and Yin Htun.
Three members of the Myanmar Development Committee, which had called for a nationwide protest against the sudden hikes, were also arrested along with five university students who were putting up posters demanding the reduction of prices on fuel and basic commodities.
BANGKOK, Thailand - Myanmar’s military regime has arrested at least nine leaders of a pro-democracy group which had staged a rare protest against massive fuel price hikes, an activist group said Wednesday.
The Washington-based U.S. Campaign for Burma said in a release that virtually the entire leadership of the 88 Generation Students was taken to a detention center in Yangon.
Five university students and three members of another activist group were also arrested in separate sweeps by the authorities, the release said.
Members of the 88 Generation Students were at the forefront of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising and were given lengthy prison terms after the rebellion was brutally suppressed by the military.
The arrests at midnight Tuesday came two days after the group led more than 400 people in a protest march through Yangon against the doubling of fuel prices on Aug. 15.
Those reportedly arrested included Min Ko Naing, one of Myanmar’s most prominent activists, Mya Aye, Pyone Cho and Yin Htun.
Three members of the Myanmar Development Committee, which had called for a nationwide protest against the sudden hikes, were also arrested along with five university students who were putting up posters demanding the reduction of prices on fuel and basic commodities.
Tunnel ‘will ensure’ KL is flood free
This was the assurance given by Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) director-general Datuk Paduka Keizrul Abdullah at a briefing on the result of a test of the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (Smart) system at its Motorway Control Centre yesterday.
The tunnel, which cost about RM2 billion and took four years to build, is having its first trial run.
"The flood test was a success. If the tunnel had been ready on June 10, the floods in Kuala Lumpur would not have happened," Keizrul said.
He explained that the June 10 flood was caused by an overflow of two million cubic metres of water from the Klang river.
"The tunnel plus its two storage reservoirs can take up to three million cubic metres of water."
The trial run, which started on Sunday, saw one million cubic metres of water poured and sealed into the three levels of the tunnel for 1½ days.
"It was 99.5 per cent perfect," Keizrul said. "We never doubted the ability of the tunnel and it was good to be able to finally prove it."
The trial run, which is expected to wrap up before Friday, included tests on the water flow to make sure that the floodgates were functioning and the tunnel was water tight.
Keizrul said there were two problems: One of the 260 surveillance cameras in the tunnel was not functioning and water was seeping through one of the emergency escape doors. He added that these were minor problems.
Keizrul said an additional basin capable of holding four million cubic metres of water would be completed in Kampung Batu by the end of this month and another basin capable of containing two million cubic metres of water would be built near the Jinjang river by year end.
Upon completion, the tunnel would be able to divert nine million cubic metres of flood water
Tell the truth to the public, that this tunnel will not help to reduce !!!
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