Sunday, April 3, 2011

Pelajar dipukul hampir dua jam

Pelajar dipukul hampir dua jam

Laporan dan foto SHAMSUL MUNIR SAFINI
shamsulmunir@hmetro.com.my

  PARAH... keadaan Saiful Syazani yang parah akibat dipukul gurunya, Khamis lalu.
PARAH... keadaan Saiful Syazani yang parah akibat dipukul gurunya, Khamis lalu.

ARAU: Guru syaitan! Demikian gelaran yang patut diberi kepada seorang guru lelaki sebuah sekolah agama, di sini, yang sanggup membelasah seorang murid lelaki berusia tujuh tahun sehingga koma, Khamis lalu.

Dalam kejadian kira-kira jam 7 malam, guru berusia 26 tahun itu juga dikatakan bertindak kejam apabila mengikat tangan mangsa, Saiful Syazani Saiful Sopfidee di tingkap asrama sekolah berkenaan sebelum membelasahnya.

Difahamkan, guru terbabit tidak mengendahkan walaupun mangsa merayu dan menangis supaya perbuatan itu dihentikan.

Sumber polis berkata, mangsa yang diikat dan dipukul hampir dua jam itu bagaimanapun pengsan selepas mengalami kecederaan dalaman di kepala dan badan akibat dipukul bertubi-tubi oleh guru terbabit.


Katanya, guru terbabit berang dengan mangsa yang enggan mengaku terbabit dalam beberapa kejadian kecurian di asrama sekolah berkenaan sebelum itu.

Difahamkan, sebelum itu mangsa pernah dua kali dipukul suspek akibat enggan mengaku mencuri barangan milik pelajar lain di asrama sekolah.

“Selepas mangsa pengsan, guru terbabit panik dan memanggil guru lain sebelum membawa mangsa ke Hospital Tuanku Fauziah (HTF), Kangar, kira-kira jam 1.30 pagi kelmarin,” katanya.

Bagaimanapun, mangsa kemudian dipindahkan ke Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah (HSB), Alor Setar kira-kira jam 3 pagi kelmarin dan kini ditempatkan di Unit Rawatan Rapi (ICU).

Bapa mangsa, Saiful Sopfidee Marzuki, 34, berkata dia hanya mengetahui kejadian itu kira-kira jam 8 malam kelmarin melalui ibunya ketika anak tunggalnya dipindahkan ke HSB.

“Saya bergegas ke HSB dan sebak melihat keadaan anak saya kini terlantar koma dengan mukanya bengkak selain lebam di mata dan pipi kiri.

“Malah, ada kesan melecet di tangannya kesan akibat diikat dan kini terpaksa menggunakan mesin bantuan pernafasan,” katanya ketika ditemui di HSB, Alor Setar, semalam.

Saiful Sopfidee yang juga pemandu pelancong di Jitra berkata, dia terkejut apabila dimaklumkan anaknya terbabit dalam kecurian kerana dia bukan nakal dan lebih banyak mendiamkan diri.

Katanya, anaknya tinggal bersama keluarga angkatnya di Kangar sejak kematian ibunya, Jahiyah Che Amat pada 2006 dan kali terakhir dia berjumpa Saiful Syazani setahun lalu.

“Muka anak saya betul-betul seiras arwah isteri saya. Doktor kini memaklumkan keadaan anak saya semakin kritikal,” katanya yang kemudian membuat laporan di Balai Polis Alor Setar, malam kelmarin.

Katanya, dia mahu individu yang terbabit dalam kejadian itu dihadapkan ke muka pengadilan dan menerima hukuman setimpal dengan apa dilakukan terhadap anaknya.

Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Daerah Arau, Superintendan Mohd Nadzri Hussain ketika dihubungi berkata, mangsa dipercayai dipukul kerana disyaki sering mencuri duit seorang pelajar sebelum aktivitinya dilaporkan kepada seorang warden di situ yang juga suspek utama kes ini.

“Suspek yang juga guru sekolah itu menyerah diri di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Arau, petang kelmarin,” katanya.

Mohd Nadzri berkata, suspek kini direman tujuh hari bagi membantu siasatan dan polis kini menyiasat secara menyeluruh mengenai motif dan punca kejadian itu.

Kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 324 Kanun Keseksaan kerana mendatangkan kecederaan parah.


http://www.hmetro.com.my/articles/Pelajardipukulhampirduajam/Article/artikelMA

Murid dipukul guru meninggal

ALOR SETAR: Murid yang dikatakan dipukul seorang guru di asrama sebuah sekolah agama rakyat di Jejawi, Perlis sehingga koma Khamis lalu, meninggal dunia di Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah di sini hari ini.

Saiful Syazani Saiful Sopfidee, 7, disahkan meninggal dunia pada pukul 8.50 pagi tadi sejak dimasukkan ke hospital berkenaan Jumaat lalu.


Mayatnya dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Kampung Tok Paduka, Kangar petang tadi.

Kejadian tersebut dilaporkan berlaku pada pukul 7 malam pada hari kejadian apabila seorang guru lelaki yang berumur 26 tahun dikatakan telah memukul kanak-kanak tersebut selama hampir dua jam sehingga dia pengsan.


Ketua Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Perlis, Supt Nashir Ya berkata suspek yang juga Penyelia Asrama sekolah berkenaan telah ditahan pada pukul 10 malam tadi.


http://www.hmetro.com.my/articles/Muriddipukulgurumeninggal/Article/artikelMA

Hole in plane forces emergency landing

In this photo provided by passenger Christine Ziegler, passengers take photos of a hole in the cabin on a Southwest Airlines plane Friday, April 1, 2011 in Yuma, Ariz. (AP photo/Christine Ziegler)

Southwest grounds about 80 planes after mishap


In this photo provided by passenger Christine Ziegler, shows an apparent hole in the cabin on a Southwest Airlines aircraft Friday, April 1, 2011 in Y AP – In this photo provided by passenger Christine Ziegler, shows an apparent hole in the cabin on a Southwest …

PHOENIX – Flight attendants had just begun to take drink orders when the explosion rocked the cabin.

Aboard Southwest Flight 812, Shawna Malvini Redden covered her ears, then felt a brisk wind rush by. Oxygen masks fell, the cabin lost pressure, and Redden, now suddenly lightheaded, fumbled to maneuver the mask in place.

Then she prayed. And, instinctively, reached out to the stranger seated next to her in Row 8 as the pilot of the damaged aircraft began a rapid descent from about 34,400 feet in the sky.

"I don't know this dude, but I was like, 'I'm going to just hold your hand,'" Redden, a 28-year-old doctoral student at Arizona State University, recalled Saturday, a day after her Phoenix-to-Sacramento flight was forced into an emergency landing at a military base in Yuma, Ariz., with a hole a few feet long in the roof of the passenger cabin.

No serious injuries were reported among the 118 people aboard, according to Southwest officials.

What caused part of the fuselage to rupture on the 15-year-old Boeing 737-300 was a mystery, and investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Saturday in Yuma to begin an inquiry.

NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said investigators were going to cut a piece out of the fuselage, which would be studied for fracture patterns. Data from the plane's flight recorders and black boxes also would be examined, he said.

Southwest, meanwhile, grounded about 80 similar planes so that they could be inspected, and said that as a result some 300 flights were being canceled Saturday. Airline spokeswoman Linda Rutherford said it was too soon to estimate the cost of grounding a portion of its fleet.

Southwest operates about 170 of the 737-300s in its fleet of about 540 planes, but it replaced the aluminum skin on many of the 300s in recent years, Rutherford said. The planes that were grounded Saturday have not had their skin replaced, she said.

"Obviously we're dealing with a skin issue, and we believe that these 80 airplanes are covered by a set of (federal safety rules) that make them candidates to do this additional inspection that Boeing is devising for us," Rutherford said.

Julie O'Donnell, an aviation safety spokeswoman for Seattle-based Boeing Commercial Airplanes, confirmed "a hole in the fuselage and a depressurization event" in the latest incident but declined to speculate on what caused it.

A total of 288 Boeing 737-300s currently operate in the U.S. fleet, and 931 operate worldwide, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. "The FAA is working closely with the NTSB, Southwest Airlines and Boeing to determine what actions may be necessary," the FAA said Saturday.

Southwest officials said the Arizona plane had undergone all inspections required by the FAA. They said the plane was given a routine inspection Tuesday and underwent its last so-called heavy check, a more costly and extensive overhaul, in March 2010.

An Associated Press review of FAA records of maintenance problems for the plane show that in March 2010 at least eight instances were found of cracking in the aircraft frame, which is part of the fuselage. Those cracks were repaired, the records indicated.

It's not uncommon for fuselage cracks to be found during inspections of planes that age, especially during scheduled heavy maintenance checks in which they are taken apart so that inspectors can see into areas not normally visible.

The 737-300 is the oldest plane in Southwest's fleet, and the Dallas-based company is retiring 300s as it takes deliveries of new models. But the process of replacing all the 300s could take years.

Seated one row from the mid-cabin rupture, Don Nelson said it took about four noisy minutes for the plane to dip to less than 10,000 feet. "You could tell there was an oxygen deficiency," he said.

"People were dropping," said Christine Ziegler, a 44-year-old project manager from Sacramento who watched as a flight attendant and a passenger nearby fainted. Nelson and Ziegler spoke Friday after a substitute flight took them on to Sacramento.

Brenda Reese described the hole as "at the top of the plane, right up above where you store your luggage."

At an altitude above 34,000 feet, the Southwest pilots would have had only 10 to 20 seconds of "useful consciousness" to get their oxygen masks on or pass out, said John Gadzinski, an airline pilot and aviation safety consultant.

"The higher you are the less useful consciousness time you have," said Gadzinski, president of Four Winds Consulting in Virginia Beach, Va. "It's a credit to the pilots that they responded so quickly."

A loss of cabin pressure just after takeoff knocked out the pilots of a Helios Airways Boeing 737 in August 2005. The plane flew into a hillside north of Athens in Greece, killing all 121 people aboard. In that case, an investigation found the pilots had failed to heed a warning that the pressurization system wasn't working correctly.

In this case, the hole and subsequent depressurization wouldn't have affected the pilots' ability to control the plane as long as they had their oxygen masks on, Gadzinski said.

"The fact that you have a breach hole doesn't affect the aerodynamics of the plane. The plane still flies exactly the same," he said.

A similar incident happened in July 2009 when a football-sized hole opened up in-flight in the fuselage of another of Southwest's Boeing 737s, depressurizing the cabin. The plane made an emergency landing in Charleston, W.Va. It was later determined that the hole was caused by metal fatigue.

In response to that incident, Southwest changed its maintenance plan to include additional inspections, which FAA reviewed and accepted, said John Goglia, a former NTSB member and an expert on airline maintenance. The details of the plan are considered proprietary and aren't made public, he said.

The latest incident "certainly makes me think there is something wrong with the maintenance system at Southwest, and it makes me think there is something wrong with the (FAA) principal maintenance inspector down there that after that big event they weren't watching this more closely," Goglia said.

There was "never any danger that the plane would fall out of the sky," Goglia said. "However, anybody on that airplane with any sort of respiratory problems certainly was at risk."

Four months before that emergency landing, Southwest had agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle charges that it operated planes that had missed required safety inspections for cracks in the fuselage. The airline inspected nearly 200 of its planes back then, found no cracks and put them back in the sky.

In 1988, cracks caused part of the roof of an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 to peel open while the jet flew from Hilo to Honolulu. A flight attendant was sucked out of the plane and plunged to her death, and dozens of passengers were injured.

After that incident, Boeing made changes to its designs "to prevent the airplane from ever coming apart in that way again, by using different materials and manufacturing methods," Goglia said.

Three years ago, an exploding oxygen cylinder ripped a hole the fuselage of a Qantas Boeing 747-438 carrying 365 people. The plane descended thousands of feet with the loss of cabin pressure and made a successful emergency landing.

As for Friday's flight, there was obvious relief when it touched down safely. When the pilot emerged after the landing, passengers "clapped and cheered," Redden said.

"If overhead bins weren't in the way, I'm pretty sure we would've given him a standing ovation," she said.

___

Associated Press writers Lien Hoang, Don Thompson and Adam Weintraub contributed to this report from Sacramento, Calif.; David Koenig contributed from Dallas; Joan Lowy from Washington, D.C.; and Mark Evans and Robert Seavey from Phoenix.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110402/ap_on_re_us/us_southwest_flight_diverted

What to Eat for Healthy Hair and Nails

Photos (L-R) Apricots, nuts: Thinkstock

by Woman's Day, on Wed Mar 2, 2011 11:55am PST

By Olivia Putnal


No doubt you know that eating healthy is good for you in a plethora of ways—it can decrease your risk of disease, improve your immune system, increase your energy levels and even affect your sleeping habits. But did you know certain foods can improve the way you look, too? Read on to find out which nutrients will give your hair and nails extra luster, strength and shine.

Biotin/Vitamin H

Biotin (a.k.a. vitamin H) can improve hair that is splitting or thinning as well as strengthen weakened nails. Taken with zinc and the corticosteroid clobetasol propionate, biotin has even been used to treat alopecia, an autoimmune skin disease marked by the loss of hair. Nina DiBona, RD, dietitian and nutritionist at the Sports Club/LA in Boston, agrees. “A deficiency in biotin may result in brittle hair or even hair loss.” An easy way to remember: The H in vitamin H stands for “haar and haut,” which means “hair and nails” in German, DiBona notes.


Foods to Try: Bananas, beans, cauliflower, eggs, lentils, peanuts and salmon.


Omega-3 Fatty Acids

To get shinier hair, introduce more omega-3s into your diet, which “help support scalp health and may give your locks extra luster and shine,” according to DiBona. The three active ingredients—alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid—are all essential fatty acids and "are important components of the stratum corneum, which is the outermost layer of the epidermis that contains keratin and has water-holding capabilities. Deficiency in essential fatty acids can result in dry scalp or dandruff," she says.


Foods to Try: Eggs, flaxseed, fish oil, mackerel, salmon, sardines, spinach, tuna and walnuts.

Find a delicious protein-packed dish to make for dinner tonight.


Protein

Protein intake is important for many reasons, notably when it comes to hair and nails. Both "are made of structural proteins known as keratin, so adequate dietary protein is important for providing the building blocks for growing strong hair and nails,” explains DiBona. Lean meats are the easiest way to pack protein into your diet—just make sure to steer clear of any that are overly fatty.


Foods to Try: Chicken, eggs, lean red meats, lowfat dairy, nuts, seafood, soybeans and whole grains.


Vitamin A

“Vitamin A helps produce a conditioning substance for the scalp known as sebum, which keeps hair looking and feeling healthy,” says DiBona. In addition to these beauty benefits, this vitamin contributes to better eye health and immune system function, which keeps you vital and strong from head to toe.


Foods to Try: Apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, Cheddar cheese, egg yolks, mangoes, oatmeal, spinach and sweet potatoes.


Zinc

Zinc is another nutrient active in helping the immune system function properly, and DiBona also notes that it plays an important role in the formation of your connective tissues. "Zinc is a component of hundreds of enzymes in the body, some of which regulate the body’s ability to make new proteins that will become building blocks of healthy hair and nails," she says. "Alopecia, hair dryness and brittleness can be signs of zinc deficiency."


Foods to Try: Cashews, green beans, lean beef, lobster, oysters and soybeans.





Original article appeared on WomansDay.com



http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/what-to-eat-for-healthy-hair-and-nails-2460561/

Engineers fail to seal leak at Japan nuclear plant


In this Saturday, April 2, 2011 photo released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) via Kyodo News, leaking radioactive contaminated water drain throug AP – In this Saturday, April 2, 2011 photo released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) via Kyodo News, leaking …

TOKYO – Engineers tried to stem a leak of highly radioactive water spilling into the Pacific with a new method Sunday after concrete failed to seal the crack at a Japanese nuclear power plant incapacitated by last month's earthquake-spawned tsunami. A search of site found no other leaks.

The wave has carved a path of destruction up and down the northeastern coast and is believed to have killed 25,000 people. The first deaths at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant itself, though, were confirmed Sunday by the operator. A 21-year-old and a 24-year-old were conducting regular checks at the complex when the 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit March 11.

"It pains us to have lost these two young workers who were trying to protect the power plant amid the earthquake and tsunami," Tokyo Electric Power Co. Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata said in a statement.

The bodies were not discovered until Wednesday and had to be decontaminated. The announcement was delayed while authorities notified their families, TEPCO spokesman Kazufumi Suzuki said.

Since the tsunami knocked out the plant's cooling systems and reactors began to dangerously overheat, a series of almost daily problems has led to substantial amounts of radiation leaking into the atmosphere, ground and sea in the world's worst nuclear crisis since the 1986 meltdown at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union.

On Saturday, authorities discovered a crack from which radioactive water was spilling into the Pacific — the first time they identified a direct source of sea contamination. The ultimate source of the water is believed to be the reactor cores.

A picture released by TEPCO shows water shooting some distance away from a wall and splashing into the sea, though the amount of water was not clear. The contaminated water will quickly dissipate in the ocean but could pose a danger to workers at the plant.

The 8-inch- (20-centimeter-) long crack is in a maintenance pit from which water containing levels of radioactive iodine far above the legal limit spilled into the ocean, said Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

Workers filled the pit with concrete but couldn't get it to dry.

Next, they injected polymer into a pipe that connects the pit to the rest of the system. The polymer can absorb enormous amounts of water and expands 50 times its original size. It's not yet known if that stemmed the leak.

The crack is believed to have been caused by the earthquake, though that is still under investigation. The reactor buildings and other structures in more sensitive parts of the plant are build to stricter codes and thus are better able to withstand earthquakes than the pit was, according to Nishiyama.

"Even if a crack in the pit is caused by the quake, the reactors must have withstood the temblor," he said.

Over the past 10 days, pooling water at the nuclear complex has repeatedly forced technicians to pull back and suspend their work.

A search of the plant Sunday found no other similar leaks leading directly to the ocean. "We believe that's the only crack," said another TEPCO spokesman, Naoki Tsunoda.

People living within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the plant have been evacuated, but, as with previous leaks, it could pose a danger to workers.

Radiation — as well as debris and several explosions — slowed the search for the bodies of the two workers who have been listed as missing since just after the quake struck.

The two were last seen in a control room at one of the reactors. It's not clear why they didn't evacuate.

But it was thought that following the quake, the men ran to the basement of a turbine building. Workers have been trying to get access to that area since and successfully drained enough water last week to find the bodies.

The nuclear crisis has compounded the suffering of people in the northeast and, at times, overshadowed their plight. Tens of thousands have lost their homes and are living in shelters, 200,000 households do not have water, and 170,000 do not have electricity.

Running water was just restored in the port city of Kesennuma on Saturday, and locals lined up Sunday to see a dentist who had flown in from the country's far north to offer his services. Many of the residents were elderly and complaining of problems with their dentures.

Overhead and throughout the coastal region, meanwhile, helicopters and planes roared by as U.S. and Japanese forces finished their all-out search for bodies.

The effort, which ends Sunday, is probably the final hope for retrieving the dead, though limited operations may continue. It has turned up nearly 50 bodies in the past two days.

In all, 12,000 deaths have been confirmed, and another 15,400 people are missing.

  • Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant Slideshow:Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant
  • Japan disasters wilt cherry blossom parties Play Video Earthquakes Video:Japan disasters wilt cherry blossom parties AFP
  • ___

    Associated Press writers Mayumi Saito and Shino Yuasa in Tokyo and Jay Alabaster in Kesennuma contributed to this report.


    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110403/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

    Japan's dim capital faces further power crunch


    In this Saturday, April 2, 2011 photo released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the inside view of the maintenance pit of Unit 2 reactor, where hi AP – In this Saturday, April 2, 2011 photo released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the inside view of …

    TOKYO – When a boiling summer hits power-starved Tokyo, even Japan's culture of self-restraint will hit its limit.

    The March 11 tsunami that smashed into Japan's northeast coast, killing as many as 25,000 people and knocking out nuclear power generation, has transformed this usually bright, bustling metropolis into a dark, humbler version of itself.

    Running on eco-mode in the cool spring invites few complaints as citizens bundle up, leave work early and even go to bed around sundown. Escalators are still, trains run without air conditioning, and popular night time baseball games have been suspended. Many say any complaints are hollow compared to the deprivation and destruction further north.

    "Shikata ga nai," a popular stoic phrase meaning "it can't be helped," is frequently on people's lips.

    But as the sticky, hot summer with daily highs in the mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit) approaches, the government is bracing for electricity demand to jump, overreaching supply, and normally persevering Japanese reach for their aircon remotes.

    "I think it will be nearly impossible for Japanese people to live without air conditioning," said Atsuhiko Sudo, a 32-year-old filmmaker, walking out of a gloomy-looking Yodobashi Camera store in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics shopping district.

    The government is asking industries that rely on electricity generated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. — operator of a crippled nuclear power plant in the northeast — to come up with plans by the end of April to cut energy use even more in preparation for summer.

    The tsunami knocked peak power generation capacity at the utility known as TEPCO from around 52 million kilowatts down to 31 million kilowatts. About 5 million kilowatts of capacity has been restored at conventional plants, and the government estimates that restarting more of them will bring capacity to 45 million kilowatts by July. But demand from TEPCO customers is expected to rise to between 55 million and 60 million kilowatts from July to August, leaving a cavernous gap during Japan's hottest months.

    About 9 million kilowatts of capacity may be gone forever as the radiation-leaking Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant is likely to be scrapped and the future of the halted Dai-ni plant is uncertain. That suggests chronic shortages until new power plants are built. A government plan for the power supply that may include new plant construction is to be announced at the end of April.

    "This disaster should be called a national crisis," said Hiromasa Yonekura, chairman of business association Nippon Keidanren. "The country has to pull together to overcome it." The group has decided to coordinate power reduction among its sprawling membership, which includes the country's largest corporations.

    The power usage cut expected from companies operating in and around Tokyo is likely to be large — as much as 25 percent.

    Office buildings are among the largest consumers of electricity, according to the government, but the area is also home to factories run by Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp., and a vast array of small businesses such as pachinko slot machine parlors with blaring music and brightly flashing lights.

    "If we don't have power, we can't make cars," said Nissan spokesman Mitsuru Yonekawa.

    For automakers, the power crunch comes amid a severe parts shortage because many suppliers in the stricken northeast were wiped out or stopped operating as employees were killed while those who escaped focused on surviving without homes and basic amenities.

    Nissan Motor Co. plans to halt operations at all seven of its factories in Japan this week because stockpiles of parts have run dry. Toyota Motor Co. Ltd. is now operating just two of its 17 assembly and engine factories, making only three models out of more than 60 that were in production.

    Automakers could shift some production into the middle of the night, usually a down time, if it helps reduce peaks in demand. "We have some room to maneuver," said Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco.

    Many companies with their own power generators, such as Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd., have fired them up to full strength, rather than buying once-cheaper energy from TEPCO.

    Other companies have fewer options, such as Nippon Steel, which has a factory in Chiba prefecture that runs 24 hours a day. One plan to rotate stoppages among businesses would definitely cut into production time. "I think there will be an impact, but how much is unclear," said spokesman Masato Suzuki.

    The power rationing should cut an extra 2 percent to 4 percent from the nation's industrial production this summer, Nomura Securities estimated, based on a similar electricity shortage in 1951-52.

    A wave of "jishuku," or self-restraint, has already caused car sales to plunge nearly 40 percent in March and sales at some department store chains to dive more than 30 percent. In total, the quake and its aftermath should cut 0.7 percentage point off GDP growth this year, Nomura said, further pushing back a shaky recovery.

    Tokyo residents, meanwhile, are resorting to a variety of individual power-saving tactics, which the government credits with helping make up more than half the shortfall so far and has led to a temporary halt to planned blackouts.

    Yuichiro Kanda, a 40-year-old system engineer, says his company is getting more firmly behind its long-standing "two up, three down" policy of taking the stairs instead of the elevator for short trips.

    When power outages hit his family of five in their suburban Saitama home between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., they ate and jumped in the bath before lights out. "Then we just went to sleep," he said.

    Nonstop TV commercials, run by a consortium of private companies called AC Japan, exhort people to switch off lights and not hoard items in short supply, such as bottled water, and pull together to lift Japan out of this crisis.

    Waka Imamura, a 21-year-old wedding planner, has been finishing her work early as the company has slashed overtime in part to cut power use. She sleeps by bundling up in extra layers of clothing rather than use her heater. But she worries about the mass effect of all the self-sacrifice, normally an honored trait.

    "If we exercise too much self-restraint, it could really hurt Japan's economy," she said. "But we must do what we can to save electricity. I hope things will return to normal as soon as possible."


    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110403/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake_power_crunch

    Bahrain bans main opposition newspaper


    In this photo dated March 25, 2011, women work in a basement workshop in central Baghdad, Iraq, making Bahrain national flags.  The sewing machines ha AP – In this photo dated March 25, 2011, women work in a basement workshop in central Baghdad, Iraq, making …

    MANAMA, Bahrain – Bahraini authorities have banned the country's main opposition newspaper in a widening effort to muzzle anti-government media.

    The newspaper Al-Wasat did not publish Sunday after a message on state TV saying Bahrain's Information Ministry has ordered the paper to shut down. The state-run Bahrain News Agency says officials accuse Al-Wasat of "unethical" coverage of the Shiite-led uprising against the country's Sunni rulers.

    Bahrain has sharply tightened Internet and media controls under military rule imposed last month after weeks of protests and clashes by groups seeking to break the monarchy's grip on power in the strategic Gulf nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

    Al-Wasat's online edition also was blocked.

    Protests in Bahrain Slideshow:Protests in Bahrain


    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110403/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain_protests

    BPA ubah lelaki jadi wanita


    KLORIN di dalam kolam renang akan bertukar menjadi racun jika bercampur dengan air kencing manusia. - Gambar hiasan


    AIR walaupun sangat penting kepada tubuh manusia boleh bertukar racun memberi mudarat dengan bermacam cara.

    Sebagai contoh, air bersih yang diminum menggunakan bekas plastik yang mengandungi bahan kimia Bisphenol A (BPA) dan Nonyphenol mampu menjejaskan kesihatan bahkan mengganggu sistem hormon.

    Profesor Madya Mohamad Pauzi Zakaria dari Jabatan Sains Alam Sekitar, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) berkata, salah satu daripada topik global yang sedang dibincangkan para saintis adalah bahan yang terkandung dalam bekas minuman plastik.

    “Terdapat dua jenis bahan di dalamnya iaitu BPA dan Nonylphenol.

    “Dua bahan itu digunakan untuk membuat bekas minuman seperti botol susu bayi kerana ia membuatkan plastik menjadi kuat dan tidak rapuh.

    “Namun, ia memberi kesan buruk kepada kesihatan manusia bahkan mampu menukarkan hormon di dalam badan manusia,” katanya.

    BPA

    Dakwanya, BPA dan Nonylphenol dikatakan lebih berbahaya terhadap lelaki kerana ia boleh menukar ciri lelaki kepada ciri wanita.

    “Struktur molekul BPA dan Nonylphenol hampir menyerupai hormon yang terdapat dalam tubuh manusia.

    “Jika manusia minum air menggunakan bekas plastik yang mengandungi BPA dan Nonylphenol, dua bahan ini akan menghapuskan hormon manusia sedia ada,” ujarnya.

    Sebagai contoh, Pauzi berkata, jika seorang ibu minum bahan BPA dan Nonylphenol dan kemudian menyusukan anak lelakinya, bahan tersebut akan berpindah ke dalam tubuh anak lelakinya.

    Secara tidak langsung, anak lelaki tersebut akan bertukar kepada ciri kewanitaan apabila dewasa kelak.

    Menurut Pauzi, kajian di Tasik Apopka, Florida, Amerika Syarikat mendapati seekor buaya jantan yang terdedah kepada kedua-dua bahan itu akibat pembuang plastik di tasik tersebut telah bertukar secara perlahan menjadi buaya betina.

    “Kajian pada tahun 1999 di Scandinavia pula menunjukkan ramai belia lelaki yang berumur 18 tahun secara perlahan memiliki sifat kewanitaan.

    “Ini disebabkan kekerapan mereka terdedah kepada dua bahan tersebut.

    “Lelaki yang sihat biasanya memiliki sebanyak 60 juta sperma untuk setiap mililiter.

    “Malangnya, belia lelaki yang terdedah kepada dua bahan ini hanya memiliki sebanyak 20 juta sperma setiap mililiter,” katanya.

    Selain isu pencemaran bekas minuman, sumber air yang diminum juga berupaya mendedahkan manusia kepada risiko penyakit kanser.


    AIR paip yang sudah dirawat selamat diminum begitu sahaja.


    “Air yang tidak dirawat mengandungi pelbagai bahan berbahaya seperti nitrat, arsenik, mikroorganisma dan bahan kimia daripada racun perosak.

    “Setelah air di empangan memasuki pusat pemprosesan air, kebanyakan bahan itu berjaya dihapuskan.

    “Klorin yang digunakan turut membantu menghapuskan bakteria.

    “Begitupun, jika air yang telah diklorin itu bertembung dengan sisa organik seperti air kencing, ia akan bertindak balas dengan klorin dan menghasilkan Trihalomethanes (THM) iaitu bahan karsinogenik yang boleh menyebabkan kanser,” kata Pauzi.

    Klorin

    Jelas Pauzi yang berpengalaman selama 30 tahun dalam bidang Sains Alam Sekitar, kandungan klorin yang terdapat pada sumber air minuman bagaimanapun tidak terlalu banyak.

    Sebaliknya, kata beliau, tempat paling berisiko adalah di kolam renang kerana kandungan klorinnya tinggi.

    Mengulas lanjut, Pauzi memberitahu, THM wujud di dalam kolam renang jika terdapat ramai individu yang mandi di situ.

    Jika salah seorang daripada mereka membuang air kecil atau najis yang merupakan sisa organik, ia akan bertindak balas dengan klorin lantas menghasilkan THM.

    “Walaupun kandungan THM itu rendah, jika tersentuh atau diminum, kita boleh mendapat kanser dalam jangka masa panjang,” katanya kepada Jurnal.

    Disebabkan itu, kata Pauzi, Agensi Perlindungan Alam Sekitar Amerika Syarikat (USEPA) telah mengharamkan rawatan air minuman menggunakan klorin.

    Katanya, ada dua cara rawatan air tanpa klorin iaitu dengan menggunakan teknologi osmosis balikan (RO) dan ultra violet.

    Ironinya, menurut Pauzi, kebanyakan negara masih mengekalkan rawatan klorin kerana ia murah.

    Bercerita lebih lanjut, menurut Pauzi yang juga ahli jawatankuasa Persatuan Saintis Muslim Malaysia, terdapat banyak punca pencemaran air yang boleh menjejaskan kesihatan manusia.


    http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2011&dt=0403&pub=Kosmo&sec=Kesihatan&pg=ke_01.htm

    Krisis nuklear Jepun 100 tahun?


    GAMBAR oleh Syarikat Tenaga Elektrik Tokyo (TEPCO) menunjukkan keadaan empat reaktor nuklear Fukushima Daiichi yang rosak setakat semalam.


    TOKYO, Jepun - Seorang pakar nuklear memberi amaran pencemaran radiasi daripada loji nuklear Fukushima Daiichi akan berterusan kerana batang-batang bahan api nuklearnya mengambil masa hingga 100 tahun untuk sejuk, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

    Bekas anggota dasar keselamatan nuklear Britain, Dr. John Price berkata, tempoh itu diperlukan sebelum batang-batang nuklear itu sejuk dan selamat untuk dipindahkan.

    "Cara sekarang (untuk menyejukkan batang-batang nuklear tersebut) iaitu menyemburkan air ke dalam reaktor-reaktor itu kurang berkesan, kerana air kembali mengalir keluar akibat kebocoran dan menyebabkan pencemaran radiasi terus berlaku.

    "Perlu ada cara supaya air yang dipam itu kekal di dalam reaktor-reaktor nuklear tersebut," katanya.

    Komen beliau disiarkan stesen televisyen Amerika Syarikat (AS), ABC semalam selepas seorang ibu kepada pekerja-pekerja kecemasan yang bergelut untuk menghalang batang-batang nuklear di loji Fukushima Daiichi daripada mencair berkata, mereka semua akan mati akibat kesan radio aktif dalam masa beberapa minggu lagi.

    "Anak lelaki saya memberitahu bahawa dia dan rakan-rakan sekerjanya sanggup berkorban demi negara," kata kata ibu berusia 32 tahun itu dalam satu wawancara telefon dengan stesen televisyenFox News.

    "Mereka sedar mereka akan mati dalam masa beberapa minggu lagi kerana radiasi kerana adalah mustahil untuk mengelakkan pancaran radiasi di dalam loji tersebut," tambahnya.

    Dalam perkembangan berkaitan, Jepun dilapor bersedia menimbus reaktor-reaktor nuklear itu dengan mencurahkan bertan-tan bahan konkrit sebagai jalan terakhir bagi mengatasi krisis nuklear Fukushima Daiichi sekiranya usaha yang dilaksanakan sekarang gagal.

    Langkah itu dapat menghalang sinaran dan partikel radioaktif daripada tersebar.

    Dalam pada itu, beribu-ribu mayat mangsa bencana gempa bumi kuat dan tsunami yang melanda Jepun pada 11 Mac lalu masih belum dipungut kerana mayat-mayat itu didapati dicemari tahap radiasi yang tinggi.

    Setakat ini, 11,500 orang disahkan terkorban dengan 16,400 lagi masih hilang dan peluang untuk menemui mayat mereka amat tipis.

    Tiga minggu selepas bencana itu berlaku, sejumlah 260,000 kediaman di timur laut Jepun masih terputus bekalan air manakala 170,000 rumah lagi terpaksa bergelap. - Agensi


    http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2011&dt=0403&pub=Kosmo&sec=Dunia&pg=du_01.htm

    Seri Bayu meninggal dunia



    GAMBAR terakhir Seri Bayu yang dirakamkan pada 2 Mac lalu.


    KUALA LUMPUR - Komposer dan penulis lirik, Jamaludin Sulik atau lebih dikenali sebagai Seri Bayu, 44, menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya di Hospital Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, malam tadi.

    Menurut anak angkat Allahyarham, Sarina Abdul Ghani, 29, Seri Bayu meninggal pada pukul 8.30 malam akibat penyakit saraf motoneuron yang dihidapinya sejak tahun 2004.

    "Arwah kritikal sejak tiga hari lalu sebelum dia dimasukkan ke Hospital Port Dickson semalam (kelmarin),'' katanya ketika dihubungi semalam.

    Sarina berkata, usaha mereka untuk menghubungi keluarga dan anak Seri Bayu gagal.


    http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2011&dt=0403&pub=Kosmo&sec=Negara&pg=ne_03.htm

    Duit kerajaan RM108b lesap


    GAMBAR barangan rampasan seperti rokok kretek dan mercun yang ditemui dalam rumah salah seorang suspek di Pahang baru-baru ini.


    PUTRAJAYA – Seramai 62 orang kakitangan termasuk pegawai kanan Jabatan Kastam Diraja Malaysia (Kastam) setakat ini sudah ditahan dalam operasi sejak Isnin lalu bagi membanteras `tangan-tangan kotor’ yang menjadi punca kerajaan kehilangan hasil kira-kira RM108 bilion setahun akibat rasuah dan pengubahan wang haram.

    Mereka yang ditahan membabitkan 53 lelaki dan sembilan wanita berusia 24 hingga 56 tahun dengan 80 peratus berkhidmat di lima pelabuhan utama iaitu Pelabuhan Klang, Pelabuhan Kuantan, Pelabuhan Pulau Pinang, Pelabuhan Pasir Gudang dan Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas, Johor.

    Gerakan di bawah Ops 3b itu mendapati Pelabuhan Klang menjadi tumpuan utama jenayah apabila 48 suspek ditahan di situ.

    Pengarah Siasatan SPRM, Datuk Mustafar Ali pada sidang akhbarnya di sini semalam memberitahu, daripada jumlah itu, sebanyak 17 orang termasuk seorang berpangkat Pengarah dan isterinya juga pegawai kanan Kastam ditahan reman manakala bakinya telah dibebaskan setelah disoal siasat.

    “Kami percaya mereka mengambil suapan secara individu dan bukannya didalangi sindiket tertentu.

    “Sejak siasatan kami bermula pada 2008, kami menjangkakan lebih RM10 bilion telah diseludup keluar dari negara ini,’’ katanya.


    http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2011&dt=0403&pub=Kosmo&sec=Negara&pg=ne_01.htm

    Hidup terseksa

    MIYAGI: “Elektrik dan air hingga kini masih lagi tiada...masalah pengangkutan turut memburukkan lagi keadaan di sini, apa yang kami harap cuma penderitaan ini cepat berlalu,” kata Kishimoto Masashi, 75, nelayan di Onagawa, Sendai yang ditemui ketika mendapatkan bekalan makanan di pusat penempatan sementara.

    Menurutnya, semua kenderaan milik penduduk di situ pada hari berlakunya gempa dan ombak besar rosak teruk dan lesap dihanyutkan air termasuk kereta miliknya dan keluarga.


    Beliau berkata, kehidupan harian bersama anak dan cucu lelakinya kini sukar, namun masih lagi bernasib baik kerana mendapat bekalan makanan yang disediakan pihak kerajaan dan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang datang dari seluruh Jepun serta beberapa negara luar.

    “Makanan tiada masalah kerana kami sentiasa boleh mendapatkannya di pusat penempatan ini, apa yang menjadi masalah adalah kami sukar untuk ke luar ke tempat lain bagi menguruskan urusan lain seperti ke bank dan sebagainya.


    “Kami hanya duduk dalam rumah dan keadaan bertambah teruk pada malam hari dengan cuaca yang sejuk serta ketiadaan bekalan elektrik serta air,” katanya yang diterjemahkan perantara.


    Menurutnya, dia kini hanya bergantung hidup dengan duit simpanan kerja yang diperoleh setiap bulan kerana tidak dapat keluar ke laut untuk menangkap ikan ekoran bot turut musnah serta keadaan di jeti yang rosak.

    Sementara itu, sukarelawan tempatan, Etomichiko, yang membantu penduduk di kawasan itu serta mangsa dari tempat lain yang ditempatkan di pusat penempatan berkata, terdapat kira-kira 700 mangsa ditempatkan di pusat itu yang kebanyakan adalah wanita, kanak-kanak dan warga tua.


    Katanya, 50 ahli kumpulan sukarelawan daripada NGO iaitu The Nippon Foundation memberikan bantuan di situ setiap hari dengan mengagihkan barangan seperti makanan, pakaian dan selimut yang diterima dari seluruh jepun.

    “Kami juga membantu dari segi penjagaan kesihatan dan bantuan kaunseling bagi mangsa yang masih lagi trauma dengan tragedi ngeri itu.


    “Disebabkan waktu ini adalah musim sejuk dan bekalan elektrik pula tiada, kami membuat rawatan seperti urutan kaki dan badan supaya kesihatan mangsa sering terjaga,” katanya.


    http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Hidupterseksa/Article/index_html

    Risau anak kena kurung

    Oleh Mohd Jamilul Anbia Md Denin
    anbia@hmetro.com

    IPOH: Hati ibu mana tidak keruan apabila anak gadis kesayangan hilang dari rumah sejak lebih sebulan lalu apabila diperdaya dan dilarikan teman lelakinya yang juga ahli geng curi motosikal.

    Lebih mengejutkan apabila Norhaslina Zol, 22, hilang dari rumahnya di Kampung Dato Ahmad Said Tambahan 2, di sini, hanya selepas dua jam teman lelakinya itu meluahkan hasrat untuk berkahwin kepada ibu bapa gadis berkenaan.


    Ibu mangsa, Sabariah Abdul Manaf, 54, berkata, dalam kejadian kira-kira jam 8.30 malam pada 28 Februari lalu, seorang lelaki bermotosikal datang ke rumahnya dan memperkenalkan diri sebagai teman rapat Norhaslina.

    Katanya, lelaki berusia awal 20-an bernama Anwar itu kemudian menyatakan hasrat mengahwini Norhaslina.


    “Suami, Zol Abdul Hamid, 64, tidak membantah namun menasihatkan lelaki terbabit mengikut aturan adat Melayu sekiranya benar-benar mahu memperisterikan Norhaslina.


    “Lelaki itu kemudian meminta kebenaran untuk keluar makan seketika dengan anak saya itu sebelum pulang sekitar jam 10.30 malam,” katanya.

    Namun, tidak beberapa lama kemudian Norhaslina menyelinap keluar semula dari rumah sebelum hilang begitu saja hingga kini.


    “Dia tidak membawa sebarang pakaian dan saya yakin kehilangannya itu ada kaitan dengan teman lelakinya yang juga lesap begitu saja.

    “Kami sekeluarga yang bimbangkan keselamatannya kemudian berusaha menghubungi telefon bimbitnya, namun Norhaslina memberi alasan berada di Selangor,” katanya.


    Menurutnya, dia cuba memujuk anaknya itu supaya kembali, namun dia seolah-olah dikurung bersama beberapa wanita lain tidak dikenali.


    “Kali terakhir saya cuba menghubunginya panggilan saya diangkat seorang wanita yang memberi pelbagai alasan kononnya Norhaslina tidak menggunakan telefon bimbit itu lagi.


    “Akibat bimbang keselamatannya, saya dan anak lelaki, Zamri Zol, 35, membuat laporan di Balai Polis Jelapang,” katanya ketika ditemui wartawan semalam.


    Orang ramai yang mempunyai sebarang maklumat atau mengetahui di mana Norhaslina berada diminta menghubungi talian 019-5495124 atau balai polis berhampiran.


    http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Risauanakkenakurung/Article/index_html

    Minda: Memalukan jika rakyat Malaysia menganggur

    Oleh Dr Aminudin Mansor

    BIDANG pekerjaan sangat penting khususnya kepada pencari kerja iaitu lepasan sekolah dan universiti.

    Dalam mencari pekerjaan mereka ini tidak seharusnya mengharapkan bekerja dengan kerajaan semata-mata, malah boleh memohon pekerjaan dengan swasta.

    Seseorang yang tidak bekerja dianggap menganggur di negara seperti Malaysia adalah sangat memalukan.

    Bayangkan pendatang asing dari beberapa negara luar seperti Indonesia, Bangladesh, Filipina boleh hidup senang-lenang dengan bekerja di sektor pembinaan, perladangan dan pembantu restoran.


    Syaratnya adalah kemahuan dan kerajinan, semua bidang di negara ini jika diusahakan secara bersungguh akan mendatangkan pendapatan yang lumayan.

    Sikap memilih pekerjaan yang senang dan berpendapatan tinggi di kalangan segelintir rakyat kita haruslah dibuang.

    Jika sikap ini masih ada dalam hati rakyat, negara akan kerugian. Peluang dan ruang sentiasa direbut oleh orang luar khususnya pendatang asing yang ingin mencari kekayaan di Malaysia.

    Mereka tidak memilih pekerjaan, asalkan mendapat wang, mereka akan bekerja dengan tekun.

    Berita baik untuk pencari kerja mula terbuka luas kerana pada masa ini terdapat lebih 20,000 peluang pekerjaan dalam pelbagai sektor yang didaftarkan melalui portal Jobs Malaysia yang dikendalikan Kementerian Sumber Manusia.

    Kebanyakan kekosongan membabitkan tenaga profesional serta sokongan dalam industri perhotelan, pelancongan, pembuatan dan perladangan.

    Menurut sumber portal Jobs Malaysia terdapat banyak kekosongan dalam bidang pengurusan 1,826, profesional 46,155, juruteknik dan profesional bersekutu 3,869, perkeranian 3,967, perkhidmatan dan jualan 16,884, perhutanan dan perladangan 15,824, pertukangan 4,540, operator loji dan mesin 19,064, pekerja asas 90,868 yang membabitkan 202,997 kekosongan.

    Menurut Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Tenaga Kerja, Datuk Sheikh Yahya Sheikh Mohamed pertambahan kerja kosong itu didorong oleh persekitaran ekonomi Malaysia yang semakin baik.

    “Contohnya, sektor perhotelan dan perladangan memerlukan ramai pekerja sehingga ada hotel yang mengambil pekerja asing atas alasan kurang mendapat sambutan daripada kalangan rakyat tempatan,” katanya.

    Menurutnya, pencari kerja dijemput ke pelbagai program yang membabitkan 50 majikan dengan tawaran 3,000 peluang pekerjaan dalam pelbagai bidang yang menawarkan gaji pokok minimum RM650 hingga RM1,000 bagi jawatan rendah, manakala bagi jawatan lebih tinggi pula RM3,000 ke atas.

    Graduan dan belia yang masih menganggur digalakkan merebut peluang ini untuk mengisi kekosongan berkenaan. Dalam hal ini, mencari rezeki yang halal sangat digalakkan terutama kepada golongan muda.

    Persiapan dalam memohon pekerjaan adalah ilmu dan kemahiran. Tanpa ilmu dan kemahiran seseorang itu sukar untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan yang sesuai pada masa sekarang. Hanya mereka yang berkelayakan, berilmu dan berkemahiran tinggi saja berpeluang mendapat pekerjaan yang ditawarkan.

    Berkaitan dengan hal ini, Nabi Muhammad s.a.w pernah bersabda yang bermaksud: “Sesungguhnya Allah suka kepada hambanya yang bekerja dan berusaha. Barang siapa bersusah payah mencari nafkah untuk keluarganya, maka dia serupa dengan seorang mujahid di jalan Allah ‘azza wajalla.” (Riwayat Ahmad)

    Begitulah pentingnya bidang pekerjaan kepada setiap orang. Orang yang bekerja dapat membiayai dirinya, tanpa bergantung pada orang lain dan apabila sudah berumah tangga dapat menanggung keluarga iaitu isteri dan anak-anak yang merupakan ibadah paling besar.

    Jika ditinjau bidang pekerjaan yang paling mudah dan mendapat keuntungan adalah bidang perniagaan sama ada berniaga secara kecil-kecilan ataupun secara besar-besaran yang membabitkan penyediaan makanan khususnya dengan membuka gerai, restoran dan warung.

    Bekerja dengan tangan dan kudrat sendiri adalah lebih baik daripada meminta-minta kepada orang yang kadang-kadang memberi dan kadang-kadang menolak kepada permintaan kita.

    Justeru, tiada makanan yang lebih baik daripada hasil usaha tangan sendiri.

    Islam menggalakkan umatnya berusaha mencari rezeki dalam satu-satu bidang dan tidak digalakkan bertukar-tukar kerja. Mengusahakan sesuatu bidang yang boleh mendatangkan rezeki mestilah dilakukan secara bersungguh-sungguh dan berterusan.

    Jika di bandar bidang pekerjaan yang membabitkan penjualan makanan adalah terbuka luas dengan syarat seseorang itu rajin berusaha dan tidak ada rasa malu untuk berniaga. Manakala di luar bandar bidang pekerjaan seperti mengusahakan tanah dengan tanaman dan pertanian, penternakan dan juga perikanan dapat memberikan pulangan lumayan.

    Justeru, ketika melaksanakan pekerjaan seseorang itu mestilah ada sifat amanah, rajin, dedikasi, tidak mudah putus asa, sabar, gigih dan sentiasa berusaha.

    Tiada kemajuan tanpa usaha dan tiada usaha bermakna tiada kerja yang menyebabkan seseorang itu menganggur. Dalam melaksanakan kerja, mesti ada kesabaran untuk mencapai kejayaan pada masa akan datang.

    Barang siapa yang bekerja bukan kerana minat, kemahuan dan keseronokan untuk bekerja, tetapi hanya kerana wang semata-mata, berkemungkinan besar seseorang itu akan bosan dengan pekerjaannya dan menyebabkan dia tidak seronok dalam hidupnya.

    Dalam kehidupan, tidak usah bersedih dengan kerja yang tidak dapat diselesaikan dengan sempurna. Pekerjaan yang besar tidak akan ada habisnya.

    Sebahagian orang ada yang merasakan bahawa dirinya sama sekali tidak akan hidup bahagia dan puas kecuali jika mereka dapat menyelesaikan tugas-tugasnya.

    Seseorang yang bertanggungjawab adalah orang yang dapat melakukan pekerjaan menurut batas kesanggupannya dan merasa senang dengan kerja yang dilakukan.

    Jelaslah, bagi mengisi apa juga pekerjaan carilah rezeki di serata muka bumi ini, elakkan daripada menjadi penganggur yang menyebabkan malas berusaha dan dipandang serong oleh masyarakat. Allah sentiasa memberi rezeki kepada hamba-Nya sesuai dengan kegiatan dan kemahuan usahanya serta cita-citanya.

    Mata pencarian paling afdal adalah berniaga dengan penuh kebajikan daripada hasil usaha tangan sendiri.

  • Penulis berkelulusan PhD Persuratan Melayu


  • http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Minda_MemalukanjikarakyatMalaysiamenganggur/Article/index_html
  • Cuaca tak menentu punca harga makanan laut mahal

    KUALA LUMPUR: Keadaan cuaca tidak menentu dipercayai menjadi punca beberapa harga makanan laut seperti ikan, udang dan sotong dijual pada harga lebih tinggi berbanding sebelum ini.

    Tinjauan Harian Metro di beberapa pasar di ibu kota mendapati harga ikan kembung naik dari RM5 sekilogram kepada RM7, udang naik dari RM15 ke RM17 sekilogram manakala sotong yang sebelum ini dijual dengan harga RM8 naik kepada RM10 sekilogram.


    Bagaimanapun, harga ayam yang sebelum ini naik sehingga RM8.20 sekilogram pula turun menjadi RM7.50.

    Peniaga di Pasar Chow Kit, Adi Wahab, 35, berkata dia terpaksa menaikkan harga makanan laut kerana harga yang dijual pembekal agak tinggi menyebabkannya tidak mempunyai pilihan selain terpaksa menaikkan harga barangan yang dijual.


    “Walaupun ada kenaikan namun ini hanya kenaikan kecil, kami tidak akan menaikkan barangan sesuka hati sekiranya pembekal tidak menaikkan harga barangan yang dijual dan harap pengguna faham masalah kami,” katanya.


    Pengguna, Abdullah Ismat Bacha, 38, berkata kenaikan harga makanan laut seperti ikan, sotong dan udang ini nyata membebankannya sebagai peniaga kedai makanan yang terpaksa mengeluarkan modal lebih untuk membeli barangan berkenaan.

    Harga barang naik sudah tentu saya pun terpaksa menaikkan harga makanan di kedai saya sebab saya pun tak mahu rugi, kalau tak naikkan harga makanan di kedai balik modal pun belum tentu,” katanya.


    Seorang lagi pengguna yang ditemui, Lukman Mohd Basar, 43, berkata pengguna bernasib baik walaupun harga makanan laut naik tetapi harga ayam turun.

    “Saya sekeluarga sekarang kurangkan makan ikan sebab mahal dan sekarang makan ayam sebab harga ayam sudah turun, tak berapa rasa beban sebab kenaikan pun sedikit saja,” katanya. Sementara itu, Pengarah Komunikasi Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (Fomca), Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman, ketika dihubungi berkata kenaikan harga makanan laut ini hanya bersifat sementara waktu disebabkan keadaan cuaca menjadi faktor utama barangan berkenaan sukar diperoleh.


    http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Cuacatakmenentupuncahargamakananlautmahal/Article/index_html

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