Doctor slang is a dying art

The inventive language created by doctors the world over to insult their patients - or each other - is in danger of becoming extinct.

So says a doctor who has spent four years charting more than 200 colourful examples.

Medicine is a profession already overflowing with acronyms and technical terms, and doctors over the years have invented plenty of their own.

However, Dr Adam Fox, who works at St Mary's Hospital in London as a specialist registrar in its child allergy unit, says that far fewer doctors now annotate notes with acronyms designed to spell out the unsayable truth about their patients.

Top medical acronyms CTD - Circling the Drain (A patient expected to die soon) GLM - Good looking Mum GPO - Good for Parts Only TEETH - Tried Everything Else, Try Homeopathy UBI - Unexplained Beer Injury

The increasing rate of litigation means that there is a far higher chance that doctors will be asked in court to explain the exact meaning of NFN (Normal for Norfolk), FLK (Funny looking kid) or GROLIES (Guardian Reader Of Low Intelligence in Ethnic Skirt).

Dr Fox recounts the tale of one doctor who had scribbled TTFO - an expletive expression roughly translated as "Told To Go Away" - on a patient's notes.

He told BBC News Online: "This guy was asked by the judge what the acronym meant, and luckily for him he had the presence of mind to say: 'To take fluids orally'."

Quaint up North

Regional dialects abound, even in the world of the medical acronym.

In the north of England, the TTR (Tea Time Review) of a patient is commonplace, but not in the south.

And the number of terms for patients believed to be somewhat intellectually challenged is enormous.

From LOBNH (Lights On But Nobody Home), CNS-QNS (Central Nervous System - Quantity Not Sufficient), to the delightful term "pumpkin positive", which refers to the implication that a penlight shone into the patient's mouth would encounter a brain so small that the whole head would light up.

Regular visitors to A&E on a Friday or Saturday night are also classified.

DBI refers to "Dirt Bag Index", and multiplies the number of tattoos with the number of missing teeth to give an estimate of the number of days since the patient last bathed.

A PFO refers to a drunken patient who sustained injury falling over, while a PGT "Got Thumped" instead.

Medical terms - A glossary Digging for Worms - varicose vein surgery Departure lounge - geriatric ward Handbag positive - confused patient (usually elderly lady) lying on hospital bed clutching handbag Woolworth's Test - Anaesthetic term (if you can imagine patient shopping in Woolies, it's safe to give a general anaesthetic)

This is an international language - Dr Fox's research reveals that a PIMBA in Brazil can be translated as a "swollen-footed, drunk, run-over beggar".

Doctor insult

And much of the slang is directed at colleagues rather than patients.

Thus rheumatology, considered by hard-pressed juniors one of the less busy specialties, becomes "rheumaholiday", the "Freud Squad" are psychiatrists, and "Gassers" and "Slashers" are anaesthetists and general surgeons respectively.

Dr Fox is keen to point out that neither he, nor the other authors of the paper, published in the journal Ethics and Behavior, actually advocate using any of the terms.

He said: "It's a form of communication, and it needs to be recorded.

"It may not be around forever."

He said: "I do think that doctors are genuinely more respectful of their patients these days."

If that is the case, perhaps the delights of a "Whopper with Cheese", "Handbag positive" or "Coffin dodger" could be lost forever.

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: Muslims have much to thank Britain for

We have never acknowledged the fact that 'infidels' campaign ceaselessly to guard our rights

Published: 10 December 2007 (The Independent)

Around this time of the year, my mum, Jena, a devout Shia Muslim, who died last year, would ask to be taken to see the Christmas lights in town, and when dropped off back home would entreat in Kutchi, our home language: "Say something nice in your newspaper article, time for that. It's their Christmas. Don't make people upset. This is a good country for us, you know."

I can hear her mellow voice today, and do as she bid. For in many ways, she is right. This is a good country for us and we Muslims don't say that often enough. Mea culpa.

Even now, in the riven world, our lives here are more secure, treated as more precious, than they are in most Muslim and European countries, the US, Australia and the Far East. British Muslims, or at least the most vocal of them, have never acknowledged the fact that "infidels" – Christians, atheists, Jews, secularists, Hindus and Sikhs – campaign ceaselessly to guard our fundamental rights as citizens of this nation.

These allies may recoil from Muslim militancy and the perpetually dissatisfied British Muslims who demand accommodation of their cultural practices, some of which are abhorrent in a free society. Yet they go all out to defend us when the state threatens to take away our freedoms or invoke undemocratic measures to protect democracy.

When the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, plans to increase from 28 days to 42, the time suspects can be held without charge, the right-wing Tory David Davis comes out fighting as if for his life. Why should a powerful white man care to oppose something brought in to intimidate and quell Muslims? But he does.

Henry Porter, the journalist, white and powerful, has been even more committed and uncompromising. Liberty, under Shami Chakrabarti (most definitely not a Muslim), has given unprecedented time and resources to interrogate skilfully and disable the tyrannical anti-terrorism measures dreamt up by New Labour since 9/11.

A 23-year-old British Muslim saleswoman, Samina Malik, was convicted last month under some of these draconian laws after downloading some jihadi material and for writing miserable and murderous poems fantasising about beheadings. I find what she did repellent, but hers were thought crimes, which should not lead to prosecutions in any democracy worth the name.

English PEN rose to condemn Malik's conviction, and among the most eloquent of the writers to come out for her was Hari Kunzru (again, not a Muslim) who wrote: " ... rationality seems to be ebbing away. We seem to have accepted the principle that it should be illegal to think, read and write certain things ... We are being taught to be circumspect. How long before it's suggested we should shut up altogether?" Malik might just escape her inner demons if she allows herself to read humanist writers like Kunzru.

Martin Amis's xenophobic "adumbrations" and imaginings were met with fierce moral and intellectual ripostes from white men, such as the novelist Ronan Bennet, Peter Wilby, the former editor of The New Statesman, and Professor Terry Eagleton. And also the Indian writer and critic, Pankaj Mishra (no, not a Muslim). When there are attacks on Muslims on the streets they are supported by grassroots organisations set up to defend all victims of racially aggravated crimes.

The same empathy is evident when looking at foreign affairs. Lindsey German of the Stop the War Coalition has never stopped reminding the nation of the mayhem in Iraq; Robert Fisk, the most highly regarded journalist in, and on, the Middle East, is not, I don't think, a closet Musselman. A few weeks back, at a conference, we heard the lawyer Phil Shiner reminding us of the alleged torture of Iraqi prisoners by British soldiers. For years now, he has tried to get justice for them, as has Rabinder Singh QC.

I am not suggesting Muslims have not been as effective and involved in these struggles. They have, and some have proved themselves impressive battlers, in particular, lawyers and politicians. However, there is too little public recognition of the non-Muslim individuals and lobbyists who have taken up our cause and stood with us. Decency demands we give them thanks.

That wouldn't suit or please separatists like Hizb-ut-Tahrir et al, for whom there is only them and us, the West and Islam, forever clashing on the road to hell. Sadly, the most integrated Muslims at times seem to have persuaded themselves that they are hated by the rest of humanity and their faith is under siege.

Such a view is only possible if you close down, shut the doors, turn off the sounds and blank out the sights that tell you a different story – that even these worst of times bring out the best in the best of us. For such big mercies, I am truly grateful. Mum always was, and she was right.

mailto:y.alibhai-brown@independent.co.uk

The New Rulers of the World

Part of my John Pilger marathon... The New Rulers of the World is themed around the impact of globalisation on the quality (if any) of life of third world workers, with specific focus on Indonesia. In essence it also touched on free trade vs fair trade, the poverty that is gripping hard on labourers and how the west in effect (consciously or not) supported the 'hidden genocide' in Suharto-era Indonesia. And how the multinational corporations are irresponsibly monopolizing the trade in the whole world etc...

Eye-opening, gives you an insight on the issues that could well directly involve us in our daily dealings. From now on, I'm so avoiding GAP, Navy Blue (not that I ever touched them) (and Nike?).

Enjoy and think, how we could help these people... a cumulative individual effort can effectively affect the whole world.

Palestine is Still the Issue

Satu lagi siri documentary sempena Hari Raya... Kan org Malaysia zmn skrg ni beraya kat panggung :p Another work by John Pilger, well-famous journalist cum activist from Australia.

Hari Raya ke3?

Alhamdulillah... this has so far been a day with a plethora of educational values... a bit less on the academic side unfortunately but an eye-opening day for the understanding of the world functioning and sadly enough, the geography of Bristol.. (adam, smap, salah driver tak reti english)... anywho, another documentary for the day... lighthearted, very relaxed, not too much encapsulating any particular academical achievements... but rather a great attempt to encapsulate and assimilate the essence and importance of the presence of islam in europe prior to the renaissance...

Chagos Archipelago?

Ever heard of the Chagos Archipelago? If your answer is yes, I too am guilty of similar ignorami-like-behaviour. Not intentional, as you will (or not) see from this video, this is a well-hidden agenda of the British and US government. This is a video full of evidence of how low some people can get, dehumanising oneself! In case you didn't get me, I'm referring to the two governments but as for the Chagosians themselves, despite such indignification and humiliation suffered, they are by far more human than some of us are (and definitely more human than the two SoB governments). Enjoy and more importantly, think, and come to your own conclusions. Mine are as above.

Controversial?

Man donates sperm for grandchild

Around 500 sperm donors are needed each year

A 72-year-old man has agreed to become a sperm donor for his own "grandchild".

The anonymous man wishes to donate his sperm to his son and daughter-in-law who have yet been unable to conceive a child through IVF.

Any baby born using the sperm would be the grandfather's genetic child and its father's half brother.

The sperm is being screened at the London Women's Clinic, where the couple, who are in their 30s and wish to remain anonymous, are being treated.

Preliminary tests suggest the sperm is viable - it is not uncommon for men to continue to produce healthy sperm into their 70s and 80s.

Dr Kamal Ahuja, co-medical director of the clinic, said they had spent many months of discussion with independent bodies and ethics committees before reaching the decision go ahead with the treatment.

Keeping the identity of the child similar to their own was a huge factor Dr Peter Bowen-Simkins

Colleague Dr Peter Bowen-Simkins said he had never come across a case like this before.

But advancements in fertility treatment meant people were now willing to consider all kinds of options.

He said: "Obviously the wife's mother-in-law also had to be included in all the conversations but she has no objections.

"Society has also changed its perceptions of what is and what is not acceptable.

"In this case, keeping the identity of the child similar to their own was a huge factor.

"The husband does not have a brother, which is why he chose his own father to assist."

No ruling necessary

A spokeswoman for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which regulates the fertility sector, said it did not need to approve the decision.

Donations from family members - such as sisters giving each other their eggs - are allowed under the law, she said.

Once a donor has consented to the use of his sperm for fertility treatment, he has no legal or parental rights over any children born using his sperm.

Upon reaching the age of 18, the child has the right to find out the identity of their donor father.

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield and Secretary of the British Fertility Society, said the ethics did not bother him, but safety concerns did.

"At the genetic level, sperm from older men is not as good as sperm from someone in their 25s.

"There is growing data to show sperm from older men increases the risk of miscarriage and the chances of the child having disease, as well as reducing the chances of IVF working.

"Ideally, from a best practice point of view, donors should not be older than 40."



Taken from BBC News, 6th October 2007 (Happy Birthday little dude :p)


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Call me old fashion, but I think this is just sick! It is obviously not my place to pass judgment on them, but I surely entitled voice my own opinion on the matter. Surely this is just ridiculous... But the fact that this is a non-debatable issue given that the LAW ALLOWS IT in the first place, I think something is seriously wrong. Essentially, the old dude is (or should I say, will be) copulating with his own daughter-in-law!!! (Mind my language)

Surely, there's a reason why God made some of us barren. Or else he won't be the Al-Knowing. I am not saying I detest other methods of artificial insemination e.g. IVF etc, but there's a religious (and at least a moral) limit to everything. Astaghfirullah... Nauzubillah...

Paul

Today during Iftar and Tarawih, I met Paul, 16 years old secondary school student who fell in love with Islam after reading about Islam the Da Vinci code a year ago... Well not Da Vinci code itself, but stemmed from reading that book, he went on a path of discovery that lead him from a gospel to online materials about Islam...

Amazingly, he didn't speak to any Muslim before he reverted. He said shahadah without anyone around... alone yet so not alone at heart. And he did keep it as a secret initially, although later he told his mother whom understandably a bit less enthusiastic with the news.

But his mother's cool now, apparently...

I didn't get to speak to Paul much today, credit to my 'suspicions' and the fact that he was pretty much learning all the time between Iftar and Tarawih, from the Quran to various other discussions (that I managed to eavesdrop on)... He was excitable like any other typical teenagers, except the issue that he is excitable to...

Next time I see him, I'm determined to interview him.... Insha Allah...




It's amazing how Allah grant his hidayah to those he chose to give... subhanallah...

It's Confirmed - They are corrupt SoBs!

Secret UN report condemns US for Middle East failures

Envoy's damning verdict revealed as violence takes Gaza closer to civil war

Read Alvaro de Soto's end of mission report

Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem and Ian Williams in New York
Wednesday June 13, 2007
The Guardian

The highest ranking UN official in Israel has warned that American pressure has "pummelled into submission" the UN's role as an impartial Middle East negotiator in a damning confidential report.

The 53-page "End of Mission Report" by Alvaro de Soto, the UN's Middle East envoy, obtained by the Guardian, presents a devastating account of failed diplomacy and condemns the sweeping boycott of the Palestinian government. It is dated May 5 this year, just before Mr de Soto stepped down.

Article continues
The revelations from inside the UN come after another day of escalating violence in Gaza, when at least 26 Palestinians were killed after Hamas fighters launched a major assault. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the rival Fatah group, warned he was facing an attempted coup.

Mr de Soto condemns Israel for setting unachievable preconditions for talks and the Palestinians for their violence. Western-led peace negotiations have become largely irrelevant, he says.

Mr de Soto is a Peruvian diplomat who worked for the UN for 25 years in El Salvador, Cyprus and Western Sahara. He says:

· The international boycott of the Palestinians, introduced after Hamas won elections last year, was "at best extremely short-sighted" and had "devastating consequences" for the Palestinian people

· Israel has adopted an "essentially rejectionist" stance towards the Palestinians

· The Quartet of Middle East negotiators - the US, the EU, Russia and the UN - has become a "side-show"

·The Palestinian record of stopping violence against Israel is "patchy at best, reprehensible at worst"

Mr de Soto acknowledges in the report that he is its sole author. It was meant only for senior UN officials, and its wording is far more critical than the public pronouncements of UN diplomats. Last night, Mr de Soto, who is in New York, told the Guardian: "It is a confidential document and not intended for publication."

In January last year, the Quartet called on the newly elected Hamas government to commit to non-violence, recognise Israel and accept previous agreements. When Hamas refused to sign up to the principles, the international community halted direct funding to the Palestinian government and Israel started to freeze the monthly tax revenues that it had agreed to pass to the Palestinians. Several hundred million dollars remain frozen.

Mr de Soto, who had opposed the boycott, said this position "effectively transformed the Quartet from a negotiation-promoting foursome guided by a common document [the road map for peace] into a body that was all-but imposing sanctions on a freely elected government of a people under occupation as well as setting unattainable preconditions for dialogue".

The EU said yesterday that there was an imminent risk of civil war if fighting went on, and UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon urged support for Mr Abbas's efforts "to restore law and order".

In the heaviest day of fighting in Gaza for months, Hamas appeared to make its first concerted effort to seize power in Gaza. There was a wave of co-ordinated attacks, which appeared to overwhelm the larger but less effective Fatah force. "Decisiveness will be in the field," said Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for the Hamas military wing.

Fatah's central committee called an emergency meeting in Ramallah, in the West Bank, and said it would suspend the activities of its ministers in the government. Fatah would pull out of the government if the fighting failed to stop, it said.

For the first time in several weeks, fighting spread to the West Bank when Fatah gunmen attacked a Hamas television studio in Ramallah and kidnapped a Hamas deputy cabinet minister from the city.

The day began with a rocket attack on the private house in Gaza of Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister and a Hamas leader. He was in the building but was not hurt. Fighting spread across Gaza City and within hours Hamas fighters issued warnings over loudspeakers calling on all Fatah security forces to pull out of their bases and return home. At about 2pm Hamas gunmen seized control of several small Fatah bases and one large base in northern Gaza, where there were heavy casualties when Hamas fighters fired mortars and rocket-propelled grenades at the compound.

Several Fatah officers complained that they had received no orders during the day. Mr Abbas tried calling for a truce, and later Fatah ordered its officers to fight back.

READ THE REPORT HERE (PDF FORMAT)

Russian new bomb - 4 times stronger than the American's MOAB

I would rather have the russians build this bomb than the americans... american unilateralism is a plaque that infested the world nowadays... no offense to americans, but your leader sucks!

Although, keeping this bomb as a non-existing entity would do the world much more good... I think...

Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

Ramadhan datang lagi... subhanallah, syahdunya mengenang suasana malam Ramadhan di kotaraya Cenderawasih... unggul lunak Imam Tahfiz membaca surah2 kitab al-furqan... berkumpulnya seluruh warga kariah, menghayati kerinduan kepada yg esa... dan langsai 8 rakaat; manusia berderum keluar... kanak2 riuh memekik selamat tinggal, meski esok bersua lagi (kebanyakannya insya Allah)... dan yg dewasa mengalas kaki dgn sepatu memecut laju meninggalkan halaman rumah Allah...

Dan tinggallah nukleus masjid yg setia mematuhi pergerakan imam...lebih sunyi, lebih khusyuk, lebih emosi tapi lebih tenang... solat, takbir tasbih dan tahmid... mensyukuri nikmat kurniaan Tuhan yg tiada sempadan... tiada terbalas... berhutang seumur hidup... dan doa imam yg diaminkan makmum mengiringi perjalanan pulang ke halaman sendiri...

wah alangkah indah malam ini... perjalanan pulang, tidak kira sendiri atau ditemani... sangat utuh dihati, ketenangan yg seolah-olah abadi... jauh dilubuk hati biarlah masa itu terhenti... terhenti di malam Ramadhan yg penuh barakah ini... malam Ramadhan yg disulami ketenangan naluri... malam yg penuh pengampunan, penuh keberkatan...

alangkah rindunya hati ini... mengenangkan ketenangan yg lama tidak berkunjung ke hati... entah mengapa jadi begini... rosak sangatkah hati ini?

Dan kurayu kehadratMu... datangkanlah lagi... amin...



Bristol, United Kingdom - 519 petang, 30 Syaaban 1428H

P/S - siapa tahu ini mungkin Ramadhan terakhir??

What's tis?!!!! Simply appalling!!!

Semua mesti jawab -- Najib minta kementerian perjelas laporan Ketua Audit Negara

Oleh NIZAM YATIM

SUBANG 9 Sept. - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak meminta kementerian yang berkaitan menjawab semua soalan berkaitan salah urus dana awam seperti dilaporkan dalam Laporan Ketua Audit Negara 2006.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri berkata, penjelasan itu perlu bagi membolehkan orang ramai mengetahui sebab-sebab perkara itu berlaku terutama berhubung pembelian sesuatu barangan.

“Mereka boleh menjawab dan bagi saya kementerian-kementerian berkaitan perlu memberi jawapan terhadap persoalan yang ditimbulkan ini,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita ketika ditemui selepas menyampaikan hadiah kepada pemenang Kejohanan Golf Jemputan Business Times 2007 di sini hari ini.

Najib mengulas laporan Ketua Audit Negara mengenai aktiviti kementerian dan jabatan Kerajaan Persekutuan 2006 yang mendedahkan mengenai pembelian barangan dan peralatan yang harganya berlipat kali ganda daripada harga pasaran.

Laporan itu antara lain memberikan contoh Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) di bawah Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS) yang membeli peralatan pada kadar harga yang terlalu tinggi.

Ia termasuk pembelian pemutar skru, pada RM224.94 satu set oleh IKBN berbanding harga pasaran hanya RM40.

Turut dipertikaikan ialah pembelian kamera digital pada harga RM8,254.29 seunit berbanding harga sebenar RM2,990.

Selain itu harga untuk jek satu tan dibeli pada harga RM5,741.69 seunit berbanding harga sebenarnya hanya RM50.

Masalah lain yang dinyatakan oleh laporan itu termasuk pertubuhan bukan kerajaan yang tidak layak menerima dana daripada kerajaan dan wang itu dibazirkan dengan membeli helikopter yang tidak dapat digunakan.

Selain itu, laporan tersebut turut menyentuh mengenai jumlah wang yang sepatutnya diterima oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan tetapi masih belum diterima seperti hasil cukai, hasil bukan cukai dan terimaan bukan hasil.

Ia termasuk daripada Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN), Jabatan Kastam Diraja Malysia dan Polis Diraja Malaysia.

Mengenai laporan yang menyebut Ketua Setiausaha (KSU) KBS telah menandatangani 11 kontrak projek IKBN yang setiap satu bernilai antara RM7.99 juta dan RM74.2 juta, Najib berkata, KSU tidak mempunyai kuasa berbuat demikian.

“Ia hanya boleh dilakukan jika dibuat secara tender bernilai kurang RM5 juta.

“KSU tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk memberikan kontrak secara terus kerana ia hanya boleh dibuat melalui tender ataupun keputusan Kementerian Kewangan,” jelasnya.

Source: Utusan Malaysia Online, 10 September 2007

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As a concerned citizen, I am obviously appalled by such atrocious misconception of the value of money. Put someone who can differentiate between a 50 cent coin and an RM50 note in charge, will ya?! What a sucker punch to the people. I don't think those IKBN examples are the only "monetary mis-evaluation" that occurred. In any case, those corrupt jerks must be ousted! Simple as that, no fuss, no muss.

I am no expert in economy but I have my fare share of knowledge from reading and what not. I think state(s) with continuous deficit in the balance should have the head(s) removed. Whilst short term deficit is understandable, long term huge deficit can't possibly be healthy for a state's economy. I am referring to one state in particular. You know who you are.

Cuti bersalin 5 tahun -- Kerajaan lanjut pelepasan tanpa gaji kakitangan awam jaga anak

Oleh Zabry Mohamad

KUALA LUMPUR 3 Sept. – Kerajaan bersetuju melanjutkan cuti bersalin tanpa gaji bagi kakitangan sektor awam daripada 90 hari sekarang kepada had maksimum lima tahun berkuat kuasa serta-merta.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak ketika mengumumkan peraturan baru itu berkata, keputusan tersebut dibuat sejajar dengan hasrat kerajaan supaya anak-anak menerima pendidikan awal yang sempurna.

Keputusan yang dibuat Kabinet dalam mesyuarat mingguan Rabu lalu akan memberi kemudahan tambahan kepada seramai 563,000 wanita yang bekerja dalam sektor awam daripada keseluruhan 1.3 juta kakitangan kerajaan.

Menurut statistik Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat, sebanyak 10 peratus atau 24,300 daripada 243,000 kakitangan sektor awam berusia antara 18 hingga 39 tahun melahirkan anak setiap tahun.

Menurut Najib, dengan kelonggaran cuti bersalin itu, kakitangan wanita sektor awam boleh menyediakan suasana pembesaran yang lebih baik kepada anak masing-masing terutama dari aspek kesihatan dan psikologi.

‘‘Kanak-kanak yang mendapat didikan, kawalan, tunjuk ajar serta kasih sayang yang baik dan sempurna akan menjadi manusia yang lebih berguna kepada negara pada masa depan,’’ kata Timbalan Perdana Menteri pada sidang akhbar selepas merasmikan Persidangan Perkhidmatan Awam Ke-12 di sini hari ini.

Persidangan selama dua hari itu yang berlangsung di Kampus Utama Institut Tadbiran Awam Negara (Intan) di Bukit Kiara di sini dianjurkan bersama Intan, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) serta Persatuan Perkhidmatan Tadbir dan Diplomatik (PPTD).

Lebih 600 orang menyertai persidangan itu termasuk dari Australia, Brunei, Filipina, Singapura dan Tanzania.

Najib memberitahu, cuti bersalin tersebut boleh dipecah-pecahkan kepada beberapa kali dengan jumlah keseluruhan cuti bersalin tanpa gaji tidak melebihi lima tahun.

Pada awal Ogos lalu, beberapa pihak mencadangkan JPA mengkaji kemungkinan memberi kelonggaran kepada kakitangan wanita untuk berhenti sementara daripada pekerjaan bagi melahirkan anak dan kembali bekerja setelah anak mereka membesar.

Menurut Najib, keputusan melonggarkan cuti bersalin itu juga dibuat kerana ramai wanita mahu menjaga kepentingan keluarga dan pada masa yang sama ingin terus berkhidmat dalam sektor kerajaan.

Beliau memberitahu, terpulang kepada kakitangan awam terbabit untuk menentukan jumlah hari cuti bersalin tanpa gaji yang mahu mereka ambil sama ada secara terkumpul atau sedikit demi sedikit.

‘‘Sebagai contoh, selepas cuti bersalin wajib selama 60 hari bagi anak pertama, mereka boleh sambung cuti selama satu hingga dua tahun.

“Begitu juga bagi anak kedua, tempoh cuti yang sama boleh diambil asalkan jumlah cuti terkumpul tidak lebih lima tahun.

‘‘Ini kerana selepas lima tahun, seseorang pekerja boleh hilang daya saing dan seterusnya mengganggu perancangan sumber manusia sesebuah jabatan,’’ jelasnya.

Menurut Timbalan Perdana Menteri, sekembalinya bertugas, kakitangan wanita yang mengambil cuti bersalin berhak menerima kenaikan gaji bersyarat sebanyak tiga kali.

‘‘Katakan setiap tahun dia terima kenaikan gaji RM50, maka bila dia kembali bekerja, dia dapat tambahan RM150 daripada gaji asal sebelum dia mengambil cuti panjang,’’ katanya.

Taken from Utusan Malaysia Online, 22 Syaaban 1428

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WELL DONE!!! I loud this decision as a step forward not only in childcare, but also in developing human capital that Pak Lah talked so much about... This might also be one of the solutions for the social problems bugging our community at the moment... Regardless of the underlying political agenda (like some people have attributed this to), this is, in my opinion, by far the boldest and most important decision this year... even bigger than WPI or the other regional stuffs.

Pengamatan saya kali ini...

This time around, my holiday is a lot shorter than before... 1 month barely took the accumulative tiredness of 3rd year from my back... and 4th year's starting already... alhamdulillah, at least there's this tiny issue of ELECTIVES to look forward to... here i come, NZ-ers or ozians...

From what I have seen of Malaysia this time around, buah byk giler!!! the obvious tend to miss my ever-'vigilant' eyes but this time around, even i noticed that... fruit-lovers loved it, but i'm not so sure how our farmers prevail in such ironical circumstances... those with less-than-excellent fruits (even if only slightly) might come under the weather a bit... as those with "excellent" fruits sold everything out, i wonder whether the market is big enough for the others...

and the fruit load is killing me... literally... my TG level shot up the other day, possibly from durian-overconsumption... hehehe... it's interesting how you tend to not see the greatness of things in front of you when you have it all the time... me (or is it I), on the other hand, miss a lot of things in malaysia a whole great lot... fruits are just one of them... the serenity of masjids (esp masjid umar al-khattab near my house) is just indescribable... simply majestic...

50 tahun merdeka, separa jer meriahnya... tak se-hype with what i had in mind... possibly after the pathetic downfall of some malaysian teams... football (of course) and badminton (unexpectedly)... and till this is written, i'm not sure how malaysians will spend the night before merdeka celebration... hopefully not as awful as before... people going to western-style concertos and the disorientated youngsters that seem to yield from the fiesta...

and OMG, youngsters seem sooo weird nowadays... not all, definitely not... some mat minah rempits, without passing judgment or typicalising all of them, are indubitably acting awkward and possibly more correctly sinfully... some things are just can't be justified as correct, whichever ways you look at it...

another thing i definitely have to ramble about, malaysian women seem to have an increasingly high variation in hair-colour... rasanya dulu takde lar kalerful sgt warna rambut artis2, politicians & other personalities kat tv... thats my naive observation anyway.... possibly global warming that is affecting the ice-cap hence rising world temperature and sea level as well as some territorial effect in the form of more thunder storms and weird weather phenomenon, just starting to effect malaysian hair colours as well given the strategic location of malaysia in the interchange of wind direction between northern and southern hemisphere... and it seems that the X or Y chromosomes don't have a say in the possible victims... tuanku permaisuri agung nampaknya kebal dari penyakit ini, so maybe can ask her some tips to avoid this disease.... i think the minister responsible in this issue (ministry of science, technology and environment) should have a look into this matter...


the introduction of WPI and NCER are two other grandeur projects that tantalize my imagination with their prospects... WPI in particular, such grandiose idea, one could think the idealist might be a schizophrenic... but we'll see... i have great hope in this one... NCER, a food producing hub... some say it is a project with great prospects given that no one can survive without food hence the ever expanding market... sceptics say that it is a polarizing project, dooming the perlisians(?) and kedahans to an eternity of poverty whilst developing penang like crazy.... i'm not so sure about who's correct...


a lot more to say, tapi dah malas...

sekian luahan hatiku yg simplistik...

Menang pun...

A tiny bit of irony... as far as I'm concerned... for this posting to be above the previous one... hehe... possibly due to lack of posting on my behalf... but what the heck, a warm congratulation is overdue... and made me think (of the negatives obviously; human beings love to criticize, but slightly stingy in giving out praise)... surely the problem is with the malaysian super league... 'pro' players managed by less than pro managements... "gaji tak bayar, saper nk main?" said one of the assistant manager of one state team to my uncle... and no its not sarawak, this is not an isolated issue true to one team only...

Funny (but true?) letter...

Lupakan bola sepak - SURAT 2

APA kata pemain kita pada masa akan datang digilap dari kecil dengan memberi tumpuan kepada kanak-kanak Orang Asli di Semenanjung dan anak watan dari Sabah dan Sarawak.

Semasa lawatan fakulti saya ke kawasan perkampungan Orang Asli di Cameron Highlands pada April lepas, kami dapati mereka begitu cergas dan ada kemahiran tersendiri – menggelecek bola dengan tangkas, bertenaga dan bersemangat.

Mereka tidak mudah lelah atau ‘pancit’ walaupun tidak mendapat penjagaan diet makanan yang rapi dan latihan kecergasan intensif seperti yang dilalui oleh pemain-pemain kebangsaan kita.

Anak-anak kecil dalam lingkungan 5-10 tahun pula baik lelaki mahupun perempuan begitu lasak.

Kami sendiri ‘kagum dalam kengerian’ melihatkan mereka berlari menuruni cerun-cerun bukit di kawasan mereka dengan selamba lagi ‘bergaya’.

Mereka sudah mahir mengimbangi badan dan punya kekuatan dalaman yang bagi kami agak sukar dijumpai di kalangan kawan-kawan yang seusia dengan mereka di kawasan bandar mahupun di kampung sekarang.

Tidak silap saya, beberapa tahun lalu, Kementerian Belia dan Sukan ada menyatakan cadangan serupa tetapi tidak pula diketahui perkembangannya sekarang.

Sudah tiba masanya, sumber ‘modal insan’ dalam sukan tanah air kita seperti mereka tidak harus disia-siakan.

– KAMAL IAS,

Kuala Lumpur.

Source: Utusan Malaysia Online, Forum Column, 12 July 2007
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Hahaha... a bit racist (just tiny pinch), slightly 'true', but still very very 'entertaining' to read

Picturesque 7 - Road Trip

Cove Beach (I think), Cornwall

Can you spot the castle? - King Arthur's Last Castle, Penzance

Newquay Beach, Penzance

Guilty as charged = "furius" driving- In the middle of nowhere, Cornwall

Brewing wisdom within oneself - Land's End, Cornwall

Mini tents in the middle of mighty caravans

Sea castle

Giant and I - June 07; Lizard Peak, Cornwall

I'm the most southerly person in the UK - June 07; Lizard Peak, Cornwall.

Malaysia lambasts Top Gear host

Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has come under attack in the Malaysian parliament for labelling one of the country's cars the worst in the world.

The BBC presenter has been filmed attacking the Perodua Kelisa with a sledgehammer before blowing it up.

But minister Abdul Raman Suliman defended the nation's car industry, saying Mr Clarkson was like a football commentator who cannot play football.

Perodua had not received a single complaint from UK owners, he told MPs.

He added that the comments were made merely to boost sales of the Top Gear magazine.

'Soulless'

Mr Clarkson has voiced his frustrations with the small three-cylinder model in both magazine articles and on film.

In one article, he said its name was like a disease and suggested it was built in jungles by people who wear leaves for shoes.

And in a DVD car review, he described it as "unimaginative junk, with no soul, no flair and no passion".

He then smashed it, hung it from a crane with a one-tonne weight attached, before blowing it up.

Perodua is Malaysia's second national carmaker and began producing small compact models in 1995.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6528087.stm

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Living in denial... it's definitely not the overstatement of the year that this particular car is (I quote) "an unimaginative junk, no soul, no flair and no passion"... Yes, I must agree, the jungle people and name-disease relationship is very very annoying and harsh but seriously speaking, the car could (and should have) been better designed. Small and compact doesn't have to be ugly, just look at Toyota Yaris, ever so popular that Toyota developed an upgraded version of the same car.

Just accept the fact and ponder... it wouldn't kill to admit "mistakes" and improvise.

Plus, it's old news mate...

Syukran

Alhamdulillah... I finally passed my finals... It has been a very difficult year... Life wasn't as easy as it used to be... This year has served me with a plethora of challanges ranging in departments, from relationships to studies... But indeed, all praise be to Allah whom granted me the will to carry on against the flow of play... And my parents who stood by me and cemented their belief in me whilst I have lost the belief within myself... And all my friends and especially a friend in particular, who sacrificed and gave me time and taught me the power of believing and hope, when all else is gone...

Alhamdulillah, now just another step to go... insha Allah...

Chimera embryos have right to life, say bishops

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent

Human-animal hybrid embryos conceived in the laboratory - so-called “chimeras” - should be regarded as human and their mothers should be allowed to give birth to them, the Roman Catholic Church said yesterday.

Under draft Government legislation to be debated by Parliament later this year, scientists will be given permission for the first time to create such embryos for research as long as they destroy them within two weeks.

But the Catholic bishops of England and Wales, in a submission to the Parliamentary joint committee scrutinising the draft legislation, said that the genetic mothers of “chimeras” should be able to raise them as their own children if they wished.

The bishops said that they did not see why these “interspecies” embryos should be treated any differently than others.

The wide-ranging draft Human Tissue and Embryo Bill, which aims to overhaul the laws on fertility treatment, will include sections on test tube babies, embryo research and abortion. Ministers say that the creation of animal-human embryos - created by injecting animal cells or DNA into human embryos or human cells into animal eggs - will be heavily regulated.

They insist that it will be against the law to implant “chimeras” - named after the mythical creature that was half man and half animal - into a woman’s womb.

The bishops, who believe that life begins at conception, said that they opposed the creation of any embryo solely for research, but they were also anxious to limit the destruction of such life once it had been brought into existence.

In their submission to the committee, they said: “At the very least, embryos with a preponderance of human genes should be assumed to be embryonic human beings, and should be treated accordingly.

“In particular, it should not be a crime to transfer them, or other human embryos, to the body of the woman providing the ovum, in cases where a human ovum has been used to create them.

“Such a woman is the genetic mother, or partial mother, of the embryo; should she have a change of heart and wish to carry her child to term, she should not be prevented from doing so.”

The draft Bill will also allow the screening of embryos for genetic or chromosomal abnormalities that might lead to serious medical conditions, disabilities, or miscarriage. It will permit doctors to check whether an embryo could provide a suitable tissue match for a sibling suffering from a life-threatening illness.

The Bill would abolish the requirement for fertility clinics to consider the need for a father when deciding on treatment. This means clinics will no longer be able to deny treatment to lesbians and single mothers.

The Catholic bishops said that most of the procedures covered by the Bill “should not be licensed under any circumstances”, principally on the grounds that they violate human rights.

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Source : Telegraph.co.uk

What a sick, sick world... Astaghfirullah al-azim...

Allah al-Mighty - Missing lake

One of the many lakes in Magallanes region in Southern Chile, Lake Pehoe

Dried up lake in Magallanes - sink-hole effect?

Missing: Large lake in southern Chile


Wed Jun 20, 6:44 PM ET

SANTIAGO - A lake in southern Chile has mysteriously disappeared, prompting speculation the ground has simply opened up and swallowed it whole.

The lake was situated in the Magallanes region in Patagonia and was fed by water, mostly from melting glaciers.

It had a surface area of between 4 and 5 hectares (10-12 acres) -- about the size of 10 soccer pitches.

"In March we patrolled the area and everything was normal ... we went again in May and to our surprise we found the lake had completely disappeared," said Juan Jose Romero, regional director of Chile's National Forestry Corporation CONAF.

"The only things left were chunks of ice on the dry lake-bed and an enormous fissure," he told Reuters.

CONAF is investigating the disappearance.

One theory is that the area was hit by an earth tremor that opened a crack in the ground which acted like a drain.

Southern Chile has been shaken by thousands of minor earth tremors this year. (Reuters)

taken from http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070620/sc_nm/chile_lake_dc

Malaysian Cars

A tiny video clip compilation of Malaysian cars from Top Gear, top car review show in UK

I must start with this one, must... simply must... a sorry excuse for a "car"



Be safe, avoid ****** - figure it yourself (Impian = Waja, rebranding in UK)



Comparing cars... finally, something else that's worse



Cheap car, jungle and Lotus...



Funny one...




This compilation of course in no way aimed at demeaning owners of the cars above. In fact, my family even own one of the cars. So no complaining.

Endorphine, Adrenaline and all the good stuff etc...

Manchester United 7 - AS Roma 1


Finally, the much needed personal endorphine rush...

Picture taken from Soccernet.com

Illusions

If you can read this you will shout...


The eyes and their impulse interpretation by the occipital cortex is definitely a 'sign' of His... subhanallah

Copied from Brainteasers

Even more interesting pics there... check'em out

Human Compassion Surprisingly Limited, Study Finds

by Sara Goudarzi, for LiveScience Journal

SAN FRANCISCO—While a person's accidental death reported on the evening news can bring viewers to tears, mass killings reported as statistics fail to tickle human emotions, a new study finds.

The Internet and other modern communications bring atrocities such as killings in Darfur, Sudan* into homes and office cubicles. But knowledge of these events fails to motivate most to take action, said Paul Slovic, a University of Oregon researcher.

People typically react very strongly to one death but their emotions fade as the number of victims increase, Slovic reported here yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"We go all out to save a single identified victim, be it a person or an animal, but as the numbers increase, we level off," Slovic said. "We don't feel any different to say 88 people dying than we do to 87. This is a disturbing model, because it means that lives are not equal, and that as problems become bigger we become insensitive to the prospect of additional deaths."

Human insensitivity to large-scale human suffering has been observed in the past century with genocides in Armenia, the Ukraine, Nazi Germany and Rwanda, among others.

"We have to understand what it is in our makeup—psychologically, socially, politically and institutionally—that has allowed genocide to go unabated for a century," Slovic said. "If we don't answer that question and use the answer to change things, we will see another century of horrible atrocities around the world."

Slovic previously studied this phenomenon by presenting photographs to a group of subjects. In the first photograph eight children needed $300,000 to receive medical attention in order to save their lives. In the next photograph, one child needed $300,000 for medical bills.

Most subjects were willing to donate to the one and not the group of children.

In his latest research, Slovic and colleagues showed three photos to participants: a starving African girl, a starving African boy and a photo of both of them together.

Participants felt equivalent amounts of sympathy for each child when viewed separately, but compassion levels declined when the children were viewed together.

"The studies ... suggest a disturbing psychological tendency," Slovic said. "Our capacity to feel is limited. Even at two, people start to lose it.”

________________


On the issue of genocide, I am a bit disturb by the fact that Shabra Shatila genocide was not even mentioned by the writer. Sure, the 'official' death toll (3500) is probably not as much as the Auschwitz's 'death toll'; and the researcher's background (i.e. non-muslim*) might account for her to be innocently unaware of the significance of the tragedy; but I am still quite adamant that the tragedy is somewhat worth mentioning in such credible journal. This is especially true considering the backlash involved around the world condemning and boycotting Israel and 'her' goods. Nonetheless in the current political viewing of the tragedy (i.e. after the Belgian court proceedings**), who can blame him.


________________

* I have my doubts about the situation in Sudan, as noted in a previous post

* Be aware that I am saying this without prejudice whatsoever. Just that the genocide is understandably more emotionally significant and takes more political influence among muslims.

** Belgian Court Proceeding - After the victims of the Rwandan Genocide won a legal case using a 1993 law, the victims of Shabra Shatila Massacre filed a lawsuit in Belgium against Ariel Sharon (then Israeli Prime Minister but was the Minister of Defence at the time of massacre). The Belgium Supreme Court in February 2003 ruled that there were vindication to bring Sharon and his 'comrades' to face the charges.

Unfortunately at the time, another case was brought forward against the former US President George Bush and Secretary of State (if I'm not mistaken) Colin Powell for war crimes during the first Gulf War. US argued against the validity of having proceedings of war crime committed elsewhere taking place in Belgian Supreme Court. The US pressured the Belgian government to revoke the jurisdiction and even pressured its European Allies to move NATO HQ away from Brussels.

As a result, the Belgian Parliment were forced to amend its law to require human rights complaints to only take place in Belgium given that a Belgian is involved. They also guaranteed diplomatic immunity for world leaders visiting the country.

Viagra Saves Premature Baby's Life - taken from Telegraph News

By Sally Peck and agencies

Last Updated: 3:09pm GMT 15/02/2007

A premature baby on the brink of death has made a "miraculous recovery" after being given the little blue sex pill Viagra.

The parents of Lewis Goodfellow, born at just 24 weeks, said they had started making funeral plans as the their son lay critically ill in hospital but he is now at home with the couple after being given the anti-impotence drug.

Jade Goodfellow and John Barclay, the baby's parents, from Walker, Newcastle, credited the wonder drug with saving their son's life.

Jade's pregnancy had been going smoothly until she unexpectedly went into labour at just 24 weeks. Babies born at 23 weeks and before have a low chance of survival.

Lewis was born at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary on August 16 last year weighing just 1lb 8oz.

When he was just over a day old, Lewis's lung collapsed and doctors discovered a duct in his heart had not closed up, which meant that blood was not being pumped around his body properly.

At three weeks old, surgeons stitched the duct with a silk thread, but medics became increasingly worried about the youngster's lungs which, despite being given maximum supplies of oxygen, were still struggling to get it into his blood supply.

At that point, doctors gave the baby Viagra and, gradually, Lewis's stricken lung began to improve.

The drug works by opening up some of the small blood vessels in lungs which are not working properly to help carry oxygen around the body with the blood.

Viagra, the trade name of the drug Sildenafil, is being used for very premature babies only after doctors have tried all other treatment options and consulted the baby's family.

Lewis is one of the first babies to be given the pill by medics at the Royal Victoria Infirmary's special care baby unit in Newcastle.

He was allowed to leave hospital on January 15 and is now at home with his parents Jade, a sales assistant, and John, a lifeguard. At six months old he still needs 24-hour oxygen but his mother, Jade, 17, believes it is a miracle he is alive.

Alan Fenton, the Royal Victoria Infirmary consultant neonatologist, said: "Using Sildenafil is relatively unusual.

"It is a fairly new form of treatment which we've been using on the unit for around a year.

"It has been used successfully in full term babies but it is unclear whether it works as well in very premature babies." He said, so far, they had used the drug to treat six premature babies.

For original article click here

Bi*tch

Today I met an Ethiopian asylum seeker with persistent loin pain unresponsive to pain killers, nocturia, urgency and microscopic haematuria. He claimed to be imprisoned for political reasons and during which he was tortured (among the 'punishments' were being kicked in the balls and left lumbar region. Since then, these symptoms occur. Damn SoBs...

History of Religion: 5000 years in 90 seconds

Imperial History of the Middle East

Butterflies everywhere....

I'm having a viva in a few hours... for psych... butterflies in my tummy; and for that matter, my head, my guts, and everywhere else...

There're butterflies everywhere...

Aaaaaarrrrgggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh cuak siot

:)

I am really exhausted... and it is only January

I feel some sort of deadness inside... really feeling it... it is like the hunger and energy are gone... but it can't leave me yet... i have got years to endure (insha Allah)... then he stroke me with a really enlightening statement...

Steve Coppell, Reading Boss, ex-Man United winger

Coppell believes it is down to his players to maintain their momentum, adding: 'Up until November the Premiership is a novelty and the freshness and enthusiasm can take you so far, then you have to play well because teams work you out.

'How do you maintain it? Champions don't need any other reason other than winning - I remember Bryan Robson, a wealthy man, yet day-in day-out he came into training and every five-a-side was a cup final.

'There is an in-built mentality to the best players.'

I am one of those breed... best players.