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Kayu Gaharu - Aquilaria malaccensis

2009-05-24T04:06:00.000-07:00

Nama Tempatan: Gaharu/depu
Nama Saintifik: Aquilaria malaccensis
Nama Lain: Karas, Engkaras, agar wood, aquilaria, krasna, agaloca,aloeswood, eaglewood, jinkoh. Famili: Thymelaeaceae
Lokasi dijumpai: Hutan hujan tropika

Fakta keterangan:

Kayu Gaharu terkenal di seluruh dunia dengan pelbagai panggilan, Chen Xiang bagi masyarakat Cina, Jin-Ko (Jepun) dan Oud atau Oode di kalangan bangsa Arab.

Ia juga digunakan oleh masyarakat secara meluas sejak turun-temurun, malah ada yang mengatakan kayu gaharu dari pokok gaharu telah digunakan sejak zaman Firaun sama ada untuk upacara keagamaan atau bahan untuk membuat minyak wangi.

Pokok gaharu atau dikenali juga di Malaysia dengan nama lain seperti depu, karas atau engkaras merupakan pokok besar yang boleh mencapai ketinggian sehingga 40 meter tingginya. Diameter batangnya pula boleh mencapai sekitar 60 cm. Gaharu merupakan sejenis tumbuhan yang tumbuh di kawasan hutan hujan tropika, terutamanya di tanah rendah sehingga ke kawasan yang ketinggiannya sehingga 270 meter daripada paras laut. Taburan pertumbuhan pokok gaharu /depu secara geografinya meliputi kawasan Asia tenggara, India dan China. Gaharu boleh hidup di semua jenis tanah kecuali kawasan paya dan berair.

Secara keseluruhan terdapat lapan jenis pokok gaharu di dunia tetapi di Malaysia hanya ada empat jenis iaitu, Karas, Candan Gajah, Candan Gunung dan Cendana. Bagi masyarakat Malaysia, pokok gaharu atau nama saintifiknya Aquilaria Malaccensis hanya boleh didapati di dalam hutan belantara dan jumlahnya pula dilaporkan semakin sedikit atau hampir pupus. Kegiatan mencari kayu gaharu secara haram menjadikan tumbuhan itu kini semakin pupus kerana harganya, sama ada kayu (heartwood) atau minyak (damar) yang dihasilkan pokok itu adalah amat bernilai tinggi, lebih mahal dari harga emas.

Tarikan kayu gaharu Malaysia dan nilainya yang amat tinggi merupakan magnet kepada pencari-pencari haram kayu gaharu terutamanya dari Thailand untuk menceroboh hutan-hutan negara ini sehingga ke Sarawak untuk mendapatkan tumbuhan berharga itu.

Sekilogram kayu gaharu jenis karas dianggarkan bernilai di antara RM5 ribu hingga RM60 ribu, Candan Gajah (RM180 ribu hingga RM200 ribu) dan Candan Gunung (RM1 juta) manakala harga seliter minyaknya pula bernilai 10 kali ganda dari kayunya.

Pokok gaharu boleh tumbuh di dalam hampir semua keadaan dengan penjagaan yang minimum, dan boleh mencecah ketinggian sehingga 40 meter manakala jejari batang pokoknya boleh membesar sehingga 60 cm.

Bagaimanapun bagi pokok gaharu jenis Candan Gunung, ia hanya boleh tumbuh di kawasan yang mempunyai ketinggian 1,500 kaki dari aras laut, menjadikan ia lebih sukar ditemui dan dibiak.

kegunaan:

Resin yang terhasil di bahagian teras batang pokok gaharu merupakan bahan yang mempunyai nilai komersial yang amat di tinggi di pasaran seluruh dunia.Resin

ini telah digunakan sejak zaman berzaman sebagai setanggi atau kemenyan, digunakan dalam perubatan, kosmetik mahupun bahan untuk upacara keagamaan. Cara

tradisonal untuk mendapatkan resin ini ialah dengan menebang pokok ini untuk mendapatkan resinnya. Malangnya tidak semua pokok yang telah matang akan

menghasilkan resin, menyebabkan ada pokok yang ditebang secara sia-sia sahaja. Ini menyebabkan pokok gaharu mula diancam kepupusan di habitat asalnya. Tetapi

kini ada kaedah yang lebih efektif digunakan tanpa perlu menebang dan memusnahkan pokok yang telah matang.

Kini gaharu merupakan spesis tumbuhan yang di lindungi di negara kita.Pengambilan gaharu daripada habitat semulajadi merupakan satu kesalahan di negara kita.

Perjanjian antarabangsa seperti CITES(Satu konvensioan yang membincangkan urusniaga antarabangsa yang dilakukan ke atas spesis-spesis terkawal)telah diperakui dan dipersetujui oleh 169 buah negara. Persetujuan ini adalah untuk memastikan urusniaga gaharu tidak akan mengancam kepupusan pokok gaharu di habitat semulajadinya.

Airsoft Games

2009-05-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

Airsoft is a game in which participants eliminate opponents by hitting each other with spherical non-metallic pellets fired from a compressed-air gun (or airsoft gun) powered by gas, manual spring-load, or electrically powered gearbox.

Airsoft participants organize meetings at dedicated airsoft battlefields often adapted to provide walls, bunkers, trenches, buildings, towers, and other similar man-made field enhancements to offer realism analogous to real war environments.

Airsoft games vary greatly in style and composition depending on location, budget, and quantity of participants but often range from short-term skirmishes, organized scenarios, military simulations, or historical reenactments.

Combat situations on the battlefield often involve the use of common military tactics to achieve the objectives set in each game. Participants typically use varying types of non-lethal weaponry designed as replicas of real firearms, tactical gear, and accessories used by modern military and police organizations.

Airsoft guns and playing airsoft is legal in most parts of the world. Some countries have specific restrictions such as maximum muzzle velocity, aka FPS (feet per second), rules against using the trademarks of real firearms, and 'unrealistic' coloring to distinguish them from actual firearms. They are legal throughout the U.S, but restrictions exist in certain cities such as Camden, Newark, NJ, Chicago, IL, New York City and Detroit, MI. The states of New Jersey, Illinois, New York and Michigan, however, do not allow airsoft guns to be used and handled publicly, because of the resemblance to real firearms, although Federal and State laws generally regard airsoft guns as toys and in the United States the muzzle tip must be orange.

Legal issues

Classic Army M15A4 Automatic Electric Gun. In the United Kingdom, airsoft replicas are classified as realistic imitation firearms or RIFs. The sale, manufacture or importation of RIFs are restricted to activities that are exempted or have been granted a defense by the Home Office under the Violent Criminal Reduction Act. Airsoft has been granted a defense and a skirmisher as defined under British law is allowed to purchase, manufacture or import airsoft replicas. Usually, the only accepted method of proving entitlement is to be a member of a site that holds public liability insurance. A scheme set up by UK retailers, called UKARA, recommends that an airsoft site only give membership to a player who has played at least three games over a period of no less than two months. The right to own a RIF is still reserved to over 18's. Many retailers will only sell airsoft replicas to UKARA registered players. Also, the use or possession of any kind of replica weapon, loaded or otherwise in a public place is an offense under UK law and can carry heavy penalties.

Some airsoft players inform local police where and when airsoft games will take place, so that misunderstandings can be avoided.

Due to a steady entry of lower-cost airsoft guns from abroad, the Philippine National Police issued in December 2007 its Circular 11 (Airsoft Implementing Rules and Regulations), regulating the ownership of airsoft guns by Filipino citizens. Only airsoft guns with a muzzle velocity of 550 feet (170 m) per second (ft/s) or less using 0.2-g BBs can be registered. The PNP AIRR also regulates the operation of airsoft playing fields, teams, and the standardized rules and codes of conduct among airsoft players.

More about airsoft

A Personal Mind Power Revelation

2009-05-20T01:43:00.000-07:00

Mind machines, mind power, the mind matter phenomenon, the law of attraction, the field, the matrix, the force, the power of intention, the quantum mind, brain plasticity, whole brain integration, hemispheric synchronization, the subconscious, the collective unconscious, the third eye, altered states, meditation, prayer, paranormal, mystical experiences, PSI....

A query into any of the above subjects will provide reams of data, opinions, and public debate intended to shed light on a subject that by its very nature thus defies public revelation. I have studied all of these subjects over the years in a bid to understand the full potential of my own nature and with every new understanding I have continually refined my efforts towards achieving what I've crudely been describing as mastery over my mind, or mind power.

With every process aimed at mastering a skill, there are stages of development followed by plateaus where it seems no progress is being made. And then, usually when you least expect it, another shift occurs and your commitment to the process is reinvigorated pushing you on to progress further. This pattern continues for as long as you keep with the process, until eventually something different happens. Your understanding reaches a critical mass, you experience a seismic shift, developmentally, you experience a quantum leap, placing you at the threshold of your desired mastery.

So far for me the stages that have played a part in developing my own mind's power look roughly like this:

* As a child I had an awareness that there was more to me than what my sensory systems could reveal
* I acquired a faith in an organised religion
* Experienced spontaneous mystical, transcendental experiences
* Entered a dark night of the soul, existential angst
* Lost my faith
* Experimented with drugs
* Explored various world religions
* Became and 'accidental' practitioner of self designed occult practices
* Inadvertently practiced 'dark magic' bringing me to literally death's door
* Realised the 'dark magic' was a misuse of my mind and that my mind had far more power than I ever realised
* Being fearful of the power I had realised I 'shut down'
* Entered another dark night of the soul
* Woke up to the realisation that I had to make my mind's power work for me - because my life wasn't, but how?
* Conducted research on how to harness my mind's potential
* A flow of synchronicities led me to various materials and mind machine systems
* Attempted to establish myself in self designed technique of meditative practice
* Used technologies to change my brainwave states
* Practised sending out love to 'the universe' while endeavouring to stop all judgement
* Learnt a proper meditation technique: Vipassana, and developed a daily practice
* Experienced an increase in synchronicities, psychic phenomenon, manifestations, mystical experiences (this is ongoing)
* Realised increased mind control: more calm, peace, happiness
* Continued to utilise mind systems: binaural beats, rapid data transfer, Solfreggio frequencies ...
* Shared my gained knowledge with those interested in aim of being of service and help
* Began serving at a Vipassana meditation centre to help others learn the technique
* Experienced a seismic mind shift

With hindsight, it is easy to see that I have always been travelling down a path towards enlightenment. A path, I believe we are all in fact destined to journey at some point.

In my own case, I have been quite caught up in what perhaps the sagacious would describe as 'mind playing', a realised ability to experience increased synchronicities, paranormal, mystical experiences, manifestations, prophetic dreams and so forth. Believing at times, they were the goal. They continue to be pleasant and they serve as indicators of my ability to attune my mental powers in certain ways, but the goal has, changed.

By developing my mind's power I have realised a more important goal, understanding that the development of this power is only a step along the way towards something far more important: the purification of my mind.

Only now through direct experience do I understand that by purifying my mind not only am I elevating my vibration, allowing me to be one with higher frequencies of 'the field', causing all manner of good to manifest, but I am, most importantly, developing my ability to experience, at will, my divine being.

We are all divine, we can believe we are, have faith that we are, but to experientially know it is something entirely different. Our minds can be likened to a lens that our consciousness focuses itself through. When our minds are impure, they are out of focus, and we do not see ourselves as we really are. Truth, our true nature is obscured. We are in the dark, which makes us afraid and we act out of this fear, causing all manner of pain and suffering. Rather than masters, we become slaves to our minds and we are blind with it.

As a consequence of striving to develop my mind's power, the fantastic irony is that while realising evermore of it, I have simultaneously surpassed my desire for it. Understanding that what I really want is to purify it, to be without any wanting, to be liberated from thought, to resonate as joy, harmony, peace, love. To be conscious beyond words.

So to you, who are sincerely endeavouring to develop your true mind's power, know this, if you don't already: it is but a step, a quantum step, towards the experiential revelation of your true nature, that you are a divine being.

May all beings in their own right time, know real love, peace and harmony.

By Christine G. Flynn

What's a '57 Ferrari worth? $12 million

2009-05-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

1957 Italian racing car sets a record for a public auction. The 250 Testa Rossa is one of only 22 ever made.

NEW YORK - A 1957 Ferrari race car was sold at auction in Italy on Sunday for a record $12 million, according to the Italian automaker.

The sale of the 250 Testa Rossa - for 9.02 million euro - blew past the previous auction record scored by a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT, which sold last year for $9.6 million in current exchange rates. The identities of both the buyer and seller were not made public.

"Ferrari prices have absolutely defied gravity for the past few years," said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance, a company that insures high-value collectable cars in Europe and North America.

Private sales of Ferraris have fetched such premium prices before, but this is a record for a public auction. "That is what makes this pretty remarkable. It is a pretty special sale," said Hagerty.

Ferrari, headquartered in Maranello, Italy, made only 22 of the 250 Testa Rossa racecars. The car sold at auction first hit the track at the 1958 Buenos Aires 1000 km, where it came in fourth place.

All 22 models of the Testa Rossa were entered in 19 international championships between 1958 and 1961 and won 10 victories, according to a release from auction house RM Auctions.

The auction for the race car lured bidders from across the globe.

"The historical significance of this car attracted a bidding war as collectors from around the world - both in the room and on the telephone - competed to secure one of the most alluring and iconic of all Ferrari racing cars," said Max Girardo, managing director of RM Europe, in a statement.

Last year, the 1961 Ferrari California Spyder set the record for a price paid at auction.

Big-ticket auction sales are usually kept confidential. But last year's Spyder sale was different because the car had been owned by actor James Coburn, who died in 2002, and was purchased by British television and radio personality Chris Evans.

The market for collectable cars has been dented by the recession, but buyers are willing to pay top dollar for rare race cars like the Testa Rossa.

"It is literally the Van Gogh or Picasso that someone wants to have over their mantle," said Hagerty.

The record-setting auction for the Italian luxury automobile comes in the middle of a global recession that has sent U.S. automakers into a tailspin, forcing them to adhere to strict restructuring plans.

Chrysler has had to shutter 789 dealerships, or roughly 25% of the current number, as part of its bankruptcy filing. On Friday, General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) said it would be terminating contracts with 1,100 of its 6,000 dealerships.

Chrysler was forced to file for bankruptcy and entered into an alliance with Italian automaker Fiat, which owns 85% of Ferrari.

Piero Ferrari owns 10% of Ferrari and Mubadala Development Company, based out of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, owns another 5% of the company

By Catherine Clifford, CNNMoney.com staff writer

How to solve the financial crisis

2009-05-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

Cornell economist Robert H. Frank explains why a culture of excessive risk taking flourished - and what might push everyone from money managers to homebuyers to act more prudently.

(Money Magazine) -- As a writer and an economics professor at Cornell University, Robert Frank has been trying for years to bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world. Though he has proved his command of the essentials of his profession - he wrote a textbook with Federal Reserve Board chief Ben Bernanke back in 2000 - his vision of economics is broader and more thought-provoking than most.

In "The Winner-Take-All Society" (1996) and "Luxury Fever" (2000), Frank analyzed the economic logic underlying sky-high salaries in business, sports, and entertainment, and the effects of luxury spending on middle-class Americans. In "The Economic Naturalist" (2007), he used economic principles to explain quirky questions of everyday life, like why drive-through ATMs have Braille buttons.

His new book, "The Economic Naturalist's Field Guide," collects dozens of his columns from the New York Times on topics ranging from gas taxes (he likes them) to the over-abundance of hedge fund managers. Contributing writer David Futrelle recently sought Frank's take on some of the hot-button economic issues of the day.

You have compared the problems that caused the financial mess to steroid use in pro sports. How so?

In both cases individual interests don't coincide with collective interests. If you are a fund manager, you want a lot of money under management because that's how you get paid. When some firm crafts a portfolio of slightly riskier securities and leverages it up 50 to 1 - that is, matches every investor dollar with $50 of borrowed money - investors are going to get a huge rate of return, assuming the underlying assets rise in price. Asset managers know investors want high returns, so a lot of them start offering that strategy.

Of course, each price drop produces huge losses for investors. But the managers know there's safety in numbers - if things go sour, they can say everybody else was doing the same thing.

It's like when one athlete gets a boost from steroids: Others have to adjust to the new level of performance.

Exactly. That logic extends to homeowners. During the presidential campaign, John McCain was hammering them for borrowing more than they could afford. But if you take into account the link between how much a house costs and the quality of schools in that neighborhood, you can see that if other people were borrowing more - which they were - and you didn't, then it would be your kids who ended up going to the schools where students score in the 20th percentile and have to go through metal detectors.

In sports the solution is to ban steroids and insist on testing. What's the solution in the financial world?

To start, you can regulate the amount of leverage asset managers could offer. But if you really want to blunt the incentive for investors to squeeze out ever higher returns, scrap the income tax and shift to a much more steeply progressive consumption tax. You would report people's income and savings to the IRS each year. The difference between those numbers is how much they consume.

Tax that instead of taxing people's income, and the government would strengthen the incentive to save and invest, and weaken the incentive to build bigger houses. If other people were building smaller houses, each investor would feel less compelled to take greater risks to keep up.

Wouldn't a consumption tax, which reduces consumer spending, be a drag on economic growth?

The tax should be phased in gradually after the economy recovers. The capital market would direct consumers' extra savings to investors, who would spend the money on capital goods. So total spending would remain the same - and it's total spending that determines output and employment.

You've said that executive pay in America is too high, but you also think pay caps are a bad idea. Why?

The jobs that are the most important, that create the most value, end up paying more. You need [salary] bidding wars to help identify the best people and steer them to the right places. What's not true is that they need big salaries to be willing to work hard. There's no evidence for that. If the differences in their post-tax pay were just a tiny fraction of what we see pretax, everything would work just about as well. So the simplest remedy would be to raise the tax on those high salaries.

But you argue that this logic doesn't apply as well to the financial industry, right?

In the case of, say, the software industry, there's a link between earnings and the extent to which good employees benefit the economy. In the finance industry there's no such link. Those companies earn more when they hire smarter people largely because smarter people can figure out more devious ways to unload risk onto other people.

Anytime it looks as if individuals are generating huge profits for a financial firm, I think the presumption should be that there's some market failure they're exploiting. Regulation can eliminate those failures and therefore those profits. Pay caps are a clumsy instrument. But if you had them in the financial industry, life would go on.

Lower consumer spending has made the downturn worse. Should we feel guilty that we're not spending enough?

No. The amount an individual spends is too small to make a difference. Only the government can print money and borrow it on a big enough scale. But if you want to spend, do it in a smart way - by adding insulation to your house, for example. That puts people to work without making your balance sheet worse in the long run.

"A lot of people are happy to blast the idea of a consumption tax without having heard the logic of it."

By David Futrelle, Money Magazine contributing writer

Yahoo! recommends the New Internet Explorer 8

2009-05-19T04:10:00.000-07:00

It's time to upgrade your Internet Explorer
The New Internet Explorer 8 Optimized for Yahoo!. Safer, faster, easier

* Better protection against online threats such as fraudulent sites and spyware
* Increased speed to help you browse the Web faster
* New tools that provide easier access to your favorite sites
* Built-in Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! Toolbar and Yahoo! Search

Operating Systems Supported

* Windows XP 32-bit with Service Pack 2 or higher with a minimum of 64MB RAM and 150MB disk space
* Windows Vista 32-bit or 64-bit with a minimum of 512MB RAM and 115MB disk space

Download Explorer 8 Here

YouTube deals will expand content offerings

2009-05-19T03:45:00.000-07:00

Fans of Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) video website YouTube will be noticing some upgrades in the near future amid reports that it has reached content deals with a number of top entertainment companies.

A report on CNET News notes that the popular video site has recently reached agreements with companies including Sony Pictures, CBS, MGM and others that will lead to entire films and episodes of TV shows being made available to viewers.

The technology news website quoted YouTube executives as saying that the site will soon feature a "shows" option where people can browse shows using a variety of different categories, as well as a "subscriptions" tab for premium content.

Elsewhere, a report by the New York Times provides some insight into the importance of the deal for YouTube and the potential for expanded revenues that it brings. According to the newspaper, YouTube is expected to lose about $470 million in 2009, largely due to the costs of bandwidth and storage.

The Times also notes that part of its deals with the entertainment companies will result in advertisements that can be seen before, next to and during the videos that are being shown.

By Steve Monfort

Obama backing proposed credit card reforms

2009-05-19T03:35:00.000-07:00

Momentum for credit card reform legislation continues to grow, with President Obama highlighting the issue this week during a visit to New Mexico.

Obama focused largely on credit card issues during a town hall meeting in Rio Rancho that was held on Thursday. This was the president's latest opportunity to express support for legislation to enact various reforms on controversial credit card practices like sudden interest hikes and unreasonable late fees.

"Americans need a durable and successful flow of credit in our economy, but we can't tolerate profits that depend upon misleading working families. For too long, credit card contracts have been deceptively complicated, often leading consumers to pay more than they reasonably expect due to unfair practices," said Obama during the event.

The Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights passed the House recently but has been facing a less certain passage in the Senate. Still, political support appears to be strong among lawmakers and the public in general for such legislation.

The White House notes that Americans pay about $15 billion in penalty fees on their debts, and has laid out criteria that a final plan must meet, such as banning unfair rate increases and fees, while providing more market transparency and protections for younger consumers.

By Bill Laforme

NASDAQ

2009-05-19T03:30:00.000-07:00

The NASDAQ (acronym of National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange. It is the largest electronic screen-based equity securities trading market in the United States. With approximately 3,800 companies, it has more trading volume per hour than any other stock exchange in the world.

It was founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), who divested themselves of it in a series of sales in 2000 and 2001. It is owned and operated by the NASDAQ OMX Group, the stock of which was listed on its own stock exchange in 2002, and is monitored by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). With the completed purchase of the Nordic-based operated exchange OMX, following its agreement with Borse Dubai, NASDAQ is poised to capture 67% of the controlling stake in the aforementioned exchange, thereby inching ever closer to taking over the company and creating a trans-atlantic powerhouse. The group, now known as Nasdaq-OMX, controls and operates the NASDAQ stock exchange in New York City -- the second largest exchange in the United States. It also operates eight stock exchanges in Europe and holds one-third of the Dubai Stock Exchange. It has a double-listing agreement with OMX, and will compete with NYSE Euronext group in attracting new listings.

Lambert-Allen matchup may be a wacky 'Idol' finale

2009-05-19T01:04:00.000-07:00

The final "American Idol" performance episode could be the weirdest concert ever televised.In one corner, there's over-the-top Adam Lambert, the dominating presence who transformed Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" into a sitar-infused spectacle and tackled "Whole Lotta Love," the first-ever Led Zeppelin tune performed on Fox's "Idol." From the outset, he's been the ambiguous rocker next door, most comfortable — but not scary — in eyeliner and studded leather.

Then, there's Kris Allen, always at home in jeans with his guitar. The only fashion risk he's taken is that smidge of blue nail polish spotted on his thumb during a visit home to Conway, Ark. Allen garnered the most praise with his daring song choices, like singing "Falling Slowly" from indie musical "Once" and reinventing Kanye West's robotic "Heartless" as a wistful singer-songwriter joint.

"Kris' appeal is that he has an honesty and a sincerity when he performs, and that he has never tried to change who he is," said judge Kara DioGuardi. "He's like a steady ship in the night. He never changes his clothes because everybody else around him is. He never does a song in a way that is sort of overcooked because everyone else around him is."

The mixture of Allen's subtly and Lambert's showiness — only to be broken up with a performance by fourth-season champ Carrie Underwood — will likely make for a kookier-than-usual show Tuesday, especially considering that Allen's slot in the final two has been perceived as a come-from-behind victory for the 23-year-old college student.

"It's going to be a strange and interesting juxtaposition on Tuesday night," said Michael Slezak, who blogs about "Idol" for Entertainment Weekly magazine's Web site. "Kris and Adam are so different. Calling them apples and oranges doesn't go far enough. They're almost from different planets. It's like comparing a root vegetable to a sea creature."

If there's anything they have in common, it's consistency.

The only time the men were in the show's dreaded group of bottom-three vote-getters was after their Rat Pack-themed performances, yet Lambert has long been considered the front-runner. After host Ryan Seacrest revealed last week that only 1 million votes separated Allen from the 27-year-old theater actor, the competition could be closer than expected.

"These guys have been doing a great job already, so I don't have much to tell them except to be true to themselves and really engage the home viewers through the cameras," advises sixth season runner-up Blake Lewis. "As far as finale week goes, they just need to stay focused and try to balance themselves through the chaos. It's really stressful."

The winner's fate may lie in the dialing fingers of the fans who had been supporting Milwaukee church music director Danny Gokey — and keeping him out of the bottom three until his dismissal last week. DioGuardi believes that Tuesday's episode "will be about forming a connection with the audience, and it's really about who's gonna get those Danny votes."
Still, most imagine the "Idol" title is Lambert's for the taking.

"I think this is going to be a walk in the park for Adam," said Rickey Yaneza, who blogs about "Idol" at Rickey.org. "Judging from the traffic on my site, everyone is more interested in Adam. Kris simply can't compete with Adam's vocal calisthenics. Kris just has to be himself. Wow. That sounds like something Paula Abdul would say, doesn't it?"

AP Entertainment Writer Erin Carlson in New York contributed to this report.

Alahai Babi..

2009-05-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

Influenza A H1N1 - Alahai babi.. sedangkan babi pun kena selesma, inikan pula manusia..dari babi berjangkit ke manusia...dari manusia berjangkit ke manusia, jadi penyakit yang digeruni...boleh membunuh plak tu...inilah yang dinamakan penyakit di akhir zaman...

Kalau dulu selesma burung, burung pun kena selesma da...isk...isk..isk..masa akan datang, ntah selesma apa lak...selesma unta? kuda? kucing, kambing? hahaah...

Ni sedikit info pasal virus ni.

Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, also known as A(H1N1), is a subtype of influenzavirus A and the most common cause of influenza (flu) in humans. Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans, including the strain(s) responsible for the 1918 flu pandemic which killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Less virulent H1N1 strains still exist in the wild today, worldwide, causing a small fraction of all influenza-like illness and a large fraction of all seasonal influenza. H1N1 strains caused roughly half of all flu infections in 2006. Other strains of H1N1 are endemic in pigs and in birds.
-Source Wiki

Rare blue diamond sells for record $9.5 million

2009-05-13T02:14:00.000-07:00

By Stephanie Nebehay Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) – A flawless vivid blue diamond weighing 7.03 carats sold Tuesday for a record 10.5 million Swiss francs ($9.49 million), the highest price paid per carat for any gemstone at auction, Sotheby's said.

The rectangular-shaped blue stone, the rarest to enter the international market this year, went to an anonymous buyer bidding by telephone after hectic bidding see-sawed between two callers for 15 minutes.

It was the centrepiece of its semi-annual sale in Geneva, conducted by David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby's jewelry department in Europe and the Middle East, who said the results showed the market's resilience despite the economic downturn.

"This is already a new world record price for a fancy vivid blue diamond and a new world record per carat for any gemstone (at auction)," Bennett told reporters.

"It is fantastic in this market and shows that these rare things are very much in demand," he said.

The final price includes a commission paid by the buyer to the auction house. The stone sets a record price per carat for any gemstone sold at auction of $1,349,752, Sotheby's said.

The previous record price for a fancy vivid blue diamond was $7.9 million, including commission, for a stone weighing 6.04 carats at sale in Hong Kong in October 2007, also by Sotheby's.

The new owner will have the right to name the stone, which is mounted in a platinum ring. The pre-sale catalog estimate was 6.8 million to 10 million francs, excluding commission. The hammer price excluding commission was 9.3 million francs.

It was put up for sale by London-listed Petra Diamonds, which extracted it last year from the historic Cullinan mine in South Africa, the world's most regular supplier of blue diamonds of size and quality. Blue are the rarest of the diamond family after reds.

"To have a stone mined last year and cut the early part of this year so it is absolutely virgin coming straight from the mine has never happened before," Bennett said. "This is one of the extremely rare substances in our universe."

The sale fetched a total of 39.5 million swiss francs ($35.7 million) for 266 lots which found new owners, while another 80 pieces were stranded on the block.

"In this general economic environment to see $35 million worth sold in a session shows a lot about the resilience of fine jewels no matter what the climate," Bennett said.

Fresh stones to the market, including coloured diamonds, fetched good prices, the Briton said.

(Editing by Jonathan Lynn and Jon Boyle)

Auto Insurance Settlements

2009-05-11T23:56:00.000-07:00

Auto accident insurance settlement cases are the most common form of insurance settlements that are negotiated for personal injury claims. If you have been in an auto accident, then you would be entitled to receive an auto insurance settlement from an insurance company, but it is important to identify who the guilty party was during the accident. This is information is required because it would help determine whose insurance would pay for the damages and the medical care if required.

For accidents where there is no serious property damage or bodily injury, insurance companies will go ahead and quickly pay an auto insurance settlement. However, if there has been severe damage in terms of injuries and property damage, it would be prudent to deal with a lawyer to insure a proper settlement. Instead of just blindly accepting any auto insurance settlement offered, you should hire a lawyer to explain your rights and tell you what kind of monetary damages you are entitled to.

If you are a victim of an auto accident, there are a few steps that you should take in order to protect and maximize your interests. You should be careful about what you are stating as that can be used as a statement against you. A good step though would be to file a police report at the scene of the accident.

After the initial police report is made, you should contact your auto insurance provider in order to begin the auto accident insurance settlement process. Typically, a claims adjuster will examine the facts of the case in order to determine liability and the extent of damages that were incurred as a result of the accident. If it is determined that you were also partially to blame in the accident, you may not be eligible for compensation through an auto accident insurance settlement. To be on the safe side, you should consult an attorney who specializes in this field. He or she would be the best equipped to safeguard your rights and options.

Sell Structured Insurance Settlements

2009-05-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

It is not good practice to sell a structured settlement without a real need for the money. Structured settlement annuities are usually bought as investments and do not provide the necessary benefit when they are sold early. Even though part of the settlement can be sold to raise money for a one time necessity, the entire settlement must be sold only in case of dire emergency when the money cannot be raised in any other manner. Since structured settlements ensure regular periodic payments, many people hesitate to sell the entire settlement at one stretch.

However, in the case of necessity, a structured settlement can prove to be a boon. If possible, only a part of the settlement should be sold unless a lump sum is required as an emergency. In the case that the settlement acts as a worker's compensation settlement, the injured party might no longer require the periodic payments to cover the medical expenses. In such cases the rest of the settlement can be sold to raise a tidy sum for use or investment elsewhere.

Since a finalized structured settlement cannot be negotiated and changed, it is better to look into it before signing. Some contracts might not allow the party to sell off the structured settlement before the time is expired. Also, some contracts might legally bind the party to go through a lot of legalities before selling the structured settlement. A structured settlement broker would be able to provide appropriate advice before entering into a binding contract and can also help with the negotiations before an agreement is reached by either parties.

Brokers might charge a fee in return for their services but their valuable advice is worth it. They can help the clients understand the contract and hence assist them in avoiding a wrong kind of contract.

Structured Insurance Settlements

2009-05-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

If you are entitled to receive an insurance settlement, you can claim it either in a lump sum or as a structured insurance settlement. Both methods have their pros and cons.

In a structured settlement, you receive your benefits in a staggered manner. In other words, you would get the payment assigned to you over a certain time period. This method works if you would like to have access to funds at different stages of life and think you, individually, may not be able to wisely invest a lump sum amount. With a lump sum settlement, you are given all your claim money as a one-time payment. This method is good if you require your entire funds immediately or if you have a better investment plan than a structured settlement can provide.

It is important to note that not everyone is entitled to receive a structured settlement. They are accessible only to those who receive money because of a physical injury. Another aspect that one has to keep in mind is that in order to get structured insurance settlements, the awarded person should clearly state his or her desire for such settlement at the time of settlement agreement.

A structured settlement is a good way to receive tax – free payments spread over a period of time. When you are awarded a settlement you need not take the entire amount at the time of settlement, you do have a second option. You can set up a plan where in you are paid a limited amount of cash in the beginning with the remaining amount paid in installments over a decided time period. The future payments can be made monthly, quarterly, or yearly. By following this plan, you would be able to save a substantial amount of tax.

Generally, you can expect to save anything between 25% and 35% in state and federal taxes depending upon your state of residence and the nature of your settlement. However, to receive the tax break, by law you are required to “fix and determine” the structure of payment at the time of the settlement, which can not be altered at a later time.

Insurance Settlements provides detailed information on Insurance Settlements, Average Insurance Settlement Amounts, Insurance Settlement Loans, Auto Insurance Settlements and more. Insurance Settlements is affiliated with Corporate Life Insurance Settlements.

Article Source: Eddie Tobey

My Shoot SLR

2009-05-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

From My Blog Community

Basking Sharks' Hiding Places Found: Discovery News

2009-05-07T21:12:00.001-07:00

Basking Sharks' Hiding Places Found: Discovery News

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Selsema Babi H1N1 kian menular

2009-04-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

Dunia sekarang heboh dengan penyakit selsema yang telah melanda khinzir.

Akhbar Agence France-Presse telah memberitakan bahawa pihak berkuasa kesihatan dunia bekerja keras untuk menghentikan jangkitan selsema babi yang dikatakan telah menyebabkan kematian-kematian di Mexico di mana terdapat rasa takut penyakit itu mungkin akan berjangkit ke seluruh dunia.

Seramai 20 orang telah disahkan meninggal dunia akibat selsema babi itu dan menambah ianya mungkin boleh mencecah sehingga 81 orang.

Kes-kes yang disyaki sedang dikaji di Eropah, Timur Tengah dan Asia pada hari Ahad sepertimana disahkan sekurang-kurangnya 10 orang yang dijangkiti penyakit ini telah pun menyeberangi Mexico dan kini berada di Amerika Syarikat.

Ajaran Islam sendiri mengharamkan umat Islam memakan daging babi. Ini adalah berdasarkan kepada ayat Quran yang dibawah ini.

Firman Allah SWT: “Diharamkan bagimu (memakan) bangkai, darah, daging babi, (daging haiwan) yang disembelih atas nama selain Allah, yang tercekik, yang dipukul, yang jatuh, yang ditanduk, dan yang diterkam binatang buas, kecuali yang sempat kamu menyembelihnya, dan (diharamkan bagimu) yang disembelih untuk berhala. Dan (diharamkan juga) mengundi nasib dengan anak panah, (mengundi nasib dengan anak panah itu) adalah kefasikan.” (al-Mai’dah:3)

Dari Jabir bin Abdullah RA, bahwa ia mendengar Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda pada tahun penaklukan, ketika beliau masih berada di Makkah: “Sesungguhnya ALLAH dan Rasul-NYA telah mengharamkan penjualan khamar, bangkai, babi dan berhala (patung)”.

Sesungguhnya Allah hanya mengharamkan kepada kamu memakan bangkai, dan darah, dan daging babi, dan binatang-binatang yang disembelih tidak kerana Allah maka sesiapa terpaksa (memakannya kerana darurat) sedang ia tidak mengingininya dan tidak pula melampaui batas (pada kadar benda yang dimakan itu), maka tidaklah ia berdosa. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani. (Surah Al-Baqarah: 173)

Berdasarkan penyelidikan ilmiah, bahawa makan daging babi itu salah satu sebab timbulnya cacing pita yang sangat berbahaya. Lebih-lebih lagi makanan-makanan babi itu yang kotor-kotor dan najis.

Negara Rusia yang takut dengan penularan jangkitan selsema babi pada hari Ahad telah meletakkan larangan mengimport daging dari Mexico, beberapa negeri dari Amerika Syarikat, sembilan negeri Latin America kata jurucakap bagi Perdana Menteri Vladimir Putin.

Tanda-tanda selsema babi juga nampaknya sudah menular ke New Zealand di mana sepuluh penuntut-penuntut dari New Zealand yang baru-baru ini pergi ke Mexico 'mungkin' telah dijangkiti penyakit selsema babi, kata Menteri Kesihatan Tony Ryall pada hari Ahad.

Di Timur Tengah pula, satu kes disyaki selsema babi adalah di mana seorang lelaki Yahudi berusia 26 tahun telah dimasukkan ke hospital di Netanya selepas kembali dari Mexico.

Akhbar The Gurdian dari United Kingdom pula melaporkan simptom-simptom selsema babi adalah sama dengan selsema manusia.

Mengikut Agensi Pertahanan Kesihatan, peletusan wabak selsema babi, sejenis penyakit yang disebabkan oleh influenza jenis A - selalunya menjangkiti babi-babi.

Mereka yang bekerja di sekitar babi-babi juga kemungkinan besar akan dijangkiti virus H1N1 itu dan ianya juga mungkin bagi virus itu menjangkiti manusia kepada manusia lain.

Oleh itu, lebih elok sekiranya babi-babi yang dijangkiti oleh selsema babi ini dimusnahkan untuk melindungi dari ianya menjangkiti manusia pula.

Memakan daging babi juga boleh menyebabkan penyakit antaranya ialah Sistiserkosis, iaitu sejenis penyakit yang disebabkan oleh Cacing Taein seperti t.solium akibat dari memakan babi.

Firman Allah swt :”Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): Aku tidak dapati dalam apa yang telah diwahyukan kepadaku, sesuatu yang diharamkan bagi orang yang hendak memakannya melainkan kalau benda itu bangkai atau darah yang mengalir atau daging babi kerana sesungguhnya ia adalah kotor” (Surah al-Baqarah : 145)

Babi juga telah tersenarai sebagai binatang yang menyebabkan kematian ramai penduduk dunia akibat virus dan kuman bawaannya. Di antara kematian besar-besaran manusia akibat wabak bawaan babi ialah :

1- Spanish Flu – 1918 mengorbankan 20-40 juta orang

2- Hong Kong Flu – 1968 mengorbankan 2 juta orang

3- Russia Flu – 1977 (tiada rekod rasmi)

p/s : aku kutip dari sumber terbuka luas.
p/s : sapa makan bab1 tu..henatikan la..banyak lagi makanan lain yang lazat-lazat

LG Cookie(KP500)

2009-04-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

LG ( Lelaki Ganteng ) ha ha ha ..funny stickman

Mengapa Bayi Menangis

2009-04-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

Setahun sudah Purnomo dan Astuti menikah, dimana mereka saat ini sedang menanti kelahiran bayi mereka yang pertama.

Purnomo gelisah menunggu, sambil memegang erat tangan istrinya purnomo memberikan semangat.

PURNOMO : "Kuatkan hatimu ya sayang..."
ASTUTI : "Uuuhh....uuuh....uuuh...astuti mengejan"
Maka akhirnya bayi keluar dari rahim astuti dengan mengeluarkan tangis yang keras.

PURNOMO : "Yang kanapa bayi kita menangis keras sekali ?"
BIDAN : "Itu biasa pak ,kalau bayi lahir pasti menangis..."
ASTUTI : "Mungkin kaget, Mas..." jawab Astuti
PURNOMO : "Kaget kenapa dik...?"
ASTUTI : "Kaget ngeliat bapaknya, koq bapaknya gondrong ya, padahal waktu nengokin bayi didalam perut kepalanya GUNDUL..."
PURNOMO : "Iya...juga ya...!!"

p/s: sumber terbuka (open source)

Kisah 2 Hantu

2009-04-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Tersebutlah kisah dua orang hantu. Mereka ni baru bertemu lalu mereka pun berborakla untuk mengisi masa lapang kehidupan mereka sebagai hantu. Sepanjang perbualan mereka, Hantu B ni tak habis-habis menggigil. Lalu, Hantu A yang kehairanan ni pun bertanya,

"Apsal kau ni asyik menggigil je?"

"Oh..cara aku mati dulu teruk..aku mati dalam peti ais...sejuk!!" Jawab Hantu B sambil menggigil lagi.

"Ooo..kesian... aku dulu mati sebab heart attack." Kata Hantu A ramah.

"Kau memang sakit jantung kronik ye? Apsal ko tak gi buat operation? Kalau tak, sure kau tengah lepak-lepak ngan family kau sekarang." Balas Hantu B.

"Dah,aku dah buat dah !In fact mase aku mati tu, aku in recovery. Panjang ceritanya..." jawab Hantu A sayu.

"Ceritala sikit..Sambil-sambil lepak nih.."

"Camni..Aku syak isteri aku main kayu tiga ngan aku. So this one day, aku ingat nak perangkap la isteri aku..Aku pura-pura gi keje tapi actually aku park keta aku kat simpang hujung umah aku je. Seperti yang aku syak, masuk sebuah keta kat carpark umah aku. Aku rilex dulu sebab nak carik mase sesuai tangkap diorang."

"So, ko dapatla tangkap diorang?" tanya Hantu B penuh minat.

"Tak. Aku cume jumpe isteri aku je kat dalam bilik. Yang aku heran, mase aku masuk umah tu, aku nampak ade kasut laki kat pintu umah aku. Aku tanye isteri aku tapi die takmo jawab. So aku pun lari-lari sekeliling umah aku nak carik jantan tuh. Abis sume bilik aku carik tapi takde pun.. Last-last, sebab aku penat sangat berlari carik jantan tuh, aku pun jatuh pengsan sebab heart attack. And aku tak sangka aku mati lak..." kata Hantu A mengakhiri ceritanya dengan kesedihan.

Hantu B terdiam mendengarkan cerita Hantu A. Selepas beberapa ketika, Hantu B berkata,

"Kenapa kau tak check kat dalam peti sejuk? Kalau kau check kat situ, sure kita berdua still hidup lagi.

p/s: copy dari sumber terbuka. (open source)

AIDS is still out there and it still kills.

2009-04-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

Jadikan panduan, bukan jadikan amalan.! AIDS can kill you..

Tandas Comel

2009-04-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

Semalam aku surf internet, al-maklum la dalam internet ni bleh dikatakan semua ada, cari jak apa benda, taip jak dekat google search tu... apa yang menariknya aku suka tengok design-design tandas yang pelbagai ni... ada macam-macam bentuk...dan cuba bayangkan, kalau korang yang gunakan tandas ni..hehehe..cuba lihat gambar-gambar ni..sebenarnya ada banyak lagi..cuma malas nak letak...wa pun tata lalat mau upload..lu cari sindili la..

MP3 Free Download

1980-06-17T02:41:00.000-07:00