I hope you'll like this photo! Please feel free to comment! :-)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tri-election news
http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/viveg-reporting-from-n-25-bukit-selambau-nomination-centre-on-what-the-mainstream-media-wont-tell-you/
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Star, NST, Utusan, Berita Harian deafeningly silent?
PNSB gave BALKIS RM 5 Million
PERMODALAN NEGERI SELANGOR BERHAD Is the State owned Company in which the ex-president was the MB of Selangor
(Khir toyo[l])
The Ex-President of Badan Kebajikan Isteri-isteri Wakil Rakyat Selangor (Balkis) is the
wife of Khir toyo
Datin Seri Zaharah
Does that sound remotely Wrong to you?
In the last five years PNSB has given BALKIS RM 5’190’000.
Source from Executive director of PNSB
Y.Bhg Datin Hajjah Khairiyah Bt. Abu Hassan
In a hearing by SELCAT (Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency) on misappropriation and misuse of funds by BALKIS.
This is on top of Given by
RM958000 Selangor Economic Development Body
RM673000 Darul Ehsan Company
RM450000 Selangor Government
RM46000 Selangor Agricultural Development Body
Totalling at RM 2’127’000
With grand total of RM 7’317’000 given to BALKIS in 5 years
And that’s not all of it, we wait with baited breath of further exposes.
What is the problem here you ask?
All that money comes from taxes that we pay
Why does the Wife’s Club of Selangor Enjoy such Sponsorship?
And the bigger question What did they do with the money?
The answer will of course be ...
Shopping, Country Hopping, Food, Parties.
A suit for Khir Toyo worth RM 3600 as a gift for officiating a ceremony
RM 140’000 to pay for a mass wedding
Etc etc etc
If only the details can be widely published
A paltry sum of RM 50000+ was given as aid to Cambodia to give credence to the name of ‘badan kebajikan’. During which nearly RM 25000 were spent on paying for the BALKIS delegates’ bed and board and the cost for hiring a film Crew.
Well In the meantime theStar and NST, Government controlled Newspapers have ‘conveniently’ avoided reporting this finding to the public.
On March 8th BALKIS transferred out its coffers amounting to RM9.9 Million to BAKTI (Badan Amal dan Kebajikan Tenaga Isteri-isteri Menteri) to prevent the money from going to the incoming government
An online search for related news on the SELCAT findings on UTUSAN MALAYSIA and BERITA HARIAN turned up blank too!
So called unbiased reporting!
How did I arrive on the news then? Via Guang Ming Daily.
PERMODALAN NEGERI SELANGOR BERHAD Is the State owned Company in which the ex-president was the MB of Selangor
(Khir toyo[l])
The Ex-President of Badan Kebajikan Isteri-isteri Wakil Rakyat Selangor (Balkis) is the
wife of Khir toyo
Datin Seri Zaharah
Does that sound remotely Wrong to you?
In the last five years PNSB has given BALKIS RM 5’190’000.
Source from Executive director of PNSB
Y.Bhg Datin Hajjah Khairiyah Bt. Abu Hassan
In a hearing by SELCAT (Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency) on misappropriation and misuse of funds by BALKIS.
This is on top of Given by
RM958000 Selangor Economic Development Body
RM673000 Darul Ehsan Company
RM450000 Selangor Government
RM46000 Selangor Agricultural Development Body
Totalling at RM 2’127’000
With grand total of RM 7’317’000 given to BALKIS in 5 years
And that’s not all of it, we wait with baited breath of further exposes.
What is the problem here you ask?
All that money comes from taxes that we pay
Why does the Wife’s Club of Selangor Enjoy such Sponsorship?
And the bigger question What did they do with the money?
The answer will of course be ...
Shopping, Country Hopping, Food, Parties.
A suit for Khir Toyo worth RM 3600 as a gift for officiating a ceremony
RM 140’000 to pay for a mass wedding
Etc etc etc
If only the details can be widely published
A paltry sum of RM 50000+ was given as aid to Cambodia to give credence to the name of ‘badan kebajikan’. During which nearly RM 25000 were spent on paying for the BALKIS delegates’ bed and board and the cost for hiring a film Crew.
Well In the meantime theStar and NST, Government controlled Newspapers have ‘conveniently’ avoided reporting this finding to the public.
On March 8th BALKIS transferred out its coffers amounting to RM9.9 Million to BAKTI (Badan Amal dan Kebajikan Tenaga Isteri-isteri Menteri) to prevent the money from going to the incoming government
An online search for related news on the SELCAT findings on UTUSAN MALAYSIA and BERITA HARIAN turned up blank too!
So called unbiased reporting!
How did I arrive on the news then? Via Guang Ming Daily.
Games
We (Me, Jeffrey, Zhen Hsiung, Foo foo, Jo ee, Ru hui)
Went to Witchery Ider (Muar) for some
"Buy Big Free Big" Fun!
We played Jenga for a few rounds with different rules
at first it was plain Jenga
Then we tighten the rules so that
you must mention the two block numbers you intend to take out first, without touching them... that increased the difficulty by manifold!
But well dropping the blocks meant nothing if there were no stakes
so a new stipulation came into play!
The person who dropped the blocks must get the name of a waitress of his/her choosing
Wiping sweat off our brows each time it was our turn, there were plenty of nail biting moments with audible breaths and squeals of delight( and despair) at every turn...
when finally JE had the honour of reducing the structure to rubble!
He needed a visit to the wash room to calm his nerves before he popped the big question !
that rendered the shy waitress speechless and reduced her to a stuttering red tomato before she muttered just so lightly- pei
Now the whole jenga business could have been so much easier if only we had this weapon at our disposal!
Went to Witchery Ider (Muar) for some
"Buy Big Free Big" Fun!
We played Jenga for a few rounds with different rules
at first it was plain Jenga
Then we tighten the rules so that
you must mention the two block numbers you intend to take out first, without touching them... that increased the difficulty by manifold!
But well dropping the blocks meant nothing if there were no stakes
so a new stipulation came into play!
The person who dropped the blocks must get the name of a waitress of his/her choosing
Wiping sweat off our brows each time it was our turn, there were plenty of nail biting moments with audible breaths and squeals of delight( and despair) at every turn...
when finally JE had the honour of reducing the structure to rubble!
He needed a visit to the wash room to calm his nerves before he popped the big question !
that rendered the shy waitress speechless and reduced her to a stuttering red tomato before she muttered just so lightly- pei
Now the whole jenga business could have been so much easier if only we had this weapon at our disposal!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Victim of Scam in Puduraya Bus station
All of us are probably not spared from a (rather reluctant) visit to our Capital's (in)famous bus terminal at least once in our lives
Over the years plenty of incidents have happened and over time some have been addressed, though many still remain unresolved...
Touts, Pickpockets (despite the police beat base being set up long time ago.) to count a few.
and one that is occuring right beneath our noses for as long as the station has been operating...
One that all of us has been victim to. 99% I dare say, if not all of us.
Its one where the malay proverb
"Sikit sikit lama lama jadi bukit" applies
30 cents per person
Multiply it a couple of times
And it becomes RM 821250!!
Simple mathematics will tell you how the sum is arrived at
based on my observations at the toilets
30 cents per person
Rate of 10 persons every 5 minutes at normal times
Rate of 10 persons every 2 minutes during peak hours (Even higher on Fridays)
Average that to 200 per hour
15 operating hours per day
30 days per month
12 months a year
0.30 X 200 X 15 X 365 = 328500
Wait.. don't forget there are at least 3 toilets at Pudu
328500 X 2.5 = 821250 per year
That translates to Nett income of 68437.5 per month
PREPOSTEROUS!!!
No matter how you look at it.. let's just say I overestimate by 75 %
821250 X 0.25
Is still 200000
TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND
per year!!!
And despite earning this much, the toilets at pudu raya have absolutely zero maintenance... unless flushing the toilets once a day counts as maintenance. In the mens' on 1st floor noo flushing mechanism exists. What you get is a hole in the wall, where a tank used to be.
Wait.. come to think of it, Don't forget the sales of Tissue paper too!
And to think most of us have no means of avoiding this "scam".
Finally.....
Want to get rich?
Build a toilet today.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
All that glitters is.....
From an interesting E-mail...
Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea, thousands of Golden Rays are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico . The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters.
Gliding silently beneath the waves, they turned vast areas of blue water to gold off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula . Sandra Critelli, an amateur photographer, stumbled across the phenomenon while looking for whale sharks.
She said: 'It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind.
'It's hard to say exactly how many there were, but in the range of a few thousand'
'We were surrounded by them without seeing the edge of the school and we could see many under the water surface too. I feel very fortunate I was there in the right place at the right time to experience nature at its best'
Measuring up to 7ft (2.1 meters) from wing-tip to wing-tip, Golden rays are also more prosaically known as cow nose rays.
They have long, pointed pectoral fins that separate into two lobes in front of their high-domed heads and give them a cow-like appearance. They are known to be shy and non-threatening when in large schools.
The population in the Gulf of Mexico migrates, in schools of as many as 10,000, clockwise from western Florida to the Yucatan .
Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea, thousands of Golden Rays are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico . The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters.
Gliding silently beneath the waves, they turned vast areas of blue water to gold off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula . Sandra Critelli, an amateur photographer, stumbled across the phenomenon while looking for whale sharks.
She said: 'It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind.
'It's hard to say exactly how many there were, but in the range of a few thousand'
'We were surrounded by them without seeing the edge of the school and we could see many under the water surface too. I feel very fortunate I was there in the right place at the right time to experience nature at its best'
Measuring up to 7ft (2.1 meters) from wing-tip to wing-tip, Golden rays are also more prosaically known as cow nose rays.
They have long, pointed pectoral fins that separate into two lobes in front of their high-domed heads and give them a cow-like appearance. They are known to be shy and non-threatening when in large schools.
The population in the Gulf of Mexico migrates, in schools of as many as 10,000, clockwise from western Florida to the Yucatan .
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Random bits- from a facebook note
1.When I was born, My mum planned for a baby girl. As a result of that, as a baby I endured lots of punishment for not being a girl .My mum owned up to me when I was a teenager. -.-'''
2. I started playing computer games in the year 1993. The first game I played was Space invaders. it's a road of no return... guess that explains my thick specs! My Favourite game of all time is a RPG called Betrayal at Krondor. The game I completed the most times over was Max Payne 2 in which I played it 7 times. My current favourite is Prince of Persia : Sands of time and Two Thrones.
3. Betrayal at Krondor led me to the book : Krondor, the Betrayal which was written based on the game! and I am in love with books of Raymond E. Feist ever since. He is great at illustrating battles, strategy and politics of a society and most importantly character development. Move Aside Tolkien and Rowling.
4. I started watching World Wrestling Federation since 1993 when the heroes of the day were Undertaker, Bam Bam Bigelow, Razor Ramon, and yes Undertaker. My current Favourite wrestler is REY MYSTERIO! 619 forever. P.s. I miss the charisma of The Rock. Please quit acting and come back to WWE
5. My first puppy love was in kindergarden. I gave her my favourtie Snoopy watch as a present but I was rejected. LOL Jilted at age 5. Beat that! Then here comes the embarassing part... Here's a list of people I secretly admired [in Chronologic order]
黄燕燕, 王淑娟,张一芬,叶X慧,林X琦,许美芝,林X霞,林雪X...!!! Sorry If I type the names wrong. :-P
But I wouldn't trade the whole list of them for..... :-PP
6.I am the youngest in my family. My elder and 3rd bro used to kissed my cheeks while my second bro would lick my ear... and this continued up till I'm 10 years old! I retaliated by using my halitosis whenever they came near me (I had a super sweet tooth when I was young)
7. I wanted to create a website since 2004. Well it didn't come to fruition and actually http://resonating-ripple.blogspot.com is my sorry excuse for a website.
8. I still keep contact with Lau Mitze! My Penpal of 7 years! She's currently in Australia studying Psychology ( No, she didn't study that because I crossed path with her, alright?)
9. I Express myself much better in words rather than speech. Sorry I'm not much of a group person. But I try to speak up now and then.
10. I have many dreams! I managed to complete a few of them including
Backpacking Solo in a foreign Country!- and I did it in (pardon the pun) Solo, Indonesia
Learn Breakdancing
Creating a pseudo website (read above)
Having my article published in a newspaper ( I did that 3 times! hehe)
Capture a award winning photo (ok The Star's photo thumbnails isn't all that great an award but what the heck I got RM100 for my efforts!)
Dreams to be completed in the near future
Making a snowman
Bungee Jumping
Parachute out of a plane and reach terminal velocity
Working while holidaying in New Zealand
Learn Scuba Diving!
Writing a Fantasy book and a Non-Fiction
Compose and write the lyrics of a song (well I can't sing so I can only do two!)
11. I have the certificate for Piano Grade one. Because back in 1995 RM45/month for a lesson per week was very expensive I didn't want to burden my parents. I sorely regret my decision much much later when I discovered I can play by ear.
12. My PC is a VIRGIN. Well It has been violated twice in its life by pendrives but Its still a virgin to me. It is any wonder that I've never had to format my PC even once Since its birth in 2006? So far It has lived a healthy life living on merely AVG and Ad-Aware. It's even healthier and faster than most 2008 Laptops! Eat my DUST!
13. I am a cartoon Person. My favourites when I was little include Tom & Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, Wile E Coyote, Bugs Bunny, Conan the barbarian, Voltron and yes ...shamefully Power Rangers. SOB! The most Influential Cartoon in my life was Samurai X. My life principles are carved out from it. My current favourite is AVATAR: Legend of Aang. It’s the end of Season 3!!! But Nevermind a Movie is due!!!!!
14. I only eat chicken, pork and fish. I never ate mutton or beef before and have no plans starting. I feel guilty eating seafood and really feel sad when I take shellfish. My reasoning is that if I eat a piece of chicken, it’s just a part of a whole chicken which feeds many people and I’m taking only a life at a time. But when it comes to Lala, anchovies, crabs etc I feel bad because I’m killing so many at once. That and the fact that seafood are mostly harvested from the sea in an unsustainable manner which quickly depletes the natural numbers without replenishment. Chicken are farmed and I feel better when I’m not eating a species to extinction.
15. I believe Humans are the worst species to ever walk the planet. It’s the sole organism known to wipe out nearly 65% of other species in its short time on earth (60000 years).
And we’re still at it. Compare turtles and Horshoe Crabs who have been around longer than 125 million years who live in peace with nature… and are on the verge of going the way of the dodo because of man.
16. Malthus [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthus] states that Human food consumption grows exponentially while agriculture and produce multiply at an arithmetic rate. Frankly I believe we’re too many for our own good. At 6.6 billion we’re depleting the earth’s resources at a drastic rate. I dunno what happens when we reach 10 billion in a few decade’s time. I believe natural disasters and disease are mother earth’s way of keeping our numbers in check. Please keep your ecological footprint as small as possible. The earth provides enough for all our needs but can’t fulfill our greed.
16. I stopped fishing after an incident where the hook went through the mouth of a Puyu fish and came out of its eye.
17. I used to have a rabbit called shagua which I loved to bits! My mom called him Notty and he’s the star of my household for almost 3 years. He died probably because of cement powder ingestion. I made a vow to him promising that I will not keep another rabbit until the day I can be sure that I can devote my full time towards caring for it.
18. After reading my 八子, I was told that I have the ability to make twins! And my aim would be a dragon-phoenix twin. HOHOHOHO. Another Palm Reader said that I would marry by the age of 21. Thank god I’m almost 22. LOL
19. I got 40 marks before for both my art (in form 3) and Chinese ( in form 4) Well all I’ve got to say to that is this. :-D
20. There was a period when I wondered what sort a person would I be and how my life will change if I stayed back to study Standard 4 instead of jumping to Standard 5 during PTS. Everyone I meet from that day on would be different. If there’s anything as a life changing event, that would be it. Oh, another thing…. I could have taken physics during Form 6.
21. Many of my friends know that I never wanted to study medicine. But actually I did want to study medicine in Form 5… I almost got JPA and now I’m totally relieved I did not. Form 6 gave me time and space to figure out what I want in life and what I want is to devote my life to conservation. But all the same I’ll be a responsible Doc!
22. I am an Agnostic. The definition of it is…. The belief in the existence of god however at the same time also believe that no human interpretation of god is accurate or justified. Anyway since Buddhism is more of a series of teachings than a true religion where you glorify a god I am largely accepting of it. I believe in Karma.
23. I suspect my respect for copyright isn’t as noble as it may seem. I think it may stem from my dream to one day publish a book. Still I dislike hypocritical bloggers who condemn people who plagiarise from their blog… calling for them to respect copyright, value intellectual property etc while they’re doing the exact wrong thing day after day downloading movies and songs. I guess that teaches them to value the work of others.
24. I believe in racial harmony. I believe that racial prejudice and bias has no place in society once the government policies are corrected and social injustices rectified. I hope one day to give this answer when asked for my race--- I am Bangsa Malaysia.
I am currently staying with three Malays- Sero, Faiz and Alif in a humble apartment, Laman Midah.
25. I think hor, as a result of no1… I was never given breast milk. Is the reason for my current love for all things dairy? Cheese, Milk, Yoghurt are the loves of my life!
26. I am super-duper-trouper fond of my hometown Muar!!! It has everything!!!
27. I considered going into politics before but then because of my “straight” and trusting nature I’ll only be politically assassinated over and over again. Still I do what I can to usher in change in Malaysian Politics. That brings me to pet hate No 2.
28. Yup its them Hypocrites again,
I absolutely detest people who go around lambasting corruption and go all out to condemn Malaysia that it is not a place worth living …useless politicians…. useless country bla bla bla……
however when asked what jobs they once considered--- they considered being a police and going into politics for the ‘pocket’ money.
DAMN!!!!! Scum is the term for these folk.
Second in line are people who are all talk but no walk. Instead of condemning and lamenting all the time about the downside of living in this country why not do something concrete about it? Everyone can go and sing a song about the ugly side of Malaysia but few really do anything about it. Every little bit helps so instead of rebuking and chiding our country why not give concrete solutions and then act on it? Arigato.
29. A few taglines that I adore
“A real hero is one who does the right thing…. While no one is looking”
“The only Constant in Life is CHANGE”
“A Patriot and a fan is one who stands by what he loves through tough and lean times.”
And a patriotic Malaysian is not one who raises the flag come every independence day because he must but one who strives to better the situation instead of packing up their suitcase and running to Australia.- by me
2. I started playing computer games in the year 1993. The first game I played was Space invaders. it's a road of no return... guess that explains my thick specs! My Favourite game of all time is a RPG called Betrayal at Krondor. The game I completed the most times over was Max Payne 2 in which I played it 7 times. My current favourite is Prince of Persia : Sands of time and Two Thrones.
3. Betrayal at Krondor led me to the book : Krondor, the Betrayal which was written based on the game! and I am in love with books of Raymond E. Feist ever since. He is great at illustrating battles, strategy and politics of a society and most importantly character development. Move Aside Tolkien and Rowling.
4. I started watching World Wrestling Federation since 1993 when the heroes of the day were Undertaker, Bam Bam Bigelow, Razor Ramon, and yes Undertaker. My current Favourite wrestler is REY MYSTERIO! 619 forever. P.s. I miss the charisma of The Rock. Please quit acting and come back to WWE
5. My first puppy love was in kindergarden. I gave her my favourtie Snoopy watch as a present but I was rejected. LOL Jilted at age 5. Beat that! Then here comes the embarassing part... Here's a list of people I secretly admired [in Chronologic order]
黄燕燕, 王淑娟,张一芬,叶X慧,林X琦,许美芝,林X霞,林雪X...!!! Sorry If I type the names wrong. :-P
But I wouldn't trade the whole list of them for..... :-PP
6.I am the youngest in my family. My elder and 3rd bro used to kissed my cheeks while my second bro would lick my ear... and this continued up till I'm 10 years old! I retaliated by using my halitosis whenever they came near me (I had a super sweet tooth when I was young)
7. I wanted to create a website since 2004. Well it didn't come to fruition and actually http://resonating-ripple.blogspot.com is my sorry excuse for a website.
8. I still keep contact with Lau Mitze! My Penpal of 7 years! She's currently in Australia studying Psychology ( No, she didn't study that because I crossed path with her, alright?)
9. I Express myself much better in words rather than speech. Sorry I'm not much of a group person. But I try to speak up now and then.
10. I have many dreams! I managed to complete a few of them including
Backpacking Solo in a foreign Country!- and I did it in (pardon the pun) Solo, Indonesia
Learn Breakdancing
Creating a pseudo website (read above)
Having my article published in a newspaper ( I did that 3 times! hehe)
Capture a award winning photo (ok The Star's photo thumbnails isn't all that great an award but what the heck I got RM100 for my efforts!)
Dreams to be completed in the near future
Making a snowman
Bungee Jumping
Parachute out of a plane and reach terminal velocity
Working while holidaying in New Zealand
Learn Scuba Diving!
Writing a Fantasy book and a Non-Fiction
Compose and write the lyrics of a song (well I can't sing so I can only do two!)
11. I have the certificate for Piano Grade one. Because back in 1995 RM45/month for a lesson per week was very expensive I didn't want to burden my parents. I sorely regret my decision much much later when I discovered I can play by ear.
12. My PC is a VIRGIN. Well It has been violated twice in its life by pendrives but Its still a virgin to me. It is any wonder that I've never had to format my PC even once Since its birth in 2006? So far It has lived a healthy life living on merely AVG and Ad-Aware. It's even healthier and faster than most 2008 Laptops! Eat my DUST!
13. I am a cartoon Person. My favourites when I was little include Tom & Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, Wile E Coyote, Bugs Bunny, Conan the barbarian, Voltron and yes ...shamefully Power Rangers. SOB! The most Influential Cartoon in my life was Samurai X. My life principles are carved out from it. My current favourite is AVATAR: Legend of Aang. It’s the end of Season 3!!! But Nevermind a Movie is due!!!!!
14. I only eat chicken, pork and fish. I never ate mutton or beef before and have no plans starting. I feel guilty eating seafood and really feel sad when I take shellfish. My reasoning is that if I eat a piece of chicken, it’s just a part of a whole chicken which feeds many people and I’m taking only a life at a time. But when it comes to Lala, anchovies, crabs etc I feel bad because I’m killing so many at once. That and the fact that seafood are mostly harvested from the sea in an unsustainable manner which quickly depletes the natural numbers without replenishment. Chicken are farmed and I feel better when I’m not eating a species to extinction.
15. I believe Humans are the worst species to ever walk the planet. It’s the sole organism known to wipe out nearly 65% of other species in its short time on earth (60000 years).
And we’re still at it. Compare turtles and Horshoe Crabs who have been around longer than 125 million years who live in peace with nature… and are on the verge of going the way of the dodo because of man.
16. Malthus [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthus] states that Human food consumption grows exponentially while agriculture and produce multiply at an arithmetic rate. Frankly I believe we’re too many for our own good. At 6.6 billion we’re depleting the earth’s resources at a drastic rate. I dunno what happens when we reach 10 billion in a few decade’s time. I believe natural disasters and disease are mother earth’s way of keeping our numbers in check. Please keep your ecological footprint as small as possible. The earth provides enough for all our needs but can’t fulfill our greed.
16. I stopped fishing after an incident where the hook went through the mouth of a Puyu fish and came out of its eye.
17. I used to have a rabbit called shagua which I loved to bits! My mom called him Notty and he’s the star of my household for almost 3 years. He died probably because of cement powder ingestion. I made a vow to him promising that I will not keep another rabbit until the day I can be sure that I can devote my full time towards caring for it.
18. After reading my 八子, I was told that I have the ability to make twins! And my aim would be a dragon-phoenix twin. HOHOHOHO. Another Palm Reader said that I would marry by the age of 21. Thank god I’m almost 22. LOL
19. I got 40 marks before for both my art (in form 3) and Chinese ( in form 4) Well all I’ve got to say to that is this. :-D
20. There was a period when I wondered what sort a person would I be and how my life will change if I stayed back to study Standard 4 instead of jumping to Standard 5 during PTS. Everyone I meet from that day on would be different. If there’s anything as a life changing event, that would be it. Oh, another thing…. I could have taken physics during Form 6.
21. Many of my friends know that I never wanted to study medicine. But actually I did want to study medicine in Form 5… I almost got JPA and now I’m totally relieved I did not. Form 6 gave me time and space to figure out what I want in life and what I want is to devote my life to conservation. But all the same I’ll be a responsible Doc!
22. I am an Agnostic. The definition of it is…. The belief in the existence of god however at the same time also believe that no human interpretation of god is accurate or justified. Anyway since Buddhism is more of a series of teachings than a true religion where you glorify a god I am largely accepting of it. I believe in Karma.
23. I suspect my respect for copyright isn’t as noble as it may seem. I think it may stem from my dream to one day publish a book. Still I dislike hypocritical bloggers who condemn people who plagiarise from their blog… calling for them to respect copyright, value intellectual property etc while they’re doing the exact wrong thing day after day downloading movies and songs. I guess that teaches them to value the work of others.
24. I believe in racial harmony. I believe that racial prejudice and bias has no place in society once the government policies are corrected and social injustices rectified. I hope one day to give this answer when asked for my race--- I am Bangsa Malaysia.
I am currently staying with three Malays- Sero, Faiz and Alif in a humble apartment, Laman Midah.
25. I think hor, as a result of no1… I was never given breast milk. Is the reason for my current love for all things dairy? Cheese, Milk, Yoghurt are the loves of my life!
26. I am super-duper-trouper fond of my hometown Muar!!! It has everything!!!
27. I considered going into politics before but then because of my “straight” and trusting nature I’ll only be politically assassinated over and over again. Still I do what I can to usher in change in Malaysian Politics. That brings me to pet hate No 2.
28. Yup its them Hypocrites again,
I absolutely detest people who go around lambasting corruption and go all out to condemn Malaysia that it is not a place worth living …useless politicians…. useless country bla bla bla……
however when asked what jobs they once considered--- they considered being a police and going into politics for the ‘pocket’ money.
DAMN!!!!! Scum is the term for these folk.
Second in line are people who are all talk but no walk. Instead of condemning and lamenting all the time about the downside of living in this country why not do something concrete about it? Everyone can go and sing a song about the ugly side of Malaysia but few really do anything about it. Every little bit helps so instead of rebuking and chiding our country why not give concrete solutions and then act on it? Arigato.
29. A few taglines that I adore
“A real hero is one who does the right thing…. While no one is looking”
“The only Constant in Life is CHANGE”
“A Patriot and a fan is one who stands by what he loves through tough and lean times.”
And a patriotic Malaysian is not one who raises the flag come every independence day because he must but one who strives to better the situation instead of packing up their suitcase and running to Australia.- by me
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Evolution...
Shedding the weight of exams, my mind is once again allowed to wander and I am thus
reminded of one great example of evolution in progress.
Evolution comprises of a few concepts
1. Random mutation occurs in a species (occuring at a genetic level- unobservable)
2. the mutation gives rise to observable traits, features and characteristics
3. Some traits are beneficial to life, others have no effect whatsoever, some however are downright detrimental
4. Species adapt to the environment
5. Those that are suitably adapt to a particular environment by virtue of their traits survive, are able to produce more offspring and in the process pass their genes on to the next generation (which will inherit the traits)
Examples of the above are plenty
Including adaptive radiation among the Finches of the Galapagos, the change in the dominant colour pattern of moths living in industrialized areas
but what about humans?
This can be observed in the inheritance of the Sickle Cell Trait.
Sickle cell Disease
Sickle cell Disease affects the red blood cells where a genetic defect causes the formation of defective haemoglobin that causes red blood cells to be deformed (sickle shaped) (defective polymerisation)
There are homozygotes - having both defective alleles
And heterozygotes - having a single defective allele
Excerpts from the article in wikipedia:
"In people homozygous for HgbS, the presence of long-chain polymers of HbS distort the shape of the red blood cell, from a smooth donut-like shape to ragged and full of spikes, making it fragile and susceptible to breaking within capillaries"
This condition predisposes the patient to disease states called crises.
Carriers have symptoms only if they are deprived of oxygen (for example, while climbing a mountain) or while severely dehydrated.
One-third of all aboriginal inhabitants of Sub-Saharan Africa carry the gene because in areas where malaria is common, there is a survival value in carrying only a single sickle-cell gene (sickle cell trait). Those with only one of the two alleles of the sickle-cell disease are more resistant to malaria, since the infestation of the malaria plasmodium is halted by the sickling of the cells which it infests.
Thus the mutation causes the characteristic change in the property of red blood cells in the affected person.
This property while homozygous causes a marked reduction in life-expectancy and substantial morbidity
Whereas when heterozygous causes minimal ill effects while conferring a survival advantage in malaria endemic areas in Africa.
Thus those people with sicke cell trait are able to survive longer, produce nmore offspring and will successfully pass the gene on to their progeny...
Resulting in
One-third of all aboriginal inhabitants of Sub-Saharan Africa carry the gene
-distribution of sickle cell trait
-distribution of malaria
Simple and elegant example of the theory of evolution
applied onto humans!
reminded of one great example of evolution in progress.
Evolution comprises of a few concepts
1. Random mutation occurs in a species (occuring at a genetic level- unobservable)
2. the mutation gives rise to observable traits, features and characteristics
3. Some traits are beneficial to life, others have no effect whatsoever, some however are downright detrimental
4. Species adapt to the environment
5. Those that are suitably adapt to a particular environment by virtue of their traits survive, are able to produce more offspring and in the process pass their genes on to the next generation (which will inherit the traits)
Examples of the above are plenty
Including adaptive radiation among the Finches of the Galapagos, the change in the dominant colour pattern of moths living in industrialized areas
but what about humans?
This can be observed in the inheritance of the Sickle Cell Trait.
Sickle cell Disease
Sickle cell Disease affects the red blood cells where a genetic defect causes the formation of defective haemoglobin that causes red blood cells to be deformed (sickle shaped) (defective polymerisation)
There are homozygotes - having both defective alleles
And heterozygotes - having a single defective allele
Excerpts from the article in wikipedia:
"In people homozygous for HgbS, the presence of long-chain polymers of HbS distort the shape of the red blood cell, from a smooth donut-like shape to ragged and full of spikes, making it fragile and susceptible to breaking within capillaries"
This condition predisposes the patient to disease states called crises.
Carriers have symptoms only if they are deprived of oxygen (for example, while climbing a mountain) or while severely dehydrated.
One-third of all aboriginal inhabitants of Sub-Saharan Africa carry the gene because in areas where malaria is common, there is a survival value in carrying only a single sickle-cell gene (sickle cell trait). Those with only one of the two alleles of the sickle-cell disease are more resistant to malaria, since the infestation of the malaria plasmodium is halted by the sickling of the cells which it infests.
Thus the mutation causes the characteristic change in the property of red blood cells in the affected person.
This property while homozygous causes a marked reduction in life-expectancy and substantial morbidity
Whereas when heterozygous causes minimal ill effects while conferring a survival advantage in malaria endemic areas in Africa.
Thus those people with sicke cell trait are able to survive longer, produce nmore offspring and will successfully pass the gene on to their progeny...
Resulting in
One-third of all aboriginal inhabitants of Sub-Saharan Africa carry the gene
-distribution of sickle cell trait
-distribution of malaria
Simple and elegant example of the theory of evolution
applied onto humans!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Evolution X4 - a mere semblance of a rebuttal?
This Mr Daniel has once again showed us what pro-creationists are really made of. Read his reply to the barrage of ammunition thrown at him below.
As I said previously,
"To swerve away from responding to the question by questioning the accuracy of it would once again prove that pro-creationists have used the same outdated ammunition ever since 1857 over and over again- to brush off all new and fresh efforts made by the scientific community while having nothing new of their own."
In Evolution X3,
The most pertinent point is once again brushed off by "SIR" Daniel...
Before Galileo and Copernicus, The Bible states that the Sun revolves around the Earth... Make that the whole universe revolves around the earth. This is the me-centric thought that permeates society today.
"I am the most important. The world revolves around me." "Human beings are the most superior beings on the world and thus we have the right to use and exploit every other living thing on earth." And of course... this same thought is what runs through the white Colonialists when they enslaved the many less modern civilisations across the globe. -I am superior and therefore you must obey me- while spouting cheerily: "We are here to bring you prosperity and modernisation"
Galileo's efforts ridiculed the Church and he was almost burnt at a stake for being a heretic (were he born earlier by a century). But his efforts became the accepted fact of today.
It should also be noted that this instance above, points to us that holy books are work of men.
Mr. Daniel conveniently sidestepped this debacle.
Another bone of contention I have with him is he is somewhat confused. I cited the bible because in it is written the words of pro-creationists and it is necessary as as a reference. He quips:"The Evolutionist says that from some kind of dust or a dot the big bang happened"
I feel rather sorry at this point because he can be attacked at so many different angles for his first letter and now he just gave us the key to United State's Armoury.
He made the glaring error of confusing between two theories. Evolution is a theory. The Big Bang is a separate theory. Nowhere in Darwin's articles can the two be linked up together. As I said, he is confused. He has to stand his ground on three fronts
1. how did earth came to be? (I shall avoid using the word "created")
2. Can Evolution be disproved? as it is.. there is so much that has been verified
3. Can the existence of God be substantiated?
On the other hand, evolutionists do not feel the need to debate about 1. or 3.
They just quietly do their scientific work and let the pro-creationists do all the yabbering concerning no 2. They do not feel the need to respond to counter-claims.
A master at dodgeball, Adam's descendant Mr Daniel quietly avoided my point on fossils.
also as I said previously,
"Man have been found to have originated from the continent of Africa and branched out from there settling all across the globe. Proof that man evolved from another species can be found in the discovery of Homo erectus, Homo habilis and Australopithecus africanus."
Where did Adam first appear?
Further down his letter, I especially scratch my head at this
"After the introduction of evolution 1963 into the education system in 1963 the Chicago Tribune on April 9, 1995, reported that “SATs get dumber”. “New scores will be higher but standards lower”. Is this how we evolve and get smarter?"
What the hell? really.. WHAT THE HELL? This is how he disproves evolution?
No wonder we start to question his intelligence.
Due to time constrainsts (exam), I shall continue this post at a different time.
I am sorry to be using personal attacks at this juncture as I cannot "tahan" arrogance and his wanton use of denigrating language.
Finally :"Medical student from Muar, get your facts right and please visit our websites on creation science on all that has been done to discredit evolution by scientific methods"
... please stop your efforts at discrediting evolution and spend some time doing something useful for a change?
(I am not an atheist. It's just that I do not believe in a supreme being that made everything and we owe everything to it)
____________________________
AFTER the strong critique D.V. Samuel received from readers last week (The case against Mr Samuel in Your Say), we received a number of letters supporting him. However, due to space constraints, we will leave it to Mr Samuel to “defend” himself. The evolution vs creation debate is far from over but we would like to ask readers to give it a rest for the time being.
HITLER said, “If you tell a lie long enough, loud enough and often enough, the people will believe it” (The Third Reich at War). He also goes on to say that people are more likely to believe a big lie as it has a certain force of credibility than the little lie. What we see in our science books is a mixing of lies.
Creationists are not against science but we are against the poison that is intermingled in the science text. The word evolution has many meanings and only one of which is truly scientific in nature.
This is “micro evolution” which is variation within kinds. Only this type has been observed which creationists believe in it as well.
Looking at the first law of thermodynamics which says “energy cannot be created or destroyed”. If energy cannot be created or destroyed, how did the world get here? So we are left with only two choices that either somebody made the world or the world made itself.
Creationists believe that in the beginning “God created the Heavens and the Earth”. The humanists regard the universe as self existing and not created. (Humanist Manifesto 1, 1933 Tenent #1).
The Evolutionist says that from some kind of dust or a dot the big bang happened. My question is where in the first place did this dust come from? Who made matter? The answer no one knows? Creationists say “In the beginning, God created…” but the question would be “where did God come from?” The answer no one knows! So in a nutshell the Creationist would say “In the beginning, God…” and the “Evolutionist would say “In the beginning, dust …”.
Sir Fred Hoyle (Astronomer Cosmologist & Mathematician, Cambridge University: said “ I have little hesitation in saying that a sickly pall now hangs over the big bang theory.” (“The big bang theory under attack” Science Digest, Vol 92 May 1984 pg 84)
The Evolution teaches us “you are an animal and share a common heritage with earthworms” (Biology: Visualizing Life, Holt, 1994). Medical student from Muar a.k.a. “monkey’s uncle” claims that the age of the earth was determined as 4.5 billion years old using Carbon Dating method. I can’t comprehend that Carbon Dating, which is used for dating archeological remains of biological origin up to 50,000 years old is used to measure the age of the earth! Are you sure you got the dating method correct?
Anything beyond 50,000 years theoretically has no detectible 14C left in it. Hence it is common sense that any sample that contains 14C is not millions of years old. Carbon dating and other radioactive dating methods have been proven inaccurate over many decades. For more information on carbon dating and proof of a relatively young earth visit this site. ldolphin.org/sewell/c14dating.html.
Apart from that, there are various clocks that establish that the Earth is relatively young. One of which is the rapid decay of the Earth’s magnetic field. The intensity of the earth’s magnetic field energy has declined by 14% since 1829. If we calculate backwards into time when the magnetic field is the strongest it would be less than 10,000 years. Beyond this, life will not be able to sustain on this planet. Visit this site for more information www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=371
Darwinist from Selangor said we are just defenders of our faith. The fact is evolution is also a religion and creationists are just defending their faith.
To Mr Adam Kopystynski from Kuantan, many Evolutionists say that creation science is halting scientific advancement and it is shocking to me that you do not think much about Nobel prize winners. After the introduction of Evolution in 1963 into the education system the Chicago Tribune on April 9, 1995, reported that “SATs get dumber”. “New scores will be higher but standards lower”. Is this how we evolve and get smarter?
Medical student from Muar, get your facts right and please visit our websites on creation science on all that has been done to discredit evolution by scientific methods. Please be my guest to think that your great-great-great grandpa was a worm and my great-great-great grandpa was Adam the son of God.
Daniel V. Samuel, Kajang, Selangor
As I said previously,
"To swerve away from responding to the question by questioning the accuracy of it would once again prove that pro-creationists have used the same outdated ammunition ever since 1857 over and over again- to brush off all new and fresh efforts made by the scientific community while having nothing new of their own."
In Evolution X3,
The most pertinent point is once again brushed off by "SIR" Daniel...
Before Galileo and Copernicus, The Bible states that the Sun revolves around the Earth... Make that the whole universe revolves around the earth. This is the me-centric thought that permeates society today.
"I am the most important. The world revolves around me." "Human beings are the most superior beings on the world and thus we have the right to use and exploit every other living thing on earth." And of course... this same thought is what runs through the white Colonialists when they enslaved the many less modern civilisations across the globe. -I am superior and therefore you must obey me- while spouting cheerily: "We are here to bring you prosperity and modernisation"
Galileo's efforts ridiculed the Church and he was almost burnt at a stake for being a heretic (were he born earlier by a century). But his efforts became the accepted fact of today.
It should also be noted that this instance above, points to us that holy books are work of men.
Mr. Daniel conveniently sidestepped this debacle.
Another bone of contention I have with him is he is somewhat confused. I cited the bible because in it is written the words of pro-creationists and it is necessary as as a reference. He quips:"The Evolutionist says that from some kind of dust or a dot the big bang happened"
I feel rather sorry at this point because he can be attacked at so many different angles for his first letter and now he just gave us the key to United State's Armoury.
He made the glaring error of confusing between two theories. Evolution is a theory. The Big Bang is a separate theory. Nowhere in Darwin's articles can the two be linked up together. As I said, he is confused. He has to stand his ground on three fronts
1. how did earth came to be? (I shall avoid using the word "created")
2. Can Evolution be disproved? as it is.. there is so much that has been verified
3. Can the existence of God be substantiated?
On the other hand, evolutionists do not feel the need to debate about 1. or 3.
They just quietly do their scientific work and let the pro-creationists do all the yabbering concerning no 2. They do not feel the need to respond to counter-claims.
A master at dodgeball, Adam's descendant Mr Daniel quietly avoided my point on fossils.
also as I said previously,
"Man have been found to have originated from the continent of Africa and branched out from there settling all across the globe. Proof that man evolved from another species can be found in the discovery of Homo erectus, Homo habilis and Australopithecus africanus."
Where did Adam first appear?
Further down his letter, I especially scratch my head at this
"After the introduction of evolution 1963 into the education system in 1963 the Chicago Tribune on April 9, 1995, reported that “SATs get dumber”. “New scores will be higher but standards lower”. Is this how we evolve and get smarter?"
What the hell? really.. WHAT THE HELL? This is how he disproves evolution?
No wonder we start to question his intelligence.
Due to time constrainsts (exam), I shall continue this post at a different time.
I am sorry to be using personal attacks at this juncture as I cannot "tahan" arrogance and his wanton use of denigrating language.
Finally :"Medical student from Muar, get your facts right and please visit our websites on creation science on all that has been done to discredit evolution by scientific methods"
... please stop your efforts at discrediting evolution and spend some time doing something useful for a change?
(I am not an atheist. It's just that I do not believe in a supreme being that made everything and we owe everything to it)
____________________________
AFTER the strong critique D.V. Samuel received from readers last week (The case against Mr Samuel in Your Say), we received a number of letters supporting him. However, due to space constraints, we will leave it to Mr Samuel to “defend” himself. The evolution vs creation debate is far from over but we would like to ask readers to give it a rest for the time being.
HITLER said, “If you tell a lie long enough, loud enough and often enough, the people will believe it” (The Third Reich at War). He also goes on to say that people are more likely to believe a big lie as it has a certain force of credibility than the little lie. What we see in our science books is a mixing of lies.
Creationists are not against science but we are against the poison that is intermingled in the science text. The word evolution has many meanings and only one of which is truly scientific in nature.
This is “micro evolution” which is variation within kinds. Only this type has been observed which creationists believe in it as well.
Looking at the first law of thermodynamics which says “energy cannot be created or destroyed”. If energy cannot be created or destroyed, how did the world get here? So we are left with only two choices that either somebody made the world or the world made itself.
Creationists believe that in the beginning “God created the Heavens and the Earth”. The humanists regard the universe as self existing and not created. (Humanist Manifesto 1, 1933 Tenent #1).
The Evolutionist says that from some kind of dust or a dot the big bang happened. My question is where in the first place did this dust come from? Who made matter? The answer no one knows? Creationists say “In the beginning, God created…” but the question would be “where did God come from?” The answer no one knows! So in a nutshell the Creationist would say “In the beginning, God…” and the “Evolutionist would say “In the beginning, dust …”.
Sir Fred Hoyle (Astronomer Cosmologist & Mathematician, Cambridge University: said “ I have little hesitation in saying that a sickly pall now hangs over the big bang theory.” (“The big bang theory under attack” Science Digest, Vol 92 May 1984 pg 84)
The Evolution teaches us “you are an animal and share a common heritage with earthworms” (Biology: Visualizing Life, Holt, 1994). Medical student from Muar a.k.a. “monkey’s uncle” claims that the age of the earth was determined as 4.5 billion years old using Carbon Dating method. I can’t comprehend that Carbon Dating, which is used for dating archeological remains of biological origin up to 50,000 years old is used to measure the age of the earth! Are you sure you got the dating method correct?
Anything beyond 50,000 years theoretically has no detectible 14C left in it. Hence it is common sense that any sample that contains 14C is not millions of years old. Carbon dating and other radioactive dating methods have been proven inaccurate over many decades. For more information on carbon dating and proof of a relatively young earth visit this site. ldolphin.org/sewell/c14dating.html.
Apart from that, there are various clocks that establish that the Earth is relatively young. One of which is the rapid decay of the Earth’s magnetic field. The intensity of the earth’s magnetic field energy has declined by 14% since 1829. If we calculate backwards into time when the magnetic field is the strongest it would be less than 10,000 years. Beyond this, life will not be able to sustain on this planet. Visit this site for more information www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=371
Darwinist from Selangor said we are just defenders of our faith. The fact is evolution is also a religion and creationists are just defending their faith.
To Mr Adam Kopystynski from Kuantan, many Evolutionists say that creation science is halting scientific advancement and it is shocking to me that you do not think much about Nobel prize winners. After the introduction of Evolution in 1963 into the education system the Chicago Tribune on April 9, 1995, reported that “SATs get dumber”. “New scores will be higher but standards lower”. Is this how we evolve and get smarter?
Medical student from Muar, get your facts right and please visit our websites on creation science on all that has been done to discredit evolution by scientific methods. Please be my guest to think that your great-great-great grandpa was a worm and my great-great-great grandpa was Adam the son of God.
Daniel V. Samuel, Kajang, Selangor
Evolution X3 - My article was accepted, it seems.
DANIEL Vijayaruban Samuel’s letter The case against Mr Darwin (Your Say, Feb 15) provoked a strong reaction. Here are some of the views expressed.
PLEASE allow me to respond to Mr D.V. Samuel’s scathing attack on Charles Darwin.
Creationism has a legacy of persecuting its own scientists, only to later embrace their “heresies” as facts. Darwin was fortunate. Had he been born two centuries earlier, his persecution would have been horribly harsh.
The theories of Copernicus and Galileo are now accepted as facts (or are they still being considered as another can of worms by Mr Samuel?). Creationists should ask themselves: This about-turn from heresy to belief is for whose benefit? Isn’t it for survival?
Darwin’s theory doesn’t have a role for God. The process involves two stages. The first stage, mutation (variation) is a random process, and the second stage is non-random natural selection. His book, The Origin of Species, a masterpiece, is 150 years old. Even now, it is being aggressively attacked and ridiculed by defenders of the faith. They called themselves Scientific Creationists and Intelligent Design proponents. “Instantaneous Creation” is now “guided evolution” where (to quote from a science book) “God is smuggled in by the back door to supervise the evolutionary process”.
If we care to find out, there are creatures on Earth whose “designs” are so weird and bizarre that they violate our standards of morality. Would one call such creatures the work of God’s Intelligent Design?
Despite the relentless and vigorous attempts to discredit scientific works perceived as “threats” by the defenders of the faith, it is heartening to note that The Star continues to publish news items such as Hawking told not to study start of universe (by Pope John Paul II, June 2006), Okay to believe in aliens – Vatican scientist (May 15, 2008) and, Church of England apologises to Darwin over theories (Sept 15, 2008).
Thank you for celebrating 150 years of Darwinism.
Darwinist, Selangor
D.V. SAMUEL says Darwin had “absolutely no science degrees” and therefore had no “scientific authority”. He equates scientific aptitude and rigour with something that must be taught in a particular manner, yet cites Albert Einstein who was a very distracted student.
“Absolutely no science degrees” is not the same as no degrees at all. Darwin collected his degree from one of the most excellent universities on Samuel’s list, Cambridge. A very naughty attempt at discrediting him from the outset.
Thirdly, he cites Nobel Prize winners as having some special weight when it comes to forming arguments. Possibly, but I would like to remind readers that several prize winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics, adhering to their false models of economics, ignorantly walked into the recent global banking crisis, while others, non-Nobelled, clearly more intelligent, predicted it in published form prior to its occurrence; eg, Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Innate intelligence seems an excellent way of discovering, i.e. thinking out-of-the-box rather than that dull educational process where you come out the same as everybody else and possibly misinformed to boot.
Darwin “went outright against the Bible” because his explanation is much neater, accepts the utter randomness that surrounds us and doesn’t rely on what somebody taught him. He thought about it rather than just accepted. Galileo and Copernicus shook the religious world but hundreds of years later their ideas proved to be simply correct. Darwin will be vindicated too.
Next, and most importantly, Samuel takes Darwin’s “fairytale” and replaces it with the religious version where one is required to “believe that man is God’s work”. “Believe”? If one is fairytale, then sir, so is the other.
It is clear to me, that the arrogance displayed in calling humans the “supreme being” is beyond a science fiction fairytale and strays into that delusion where we are so much greater than the animals that there must be a more supreme “supreme being” who created us. Appalling. We are animals too, and we’re not very clever at that. Finally, this supreme being God creates a universe that “ultimately falls apart and disintegrates”. Not a great piece of intelligent design.
Adam Kopystynski, BSc MSc, Kuantan, Pahang
WRITING off Darwin’s credentials is a lowly tactic used by many pro-Creationists after they fail to refute evidence of the theory of evolution nor are able to, by any extent, prove their own.
Creationism was drilled into Darwin from the start and that he, by his own initiative, found proof to refute all he had believed to be true means a lot.
Indeed, after being provided with facts, figures and scientifically quantifiable methods to prove Darwin’s point – for example the carbon dating method that puts the age of the Earth at about 4.5 billion years old – pro-Creationists simply wave it all off.
When asked for a semblance of proof for creationism, no scientifically measurable methods are forthcoming leaving Creationism to be just a belief, a theory.
With the discovery of DNA, so much has been explained. Human DNA is also found to be 96% similar to that of many apes and 99% similar to chimpanzees. Man have been found to have originated from the continent of Africa and branched out from there, settling all across the globe. Proof that man evolved from another species can be found in the discovery of Homo erectus, Homo habilis and Australopithecus africanus.
In contrast, how does the Bible explain away the tens of thousands of prehistoric fossils if the Earth were only 6,500 years old? Unless you subscribe to the lie that the fossils are nothing more than plaster of Paris, made up by artists to beguile the faithful.
To all pro-Creationists out there, it is time you come up with proof for your theories instead of doing nothing but undermining the efforts of real scientists! Till then, I’m a monkey’s uncle.
Medical student, Muar, Johor
PLEASE allow me to respond to Mr D.V. Samuel’s scathing attack on Charles Darwin.
Creationism has a legacy of persecuting its own scientists, only to later embrace their “heresies” as facts. Darwin was fortunate. Had he been born two centuries earlier, his persecution would have been horribly harsh.
The theories of Copernicus and Galileo are now accepted as facts (or are they still being considered as another can of worms by Mr Samuel?). Creationists should ask themselves: This about-turn from heresy to belief is for whose benefit? Isn’t it for survival?
Darwin’s theory doesn’t have a role for God. The process involves two stages. The first stage, mutation (variation) is a random process, and the second stage is non-random natural selection. His book, The Origin of Species, a masterpiece, is 150 years old. Even now, it is being aggressively attacked and ridiculed by defenders of the faith. They called themselves Scientific Creationists and Intelligent Design proponents. “Instantaneous Creation” is now “guided evolution” where (to quote from a science book) “God is smuggled in by the back door to supervise the evolutionary process”.
If we care to find out, there are creatures on Earth whose “designs” are so weird and bizarre that they violate our standards of morality. Would one call such creatures the work of God’s Intelligent Design?
Despite the relentless and vigorous attempts to discredit scientific works perceived as “threats” by the defenders of the faith, it is heartening to note that The Star continues to publish news items such as Hawking told not to study start of universe (by Pope John Paul II, June 2006), Okay to believe in aliens – Vatican scientist (May 15, 2008) and, Church of England apologises to Darwin over theories (Sept 15, 2008).
Thank you for celebrating 150 years of Darwinism.
Darwinist, Selangor
D.V. SAMUEL says Darwin had “absolutely no science degrees” and therefore had no “scientific authority”. He equates scientific aptitude and rigour with something that must be taught in a particular manner, yet cites Albert Einstein who was a very distracted student.
“Absolutely no science degrees” is not the same as no degrees at all. Darwin collected his degree from one of the most excellent universities on Samuel’s list, Cambridge. A very naughty attempt at discrediting him from the outset.
Thirdly, he cites Nobel Prize winners as having some special weight when it comes to forming arguments. Possibly, but I would like to remind readers that several prize winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics, adhering to their false models of economics, ignorantly walked into the recent global banking crisis, while others, non-Nobelled, clearly more intelligent, predicted it in published form prior to its occurrence; eg, Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Innate intelligence seems an excellent way of discovering, i.e. thinking out-of-the-box rather than that dull educational process where you come out the same as everybody else and possibly misinformed to boot.
Darwin “went outright against the Bible” because his explanation is much neater, accepts the utter randomness that surrounds us and doesn’t rely on what somebody taught him. He thought about it rather than just accepted. Galileo and Copernicus shook the religious world but hundreds of years later their ideas proved to be simply correct. Darwin will be vindicated too.
Next, and most importantly, Samuel takes Darwin’s “fairytale” and replaces it with the religious version where one is required to “believe that man is God’s work”. “Believe”? If one is fairytale, then sir, so is the other.
It is clear to me, that the arrogance displayed in calling humans the “supreme being” is beyond a science fiction fairytale and strays into that delusion where we are so much greater than the animals that there must be a more supreme “supreme being” who created us. Appalling. We are animals too, and we’re not very clever at that. Finally, this supreme being God creates a universe that “ultimately falls apart and disintegrates”. Not a great piece of intelligent design.
Adam Kopystynski, BSc MSc, Kuantan, Pahang
WRITING off Darwin’s credentials is a lowly tactic used by many pro-Creationists after they fail to refute evidence of the theory of evolution nor are able to, by any extent, prove their own.
Creationism was drilled into Darwin from the start and that he, by his own initiative, found proof to refute all he had believed to be true means a lot.
Indeed, after being provided with facts, figures and scientifically quantifiable methods to prove Darwin’s point – for example the carbon dating method that puts the age of the Earth at about 4.5 billion years old – pro-Creationists simply wave it all off.
When asked for a semblance of proof for creationism, no scientifically measurable methods are forthcoming leaving Creationism to be just a belief, a theory.
With the discovery of DNA, so much has been explained. Human DNA is also found to be 96% similar to that of many apes and 99% similar to chimpanzees. Man have been found to have originated from the continent of Africa and branched out from there, settling all across the globe. Proof that man evolved from another species can be found in the discovery of Homo erectus, Homo habilis and Australopithecus africanus.
In contrast, how does the Bible explain away the tens of thousands of prehistoric fossils if the Earth were only 6,500 years old? Unless you subscribe to the lie that the fossils are nothing more than plaster of Paris, made up by artists to beguile the faithful.
To all pro-Creationists out there, it is time you come up with proof for your theories instead of doing nothing but undermining the efforts of real scientists! Till then, I’m a monkey’s uncle.
Medical student, Muar, Johor
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