The Return

It’s been more than a month since my last posting.

It is not that I have grown tired of writing/blogging, the contrary is true. Getting an interesting topic to write is both a pain and a bane to any writer.

Demigod Dr. Mahathir nonetheless with his one-month-old chedet.com, manages 20+ articles whilst juggling his breakneck appointments, luncheons and overseas trips. True to his usual style and high standards, the website just made its one million mark/hits.

So it’s true afterall…you could still teach an old dog….new tricks.

With mere mortals like me, I'll start back slowly.

Quoting one of Rumi’s Mathnawi would be a start.

Conventional knowledge is for sale,
When it finds a purchaser,
It glows with delight.
The purchaser of real knowledge is God:
Its market is always splendid.
The owner of real knowledge has closed his lips
And is enraptured in his trading:
The buying is without end,

For GOD HAS PURCHASED.

Dangers of Polycarbonate in water bottles, food containers and baby bottles.

The use of polycarbonate is widespread. It is used in the process of CD making, eye lenses, mp3 players and even the cockpit canopy of advance jets. The outstanding properties of polycarbonate include high impact resistance, lightweight and an outstanding optical quality (transparent to visible light) that rivals even glasses.

The main concern is not the use of polycarbonate in these items BUT the use of polycarbonate in drinking bottles, baby bottles and food containers.

Scientist have discovered that polycarbonate may leach a certain chemical compound called Bisphenol A or BPA. This chemical mimics estrogen (a type of female hormone) and studies have shown that it could have some effect on the prostate gland, mammary gland and induced an early puberty in females. These endocrine disruptors pretend to be the body endogenous hormones (meaning the REAL hormones produced by the body in the endocrine system) thus disrupting the physiologic function of the hormones.

So how do you identify a polycarbonate container..? Positive identification includes clear labeling on the container (normally at the bottom) or a recycling symbol (also at the bottom) marked with the number 7. If you fail to find any markings (as far as I know, there is no legislation here or overseas that require product identification on polycarbonate), polycarbonate containers are CLEAR and RIGID plastics. In other words, it is transparent (of various colours), break resistant and tough plastic.

Big companies like Bayer, General Electric, DOW makes polycarbonate BUT labels them differently like Lexan, Calibre or Makrolon etc. The famous baby bottle company Avent produces cute bottles that are made of poly carbonate (my son used this bottles for more than 5 years) and only now we know that it is actually unsafe. There are scientific studies that show BPA leaching increases significantly if boiling water is used in the containers, up to 55 times more. As we all know, baby bottles are routinely washed and use hot boiling water to make milk. Microwave has the same effect in these containers. Here’s another catch…old bottles leached close to double the amount of BPA than newer ones (because cracks and scratches increases the surface area of these bottles).

So far Canada is the only country that bans baby bottles that contains bisphenol A. Will Malaysia follow suit..? IMO, unlikely within 1 year, maybe after 2-4 years (after everyone else has already ban it).

So how to avoid BPA.

a) Throw away bottles that contain BPA especially baby bottles. My Nalgene sport water bottle collection cost me nearly RM300. Now I have to start over.
b) Do not use water coolers that uses poly carbonate containers.
c) Select bottles that are made of tempered glass, polyethylene or polypropylene (recycling symbols 1,2 or 5).

Remember…you drink to quench your thirst…not to develop a third breast.

Quotes from Pak Lah..

Stupid is forever, ignorance can be fixed. – Don Wood

Saw this sign on menara ABM, opposite Maju Junction KL. Sublime, huh..?
I know there are not exactly plenty of Pak Lah’s quotations to go around so the fellas at Ukhwah took the most innocuous one to put on their posters. Problem that, the most innocuous ones are also the most painfully obvious ones.

It’s bad enough that most cabinet ministers think that they are smarter than the PM, but letting the average Joe on the street thinks that way too..? Now, how brilliant is that…

Ok...some good news. According to some foreign news, Pak Lah is indicating that he would be discussing the transfer of power to his deputy, Najib. Read it here. (there's a catch...not straight away but at the end of 2008). Don't worry we trust you ;-)

A letter to Y.B Dato' Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Information

Y.B. Dato’ Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Wisma TV, Angkasapuri,
50610 Kuala Lumpur.

30 March 2008


Y.B. Dato’,

Re: Media Blackout and failure to report important news on time versus BLOGS

Congratulations Y.B. Dato’ for your recent appointment as our Minister of Information. The post is very demanding. Nobody remembers when you are doing your job well and everyone remembers when you mess up.

I doubt any minister would envy your position, which brings a heavy historical burden of your predecessor. I as many other Malaysians blame the loss partly on his failure to keep abreast with the current technology, the failure to counter attack on some important issues in the media and aligning himself with pre-PRU12 common misconception among BN politicians (Azalina, Nazri, Rais even the PM) that bloggers are a bunch of misfits, liars and scums that feeds on peoples fear and hate.

Post-PRU12 cleared the last misconception at a heavy price to BN (one opposition blogger even won a Penang Parliamentary seat). The public/voters in general, refused to accept the candy-coated and one way reporting of our printed newspaper and relied heavily on cyber information (blogs, websites, newsgroups and You tube).

Blogs in particular proved to be one of the most effective methods of public information. Blogs are always faster in disseminating news (we knew Penang, Selangor, Shahrizat, Samy Vellu fate long before the confirmation news on TV), and most of all, IDENTIFIABLE people who works with almost no pay. We see concern citizens, retired civil servants, former reporters and even one grandmother blogging with ONLY the fervent hope of a fair, fast and non-candy coated news.

Recently, a few bloggers managed to PROVE the existence of a media blackout not at the time of your predecessor (that was easy) BUT during your watch as Minister of Information. The local dailies DID NOT report the outcome of the PM’s AFTERNOON visit to the Yang diPertuan Agong (on the 26th March) until the 28th March, a gap of more than 36 hours. Even the on-line news (Bernama and NST) failed to report on the outcome till night 27th March, a gap of more than 24 hours. Blogs however have been excellent in giving CORRECT information quickly to the masses. Rocky’s bru for example have been giving updates from 4.15pm on 26th March of the meeting and a CONFIRMED outcome by the 27th March in the afternoon. In an era of fast cars and even faster transfer of information, our print media have failed miserably in their job. I suspect (so do most bloggers and their readers) that the media reporters ARE NOT GIVEN THE PERMISSION TO PUBLISH THEIR STORY BY SOMEONE WITH AUTHORITY HIGH UP IN THE GOVERNMENT. This kind of lapse will give legitimacy to the masses suspicions of puppet masters, conspiracy theories, and the infamous 4th floor string pulling and spin doctoring. I have no reason to believe that an early release of the information is a threat to our country or cause riots; in fact the contrary is true. The suppression will cause uneasiness among the population.

Edmund Burke once said, ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’. I hope Y.B. Dato’ that you are doing SOMETHING. As a Muslim, I have the right to remind myself and others that Allah is on the side of right no matter how oppressed and Muslims must protect the innocents, including bloggers that fight tyranny in the face with a keyboard and an RM77 internet subscription. There are lies too concocted and spread by bad bloggers that makes the rest of us look bad, this is true also of politicians. There are politicians whom are convicted of corruption, womanizing and even murder BUT that does not make true of the others. I pray you do the right thing no matter what and do it quickly. There is an on-line movement currently initiated by bloggers to boycott our national papers for their inefficiency, biasness, lies and threats towards innocent bloggers (a few bloggers like Rocky, Jeff Ooi are currently being sued for defamation by NSTP).

Your colleague, Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Minister of Youth and Sports) said on 23rd March 2008 during a celebration in a Rakan Muda Complex, ‘…If we continue to rubbish the blogs, I am worried that it will one day take over the role of the mainstream newspapers...’

If you do not do something to arrest this problem, I fear that his prediction would one day come true right before your very eyes.





Your Sincerely,


Reza Zainal

http://rezazainalmeanderings.blogspot.com/

References : Rocky Bru’s at http://www.rockybru.blogspot.com/
Nuraina A. Samad at http://nursamad.blogspot.com/
Tok Mommy at http://mariasamad.blogspot.com/ and Marina Mahathir at http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/

Pak Lah…Malaysians are desperately looking for some leadership from you.

What is going on nowadays? Has Malaysia gone to the dogs? Can we have a bit of good ol’ leadership here from our PM?

Where was the PM's comment on Datuk Zaid Ibrahim proposal to apologise to Tun Salleh Abbas?

What happened when Dr. Mohd Isa was appointed MB of Perlis instead of the PM’s choice of Shahidan?

This precedence has now contributed to HRH of Trengganu appointing his choice of Ahmad Said over the PM’s choice of Idris Jusuh.
Why was the simple suggestion of meeting the Trengganu Regency Advisory Council by Muhyiddin Yassin not thought of earlier…way before the constitutional crisis became very real. Do you need rocket science post graduate degree to have thought about this earlier?

Where is your leadership ? Where are ALL OF YOUR ADVISERS? DO YOU EVEN CARE?

IF YOU HAVE ADVISERS...NOW IS THE TIME TO GET RID OF THEM.

And now the possibility of a postponement of UMNO Party elections to next year again announced by someone OTHER than the PM. Where is the PM response to all of this?

Am I suppose to be worried ….or scared?

Khairy not interested in Cabinet Post

"…If our democracy is to flourish, it must have criticism; if our government is to function it must have dissent " - Henry Commager

Quote KJ from Malay Mail :

"As long as he is the Prime Minister, I am not interested in a Cabinet post. I have told the Prime Minister this long before I was nominated to contest for the Rembau parliamentary seat and he had agreed to my stand. I told him not to feel pressured because I don’t want to be part of it."

Of course, I'm sure KJ have a few individuals with him at the time and ready to testify to this claim. If he has, he did not mention them during the press meet. So I guess, we have to trust him.

It would have a greater effect IF he had said it before the elections and not let the younger generations vote opposition just because some of them hate KJ and would not bear the thought of him becoming a menteri via being the PM son-in-law.

Wanna read more, it's here (have a barf bag ready..)

Have you tried to google 'Khairy Jamaluddin' nowadays..?? I won't recommend it if you have a weak heart.

To be fair, wanna get his take on some issues...go to his website, it's here . Leave your speakers on, there's a cool Blues Gang 'Apo nak Di Kato' intro. Just remember to switch it off right after...you'll see. I'm surprised that he did not leave us with a pdf copy of his undergraduate thesis in Oxford, to show us mortals that we need to be guided by an obviously higher being.

There's a link...Khairy and Anwar Ibrahim debate. Clicking it would give you a collage of ONE issue...Oil price. There is no live debate at all...what a waste of time. Khairy chose one issue that can call on Anwar's obvious bluff. (Kampung folks still thinks that the Malaysian government controls World crude prices).

Anwar told Malaysians that during his tenure as Minister...the price of oil was RM1.10 (that was the time the world prices for crude was hovering US14-20 dollars). Now it's RM1.92 (and world prices reached a record high of US100 dollars).

So...Khairy-1, Anwar-0.

Lets get a real live debate on...so maybe we would know more about the ECM Libra share issues debacle.

Ref : KJ picture was taken from his website.

All the PM's Men

I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government - Henry David Thoreau

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Looks good...quite refreshing. Hope it works.

Like fruits on a tree..some are sweet..some are not. I had hope that the cabinet would be free from excess baggage..not caught with some money in the baggage...

The Good : Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, Datuk Shahrir

The Bad : Datuk Marshitah, Datuk Seri Shahrizat

The Ugly : Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib