Taxi Stand abused.

When the government first installed taxi stands within the Central business District, it was hailed as a solution to the road safety issue caused by the stopping and lane changing of taxis within our busy city centre. However, very few or none of these taxi stands are operational. The taxi drivers have reverted into their old ways: stopping anywhere they wish, to drop of and pick up passengers without a care for other road users. Even worse, some of the taxi and van drivers use these taxi stands for convenient "free" parking lots! Why aren't there anybody who wants to report this abusive act to the authorities? Taxi stands are meant for taxis only, and not for other forms of vehicles to use them as free parking lots. Is it because that the electronic road pricing is to expensive? If it really is, I don't see whats the problem in taking public transport. Maybe they feel that taking public transport pulls down their social status, but actually, no one really cares about whether or not you take the public transport. To me, I think that the problem lies in the people who misuse the taxi stands.

Strange phobias that you might be interested in knowing.

1) Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia- The fear of the number 666.
2) Somniphobia- The fear of going to sleep.
3) Aquaphobia- The fear of water
4) Ichtyophobia- The fear of eating fish
5) Neophobia- The fear of trying new things.
6) Anthropophobia- The fear of people
7) Agoraphobia- The fear of going to public places.
8) Trichophobia- The fear of loose hair on clothing.
9) Tetraphobia- The fear of the number 4
10) Xenophobia- The fear of people from other countries
11) Nyctophobia- Extreme fear of the dark.
12) Gephyrophobia- The fear of bridges.
13) Bathophobia- The fear of depths
14) Phagophobia- The fear of swallowing.
15) Heliophobia- The fear of sunlight
16) Ergophobia- The fear of work.
17) Gynophobia- The fear of women
18) Caligynephobia- The fear of beautiful women.
19) Androphobia- The fear of men
20)Gerascophobia- The fear of growing old.

Well, these are all the phobias that I think are quite interesting, feel free to check them out at Wikipedia or any search engine.

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is not actually an unlucky day. I suppose that many people who have heard of Friday the 13th is through friends or books. But have you ever paused to wonder, why is this particular date counted as unlucky? Well, it is very strange for one person, Rossini. He believed that Friday and the number 13, were unlucky. And spookily, he died on those very dates! Friday the 13th!!! Very, very, spooky. And for the 13th, Friday has the most number of 13's throughout the years! For 2009, the months which have Friday the 13th are: February, March and November.

Strange events that happened/will happen on this date: 1) Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a house in New York on Thursday 12th February, , resulting in a fire burning till Friday, 13th February resulting in 50 dead. 2) The asteroid, 2004 MN4 will make its first close encounter with Planet Earth on Friday, 13th of April, 2029. It is expected that this asteroid will be very bright and super hot, which will be visible from Africa, Asia and Europe. It has obtained the highest level of possibility of hitting the Earth. If it does, the impact equivalent will be to 880 MEGATONS of TNT. The eruption of Mount Krakatoa was only equivalent to roughly 200 megatons. Everything within a thousand square kilometers in its path will be destroyed and asia will experience tsunamis of up to 30 meters tall!!!


FYI: The term used for the phobia of Friday, the 13th is Paraskavedekatriaphobia.

Robbers turn on bus driver when he steps to the rescue.

Two robbers, pretending to be passengers, boarded SBS Transit Service 160 at the Kotaraya Terminal in Johor Baru on Tuesday. But just as the bus neared the Malaysian Customs Checkpoints at about 3.45p.m., the two robbers decided that it was time to act. The duo whipped out parangs and attempted to rob a middle-aged Chinese woman passenger. Frightened by the thought that the robbers would harm her, she shouted for help. Upon hearing this, the bus driver immediately slammed on the brakes. He turned round and warned the two robbers, believed to be in their 30's, to halt what they were doing. However, his act of heroism infuriated the robbers, making them turn on him instead. They took his wallet which contained RM$260 ($108) and $40. Not content, the two robbers allegedly slashed him several times on the arm and shoulder before fleeing on foot. The bus driver sustained a deep gash on his left wrist and a fracture. He was treated at a nearby hospital and his condition is now stable. The Malaysian police confirmed the incident and are now already in the process of identifying suspects. From this incident, we can derive the fact that money is in fact, the root of all evil. If it were not for the money, those two robbers would not have done such a criminal act. It is also because of money, that people have become bolder in their actions, robbing jewellery stalls or even large banks. With money, comes the point of a limit. Do rich people have a limit in which they feel that they have enough money for the rest of their lives and wants to retire? Only the minority feels that way. Majority of people wants now, is to earn more money. A million is never enough, ten million? They still want more. They only think of themselves, and how they themselves can enjoy the luxuries that money brings, never sparing a thought for those less fortunate people somewhere out there in the world, who thank god even if they manage to find a dead bird which they can eat. If those rich misers would even care to donate a portion of their money out to help these less fortunate people, the world would become a more wonderful and heart-warming one. So, money is in fact, not the key to happiness, but the key to greed, selfishness and destruction.

Boss unconcerned over workers' safety, worker loses his left leg and right foot.

Mr Abu Bakar Evos, a former worker of Likok recycling firm, lost his left leg and right foot in a workplace accident. However, this incident could have been prevented if the company's manager abode to workplace safety regulations. It all happened at a paper compacter, where workers needed to enter it about 10 times a day to change paper, remove excess paper or paper jams. They were told to use a PVC pipe or their legs to clear the jam. But each time the machine's door was opened, the sensor would be triggered and the electricity would be cut off. It took time for the machine to power up after workers were done and closed the door. This greatly affected productivity and used up more electricity. So, the manager instructed workers to install metal strips over the sensors so that it will not shut down when the door is opened. But the workers were also instructed to switch the machine from automatic to manual before entering it so that the ram used to crush paper into compact bales would not move when they were in the machine. On one fateful day, Mr Abu Bakar Evos, went into the machine and used his foot to clear the paper that was stuck. But, he lost his footing and fell into a chute where paper is fed into the machine. Sensors where activated and the metal hydraulic ram roared to life and sped towards the frantic Abu Bakar. He attempted to hoist himself out of the chute but was not fast enough. His left leg and right foot were smashed into the wall by the merciless ram. The company and its manager were charged in court with failing to ensure that the machinery was safe for the workers. I am utterly disgusted at the company, risking its workers' safety for his own profits. I hope that after reading an incident like that, companies will care more about their workers' safety to prevent a similar incident from happening



Point to ponder : Is it really the company's fault? Or was it just due to Mr Abu Bakar's carelessness?

Little Ironies-The taximan story

The irony in this particular story is that the taximan is disgusted by how teenagers nowadays lack moral values, making out with Caucasian boyfriends instead of studying at home, yet he still ferries them to meet their Caucasian boyfriends. However, I do agree with some parts of the taximan's point-of-view. Those teenagers really do lack the correct moral values. Neglecting their studies, lying to their parents and disrespect themselves, all for the prospect of making a quick buck. Take for example, the taximan's daughter, Lay Choo. She is very good in her studies, being the only child in the family to be able to make it to University. One day, however, Lay Choo decided to lie to her parents, claiming that she had math supplementary lessons, but in fact, went out with a group of friends, visiting coffee houses and hotels. One day, while driving in his taxi, her father spots her and drags her out of there and beat the daylights out of her when they reached home. This is the action which I disagree. He could have gave her a stern warning and a curfew instead of acting so violently to her. I can understand that he must have been very angry with her. I think that the harshest punishment was to just give her a few strokes of the cane. Instead of hitting her till his neighbours had to pull him away. Lay Choo could have acted that way because she felt that she was not loved and needed it. But on the other hand, her father loved her very much, that was why he was strict with her, and did not know how to express his love in a manner that Lay Choo would be able to feel. We do not live in America, where parents walk up to their children, give them a peck on the cheek and say" I love you". Our society is less open, unlike theirs. So, in conclusion, I think that the these teenagers should practice correct moral values and etiquette. And remember that their parents always loved them, no matter what test scores they had or what was their actions

Mercy Killing-should it be authorised?

In my opinion I feel that mercy killing should be authorised, but it should only be used as a last resort if the individual is under too much pain and would be better off if he or she was put to rest. However, the decision lies in the individual's loved ones' hands. They should have a better understanding if the individual wants to be put down. This situation is evident from a recent case of mercy killing. A 76 year-old woman was put to rest after she has been brain dead for a year. Her children requested the hospital caring for her to remove a life support system from her and let her rest in peace as she has no chance of recovery and would maybe wish to be put down to stop all of her suffering once and for all. Authorities said that the human life is sublime and must be treated with utmost care in any circumstances. Only when a patient has no chance of recovery and medical treatment is limited to maintaining his or her brain dead state. The hospital has thus carried the case to the Supreme Court to verify if this mercy kill is appropriate. In conclusion, if the patient is really incurable and under too much pain or suffering, I think that it would be better off if he or she were put to rest.

Flowers for Algernon- What makes an ideal human or ideal life?

This is a question asked by many. I have heard many different opinions. But this is my personal opinion. With reference to Charlie Gordon in Flowers for Algernon, I do not think a high IQ is equal to a ideal human or life. However, with a higher IQ, you would be able to see problems more in-depth and be tortured by the problem by thinking about the many different harms caused by the problem. Charlie Gordon always wanted to be smart, but once he becomes smart, he starts having very complicated emotions. And once his IQ starts to deteriorate, he starts to scare himself with the after-effects of what he calls the 'Algernon-Gordon' effect. Thus, resulting in him being severely tortured by the deterioration.
My prospect of an ideal life is to have a regular IQ, not too high or not too low, and to just be satisfied with how things are presently. With an IQ of a regular person, you will be seeing problems just like everybody else, and not see it too deeply, too deeply till you become obsessed in solving the problem that you torture your mind and body. By achieving this will bring you to the next part, being satisfied. Only by being satisfied will you not want to set unachievable goals in life and not become too obsessed in acquiring things that you also torture your mind and body.
So, having a regular IQ, and being satisfied are what I think of as an ideal human and life.

Age and experience are important to the workforce

For the workforce in any country, age and experience are vital to the success and improvement. Take a 60 year old man for example, if he is competing with a 36 year old man for a job at a hawker center as a cleaner, his chances of getting that job is very slim. As the 36 year-old man has a stronger physique, able to clear up tables at a much faster rate and so, help increase work productivity.
But now, taking a 60 year-old man who was once a company's manager for more than 15 years, competing for a job as supervisor with a 36 year-old man who has little or no experience in managing, his chances would be fairly high. This is where experience comes in. The CEO of the company would choose the 60 year-old man for his experience in this area. Unlike the 36 year-old man who has to start learning managing skills from scratch, the 60 year-old man would already be skilled in this area of work. And increase work productivity
So, in conclusion, for the success and improvement of the work force, age must be backed up with experience and experience must be backed up with age.