Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday
Originally uploaded by swisscobalt.

Comot, Jasper and Amber was born on 21st August last year. That makes them one year old already..and they eat so much...

Bukit Gantang crash tragedy: What will it take to stop carnage?

NST

KUALA LUMPUR: As the nation reels from the worst road accident, the main question on everyone’s mind is: What will it take to stop the carnage on the roads?

The answer is already there, in the form of the recommendations made after every major accident.

Monday’s tragedy at Km229 of the North-South Expressway near Bukit Gantang, which claimed 20 lives and injured nine, has resulted in more recommendations being made.

But readers and industry sources say there is nothing wrong with the recommendations made earlier. They were spot on and workable. The question they ask is this: Why have the recommendations not been implemented?

If earlier recommendations had been implemented, would a bus driver with a string of traffic offences been allowed to drive? And would a 20-year-old bus be deemed roadworthy?

Last year alone, there were 6,400 fatalities and about 300,000 accidents. Out of that, 9,700 accidents and 39 fatalities involved buses.

Recommendations have been made over the years. And they continue to be made. But none of them, say industry sources, had addressed the main problem — the lack of enforcement. This has made the recommendations ineffective.

In the next few days, the authorities will try hard to come up with answers. Already, fingers are being pointed at the driver and the weak structure of the bus.

Today, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy will submit a working paper to the cabinet on more recommendations. He will also point out weaknesses in the current system.

This will include the Kejara demerit point system where points are only deducted when summonses are settled, the issue of poorly assembled buses, tightening of regulations involving bus drivers and improving operations of bus companies.

"If the cabinet agrees, the ministry will implement the recommendations," Chan said.

On Monday, he warned the relevant agencies to get cracking on the refresher course programme for drivers. The course is to help the ministry gauge the aptitude and the mental and physical state of bus and lorry drivers.

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What was said after...

Kuala Lipis bus crash (2003): 14 killed, 26 injured
1. Recommendation: Send drivers for refresher course. Status: Not implemented.
2. Recommendation: Two drivers in each express bus. Status: Implemented but poorly monitored.
3. Recommendation: Punish bad drivers with higher insurance premiums. Status: Not implemented.
4. Recommendation: Drivers to undergo medical check-ups once every six months. Status: Implemented but carried out once a year due to high cost.
5. Recommendation: Suspend bus operator's permit if driver found to have caused an accident. Status: Partially implemented. Several bus drivers were suspended.
6. Recommendation: Drivers and passengers to fill in a report on the problems they faced. Status: Implemented for several months but discontinued.
7. Recommendation: Drivers not to drive for more than eight hours continuously. Status: Implemented but poorly monitored.
8. Recommendation: New guidelines for commercial vehicle drivers. Status: Implemented: Second driver introduced, drivers allowed maximum journey of eight hours and rest every two hours.

Nibong Tebal bus crash (July 2006): 11 killed, 35 injured on their way to St Anne's Feast
1. Recommendation: Drivers to undergo mandatory refresher courses once every three years. Status: Not implemented.
2. Recommendation: Special centres to be set up nationwide to train drivers. Status: Not done as refresher course programme was still pending.

Recommendations after the Bukit Gantang crash (Aug 13, 2007): 20 killed, 9 injured
1. Drivers to undergo mandatory refresher course.
2. Tighten rules for drivers and implement same checks as carried out on airline pilots.
3. Safety briefing for passengers before journey begins. Just like in planes.
4. Build railway tracks to connect more towns. Rail travel is safer.
5. All passengers to wear safety belts.
6. Drivers must be in good mental and physical health.
7. Drivers not to drive continuously for eight hours.
8. All highways and expressways to be lit up.
9. Improve quality of locally assembled buses.
10. Hiring more foreign drivers.

Discussion is now closed. Thank you for your participation. You have spoken and your views are greatly appreciated. Let's hope the authorities are reading this -

Fixing Maxis bill view in Firefox

I can't view maxis bill when using maxis bill..how to solve it? Follow this steps

By Following step problem will solve...

Go to location, key in about:config

Then, key in security.ssl3.rsa_rc4_40_md5 under filter.

Change it from false to true.

credit: kennez.com

Nuri crashed...why? how?

Condolences to our soldiers' families for the tragedy.

I'm wondering:
1. Utusan quote "siasatan awal TUDM, nahas udara terbaru Nuri itu berpunca daripada faktor cuaca buruk"
- so, are those Sikorsky Nuri too 'cikai', they can only be used in bright and clear conditions only?
-Nuris were bought in 1968 and were used in Vietnam War by American soldiers..and we Malaysian Army still using in in 2007.

2. It took 5 days for the rescue team to found the bodies
- if the crash location that was near a highway took 5 days to be found, how long it takes if some other crash (god forbid) occured on remote place?
-is it possible that the victims were still alive when the chopper crashed?

3. Utusan quote DPM as saying "TUDM tidak boleh menghentikan terus penggunaan Nuri kerana ia adalah satu-satunya helikopter yang ada"
- if that so, we are so doomed. Our country defense system relied only on old Nuri for air transportation. What is going to happen if some large scale catastrophe hit our country (invasion by Singapore maybe?)

4. If our leader can have BlackHawk, Agusta, SuperPuma, why give our soldiers been given 'cikai' punya chopper?

5. Good news is, the Defense Ministry is going to replace them with newer chopper. Will take 2-3 years. In the meantime, we just wait and see how many crashes are going to come. Lets hope nobody will be bombed during the negotiation period...


p/s: I feel so yesterday when I watched "FUTURE WEAPONS" on National Geographic Channel...

Charity meme

Okay, this is the rule.
If you are tagged, you need to write an entry related to the meme. At the end of your entry you just need to tag as many person as you like. You will then leave a comment in their blog to let them know they have been tagged. And to include this message, "By doing this meme you are contributing rm127 to the Darul Izzah Orphanage". Then please copy and paste this rule somewhere in your entry.

The meme is about completing at least 17 out of the following 27 sentences........ *These can be copied and pasted to your entry*

1. A person is only as good as his/her heart
2. Friendship is always precious
3. To love is to appreciate what you have, while you have it before it's gone
4. Money makes me able to buy gadgets
5. I miss college life
7. I try to spread love and happiness by being nice to people i met
8. Pick the flowers when it's fully blossomed
9. To love someone is to accept him/her unconditionally
10. Beauty is overrated
13. I am most happy when I have enough sleep
14. Nothing makes me happier than being with my loved one, and my cats
15. If I can change one thing, I will change my self
16. If smiles were contagious then I would be the carrier
17. Wouldn't it be nice if we could get back to RM1.00/liter of petrol?
18. If you want to succeed then you have to work hard
19. Money is not everything but the THING
20. The most touching moments I have experienced is when someone touched me
21. I smile when I'm happy
22. When I am happy, I smile
24. The best thing I did yesterday was squeezing my cats
25. If I ever write a book, I will give it this title,"How To Make Yourself Useful To Others"
26. One thing I must do before I die is to prepare what is necessary
27. Doing this meme, I feel like going to lunch, because it's lunchtime bebeh!


Hazwani
Kristakish
Fazilla Farihas
Deyayau
Al-Meon
Syu