Odysseys of George

This is an interesting and true article about self management by author Stephen Covey sent to me by my friend Paga.

It is long but I am sure would interest most of you!

Discover the 90/10 Principle.

It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations).

continue reading…

Sharks are endangered species. Despite cases of them killing humans and a recent event of an adolescent getting his legs amputated off coast of Australia, this are just isolated cases. The fact that they have to come so close to shore is because humans have practically destroyed their food source and their hides.

This are updates of International Shark Conservation Meeting in Beijing:
(source: WildAid Winter News)

Beijing Nov. 7th, 2006: experts on shark conservation, research and management from Australia, China, Singapore, United States and United Kingdom, participated in the International Shark Conservation Meeting in Beijing, China. After discussion, The experts reached the following consensus:

Sharks have swum the world’s oceans for over 400 million years long before the first dinosaurs appeared on land. They inhabit every ocean and play a vital role in the health of marine ecosystems, and they are considered of significant ecological, scientific, and economic value. Therefore, it is important to conserve sharks for marine ecology, the protection of biodiversity and the promotion of sustainable development. Throughout the world, sharks are being threatened due to human activity and need to be conserved by global efforts. The experts make the following recommendations:

1. To conserve sharks we should expand regional cooperation, enhance data collection and information exchange, and promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

2. Increase the funding for professional training, research activities, and the improvement of science and technology for shark conservation.

3. Actively conduct shark conservation activities, enhancing the management of shark fishing, minimizing by-catch and resource waste, promoting sustainable utilization.

4. Stop illegal fishing, strictly control coastal residential and industrial waste discharge, and protect the marine environment.

5. Improve awareness of marine ecosystem conservation, enhancing public education, and conserving sharks and their habitats.

The Earth is a blue planet. The sea is humanity’s means of livelihood. The length and breadth of the sea has bred several thousand years of human culture. Let us collectively conserve our sharks, marine environment and share the deep blue sea with our marine species, to build a harmonious and glorious future between humans and nature.

So what we as public can do: “say NO to shark fin soup”

Other articles of interest
Say NO to shark fin

A friend sent me this

–Abraham Lincoln vs. John F. Kennedy–

1. Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

2. Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

3. The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters.
Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost a child while living in the White House.

4. Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.

5. Lincoln’s secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy’s secretary was named Lincoln.

6. Both were assassinated by Southerners.

7. Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

8. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

9. John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

10. Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

11. Lincoln was shot at the theater named ‘Kennedy.’
Kennedy was shot in a car called ‘Lincoln.’

12. Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse.
Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.

13. Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

14. A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland.
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe

For those who missed this article, then tap on this “A cause for Intestinal Obstruction?”

Well, Bernard congratulations!

Well, that was an abdominal x-ray of the lady who presented to us.

The arrow points to the dilated gallbladder filled with air. Air within the gallbladder can only come from the intestine and thus there must be an abnormal connection between the gallbladder and the intestine. This is either to the small intestine(bowel) or the large intestine. This is called a fistula.

This is a rare condition and even more so at present when laparoscopic surgery is done often so commonly! However, I have seen 5 to 6 to date and 4 in Selayang itself! This is due to long standing disease of the gallbladder which becomes inflammed and adherent to the surrounding structure and then erodes that structure.

The stone which is usually large will then pass through and obstructs the small intestine at its narrowest lumen that is the ileocaecal valve where the small intestine enters the large intestine. Stones that enters the large intestine through a fistula with the large intestine are often passed out without any problems.

Surgery is performed to relieve the obstructed bowel by making an incision over the bowel where the stone is and remove the stone. This is a relative simple surgery.

Since surgery is the only option for the obstructed bowel, thus the issue that arise is should one proceed to remove the diseased gallbladder and repair the fistula at the same sitting? This issue occurs because many at times the patients who present with this problem are elderly with many other health problems.

I tend to remove the diseased gallbladder and repair the fistula if it is not too difficult. But this is done based on how well the patient is tolerating the surgery. There are some who will do this part of the surgery later or never do it at all.

This was around a few months now with many bloggers resounding their dissatisfaction towards banning of certain books. Well the Sun has seemed to make the Internal Security Ministry to respond and this was part of it

“The Internal Security Ministry sees itself as the country’s “moral guardian” and will bar the entry of books and other publications deemed “offensive” or “not conducive” to Malaysian society….These include books by Kahlil Gibran, Salman Rushdie’s award-winning Midnight’s Children and Shalimar the Clown, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Memories of My Melancholy Whores, as well as classics such as Anthony Burgess’ The Malayan Trilogy and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart………….Some children’s books may also have offensive content and contravene conditions in the PPPA……..Also affected are children’s titles like Read-Aloud Children’s Classics, SpongeBob and Squarepants, The Wiggles, Poems and Prayers for Children, and Dora’s Fiesta Adventure ActivePoint Book Set…….

I wonder what could be so offensive in those children books especially when they have been around for so long internationally and some are also shown on TV! Then again the enforcers must have their brains in blue and have poor English that all they care are titles of books and not the contents and seem to imagine what could be the contents by the title – truly judging a book by its covers — that brings us to the next issue which is some books of the same title are allowed in softcover but confiscated in hardcover!! Why!
There is a psychiatric condition related to people who are morally wrong or perverts but justifies themselves by being on a censorship board and goes censoring and banning everything!— or maybe it is as simple as being morons!!

There then comes the third issue that some of this books can get past KLIA but not Johor customs! Excellent “transparency”!

Then maybe they will ban my blog if I would change the title to George’s Midnights!!

Strange, have you seen or read the local magazines – some are I am sure by votes even more offensive than Read-Aloud Children’s Classics and the ever famous Khalil Gibran’s writings which are used as text in many international universities and quated by many scholars!

Then again with internet and world without border, is all this banning of any use – which make me believe that those rule makers such as this are mentally ill. The ease of access to porn on internet and various other more offensive and destructable issues can never be a less important issues to the books that they ban and makes them look like fools catching the wind! Education and moral begins at home – and reaffirmed in schools! This is the only way!

And isn’t it an insult to all parents, that the government think so lowly of parents that they feel that parents do not know how to evaluate and assess a book for that they buy or borrow for the kids!! These book aren’t cheap!

Isn’t it an insult to the adults that indirectly the government is saying that we are incapable of thinking and making a judgement of good and bad?
Well, this kind of banning will make individuals of a nation numb and dumb!

A small boy is sent to bed by his father. Five minutes later:
“Da-ad…” “What?”
“I’m thirsty. Can you bring me a drink of water?”
“No. You had your chance. Lights out.”
“Five minutes later: “Da-aaaad…”
“WHAT?”
“I’m THIRSTY…Can I have a drink of water??”
“I told you NO! If you ask again I’ll have to spank you!!”
“Five minutes later…
“Daaaa-aaaad…”
“WHAT??!!”
“When you come in to spank me, can you bring me a drink of water?”