Aaj phir mujhko uski yaad dila di barish ne
Dil mein jo bhool ki aag thi bujha di barish ne
Main tanha tha apne ghar mein zamaney se pary
Magar mere ghar ki deewar gira di barish ne
Us ke zikar se ho gayi meri ankhein num
Magar doston mein ye sari baat ch…upa di barish ne
Suna hai, wo bhi roya hai aaj bohat
Lagta hai unko meri yaad dila di barish ne
Wo bewafa hua to phir kya hua
Aaj mere sath ro kar wafa nibha di barish ne

hye to the world!!!

1st tyme membloggerkan diri semata-mata untuk menyimpan kenangan or apa-apa yang berkaitan dengannya..haha.. btw, perkara 1st yang ditulis mestilah mengenai diri sendiri jadi dengan gambar ni, dapatlah menjelaskan serba sedikit tentang diri..haha..gambar ni ambik tyme final sem 1 kat AAJ, skrang masih 1 nen lg, blum masuk 2 nen…gambar ni gambar kelas N6, kelas tempat aku blaja setengah sem..yang depan skali kiri tu Fazian sensei, blakang sensei, Tani sensei, sebelah dia Fazurina sensei dan yang pegang payung tu Yano sensei, merekalah sensei2 yang mengajar kelas N6 sepanjang setengah sem 1 dulu..yang lain tu malaslah nak cita, semua classmate…haha..

Semi-trucks and other commercial vehicles are responsible for transporting goods across the country every day. The men and women who operate these vehicles and the companies that employ them have a duty to ensure that their goods reach their final destination on time. But they also have an even more important duty to the public to make sure that these massive trucks are operated in a safe manner.

When tractor-trailers are involved in an accident with a passenger vehicle, the passenger vehicle always loses. The sheer size and weight of semi-trucks makes them nearly indestructible. The same cannot be said for the unfortunate cars that collide with these trucks.

In 2007, more than 86,000 people in the US were seriously injured after being in an accident with a semi truck. More than 4800 people died as a result of one of these harrowing crashes. Nearly 500 of these deaths occurred in the state of Texas.

People have long known that tractor-trailers can be dangerous and accidents with these vehicles often result in tragedy. But a recent report issued by the American Association for Justice (AAJ) reveals that these trucks are even more dangerous than many ever believed.

The AAJ Report

In August, the AAJ released a report finding that more than 28,000 motor carrier companies and more than 211,000 trucks were operating with federal safety violations as of April 2009. In “Warning! Safety Violations Ahead,” the AAJ based its conclusions on data collected by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

The FMCSA data included tractor trailers, cargo tank trucks, motor coaches, school buses and Hazmat vehicles. In addition to the motor carrier and truck safety violations, the report also found 28,616 buses and 2,226 Hazmat companies with safety violations.

Of the 28,000 motor carrier companies listed, 77 of them are located in Houston, Texas. Of those located in Houston, 60 were given “conditional” status, meaning that the records showed the companies were out of compliance with one or more safety regulations. Seventeen companies were given “unsatisfactory” status based on records showing evidence of substantial noncompliance with federal safety regulations.

Even though these numbers are high, the AAJ indicated that they only may represent the “tip of the iceberg” and that even more trucking companies may be operating unsafe vehicles. The AAJ is concerned that the numbers are low because states often provide the federal government with incomplete and inaccurate information. According to the report, states fail to report at least one-third of all trucking accidents to the federal government.

Also, it is unclear what criteria the federal government uses to determine whether a motor carrier company is a safety risk deserving of conditional or unsatisfactory status. For example, a trucking company located in Dallas, TXI Transportation Co., received a satisfactory status from the FMCSA. This rating was provided, despite the fact that the company’s trucks have been cited for numerous safety violations and their drivers were involved in 33 accidents in a two-year period, with two of the accidents resulting in fatalities.

Types of Truck Safety Violations

The AAJ report found that defective brakes were the most common safety violation by motor carrier companies. Understandably, federal regulations mandate that all motor carriers must have working brake systems and prescribes the types of brakes and the safety features they must have.

Federal law also requires trucking companies to maintain their vehicles, including their brake systems. Before each trip, the truck’s driver is required to inspect the vehicle to make sure everything is in working order, including the brakes. The driver then must sign off on the inspection. Some drivers, however, may sign off on the inspection without actually completing it as required.

Other common safety violations include:
-Tire violations — balding tires, retreaded tires
-Truck loads exceeding weight limits
-Inexperienced and untrained drivers
-Hours of service violations (i.e. drivers working more hours than permissible)
-Drivers with drug or alcohol dependencies
-Falsified trucking logs and other records

The AAJ report indicated that motor carrier companies are motivated to violate safety regulations in order to increase their profits while minimizing their expenses. This is why some of these companies are willing to put the safety of their drivers and others at risk rather than spend the money necessary to properly maintain their vehicles and train their drivers.

The report also noted that the compensation systems used by motor carrier companies encourage truck drivers to violate the law, including overloading trucks and working longer hours than allowed. When trucks carry too much weight, it places too much strain on the vehicle, its tires and braking system, which can cause accidents. Also, drivers who are fatigued have slower reaction times and are more likely to be involved in truck accidents.

Working with an Experienced Attorney

If you have been injured in an accident with a semi-truck or other commercial vehicle, it is important to work with a knowledgeable attorney. A lawyer with experience handling these types of accidents can help you prepare your case against the truck driver and motor carrier company.

Article provided by Hartley Hampton, P.C.
Visit us at www.hartleyhamptonlaw.com/

AAJ President Anthony Tarricone penned a fiery opinion piece in Politico last week:

August was quite the month in the ongoing health care saga. Death panels. Scaring seniors. Angry mobs discovering new villains to blame for the terrible health care system we find ourselves having to fix today.

And then we have the tried-and-tested scapegoat for all of America’s ills and woes: trial lawyers.

Let’s face it: Trial lawyers — and all attorneys, for that matter — aren’t revered by the public at large (unless you need one). But for those who want to stick it to the trial bar, this bill is your chance. We can lower costs, help cover the uninsured and even put trial lawyers out of business.

No, it’s not tort reform. We’re demanding solutions that actually work. And preventing medical errors in the first place — an epidemic that plagues our entire health care system — will result in less litigation, lower costs and healthier patients.

Let’s cut the wheat from the chaff: Tort reform will do nothing to fix health care. Forty-six states have already done it, and costs have continued to skyrocket. The Congressional Budget Office and Government Accountability Office have said tort reform will save practically no money, and they found no evidence of defensive medicine. Medical malpractice suits are less than 1 percent of all civil filings — and this has declined 8 percent during the past decade. The research is definitive and absolute, and those claiming otherwise are just trying to obstruct health care reform altogether.

In separate segments, former and current leaders of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) countered the myth that capping medical malpractice lawsuits will reduce health care costs.

On CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, Less Weisbrod and Todd Smith gave a blunt response in opposition to a federal cap on medical malpractice suits. Weisbrod declared such a cap to be unconstitutional and argued that there is no evidence to show that such a cap would lower healthcare spending. In response to President Obama’s assertion before Congress that doctors complain about the costs of practicing defensive medicine, Weisbrod suggested that Obama spend more time talking with victims of medical malpractice. Meanwhile, Smith countered the notion that meritless cases are brought by trial attorneys by arguing that lawyers have no logical reason to take a case with no chance of winning.

Meanwhile, on CNBC, Anthony Tarricone argued that “studies show there’ll be no appreciable decrease in the cost of healthcare by enacting any of the various so-called reforms that have been promoted. The only way to decrease the cost of healthcare is to reduce the number of preventable medical errors.”

budak budak lab semua pi camping dari sabtu lepas sampai hari senin …. jadi aku camping kat rumah sajalah .. bulan puasa ni .. aku sebenarnya masih tak pandai menyesuaikan diri dengan orang yang tidak se-akidah ni .. …
bab camping ni .. dah 3 tahun kat lab ni .. sekali pon aku tak pernah join dek kerana tahun lepas aku pulang ke Malaysia … dan tahun sebelumnya aku honeymoon (dah baru kawin hehe) …

aku : camana camping …
omura : bes woooo bes gila…
aku : ooo ya ka .. bukan ka hari sabtu hujan 1 hari ka … hangpa buat apa …? main kat taikukang(dewan sukan) ka ?
omura : ya betol kami pi taikukang … tapi lepah tu kami semua menonggang arak laa .. haha ..

macam mana aku seorang nak join depa kalau menonggang ja reja depa …. (arak ni dah jadi sebahagian dari adat resam depa bila berseronok.. ) …

krisis krisis ..

Tahun ni dah masuk Ramadhan ke-7 aku kat sini … yang berbezanya kali ini aku berpuasa sama sama dengan isteri dan anak di sisi …

Tahun ni berpuasa salam musim panas , siang agak panjang kalau nak dibandingkan dengan musim sejuk …. kalau di Malaysia sahur abih hampir jam 6 pagi … di sini jam 4 pagi kami sudah perlu berhenti bersahur !
waktu berbuka pula hampir jam 7 petang …
warga muslin di Matsuyama ni bersama sama menjamah juadah berbuka puasa di ‘masjid kecil ‘ kami (MICC) . Setiap hari akan ada giliran memasak untuk sesiapa sahaja yang mahu menambah pahala di bulan Ramadhan penuh barakah ini …

(bila jam masuk ja waktu lepas zohor .. keletihan melanda diri … )

Tea Music (Allos Documents), the studio debut from the Chicago-based quartet, KLANG, continues to collect positive reviews leading up to its August 25th release.

The group, led by clarinetist/composer James Falzone, features vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Tim Daisy.

“Together Falzone and Adasiewicz form a dynamic front-line,” writes AllAboutJazz.com’s Troy Collins, “recalling the ebullience of Goodman and Hampton, the introspection of Jimmy Giuffre and Paul Bley, and Eric Dolphy and Bobby Hutcherson’s spiky interplay. A limber rhythm section, Roebke and Daisy drive the ensemble with quicksilver shifts in mood and tone…they underscore the delicate tonality of Falzone’s woody clarinet and Adasiewicz’s shimmering, metallic vibes with supple nuance and elastic timing.”

Dusted’s Marc Medwin adds, “The musicianship itself is first-rate, the group able to stop on a dime throughout. The players’ performances blend to give the band a unique voice, one rooted in swing and cool but cognizant of all events transpiring since.”

Finally, in a post on his blog, Monsieur Délire, earlier this week, François Couture declared, “Oh, what a nice jazz record, possibly the best jazz CD I’ve heard this year. Clarinetist James Falzone had seduced me in 2006 with his The Sign and the Thing Signified. This album by his quartet KLANG hits me right on the pleasure bone again.”

Pakistan after Musharraf resignation. Dawn TV interviews some people (though not enough).

Links:
Pakistan after Musharraf – Dawn TV – Aug 18, 2009</a

Najam Sethi skewers Hamid Mir, Ansar Abbasi and possibly Talat Hussain for deliberate lying on Baitullah Mehsud’s involvement.

He states that while there existed evidence to the contrary, these anchors deliberately aired programs after Benazir Bhutto’s assassination which aimed to absolve him from the murder.

Role of “media groups” like Geo TV and AAJ TV

What is interesting is that the anchors who fall into the category outlined are precisely the ones who are the most highly paid by Geo and AAJ TV.

And coincidentally these two channels are the ones who air VOA (Voice of America) programs.

The same channels pay excessively to anchors who have been known to lie in the media.

Is it possible that they are being paid (way beyond reasonable cost) for these programs ? If so, this practice is reminiscent of the use of Jamaat-e-Islami printing presses by the USIS (United States Information Service) to print material which was then burned by the USIS. If so, this would be a “legal” way to overpay for “services”.

In addition Geo TV is seriously intertwined with Indian interests with it’s promotion of Indian media programming and their business linkages with India.

Does this limit Geo TV from targeting India in it’s programs – if they fear retaliation via hostile renegotiation of business deals in the future ?

Here is a list of anchors who have practiced deceptive journalism:

Talat Hussain
Talat Hussain of AAJ TV is responsible for raising the “writ of government” issue prior to the crackdown on Lal Masjid. Every night he railed against the government for NOT acting against the militants. Soon after the operation he became the most prominent critic of the crackdown. Despite information to the contrary, he continued to sow doubt about the events that took place.

Very little attention was paid to the FATA MNAs who went to Lal Masjid to “negotiate”, but instead brayed into the megaphone that “dattay raho”.

Essentially these few media anchors were able to twist the outrage against criminals into a sympathetic portrayal of the wrong government acting against a right gun-toting militant outfit holding small children as hostages in a mosque built on illegally occupied land (takeover of a public library). The vociferousness EVERY NIGHT for weeks was a damage control exercise, designed to ensure no support develops for the crackdown against the militants, and instead to sow doubts in the minds of the people about the culpability of the criminals.

Hamid Mir
Hamid Mir’s predilection for the Taliban is well known to viewers, and his efforts to boost Baitullah Mehsud beyond his role as a criminal will be remembered.

Hamid Mir has reportedly transferred his family to London. While it is true that the journalists operate in difficult circumstances and Hamid Mir HAS done some good reporting as well, however it would not be inconceivable to see Hamid Mir leave the country if outrage develops against his actions (which led to a delay in dealing with killers of our citizens by momentarily sowing the seeds of doubt in our people’s minds).

Dr. Shahid Masood
Dr. Shahid Masood is notorious for taking things to extreme. And he has done some good reporting as well – most notably at the time of atrocities by the U.S. and Afghan forces in Afghanistan in the early days following 9/11. However Dr. Shahid Masood is also responsible for waging a psychological campaign of depressing the public with his series on TV (which was publicized as DVDs as well) on the “End of Times”. An apocalyptic vision which was designed to sow the seeds of self-doubt in the minds of the public and to paint a vision of dismal depression. What is especially odd about his series is his use of non-Islamic sources (mainly the Christian and Jewish sources) for his arguments.

Dr. Shahid Masood violated the norms of honest journalism when he published a prominent piece in the Urdu Jang newspaper (part of Geo TV) describing the “events” at the President House at the time of Musharraf’s resignation. Much was made of the wordplay and snide commentary in that article, since it was reported as an “eyewitness” observation.

Filing of false stories

It turns out this article was a complete concoction and this was revealed MONTHS later. Researching news items covering this episode, it seems Iftikhar Ahmed of “Jawabdeyh” on Geo TV had interviewed Dr. Shahid Masood after his departure as head of PTV (and prior to his rejoining Geo TV). In this interview, Iftikhar Ahmed challenges Dr. Shahid Masood about his false reporting.

It turns out Geo had CENSORED this program. Which led the (probably one of the better TV journalists) Iftikhar Ahmed to tender his resignation.

Eventually the situation seems to have resolved. I am not sure if the episode aired on TV in it’s complete form or not, but it is available on the internet (above).

Kamran Khan also aired a segment about the interview and reported that Dr. Shahid Masood could not be contacted for comment.

Now this same Dr. Shahid Masood is back on Geo TV with his own minor (and in contrast to his earlier programs, pretty boring) program.

The question is, what compels Geo TV to retain a journalist who has not only demonstrated bad judgment in his reporting, but may have reported with malafide intentions designed to create a perception in the public that is contrary to the truth.

How does Geo TV justify his continued presence on TV ? What compels Geo to impose a lying journalist on the Pakistani public ?

The complete videos for Dr. Shahid Masood interview on “Jawabdeh” as well as Kamran Khan coverage is given below.

Links:
1/3 Hamid Mir and lying journalists – Najam Sethi – Aug 8, 2009
2/3 Hamid Mir and lying journalists – Najam Sethi – Aug 8, 2009
3/3 Hamid Mir and lying journalists – Najam Sethi – Aug 8, 2009

The complete “Jawabdeh” interview of Dr. Shahid Masood:

Jawab Deh – 23 November 2008

Kamran Khan reporting on Jawabdeh interview of Dr. Shahid Masood:

GEO Dr. Shahid Masood worst liar and biggest opportunist is proven retard

Jawabdeh host Iftikhar Ahmed’s resignation on Geo censorship:

“Jawabdeh” host Iftikhar Ahmed resigns as GEO refuses to show Shaid Masood interview.

Extensive set of comments about the controversy:
Dr. Shahid Masood exposed in Jawabdeh, story of lifafah journalists, and Salman Taseer’s letters to Shahbaz Sharif…..

Shahid Masood, a Journalist or a pack of lies?
Shahid Masood article in Jang on resignation of Musharraf

It gets worse for Dr. Shahid Masood

Dr. Shahid Masood claimed in this column in Jang (a day after Musharraf’s resignation) that he was present in the same room that Musharraf gave his resignation speech in. This again, has been proved a lie by a serving member of the President’s House staff who called in. The official visitor’s list does not include Dr. Shahid Masood’s name as he had been stopped at the reception. Additionally, Hassan Kazmi who is a senior producer of Samaa TV and was actually part of Samaa TV’s broadcast team at the venue and an eye-witness to the entire event, also confirms that Dr. Shahid Masood’s article in Jang was a bundle of lies.

Geo TV Jawabdeh host Iftikhar Ahmed resigns in protest

Geo ‘Jawabdeh’ host Iftikhar Ahmed resigns in protest

Monday, November 17, 2008
Geo ‘Jawabdeh’ host Iftikhar Ahmed resigns in protest

LAHORE: Iftikhar Ahmed, the host of Geo TV show ‘Jawabdeh’, resigned on Sunday after the channel administration refused to air an interview with former Pakistan Television managing director Shahid Masood. The interview was recorded last week and was being advertised in the group’s The News and Jang newspapers. On Sunday, the Geo TV administration seized the original recording and declined to run it. Iftikhar Ahmed told Aaj Kal he was being pressured to censor parts of the interview but he did not compromise on principles and resigned. aaj kal report

Here is an excerpt from the lastest update from new AAJ president Anthony Tarricone:

The amendments defeated [in the health care reform bill] include the Burgess Amendment that would apply overall caps and other severe restrictions on medical malpractice awards, another Burgess Amendment that would have applied caps to injured patients who receive Medicare or Medicaid benefits, and the Deal amendment that would have applied the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) to emergency room doctors with private insurance. Another victory for our clients includes passage of the Pallone Amendment that moved community health center volunteers currently immune under the Volunteer Protection Act (VPA) to FTCA coverage, thereby treating them the same as paid workers at community health centers.

While more medical malpractice amendments were filed, these amendments were not offered in an agreement worked out between Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), the author of four of the amendments, and Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA). In exchange for Rep. Gordon dropping the most extreme provisions, Chairman Waxman accepted language that would create a federal payment incentive for states that pass either a certificate or merit, which 21 states have already passed, or an early offers program, such as Sorry Works. We will continue to work with House leadership as they work to prepare the bill for floor consideration in September.

If you an advocate for the civil justice system, remember to have your clients – those first injured by negligence and subsequently injured by ‘tort reform’ – talk to their Congressional representatives during the August recess.

The new edition of the AAJ’s newsletter, Alpine Briefs, just came out. They’ve gathered up some great footage from around the webs for your viewing pleasure.

The next Alpine Briefs will feature whippers.  Point the AAJ editors to your favorite clips: aaj@americanalpineclub.org.

Mahreen Khan interviews Shaukat Aziz in London on the accusations made against him by both opposing and PML-Q politicians and the media.

As a non-politician (and as with Musharraf i.e. not being seen as a threat by media), he is criticized even more by the media (the so called “ghattia pana” of the media mentioned earlier).

The following controversies are mentioned:

- Pakistan Steel Case and action against the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s behaviour (this was not discussed in detail however)

- whether removal of CJ was instigated by Musharraf (as opposed to the “official” story that Shaukat Aziz sent a directive to the President, which the Presidential bureaucrasy processed as usual). This issue is not discussed either. The presumed reason for this would be that Musharraf may have seen that the CJ was “no good” and would create problems for the smooth transfer of power to the next government, with Musharraf staying on for stability. A lot of people may have seen Musharraf as a usurper (as opposed to the perfectly acceptable Zardari, Benazir, or Sharif brothers !), however as sensed by thinking people his departure would lead to problems as well – some of which we are seeing in the “headless-chicken” behaviour of the PPP/PML-N joint government. Much of what people feared has come true in that regard. One positive has been the emboldening of the judiciary – but this happened during Musharraf’s tenure, and that emboldening was sufficient. Subsequent to that, we have seen the overshoot behaviour – with judges sitting in judgement on cases that involve themselves, with lawyers beating up police, judges and now “journalists”. The PPP-jiyala dominated media which praised the beating of Sher Afghan Niazi or Ahmed Raza Qasuri (blackening of face on court premises) now sees ITSELF as the victim, and they are not liking it one bit.

- Wheat crisis (where Shaukat Aziz is accused of caving in to the agriculturist lobby to allow export of wheat). Musharraf gives a far better explanation where he says the calculation to export early may have been correct, but the shortfall may have been from a failure to anticipate smuggling of (probably cheaper-than-world-market) wheat to Afghanistan and India. This fact itself suggests that Pakistan WAS enjoying cheaper-than-world-prices wheat at that time as well. Humayun Akhtar in a recent interview with Naim Bokhari suggested that that “wheat crisis” had only taken prices to the Rs. 200 versus the Rs. 700+ it was to reach under the current PPP and PML-N joint regime.

- Stock market “scandal” (where some favourite players were supposedly allowed to reap profits off the stock market’s fall). It remains to be seen how much of this is actually a crime and how much is “business as usual” in the stock market – where a lot of non-transparent, insider trading stuff goes on (combined with a small market, with very few big companies trading on the market).

- Electricity power crisis (here the “blame” lies with the government of the time, although the media presumes Musharraf was all powerful, and then they demand why HE didn’t do anything). There maybe legitimacy to such accusations, but a parallel question emerges – why didn’t the titans of industry lobby for greater power generation 4 years in advance ? Why didn’t the ultra-smart “media” raise THAT issue instead of the incessant obsession with “removal of uniform”. What happened to the media’s sense of balance – where bigger issues are given importance, and all the issues given their due balance. While one can agree with the accusations against Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz, it IS a planning omission. However where was the media when Musharraf was pushing construction of Kalabagh Dam. The media presumes that Musharraf is all powerful – a “Muhajir” stationed in Potohari Rawalpindi – a fallacy in itself and they proceed to cut him down, instead of working to strengthen his hand, if they see his efforts as useful for Pakistan. In a similar way, the media FAILED to raise the electricity power issue and bring it to the forefront of political discussion in the country. Musharraf was just one person – who can have his failings – and who WAS pitted against the ANP’s traditional opposition to Kalabagh Dam (because it infringes on their ancestral land) and the Sindhi parties (who say interruption in river flow to fill a dam will create greater encroachment by the sea and reduced water as it will inevitably be used to irrigate lands in the North as parasitic “canals” siphon off precious water at the source). What happened to the scores of “journalists” and media owners and THEIR duty to the country ?

Links:
1/4 Shaukat Aziz interview – Mahreen Khan – Aug 2, 2009
2/4 Shaukat Aziz interview – Mahreen Khan – Aug 2, 2009
3/4 Shaukat Aziz interview – Mahreen Khan – Aug 2, 2009
4/4 Shaukat Aziz interview – Mahreen Khan – Aug 2, 2009