What you need to know about swine flu

Here's what you need to know:

Q: How do I protect myself and my family?

A: For now, take commonsense precautions. Cover your coughs and sneezes, with a tissue that you throw away or by sneezing into your elbow rather than your hand. Wash hands frequently; if soap and water aren't available, hand gels can substitute. Stay home if you're sick and keep children home from school if they are.

Q: How easy is it to catch this virus?

A: Scientists don't yet know if it takes fairly close or prolonged contact with someone who's sick, or if it's more easily spread. But in general, flu viruses spread through uncovered coughs and sneezes or — and this is important — by touching your mouth or nose with unwashed hands. Flu viruses can live on surfaces for several hours, like a doorknob just touched by someone who sneezed into his hand.

Q: In Mexico, officials are handing out face masks. Do I need one?

A: The CDC says there's not good evidence that masks really help outside of health care settings. It's safer just to avoid close contact with someone who's sick and avoid crowded gatherings in places where swine flu is known to be spreading. But if you can't do that, CDC guidelines say it's OK to consider a mask — just don't let it substitute for good precautions.

Q: Is swine flu treatable?

A: Yes, with the flu drugs Tamiflu or Relenza, but not with two older flu medications.

Q: Is there enough?

A: Yes. The federal government has stockpiled enough of the drugs to treat 50 million people, and many states have additional stocks. As a precaution, the CDC has shipped a quarter of that supply to the states to keep on hand just in case the virus starts spreading more than it has so far.

Q: Should I take Tamiflu as a precaution if I'm not sick yet?

A: No. "What are you going to do with it, use it when you get a sniffle?" asks Dr. Marc Siegel of New York University Langone Medical Center and author of "Bird Flu: Everything you Need To Know About The Next Pandemic." Overusing antiviral drugs can help germs become resistant to them.

Q: How big is my risk?

A: For most people, very low. Outside of Mexico, so far clusters of illnesses seem related to Mexican travel. New York City's cluster, for instance, consists of students and family members at one school where some students came back ill from spring break in Mexico.

Q: Why are people dying in Mexico and not here?

A: That's a mystery. First, understand that no one really knows just how many people in Mexico are dying of this flu strain, or how many have it. Only a fraction of the suspected deaths have been tested and confirmed as swine flu, and some initially suspected cases were caused by something else.

Q: Should I cancel my planned trip to Mexico?

A: The U.S. did issue a travel advisory Monday discouraging nonessential travel there.

Q: What else is the U.S., or anyone else, doing to try to stop this virus?

A: The U.S. is beginning limited screening of travelers from Mexico, so that the obviously sick can be sent for treatment. Other governments have issued their own travel warnings and restrictions. Mexico is taking the biggest steps, closings that limit most crowded gatherings. In the U.S., communities with clusters of illness also may limit contact — New York closed the affected school for a few days, for example — so stay tuned to hear if your area eventually is affected.

Q: What are the symptoms?

A: They're similar to regular human flu — a fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people also have diarrhea and vomiting.

Q: How do I know if I should see a doctor? Maybe my symptoms are from something else — like pollen?

A: Health authorities say if you live in places where swine flu cases have been confirmed, or you recently traveled to Mexico, and you have flulike symptoms, ask your doctor if you need treatment or to be tested. Allergies won't cause a fever. And run-of-the-mill stomach bugs won't be accompanied by respiratory symptoms, notes Dr. Wayne Reynolds of Newport News, Va., spokesman for the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Q: Is there a vaccine to prevent this new infection?

A: No. And CDC's initial testing suggests that last winter's flu shot didn't offer any cross-protection.

Q: How long would it take to produce a vaccine?

A: A few months. The CDC has created what's called "seed stock" of the new virus that manufacturers would need to start production. But the government hasn't yet decided if the outbreak is bad enough to order that.

Q: What is swine flu?

A: Pigs spread their own strains of influenza and every so often people catch one, usually after contact with the animals. This new strain is a mix of pig viruses with some human and bird viruses. Unlike more typical swine flu, it is spreading person-to-person. A 1976 outbreak of another unusual swine flu at Fort Dix, N.J., prompted a problematic mass vaccination campaign, but that time the flu fizzled out.

Q: So is it safe to eat pork?

A: Yes. Swine influenza viruses don't spread through food.

Q: And whatever happened to bird flu? Wasn't that supposed to be the next pandemic?

A: Specialists have long warned that the issue is a never-before-seen strain that people have little if any natural immunity to, regardless of whether it seems to originate from a bird or a pig. Bird flu hasn't gone away; scientists are tracking it, too.

Anwar 2nd Most Influential Man in rigged TIME poll

On 15 April 2009, Anwar Ibrahim's office was quick to claim credit for the Opposition leader when the list of 100 Most Influential Man was announced.

1. Anwar Antara 100 Tokoh Paling Berpengaruh Dunia 2009
2. Anwar Ibrahim - The 2009 TIME 100 Finalists

Now, the results are out and he is 2nd but the poll was rigged. I wonder what TIME will say or if Anwar Ibrahim's office will still claim credit to this.

BN parties defend Bukit Gantang Chinese community over loss

Senior Barisan Nasional component parties defended today the Chinese community in Bukit Gantang, saying piecemeal offerings should not be seen as a guarantee of votes. The MCA and Gerakan both said the coalition’s failure to wrest the seat from the opposition could not be pinned down to any one reason.

The two parties were commenting on a statement by deputy prime minister and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who said the dip in Chinese votes seemed to imply that “there is no appreciation for what we (BN) have done”.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, on Saturday also blamed Umno’s coalition partners, saying Umno could no longer rely on the MCA, Gerakan and MIC to regain the support of the non-Malays.

Gerakan deputy president Chang Ko Youn said yesterday that while it was quite obvious they lost out on Chinese votes, it was wrong to say the community was ungrateful to the BN for its contributions.

Admitting there had been mistakes on their part in strategising the BN’s campaign in Bukit Gantang, he pointed out that the non-Malay community’s dissatisfaction was not something that could be resolved with campaign promises and one-off allocations.
“We shouldn’t be looking for a scapegoat. What is more important is to find the reason why the anger of the non-Malays has not subsided since one year ago.

“We must realise that last-minute work is not effective anymore. It was too little, too late, and we need to find more continuous and long-term solutions,” he said.

MCA spokesman and central committee member Lee Wei Kiat, in a statement, said a RM1 million allocation could not be expected to sway the votes of the non-Malays, who, along with the Malays, were frustrated over numerous issues.

Among these, he said, were lop-sided decisions in licensing and diesel subsidies for fishermen in Kuala Sepetang, unresolved status of village land ownership in Perak and the problems in the implementation of the New Economic Policy.

MCA vice-president Datuk Kong Cho Ha said Muhyiddin should not draw such a conclusion merely based on the results of one or two by-elections.

MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam declined to comment on the issue when met in Malacca.

A country that encourage extortion?

Parking your car?? Do you see a man walking towards your car assisting you how to park, so on and so forth? Your car is parked and do you see him standing there still, right in front of your door? You get down from the car and he hands out his hand... and you either asked him "what do you want" or asked yourself "should i pay him?"

Park your car in Kuala Lumpur and wonder why you are still required to pay for parking fees even though you are not parking at a privately owned parking lots, but public parking spaces allocated by the government after 6pm (on weekdays & Saturdays) or even though on public holidays??

Those men will ask for money each time even though you know legally you are not required to pay a parking fee & you do not have to pay him. But why are you paying him?? For a simple reason, the government/ the enforcer could not be bothered to protect its citizen from these extortionist.

Perhaps they did something to curb this illegal activities but each Tuesday and Wednesday when I sit in the car waiting for my classes to start, I see the same thing. (they didn't extort from me because I'll be sitting in the car for at least 40 minutes from 530 to 610pm. They couldn't wait and walk away). There will be 2 men waiting and extorting money and if you don't they will curse you. I did just that once early March and came back to find out they spat on my new car.

There is a police station nearby, in Petaling Street where these people pray on their victims but i have not seen anything done. This place is near to Advance Tutorial College. My own lecturer paid, and i managed to take a picture of it. Here goes..

So, tell me... who are we to blame? And why are they not doing anything?!

Muhyiddin Yassin you are out of touch

Recent comments by our DPM Yassin only show that he has very little intellectual capacity. He had called the Chinese ungrateful and trying to be kingmakers. He claims after BN spend millions building chinese schools the chinese betrayed BN and voted for the opposition.

Mr Yassin, anyone with any brains can tell you that the problem with BN losing is NOT about building schools. It is all about UMNO & BN's arrogance and it's failure to deliver acceptable results for ALL Malaysians.

Mr DPM, UMNO's power base had always been with the Malays and if you fail to notice let me tell you, in the last few years the Malays are abandoning UMNO in ever increasing numbers and going over to PAS & PK.

Today's Malaysia is very different. The people are better informed and the ever arrogant UMNO can longer treat them as ignorant kampong folks. Forget the Chinese and the Indians, they are not you main cause of concern. MCA & MIC will always obey UMNO.

The Chinese & Indian support for PAS & PK is important but clearly insufficient to turn the tide and tilt the balance of power. It is the Malays shifting away from BN that is your main problem.

Don't blame the Chinese blame yourself, it is people like you in UMNO that are creating the shift and alienating the ordinary Malay folks away from UMNO.

The other day I was driving past Damasara and I saw this big sign that cried 6% discount for Bumiputras. Mr DPM, you think this sign will give the ordinary Malay a warm fuzzy feeling that your Government is doing something for them?

The answer is NO. The ordinary Malay knows that he cannot afford anything in Damasara even with the 6% discount. This sort of advertising will only make him more aware of the inequalities amongst the have and the have nots.

Mr DPM it is such thoughtless acts that you have to worry about. You guys in UMNO have failed to look after your power base and instead of fixing the problem you just want to blame it on the Chinese.

Share the country's wealth amongst all Malaysians instead of just the priviledged few and UMNO will rule for a thousand years. Keep going along the present path of blind self destruction and it will be the end of UMNO very soon.

Wake up and smell the kopi or is it too late already.

Perak speaker seeks special sitting

IPOH: State assembly speaker V. Sivakumar wrote to Sultan Azlan Shah last week to seek the ruler's consent to summon a special sitting of the assembly.

Former menteri besar Da- tuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said Pakatan Rakyat would table a motion of confidence in itself at the sitting.

He said another motion would be filed, stating that Barisan Nasional did not command the support of the majority of state assemblymen and, thus, could not form the state government.

He said yesterday that the motion of confidence was to prove that the coalition was the legitimate state government of the day.

"A motion in that respect will be tabled at the next state assembly sitting and we will prove that the Pakatan Rakyat menteri besar has the confidence of the majority to govern the state," he told a press conference before moving out of the official residence of the menteri besar.
Nizar said the second motion would be moved against Barisan Nasional to prove that the latter could not claim to be the legitimate state government as its majority in the assembly had been reduced to 21 compared with Pakatan's 28 seats.

"The BN majority must be tested and this will now be done in the state assembly.

"We will show the people whether (menteri besar) Datuk (Dr) Zambry (Abdul Kadir) has the support of the majority," he said, adding that any state assemblyman could move the motions.

Nizar anticipated chaos at the next sitting of the state assembly.

"I foresee turmoil and chaotic decisions, especially at the beginning of the assembly because the three frogs (referring to state assemblymen Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu and Hee Yit Foong who quit PR) have been suspended besides Zambry and the state executive councillors.

"Pakatan now has 28 seats and BN has only 21. So we now have the majority. And, they (BN) are worried about that. So we can expect some chaos and turmoil."

Asked to comment on public perception that Sivakumar's decision to suspend Zambry and his exco was biased and in favour of Pakatan, he said the decision was based on sound judgment and in accordance with rules and regulations.

"If he (Sivakumar) feels satisfied that his is the correct decision, then nobody can question or challenge his decision.

"He was not acting on the basis of bias or as the state assemblyman for Tronoh.

"Obviously, he will act on behalf of truth, be fair and just. The perception that the speaker is biased is merely a perception."

ACADEMY AWARDS The winners' list

Complete list of winners at the 81st annual Academy Awards

— Motion Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire.”

— Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk.”

— Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader.”
— Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight.”

— Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

— Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

— Foreign Film: “Departures,” Japan.

— Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

— Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, “Milk.”

— Animated Feature Film: “WALL-E.”

— Art Direction: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

— Cinematography: “Slumdog Millionaire.”

— Sound Mixing: “Slumdog Millionaire.”

— Sound Editing: “The Dark Knight.”

— Original Score: “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman.

— Original Song: “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman and Gulzar.

— Costume: “The Duchess.”

— Documentary Feature: “Man on Wire.”

— Documentary (short subject): “Smile Pinki.”

— Film Editing: “Slumdog Millionaire.”

— Makeup: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

— Animated Short Film: “La Maison en Petits Cubes.”

— Live Action Short Film: “Spielzeugland (Toyland).”

— Visual Effects: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

Kelantan DAP wants Pasir Mas MP to quit

Kelantan DAP has supported the call by Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat that Pasir Mas member of parliament(MP) Datuk Ibrahim Ali resign so that a by-election can be held.

Its pro-tem committee secretary, Sew Kok Beng, said this was in line with the voters' wish that the constituency be represented by a credible leader.

"Ibrahim should resign as Pasir Mas MP because he won on a PAS ticket," he said when commenting on a suggestion by the PAS spiritual leader that voters in Pasir Mas should be given the chance to pick a new leader.

He said Ibrahim should respect PAS for giving him the chance to contest the seat which he won to become an independent MP.

Ibrahim had also made statements detrimental to the opposition who were trying to strengthen cooperation and resolve the many political problems.
The former Pasir Mas Umno division chief had been reported as saying that he would have to wait another five years to contest if he was to vacate the Pasir Mas seat.

Meanwhile, Kelantan Umno said it was willing to accept Ibrahim if he wanted to return to the party.

Information chief Datuk Alwi Che Ahmad said it was up to the independent MP whether he wanted to be with Barisan Nasional (BN) or not.

"We have to ask him (Ibrahim) first. If he wants to join (Umno), then he must apply. He never left Umno but was sacked. We will accept anybody," he told reporters when met outside the State Assembly here today.

Alwi, who is also Kelantan opposition leader, said PAS wanted Ibrahim to quit as MP because he has become a vocal critic of PAS.

Ibrahim, 57, was sacked from Umno for contesting the Pasir Mas seat as an independent during the 2004 general election.

Najib shuts the door on Labu LCCT

EPUTY Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday quashed any possibility of reviving the proposed low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan. "We have decided. The project in Labu cannot continue because Sime Darby will not cover the infrastructure cost. They will only sell the land to the party developing the LCCT," he told the Malaysian media here.

Najib, who is also finance minister, said the infrastructure cost related to the proposed LCCT in Labu would amount to RM800 million.

"I received confirmation from Sime Darby. If they are not contributing (towards the infrastructure cost), then there is no basis for the project to be considered."

Najib said the new LCCT would be built at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang.
He said AirAsia's requirements for the new LCCT, such as parking charges, were being negotiated.

It was reported last week that the proposal for the Labu LCCT was still under discussion.

A Bernama report quoted Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat as saying in a written reply in Parliament that a final decision had not been made on whether to proceed with or scrap the proposal to build the terminal.

The report said a comprehensive study was being done to ensure that the project was feasible and would benefit the people.

Ong also reportedly said AirAsia Bhd would have to bear the cost of building the new LCCT as well as take on the connectivity costs, such as constructing roads and rail tracks and other infrastructure.

Nizar moves out of MB's residence

IPOH: After the fanfare of the last 17 days, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin moved out of the menteri besar's official residence in Jalan Raja DiHilir yesterday.

He, his wife Datin Seri Fatimah Taat and their seven children moved to a newly-rented bungalow in Sungai Rokam, about 3km from the official residence, at 11.45am.

As they drove out, about 100 members of Pas' Unit Amal shouted Takbir and Allahu Akbar.

Earlier, Nizar said his departure from the official residence was not a sign that he had been defeated by Barisan Nasional, adding that he did so because he respected the law.

"I have not conceded defeat and I urge bloggers and reporters to tell the people that I will come back to the residence once again as the people's menteri besar. My plea to all of you is to tell the world truthfully what had happened since Feb 1," he said, referring to the day when speaker V. Sivakumar declared the state seats of Behrang and Changkat Jering vacant.
He said he would hand over the keys to the official residence to State Secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Hashim on Feb 27, adding that Pakatan Rakyat would continue to hold meetings at offices of state Pakatan partners.

Reporters and photographers who had followed Nizar to his new home were not allowed to enter the premises.

The official residence had been crowded with hundreds of PR supporters after BN took over the Perak government on Feb 6.

Nizar and PR leaders turned the official residence into an operations centre, where meetings and ceramah were held regularly to chart out survival strategies.

Pakatan plotting to topple BN in Perak

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat, still sore at being ousted as the government, is scheming to bring down the new Barisan Nasional state government.

A Perak DAP assemblyman revealed that the state Pakatan Rakyat leadership met yesterday -- hours after the speaker's suspension of the new menteri besar and his six executive councillors -- to plan the next course of action.

He said Pakatan planned to table a vote of no-confidence against Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir when the assembly reconvened in April.

Speaking to the New Straits Times on condition of anonymity, he said at press time, the state opposition leaders were still at the meeting to plan the best time to strike against the BN government.

He said the leaders were contemplating calling for a special state assembly session as early as next month to boot the BN state government out.
"No dates have been confirmed but we may call for a special assembly in the middle of Umno party elections," he said.

Umno will have its general assembly from March 24 to 28.



If the suspension of Zambry and his six executive councillors is not challenged in court and overruled, Pakatan will end up having more votes than BN should a vote of no-confidence be called against Zambry.

Both Pakatan and BN have 28 members each but with seven of them suspended, the ruling coalition will be four votes short even if the three independents vote against any motion tabled by the opposition.

Suspension of MB, Exco can't be legally challenged: Bar Council

The decision by Perak assembly speaker V. Sivakumar to suspend the menteri besar and his six executive councillors as assemblymen cannot be challenged in court, the Malaysian Bar Council said today.

Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said: “Regardless of whether the correct procedure was followed by the speaker and the Committee of Special Privileges, under Article 72 of the Federal Constitution their conduct and the validity of the their proceedings may nevertheless be outside the jurisdiction of the courts.”

She said the doctrine of separation of powers means the judiciary could not interfere in the workings of Parliament or the state legislative assemblies.

Ambiga said in a faxed statement to the media that this also means that there should be no Executive influence in the workings of Parliament and state legislative assemblies.

“We say this as it has been reported that there are attempts to lodge police reports against the speaker of the Perak state assembly, which would violate these provisions,” said Ambiga.
Ambiga said wrestling over the constitutional and legal issues would not solve the political problem in Perak.

“Going back to the people of Perak will. We urge the parties involved to seriously consider doing so, not only in the interest of the people of Perak but also in the interest of stability and the nation as a whole,” she said.