N95 and H1N1

Please realize that this is not an official advice,
especially the one about face masks or N95.
Most N95 respiratory are designed to filter 95% particulates of 0.3,
while the size of H1N1 virus is about 0.1. Hence, dependence on N95 to
protect against H1N1 is like protecting against rain with an umbrella
made of mosquito net. Tamiflu does not kill but prevents H1N1 from
further proliferation till the virus limits itself in about 1-2 weeks
(its natural cycle).H1N1, like other Influenza A viruses, only infects
the upper respiratory tract and proliferates (only) there. The only
portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/ throat.
In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming
into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1
is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. While you are still
healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1infection, in order to
prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptomsand development of
secondary infections, some very simple steps - not fully highlighted
in most official communications - can be practices(instead of focusing
on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications) .
2. "Hands-off-the- face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any
part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't
trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the
throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms.
Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt
water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has
onan infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and
powerful preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day
with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or
SutraNeti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing
the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds
dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral
population.
5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin
C(Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with
VitaminC tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has
the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash
off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they
cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.All these are simple ways
to prevent, within means of most households,and certainly much less
painful than to wait in long queues outside public hospitals

Salam Ramadan.

sunset.. behind my house. the cloud is thick, impossible to see the new moon.
But checked at the FIANZ website, someone in NZ has seen the new moon, hence Ramadan is here.
I have been busy digging my backyard for the past week. maybe about an hour a day before sunset. It has been raining for a couple of days this week, and i didnt dig on rainy day..too soggy.
just the same garden, different angle.

Now I have to wait until the frosty mornings and nights are truly over before i can put any seeds/seedlings in the ground.

Ramadan New Moon

the picture above is the expected moon visibility as in www.moonsighting.com.

(just click ignore warning, and proceed to the website) .

Moonsighting for Ramadan 1430 The Astronomical New Moon is on August 20, 2009 (Thursday) at 10:01 UT. This moon can not be seen in any continent. There is a small chance to see only in Polynesian Islands on August 20. On August 21, it is very difficult to see in Europe and Canada. It can be seen with difficulty in India, Pakistan, Middle East, and Northern Africa. On August 21, it can be easily seen in Australia, most Africa, and Americas.

Quote from the Book, shown on left: "In the year 2006, the Fiqh Council of North America took the position that the scientifically authenticated astronomical calculations are a valid Islamic source of confirming or negating a lunar Islamic month. Subsequently, a number of papers appeared refuting the Fiqh Council's position. Among the papers written against the Fiqh Council's position, the two authored by Shaikh Hamza Yusuf were perhaps the most systematic. These two articles titled "Cesarean Moon Births" were also perhaps the most provocative in the sense that they forcefully challenged the use of astronomical calculations in confirming the Islamic months as totally un-Islamic. In his writing, Hamza Yusuf insinuated that such a position was nothing short of deliberately opposing the "infallible" (mutawatir) commandments of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and was equal to following the pitfall of the Children of Israel all the way to their lizard hole....................." well, what do you know..my instinct says, I agree. check the website HERE.

The Black Sheep Story..

This story about Rohaizat Othman is interesting one.

What is right, and what is wrong is clear.

1. Using clients' monies to loan it to another client is WRONG.
2. Using clients' monies for company's use, to expand operation or to pay wages is WRONG.
3. Denying that you know nothing is WRONG, worse if you are the signatory to the cheque account.

Bekas rakan calon BN tampil bela diri

Abdul Rahim Sabri Ogos 20, 09 12:14pm

Bekas rakan kongsi Rohaizat Othman - calon BN di pilihanraya kecil DUN Permatang Pasir - hari ini tampil memberi penjelasan bagi membersihkan dirinya daripada 'dikambinghitamkan' berhubung kes membabitkan pembelian hartanah oleh Koperasi Pekebun Getah Negeri Pulau Pinang (KPGNPP) pada 2002.

Yusri Isahak, bekas rakan kongsi firma guaman Saif Ariff dan Rohaizat, membuat penjelasan itu sebagai menjawab laporan Utusan Malaysia yang memetik ketua penerangan Umno, Ahmad Maslan sebagai berkata Rohaizat hanya bertanggungjawab ke atas tindakan yang dilakukan rakan kongsinya.

Ahmad Maslan dilaporkan berkata, tindakan tatatertib ke atas Rohaizat berdasarkan aduan KPGNPP membabitkan pembelian satu hartanah yang dikendalikan firma mereka, waktu itu.

Ahmad juga dilaporkan berkata, semua urusan jual beli untuk pihak KPGNPP dikendalikan Yusri dan diterima secara eksklusif dan dideposit ke dalam akuan klien firma tersebut di Bank Islam Cawangan Butterworth.

Menurut Ahmad lagi, akaun berkenaan termasuk semua surat berhubung KPGNPP ditandatangani dan diuruskan Yusri yang menjadi rakan kongsi beliau dari tahun 1999 hingga 2003.

Berikut adalah kenyataan penuh yang dibaca oleh Yusri dalam satu sidang akhbar di Pulau Pinang hari ini.

Pada tahun 2002, Koperasi Pekebun Getah Pulau Pinang Berhad mencadang membeli sebidang tanah untuk meluaskan perniagaan mereka dan telah melantik Firma Guaman Saif Ariff and Rohaizat untuk menguruskan pembelian tanah tgersebut.

Yusri dan Rohaizat telah berbincang dengan lembaga pengarah koperasi tentang syarat syarat perjanjian jual beli. Setelah semua dipersetujui Yusri telah menyediakan perjanjian jual beli tanah tersebut.

Untuk tujuan pembelian ini, koperasi telah memohon pinjaman RM320,000 dari Jabatan Pembangunan Koperasi. Pinjaman tersebut telah diluluskan dan wang tersebut dideposit ke dalam akaun klien di firma guaman.

Namun atas sebab masalah komunikasi dengan penjual, yang tinggal di Acheh, jual beli tersebut telah tidak disempurnakan.

Dalam pada itu, koperasi memerlukan sejumlah wang untuk tujuan pengembangan perniagaan mereka. Yusri telah menandatangan satu cek berjumlah RM100,000 atas nama koperasi dan diberikan kepada pihak koperasi. Maka baki RM220,000 masih tersimpan di dalam akuan firma.

Sementara itu, seorang pelanggan, kenalan Rohaizat yang telah membeli sebidang tanah dengan harga RM130,000 telah memohon jasabaik firma (guaman) untuk membiayai bayaran baki RM100,000. Beliau terdahulu telah membayar RM30,000 kepada penjual.

Firma telah bersetuju untuk meminjamkan RM100,000 yang diambil dari wang koperasi kepada pelanggan (tersebut) untuk menyempurnakan jualbeli tanah tersebut dengan syarat beliau membayar balik pinjaman.

Setelah pelanggan gagal membayar balik pinjaman, Rohaizat telah berbincang dan bersetuju untuk mengambil alih milik tanah berkenaan dan melupuskan pinjaman tersebut.

Malangnya, firma gagal menjual keseluruhan tanah (tersebut) sebagai pecahan lot dan tidak dapat membayar kembali wang koperasi yang telah digunakan.

Sebahagian daripada baki dalam akaun pelanggan dan akaun syarikat telah digunakan untuk memberi pinjaman kepada salah seorang pengarah sebuah syarikat pemaju perumahan yang juga kenalan Rohaizat yang menghadapi masalah kewangan yang teruk dan juga untuk pengurusan cawangan baru firma di Ipoh.

Saya bertanggungjawab menguruskan cawangan firma di Ipoh, sementara Rohaizat menumpu sepenuhnya di firma Butterworth.

Saya tidak lagi memantau akaun-akaun pelanggan di cawangan Butterworth sehinggalah saya meninggalkan firma pada November 2003.

Merujuk kepada kenyataan yang dibuat oleh Ahmad Maslan seperti yang dilaporkan oleh Utusan Online bertarikh 19 Ogos 2009 bahawa Rohaizat tidak mempunyai apa-apa penglibatan dan tidak tahu menahu tentang perkara tersebut, saya ingin tegaskan bahawa ia adalah satu pembohongan.

Ini adalah kerana segala urusan pembelian tanah tersebut dan penggunaan wang koperasi di buat dengan pengetahuan dan penglibatan Rohaizat seperti yang dijelaskan di atas.

Mana mungkin pengaliran keluar dan masuk wang dalam sesuatu akaun syarikat tidak diketahui oleh Rohaizat yang juga penandatangan yang sah untuk akaun-akaun tersebut.

Sepatutnya Rohaizat menceritakan perkara sebenar dan tidak meletakkan tanggungjawab dan kesalahan hanya kepada rakan kongsi untuk membebaskan dirinya sendiri.

Merujuk kepada kepada kenyataan Ahmad Maslan yang mengangkat Rohaizat sebagai “wira” kerana membayar balik wang koperasi baru-baru ini, saya ingin tegaskan sesungguhnya beliau sewajarnya menyelesaikan pembayaran pada 2003 lagi ketika cawangan Ipoh telah menjana pendapatan yang agak lumayan.

Seyugia diingatkan bahawa cawangan Ipoh ditubuhkan dan diuruskan dengan sebahagiannya menggunakan wang dari akaun klien koperasi pekebun getah Pulau Pinang.

Layakkah title itu diberikan oleh Ahmad kepada Rohaizat? Saya percaya Ahmad Maslan tidak sedar akan kedudukan sebenarnya atau lebih malang lagi kalau beliau sengaja berpura-pura tidak tahu?

Wirakah Rohaizat ketika enggan, cuai, dan gagal menghadirkan diri di hadapan Majlis Peguam pada 14 September 2007 untuk memberi penjelasan ke atas satu kes besar yang beliau hadapi.

Dakwaan Ahmad Maslan bahawa Rohaizat tidak mempunyai apa-apa penglibatan atau pengetahuan mengenai transaksi jual beli tanah itu, menggambarkan Rohaizat selaku senior partner di dalam firma tersebut, tidak tahu apa-apa tentang urustadbir pejabat.

Apakah dakwaaan Ahmad Masalam ini lojik dan munasabah? Transaksi sebesar ratusan ribu yang dijalankan rakan kongsinya, didakwa tidak diketahuinya?

Tidak masuk akal langsung sebagai seorang yang berpendidikan tinggi!

Saya berharap dengan penjelasan ini, saya dapat membersihkan diri saya daripada dikambinghitamkan dalam kes kecuaian Rohaizat yang membawa kepada pembatalan pendaftaran beliau sebagai penguambela dan peguamcara.

The New Moon for Ramadan

I used to follow www.moonsighting.com in the past to check the possibility of the new moon being sighted. They publish the angle of the moon from horizon and what time the moon set, as well as the time when the sun set.
But lately, the website has been down.
Well last year, www.moonsighting.com went a step further than predicting when the new moon was suppose to appear and suggest to Muslims look out for the new moon (hilal) to ascertain the start of Ramadan and Syawal. Khalid Shaukat of www.moonsighting.com announced the start of Ramadan and Syawal based on his calculations. Yes some Islamic Associations in North America followed suit.
Hmm talk about a genius being confident with his ability...even Prophet Muhammad SAW didnt do that.

But Alhamdulillah FIANZ in New Zealand still follow hilal, some people are still being sent out or voluntarily go out and look out for new moon.

here is the website:
http://73k.org/islam/globalsighting.html

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِِ

Global Moonsighting, a Modern Bid‘ah

Ironically, one Muslim website (from a certain masjid that "calls to the sunnah") quite openly stated the following on its main page before this article became public. Now it can only be found on their Yahoo Groups message list:

"As you know, Masjid ______ follows the opinion of wahdatul matale' (unification of the horizon), so if the moon is visually sighted anywhere in the world (without relying on calculations), then we break fast as numerous hadeeth on the subject expressly indicate. Our position on this has been same from day one."

First of all, what they are essentially doing is calling people to bid‘ah, because,

1. Nowhere will you find a single hadith that tells about one country (like Egypt) following the sighting of another country (like the Arabs of the Arabian peninsula). I challenge any shaykh to find such a hadith, because no one could travel great distances or use telephones and satellites to report such sightings until about 50 years ago, if even that early. On the contrary, we find that Muslims living much closer to one another with different sightings never bothering to follow one another:

   A narration of Ibn ‘Abbas in Sahīh Muslim indicates that local moonsighting alone was the prevailing method in the time of the Blessed Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and was a part of the teachings of the Blessed Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to the Sahābah. The narration goes like this:

   بيان أن لكل بلد رؤيتهم وأنهم إذا رأوا الهلال ببلد
   ‏حدثنا ‏ ‏يحيى بن يحيى ‏ ‏ويحيى بن أيوب ‏ ‏وقتيبة ‏ ‏وابن حجر ‏ ‏قال ‏ ‏يحيى بن يحيى ‏ ‏أخبرنا ‏ ‏وقال الآخرون ‏ ‏حدثنا ‏ ‏إسمعيل وهو ابن جعفر ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏محمد وهو ابن أبي حرملة ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏كريب ‏ ‏أن ‏ ‏أم الفضل بنت الحارث ‏ ‏بعثته إلى ‏ ‏معاوية ‏ ‏بالشام ‏ ‏قال فقدمت ‏ ‏الشام ‏ ‏فقضيت حاجتها ‏ ‏واستهل ‏ ‏علي رمضان وأنا ‏ ‏بالشام ‏ ‏فرأيت الهلال ليلة الجمعة ثم قدمت ‏ ‏المدينة ‏ ‏في آخر الشهر فسألني ‏ ‏عبد الله بن عباس ‏ ‏رضي الله عنهما ‏ ‏ثم ذكر الهلال فقال متى رأيتم الهلال فقلت رأيناه ليلة الجمعة فقال أنت رأيته فقلت نعم ورآه الناس وصاموا وصام ‏ ‏معاوية ‏ ‏فقال لكنا رأيناه ليلة السبت فلا نزال نصوم حتى نكمل ثلاثين أو ‏ ‏نراه فقلت ‏ ‏أو لا ‏ ‏تكتفي برؤية ‏ ‏معاوية ‏ ‏وصيامه فقال ‏ ‏لا ‏ ‏هكذا أمرنا رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏وشك ‏ ‏يحيى بن يحيى ‏ ‏في ‏ ‏نكتفي أو ‏ ‏تكتفي

   Sahīh Muslim Book 6
   Chapter 5: THERE IS A SIGHTING OF THE MOON FOR EVERY TOWN
   THE SIGHTING AT ONE TOWN CANNOT BE HELD VALID FOR THE
   OTHER TOWN SITUATED AT A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE FROM IT

   Kurayb narrates that Umm al-Fadl sent him to Mu‘āwiyah in Sham for something.
   Kurayb says, "I went to Sham and finished the job. I was in Sham when the month
   of Ramadān began and we saw the moon the night of Friday. When I reached
   Madinah at the end of the blessed month, Ibn ‘Abbas asked me about Sham.
   (After answering him) He then asked me when we saw the moon.
   I said, 'We saw the moon the night of Jumu‘ah.'
   He asked, 'Did you see it as well?'
   I said, 'Yes, I saw it too and many others saw it and we all kept fasting and so did
   Mu‘āwiyah (that is according to that moonsighting).'
   Ibn ‘Abbas said, 'But we saw the moon on Saturday night, therefore, we will keep
   fasting for thirty days according to that unless we sight the moon on the 29th.'
   I asked, 'You don’t think the moonsighting of Mu‘āwiyah and his fasting is enough
   for you?'
   Ibn ‘Abbas replied, 'No, this is how the Blessed Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) taught us.'"
   (Muslim H.1819, Tirmiðī H.629, Nasa'i H.2084, Abū-Dāwūd H.1985, Musnad Ahmad H.2653 Dar-qutni H.2234)

   This hadith is clear evidence. When Ibn ‘Abbas was informed by the person who himself sighted the moon that the people of Sham had begun Ramadān one day before, he responded that it was not only his opinion, but also the teachings of the Blessed Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that the moonsighting of another locality was not compulsory upon them.

   Shaykh ‘Uthaymīn has issued a very clear fatwa to Muslims in the Americas and other lands outside the Arabian Peninsula with no ambiguity whatsoever regarding this matter:

   It is well known amongst astronomers that the time the moon rises differs from place to place. The moon might be seen in one place and not in another. Therefore, according to the verse, whoever does not see it is not obliged to fast. . . . If, therefore, each place has its own ruling due to the variation in the time that the sun rises and sets, the same also applies due to the variation in the time that the moon rises and sets. . . .
   Therefore, the answer to the question is clear. It is obligatory for you to follow the sighting of the new moon in the place where you are. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymīn
   al-Aqalliyāt al-Muslimah - Page 84, Fatwa No.23

2. In the system of "global sighting" (wahdat-ul-matale') one is de facto not following any moon sighting at all, rather one is following calculations instead! You see, Saudi Arabia is always the first to announce the beginning of any new month because they follow either their calculated Umm-ul-Qura calendar, (which is generated by mathematical calculations of the New Moon, a phase that precedes the actual hilāl!), the Jewish Calendar, or sometimes the Kuwaiti Algorithm implemented by the Microsoft Windows operating system. Here is the evidence: Is Saudi Arabia following the Sunnah, the Jews, or Microsoft?

   According to the Islamic Crescents' Observation Project (ICOP), "Most people think that Saudi Arabia always adopts the actual sighting of the crescent as the basis to start Islamic months. But during the previous years, it was very clear to the public as well as to astronomers that most of the Saudi months were wrong if the actual sighting is the basis for starting the Islamic month. Fortunately, the Jordanian Astronomical Society (JAS) received a telegram from The Highest Religious Council "Majlis al-Ifta' al-A‘ala" in Saudi Arabia confirming that Saudi Arabia adopts the astronomical calculations and totally ignores the actual sighting. Below is a literal translation of this telegram." (see ICOP - The Actual Saudi Dating System)

   

   One experienced moon sighter, Salman Zafar Shaikh, writes, "In the case of ‘Īd-ul-Fitr 1420 AH, I myself went with the Makkah committee to a sighting point on a hilltop of Shamesi outside the city of Makkah Mukarramah on Thursday evening. Neither I, nor the other 5 committee members sighted the Hilāl. But we came back to the Harām Sharīf and were astounded to hear the announcement that ‘Īd-ul-Fitr was next day (Friday). In fact moonset was before sunset in Makkah for Thursday evening. In this case the error was quite brazen" (see Hilāl Sighting in Saudi Arabia: A First Hand Report). Brother Salman goes on to explain, ". . . apparently it is the same few [Saudi] people at certain locations, reporting on those occasions when the claims are extraordinarily early in Saudi Arabia, year after year. WAllāhu A‘alam!"

   If you look at 15 years of the Umm-ul-Qura calendar one will be surprised to see that only 20.6% of the dates correspond with possible naked eye sightings of the hilāl under good weather conditions:

   Color Code	Visibility possibility under good weather conditions	How many times this condition is met in 180 months	Percentage of times this condition is met in 180 months
   Green	Visible with the naked eye	37/180	20.6%
   Yellow	Visible with optical aid	31/180	17.2%
   Brown	Not visible at all	110/180	61.1%
   Pink	Month begins before new moon	2/180	1.1%

   Shaykh Qaradāwī has given a fatwa on what to do in case one has gotten caught up in this mess of Saudi using calculations instead of calling the new month by actual sighting, as was the case on January 07, 2000 which they claimed was ‘Īd-ul-Fitr 1420 AH, but was actually only the 30th of Ramadān.

   On December 31, 2005, the sun should set (drop completely below the Makkan horizon) at 17:49 local Saudi time with the moon already dipping below the horizon 5˚ to its left at 18:03, insha'Allāh. At 18:08 (only 19 minutes after sunset) the moon too will be compelely below the Makkan horizon, insha'Allāh, making it totally impossible to see any hilāl. All experienced moon sighting observers know that with only 0.5% phase and less than 8 degrees of separation between it and the sun, no hilāl can be sighted under such poor conditions. But just wait and see, Saudi Arabia will officially announce that they "sighted the hilāl" like they always claim, so that it matches their calendar, making January 1, 2006 the 1st of Ðūl Hijjah, and thus, ‘Īd-ul-Adhā will fall on January 10, 2006, unless of course, the Saudi regime repents from following calculations and goes back to the sunnah of actually sighting the hilāl.

   Update: Saudi Arabia came through again and delivered as expected, announcing that Ðūl Hijjah 1426 started on January 1, 2006, just as predicted by their pre-calculated calendar.

   If Saudi Arabia really did see the hilāl on Oct. 03, 2005 around 18:08 local Saudi time, with only 2 minutes between sunset and moonset for sighting it, why could it not be seen with much better visibility chances further to the West? Consider how the moon moves around the earth in its orbit while looking at this sky charts in which the horizonal line just above the sun represents the horizon, i.e. everything below that horizontal line in the middle has already set (gone down below the horizon) and cannot be seen, even with a radio telescope from that location.

   Sky Charts at sunset on Monday, October 3, 2005:

   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (the moon actually set before the sun!)
   Makkah, Saudi Arabia
   Madinah, Saudi Arabia
   Marrakech, Morocco
   Los Angeles, California, USA
   Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, USA
   

   Allāh says in His book: الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ which has been translated by Khan in the Noble Qur'ān (the English translation preferred by those who support "global" sighting) as: "The sun and the moon run on their fixed courses (exactly) calculated with measured out stages for each (for reckoning, etc.)." (Sūrat-ur-Raĥmān 55:5)

   Since the scientists have measured the synodic period of the moon to be 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds, i.e. the length of time it takes for us to observe a complete orbit of the moon from earth, if the Saudis report having seen a crescent moon on Monday, October 3, 2005 around 18:08 local Saudi time, that means an observer like myself with excellent viewing conditions should see and even bigger crescent 30 days, 7 hours, and 32 minutes later, espcially given the quality Nikon 7x50 binoculars and a 35mm SLR camera equipped with 300mm telephoto lens using FujiFilm:

   [01] [02] [03] [04] [05]
   [06] [07] [08] [09] [10]
   [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]
   [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]
   [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]
   [26] [27] [28] [29] [30]
   [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]
   [36] [37] [38] [39] [40]
   

3. Even in the case of ‘Īd-ul-Adhā, there is no evidence from the Qur'an or sunnah that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) or any of the Sahābah ever tried to establish a so-called "Wahdatul Matale' (unification of the horizon)":

   "If, as we are told by those postulating the 'Day after Arafat' position, that ‘Īd-ul-Adhā is dependent on the Hajj date, then why did the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) make no effort to ascertain the Hajj dates in Makkah for his ‘Īd celebration in Madinah? After the conquest of Makkah in the seventh year of the Hijra there would have been no problem in finding out when the Hajj was going to be since there would be ten days for a rider to travel to surrounding areas with the glorious news. The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) made no attempt to know, or to inform the Muslims in the areas around Madinah about when the Hajj was in Makkah. Every Muslim community prayed according to its own sighting of the crescent of Ðūl Hijjah. Accordingly, all the scholars of Islām are unanimous that ‘Īd-ul-Adhā is on the 10th of Ðūl Hijjah which is determined by the sighting in each locality, and NOT ON THE 10th OF ÐŪL HIJJAH IN MAKKAH. It is a bid‘ah to try to impose a Vatican-like dogma on the Muslim ummah, although the propagators would tell you that they are simply following a 'universal horizon.' Don't be fooled. In Ramadān of 1999 it was claimed that the moon was seen in Yemen and Libya, and the Muslims of those countries began fasting on December 8, 1999. Those who claim to accept any sighting anywhere in the world conveniently ignored those Muslims, opting for the 'universal sighting' of their choice. The Companions of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) opposed every attempt to impose the moon sighting in one town over the others, even in close proximity, when it was not seen on a clear horizon, or when the horizon was cloudy on the 29 day of the Islamic month." (The Community News, a newsletter published by TARIC, vol. 107, March 8, 2000.)

4. To call people to follow a "global sighting" is to defy the laws of Allāh. Just as He has ordained for us to pray five times a day at times according to the position of the sun relative to our own horizon where we happen to be at that time, so has He ordained for us to look for the hilāl and sight it where we happen to be living or staying during that time of the month. To say there is one universal horizon, or a "unity" of the horizon is absolutely absurd. It would be the same as arguing that we should follow the prayer timings of Masjid Al-Ĥarām for the sake of unity. To call people to pray in perfect global synchronization with Makkah would be a profound bid‘ah, just as it is to call people to the falsehood of "one horizon," would be to ignore that the planet earth is round, and imitate the ignorant Christians of earlier centuries who fought science tooth and nail, maintaining that the earth was flat.

   There are inifinite horizons since the earth is round and covered with many visible obstructions of a clear horizon. If you don't believe it, try to go outside and watch the sun set just before Maghrib. Chances are, you'll need to drive outside of the city to avoid having tall buildings obstruct your view, or you'll have to move a few meters to the left or right of that tree that's blocking your view.

   You see, just moving a few meters has changed your view of the horizon, so let's examine the situation of the sun and the moon. At any given time, the sun is hidden to half of the planet earth, while the other half can see it, and thus has daylight. As the earth turns on its axis, Maghrib is constantly happening for a thin band along the surface of the earth where late afternoon is turning to night. Likewise, on the other side of the planet, the first light of dawn is rapidly moving along a narrow band of the earth's surface towards the West. So, Fajr is constantly happening somewhere in the world, 24 by 7, never stopping. Even though we may be eating our dinner, for someone, somewhere, it's their Fajr time.

   The moon, just like the sun, is never visible to more than 50% of the earth's surface at any time, day or night. What the proponents of "wahdat-ul-matale" have never seemed to grasp is a simple truth, a decree of Almighty Allāh, that the moon moves ever so slowly apparently from West to East, i.e. it is slowing moving in the same direction that the earth is spinning! If these people who call to the bid‘ah of global sighting would take the time to reflect on this simple fact, they might understand this all-important second fact:

   "North America lags the rest of the world in time (they are 10 hours behind South Africa), quite often they will see the new moon before the rest of the world, and thus start the new month ahead of the rest of the world. This is a consequence of the fact that the sun sets last over the American continent, giving the new moon more time to age and become visible."
   Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) - Hilaal Committee

   So, this is why global sighting is wrong, why it was never implemented by anyone until less than 50 years ago: Allāh has made it impossible to implement!

   Proof: If a new moon (not a hilāl, but an "invisible" moon) has been born and only develops into a mature visible hilāl by 20 minutes after sunset in Honolulu, Hawaii, which would mark the beginning of Ramadān for them, what are the Saudis, Kuwaitis, and Bahrainis going to do about their fasting? It's 18:30 at night in Honolulu and by the time they got to a phone and called anyone in Saudia it was 19:00, that's 07:00 in the morning, the next day in Saudi Arabia. Too late to get on Saudi TV 1 to announce the beginning of Ramadān. Oops! They also missed out on the first night of praying tarawīĥ! For Manila in the Philippines and many places in Australia, their Muslims will have no chance whatsoever of starting Ramadān on time since it is already 12:30 in the afternoon (or later in some Australian time zones) the NEXT DAY! How can someone say that Allāh (سبحانه وتعالى) would prefer this type of unfairness to be imposed on His slaves just west of the International Dateline?

   From this proof, we see their is no ĥikmah whatsoever in the so-called "global" moonsighting (wahdat-ul-matale'). Please note that this proof is completely devoid of "calculations" or the use of star charts. This is just plain common sense that shows how ridiculous "global" sighting really is. With local sighting, Muslims are not following any ethinic group, tribe, political affiliation, or regime/government. No one feels slighted. No nation/state is preferred over another. That's the Islamic way: the fair way, the just way, the way that Allāh (سبحانه وتعالى) commands us to follow, and the way His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) taught Ibn ‘Abbas (remember the Kurayb Hadith?).

5. Any so-called fatwa from any of the four great Imāms supporting "global" moonsighting (wahdat-ul-matale') can never be applied to this current bid‘ah simply because none of them lived during a time when travel across thousands of kilometers could be achieved in the same day, nor could they speak with someone sitting on the other side of the planet over a telephone to inquire about hilāl sightings.

   Any fatwa from any of the four great Imāms would at best be considered a "local," "regional," or if one wished to stretch it very far, a "national" sighting. From an astronomical point of view, the differences between positions and phases of the moon for positions on the earth that could be reached by a fast horse in less than a day are for all practical purposes, exactly the same. Please review the following star charts for Makkah and Madinah:

   Makkah, Saudi Arabia
   Madinah, Saudi Arabia
   

In conclusion, there is no evidence from the Qur'ān or the sunnah, supporting a so-called "global" moonsighting (wahdat-ul-matale') that relies on sighting attempts from observation points spanning thousands of kilometers around the globe. Until 50 years ago, it was technologically, logistically, and financially impossible to implement. Regarding the fasting of Ramadān, a proof was given in point number 4 that is not even possible to implement this so-called "global" moonsighting (wahdat-ul-matale') according to the sharī‘ah.

Appendix

Shaykh M. Ibrahim Memon quite eloquently states, "During the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), moon sighting was always conducted locally and the people of Makkah and Madinah maintained their own [separate] Islamic calendars. One of the proofs for this can be found by carefully analyzing the sīrah.

"When Rasūlullāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) performed his one and only Hajj, the 9th of Ðūl Hijjah was a Friday. He passed away three months later in Madinah on Monday, the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal. These historical facts are established through hadith. However, when one tries to reconstruct the Islamic calendar given those days, the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal does not fall on a Monday, any which way you try.

Based on the local Makkan moon sighting, if every month was 29 days, 12th of Rabi al-Awwal would fall on Thursday.

Based on the local Makkan moon sighting, if every month was 30 days, 12th of Rabi al-Awwal would fall on Sunday.

Concerning local sighting Shaykh M. Ibrahim Memon states, "not only is this way easy, but it is actually a of the tradition of the Blessed Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and of the people after him throughout the history of Islam."

Additional Resources

Starting Date of Hijri Months: Is Saudi Arabia following the Sunnah, the Jews, or Microsoft?

Report of Six Official Saudi Hilāl Sighting Committees
"Majlis Al Qadah Alala started Ramadān, Shawwal, and Ðūl Hijjah 1426 AH utilizing the calculated dates of the Umm-ul-Qura civil calendar which corresponds exactly to the first starting day for the months of the Calculated Rabbinical Calendar of Israel namely Tishrei (4th October/1st day of Ramadān in Saudi Arabia), Cheshvan (3rd November/1st day of Shawwal-‘Īd-ul-Fitr in Saudi Arabia) and Tevet (1st January/1st day of Ðūl Hijjah in Saudi Arabia), respectively. Many of our Islamic Scholars who know the truth continue to be silent."
It seems the report forgot to mention that the calculated "Saudi" 1 Ðūl Qa‘idah 1426 for December 2, 2005 is also exactly the same as the 1st of Kislev 5766. Looks like a good starting point for some Interfaith Dialogue between the Saudi Royal family and the Likud Party of Israel!

Saudi ‘Alim Asks Muslims in North America not to pray ‘Īd on Day after ‘Arafah

U.S. Naval Observatory: Crescent Moon Visibility and the Islamic Calendar: "The record for an early sighting of a lunar crescent, with a telescope, is 12.1 hours after New Moon; for naked-eye sightings, the record is 15.5 hours from New Moon. These are exceptional observations and crescent sightings this early in the lunar month should not be expected as the norm. For Islamic calendar purposes, the sighting must be made with the unaided eye.

"If we ignore local conditions for the moment, and visualize the problem from outside the Earth's atmosphere, the size and brightness of the lunar crescent depend on only one astronomical quantity - the elongation of the Moon from the Sun, which is the apparent angular distance between their centers. For this reason the elongation has also been called the arc of light. If we know the value of the elongation at any instant, we can immediately compute the width of the crescent.

"This large range of possible elongations in the one-day-old Moon is critical, because at this time the width of the crescent is increasing with the square of the elongation, and the surface brightness of the crescent is also rapidly increasing. Some of the earliest reliable sightings of the crescent occur near elongations of around 10 degrees. Obviously, simply specifying the age of the Moon cannot tell the whole story. Of course, the elongation of the Moon does not tell the full story, either. But, of the two parameters, the elongation is a much more reliable parameter to use as a starting point in assessing the lunar crescent visibility at any given date and time.

Sacred Astronomy (‘ilm at-tawqit)

Moon Sighting Fundamentals by Youssef Ismail

Moon Sighting - an audio lecture by Hamza Yusuf

Causes and implications of the Saudi confusion about the dates for Hajj and ‘Īd
"The Saudi regime also manipulated the start and end of last Ramadān, as they had done many previous ones. While the overwhelming majority of Muslims worldwide celebrated ‘Īd-ul-Fitr on Saturday, January 8, the Saudis had announced the sighting of a non-existent moon on Thursday January 6 to 'celebrate' ‘Īd-ul-Fitr on Friday, January 7.

"One Saudi newspaper, Arab News at least had the decency to admit later (February 11) that the January 7 celebration was based on false information. The regime, however, kept mum. The Arab News story followed the discovery that there was a partial eclipse of the sun on February 5 which lasted until after sunset, thus making any sighting of the moon impossible even had the moon been there to be sighted. According to this analysis, the month of Shawwal, according to the Saudi calculation, ended up having 31 days, an impossibility from the Islamic point of view (lunar months can only be of 29 or 30 days).

"This regular confusion is despite changes made to the Saudis' calendar arrangements following criticism from around the world of their arbitrary practices. The Saudi regime has now set up Hilal (crescent) sighting committees in six cities: Makkah, Riyadh, Qassim, Hail, Tabuk and Asir. The committees comprise religious scholars, quddah (plural of qadi), astronomers, scientists and other qualified people, as well as volunteers. Yet the regime does not follow the information provided by these committees, instead apparently relying on sighting claims by laymen without applying any standard for verifying the information. Neither the Shawwal (‘Īd-ul-Fitr) moon nor the Ðūl Hijjah moon was sighted by the experts in the committees on the dates on which they announced their sightings. These committees have been appointed but they are virtually powerless.

Moon Sighting Announcements in Saudi Arabia Valid?
"Further, if the argument of the [former ISNA] article is accepted and it is held that the real intention of Qur'ān and Sunnah was to link the celebration of ‘Īd-ul-Adhā with the Saudi dates, as a mandatory provision for all Muslims in the world, it means that the sharī‘ah has stressed a principle which was not acceptable for 1300 years. It is not against the Quranic declaration that Allah does not make a thing mandatory unless it is practical for the human beings.

"If the authors [of the former ISNA article] argue that the celebration of ‘Īd-ul-Adhā was not linked with the dates in Makkah in the past but it has become a mandatory requirement of the sharī‘ah now, then the question arises, who has abrogated the previous principle and on what basis? There is no provision in Qur'ān or the Sunnah which orders the Muslims to celebrate ‘Īd-ul-Adhā according to their local dates up to a particular time and to link it with the dates in Makkah thereafter. Whoever considers this and similar questions arising out of this unprecedented theory advanced in the article can appreciate its fallacy.
(Source: Ask the Imam Online. Mufti Ebrahim Desai)

Moonsighting (Hilāl) in Saudi Arabia and its implications worldwide
"In view of the present discrepancies in moon sighting, the view that Ikhtilāf-e-Matālih is considered may be adopted and each country should make their own independent decisions. It is incorrect for the Muslims in North America (especially the Arab brethren) to follow Saudia Arabia's ruling on ‘Īd-ul-Fitr and ‘Īd-ul-Adhā due to the moonsighting being inconsistent with sharī‘ah laws of sighting the moon."
(Source: Ask the Imam Online. Mufti Ebrahim Desai)

Which Hilāl (Islamic Crescent) to Follow?
"Synchronizing ‘Īd-ul-Adhā worldwide with hilāl sighting in Saudi Arabia is not appropriate because it is neither ikhtilāf-ul-Matāle (multiple horizons/local sighting), nor wahdat-ul-matāle (single horizon - follow first report of hilāl - no matter from which country). . . . According to the Shaykh ibn ‘Uthaymīn (r.a) fatwa, and other scholars, Ðūl Hijjah determination is no different from other 11 months and should be by local sighting (ikhtilāf-ul-matāle). . . . Using sighting in Saudi Arabia for here [in North America] can force us to ignore our earlier local hilāl sighting. (The world is round - for certain years, e.g. North America should see hilāl one date before the Middle-East)."

Dark Side of the Moon

Wikipedia article on the Islamic Calendar "Nevertheless, the religious authorities of Saudi Arabia also allow the testimony of less experienced observers and thus often announces the sighting of the lunar crescent on a date when none of the official committees could see the lunar crescent."

Microsoft: Adjusting Hijri date in Outlook 2003 according to Um-AlQura algorithm

WebExhibits: The Islamic calendar
"Saudi Arabia doesn't rely on a visual sighting of the crescent moon to fix the start of a new month. Instead they base their calendar on a calculated astronomical moon."

A sample moon sighting

Friday evening, 02 December 2005: first hilāl of Ðūl Qa‘idah 1426
Cloudless weather conditions
Sunset was at 17:15 EST.
Sighted with Nikon OceanPro 7x50 7.2° CF WP compass binoculars at 17:28 EST.
Sighted with a 300mm telephoto lens at 17:34 EST.
Sighted with naked eye at 17:39 EST. Can you see it? It's already 31 hours and 38 minutes after the new moon. Pretty old for a first day hilāl. Remember the record sighting listed above of 15.5 hours by the U.S. Naval Observatory? There is nothing record breaking about his sighting, yet without knowing exactly where to look, a novice probably would not have been able to spot it.

Keep in mind that this hilāl, barely visible with the naked eye, boasts a 2.7% phase (percentage of surface visible) and is 17° away from the sun.

The so-called "sighting" reported by Saudi officials on Oct. 03, 2005 marking the premature beginning of Ramadān 1426 had a phase of 0.00% and was only 1.63° away from the sun. The moon was already partially below the horizon after the sun completely set! This so-called "sighting" happened only 4 hours and 40 minutes after the new moon! Remember the all-time record of 15.5 hours by the U.S. Naval Observatory? A hilāl sighted only 4 hours and 40 minutes after the new moon? I don't think so!

In the photos above, the moon was stayed in the sky almost 48 minutes after the sun went down completely, yet one had to wait 13 minutes before the sky was dark enough for the hilāl to be visible, and 24 minutes after sunset for one to be able to spot it with the naked eye, although the exact position with binoculars had been established 11 minutes before! Now tell us how the Saudis could see any hilāl with only 2 minutes of viewing after sunset and a visible lunar surface area of 0.00%.

Claude Monet - Water Lily Pond

Claude Monet - Water Lily Pond.

bought this at salvation army shop yesterday. cost $15.
size 30"x40". oil on canvas.

Real? Nah. Not even signed. the canvas is newish. probably less than a year old.

compare the those two on top...

95% of all new cases of flu will be H1N1 Swine Flu

here is new email thats going around at the moment..

To All - some useful information that will help us understand H1N1 better .
----- Forwarded by Prof Dr Hazadiah Mohd Dahan/FPEND17/ UiTM on 12/08/2009 13:25 -----

"Dato' Dr. Mohamed Mahyuddin Mohd Dahan" 10/08/2009 12:02

To Myra Mahyuddin , Kamal Fariz , aniza mahyuddin , phazadiah@salam. uitm.edu. my, Zaleha Jaafar , Zakiah Jaafar cc Subject Fwd: Fwd: USEFUL INFORMATION ON H1NI FLU - From the President, Medical Medical Association

David KL Quek | Aug 7, 09 11:16am



1) Can we distinguish between regular and H1N1 flu, without a lab test?
MCPX


No, the flu is the flu, but there are variations in presentation. Some symptoms such as cough, runny nose, fever, body aches, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea occur more or less in every flu patient, but may present differently by different people. Some infected people have very mild symptoms, some in between, and a small minority, probably less than 10%, have severe features including the dangerous pneumonia.

However, from sentinel testing and surveillance by the Ministry of Health the last few weeks have shown that almost 95% of all flu-like illness are now caused by the H1N1 virus. Earlier some months ago, seasonal flu variants caused by the B and other A virus were the main causes, the bug causing most flu these few days is the A(H1N1). This appears to be the case also in neighbouring countries, meaning that the new virus is causing more havoc and symptomatic illness than previous types of flu (which are still in the community).

Because almost every flu-like illness (influenza-like illness or ILI) is due to H1N1, the MOH is now recommending that no testing to confirm this H1N1 will now be offered.

Treat as if this is H1N1 for ILI—symptom relief for mild symptoms (paracetamol, hydration, cough medicines, etc) and self-quarantine, social distancing, be alert for complications.

Most (~70%) do not need any anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu or Relenza. Only severe cases need to be referred to hospital for further treatment.

2) How should doctors decide if a person be given further specific treatment for H1N1?

If after 2-3 days, fever and cough symptoms do not improve, a recheck with the doctor is recommended, especially if there are features of difficulty breathing, severe weakness and giddiness, or, if the following risk factors are present:

· obesity (fatter patients seem to have poorer outcome and more complications)
· those with underlying diabetes, heart disease
· those with asthma, or chronic lung disease
· pregnant women
· those with reduced immunity, cancer patients, etc
· those with obvious pneumonia features
3) Many anxious people with flu-like symptoms want to be tested or treated for suspected H1N1, but are kept waiting or sent home, without being tested. Is this practice right?

There is no right or wrong practice as this outbreak is extensive and is stretching our resources to the limit. This is also the case not just here in Malaysia, but also elsewhere around the entire world!

The recommendation is now not to spend too much time and effort trying to get tested at designated hospitals or clinics—there is probably no need to do so. I have been informed that as many as 1,000 patients queue anxiously at Sg Buloh hospital for testing, due to fear of the H1N1 flu.

So the message must be made clear: Most flu illness do not require confirmatory testing, and are mild and self-limiting. More than 90 percent will get better on their own, with symptomatic treatment—just watch out for possible complications, and risk factors as mentioned above.

Our resources are limited especially for testing. This is not just for Malaysia, but globally as well. The global demand for test kits and reagents for the H1N1 (PCR) is overextended and are rationed due to this extreme demand.

Some 200 million test kits have been deployed worldwide, but this supply is critically short because of excessive demand, so most countries have to ration testing to confirm only the worst cases, so as to monitor the pandemic better.

4) Are doctors confused as to what to do in this outbreak, especially when they do not have ready access to confirmatory lab tests?

Not really. Earlier on there was some confusion as to what to do next and who to test or who to refer for further testing and admission. Now the rules are clearer.
There is no need to do any testing to confirm the H1N1 virus for any ILI—just assume that this is the case in the majority of cases. Treat symptomatically when symptoms are mild, reassure the patients and ensure that these infected patients practice good personal hygiene, impose self-quarantine and social distancing, wear masks if their coughing or sneezing become troublesome, and keep a watchful eye on whether the infection is getting better or worse.

If there is difficulty breathing and gross weakness, then patients should quickly present themselves for admission. Understandably this phase of worsening is not always clear or easily understood by everyone... But there is not much more that we can do—otherwise we will be admitting too many patients and this will totally overwhelm our health services.

But prudent caution would help to determine which seriously ill patients need more attention and more intensive care. Unfortunately however, there will be that odd patient who will progress unusually quickly and collapse even before anything can be planned - hopefully these will be few and far between.

A more important note, is that all doctors and nursing personnel should be very aware that they too have to take precautions, and employ barrier contact practices, if there are patients with cough and cold during this period of H1N1 outbreak, which is expected to last a year or two. Carelessness can result in the physician or nurse or nurse-aide becoming infected!

5) Are there sufficient guidelines from the Ministry of Health to address this situation?

I think there are sufficient guidelines from the MOH. Although some politicians have blamed the MOH and the minister for being inept at handling this pandemic - in truth this is not the case.

It is useful to remember that this is an entirely new or novel virus, which no one previously had encountered before - thus its infectivity and contagiousness is quite high and almost no one is immune to this virus.

Perhaps, there will come a time when all the resources from both public and private sectors can be put to more efficient use. Some logistic problems will invariably occur, because human beings differ in their capacity to understand or follow directives, whatever the source or authority.

Also patient demands have been extraordinarily high and at times very difficult to meet - every patient necessarily feels that his flu is potentially the worst possible type and therefore requires the most stringent measures and testing.

Doctors are also unsure as to the seriousness or severity of this new ailment - and we are only now beginning to understand this better - so our less than reassuring style when encountering this new H1N1 flu is sometimes detected by an equally anxious patient and/or their relatives.

But there is only so much that we can do under such a pressure cooker of an outbreak which is spreading like wildfire! But nevertheless we should not panic, and remember that most >90% of infected people will recover with very little after effects. Possibly only one in 10 patients develop more serious problems which necessitate hospitalisation.

6) Is limiting H1N1 testing only to those who have been admitted to hospital justifiable?

I have explained the worldwide shortage of such testing kits and reagents. Also it is near impossible to test everyone, the world over. Besides, knowing now that almost all the flu-like illness in the country is due to H1N1 makes it a moot point to want to test for this, especially when most are mild.

The rationale for testing only those who need hospitalisation is to ensure that we are dealing with the true virus, and also help to isolate possible changes or mutations to this viral strain. The MOH is also constantly doing sentinel surveillance (random spot-testing at various sites around the country to determine more accurately the various virus types and spread that are causing ILI)

7) Are we short of anti-virul drugs (Tamiflu, Relenza)? Should I take Tamiflu?

These antiviral drugs were available to most doctors during the earlier scare of the bird flu virus, but now are severely restricted, although some orders are still entertained from individual doctors, clinics or hospitals. Remember that these have been block-booked by more than 167 countries who have been shown to have been penetrated by the H1N1 flu bug.

Our MOH has actually stockpiled some 2 million doses of the Tamiflu or its generic form. In the last inter-ministerial Pandemic Influenza task force meeting, this stockpile will be bumped up to 5.5 million doses to cover some possible 20% of the population.

Right now there is no shortage in the country. It is just that it is not readily available on demand for anyone just yet. The MOH is still of the opinion that this antiviral drug be used prudently and would like to register every patient given this drug.

The private sector on the other hand would like to have a looser control over the use of this drug—but we acknowledge that we should be meticulously prudent in its use. There is a genuine fear that resistant strains to this drug may develop with indiscriminate and unnecessary use—then we will all be in trouble with a drug-resistant H1N1 virus run amok!

Drug-resistant strains have been detected in Mexico, border-towns in USA, Vietnam, UK, Australia even. So we have to be vigilant and closely monitor the situation. Right now, the very limited usage of Tamiflu gives us good reason to be optimistic.

However, because of some unusual patterns of seemingly well people dying or having very critical infections, some people and doctors are wondering if these new strains have already reached our shores... or have we been too late in instituting proper treatment... ?

The rising number of deaths to 14 now, is quite worrisome, but our health authorities are watching this development very closely and are also checking the virus strain to see if this has mutated. We can only hope that this is not the case, for now.

8) What are some of the problems faced by doctors in dealing with the H1N1 problem?

It would be good if every medical practitioner keeps a close tab on the H1N1 pandemic, and remain fully aware of the developments and changes, which are evolving daily. Every doctor has to be learning on the trot, so to speak, to keep up with the progress of this outbreak and its management, so that we can serve our patients better.

Logging-in to the internet regularly, for more updated information will certainly help, instead of lamenting that not enough is being disseminated via the media thus far... Every doctor has to be more proactive and practice more responsible and cautious medicine during this trying period which is expected to run into at least one to two years. Importantly look out for lung complications, and the above stated higher risk profiles, and refer these patients quickly for further care.

Easier access to antiviral drugs and their responsible use and monitoring would help allay public fears of delay in treatment, but this should be tempered with care and not over-exuberance to dish out to one and all, the precious antiviral drug, just for prevention—this may be a very bad move which can inadvertently create a worse outcome of drug-resistant bugs.

However, in the light of the very quick deterioration of some young patients who have died, it might be prudent to use antiviral treatment earlier and more aggressively.

We look forward to the specific H1N1 vaccine, when it does come our way, probably towards the end of the year. In the meantime, encouraging those in the front-line, heart or lung patients and frequent travellers to have the seasonal flu vaccination is a useful adjunct to help stem the usual problems from other flu types.

9) Are we doing everything that should or needs to be done?

Yes, if you check what other nations are doing, we are doing relatively well. We are not overstating the dangers and we have been quite transparent on the possibilities of this pandemic. Earlier, many agencies and even the public and doctors have accused us of exaggerating the pandemic, and our response was dismissed as being too much, even over the top! Unfortunately, it was only when some deaths occur that many are now decrying that we have done too little!

Also if you are quite honest about it, just compare with the countries globally, and you will notice that no one health or government authority has got this right, spot on.

We are all learning about this novel flu pandemic, and each country's response is coloured by its past experiences. In Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia we have had the SARS outbreak, so we are necessarily more paranoid! Also here the experience is that flu does not usually cause death in our community, unlike the west where seasonal flu kills some hundreds of thousands every year!

So the fear factor for this H1N1 flu is not nearly as great in the west, although it is slowly sinking in that its contagiousness and infectivity is far greater, and fears of its reassortment to a more virulent mutant form is growing, into the so-called second and/or third wave of this pandemic, but we will not know until a year or so down the line.
10) Is the public in general doing enough to help in controlling the outbreak?

I think the public is now reasonably well-informed as to this H1N1 pandemic. Perhaps, they are too well-informed, that they have a fearful approach to this virus. But the proper thing is not too over-react and to panic, although I know this does sound easier said than done.

It is almost a certainty that this flu will spread within the community—in schools, universities, academies, factories, work places, offices, etc. WHO has projected that possibly some 20 to 30% of the population worldwide will become infected by this novel flu bug, after studying various models of spread of past infections—the huge and very rapid spread worldwide is mainly due to air-travel. While older flu pandemics took 6 months to extend to so many countries, this H1N1 flu did so in less than 6 weeks!

In the worst case scenarios of course, this outbreak will be alarming—hospitalisations may be required for 100,000 up to 500,000 Malaysians, with perhaps as many as 5000 to 27000 infected patients (depending on the case fatality rate or either 0.1 to 0.5%) succumbing to this illness.

But because we have been monitoring closely and containing the outbreak thus far, with heightened awareness and greater social responsibility, it is possible to ameliorate the infectivity, spread and fatality that will unfortunately accompany this pandemic... Just how successful we will be in limiting these adverse outcomes remains to be seen, but we can be hopeful.

How can the public help? First learn and acquire good personal hygiene. If sick, please be responsible and stay at home, even in your own room where possible, wear a face mask (a cheap 3-ply surgical mask will do, because large droplet spread is the main danger).

Do not go out, practice what is now known as social distancing (about 3 metres from anyone), and be socially responsible, don't go to public places and infect others - for young people this would be hard, but absolutely necessary - the spread is most rampant in this age group between 16 to 25 years.

When the illness does not go away after a few days or when you are deteriorating, get to the nearest hospital. Most importantly, be very aware and responsible!

Finally, keep abreast of all new developments, because these are evolving all the time. With keen awareness, prudent care, early detection and social responsibility, correct and prompt use of antiviral and other support medical care, and later mass specific vaccination, we can overcome this novel H1N1 flu! But it will take time, patience, public cooperation, much concerted effort and consume great resources.



DAVID KL QUEK is president of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).

H1N1 Swine Flu: We should declare Curfew. NOW

What this TPM saying that declaring and area as "hot spot" as not practical?

is it becoz " beri kesan negatif apanyer?...lebih baik kita tau mana kawasan panas...orang tidaklah pergi ke situ dan berhati berada di situ? ni tak, rakyat 1Malaysia diutamakan kena H1N1 ke? bodoh punyer TPM."
and "Issue ni tak lah digembar-gembur kan sangat.Nanti menteri yg in-charged pelancungan marah...Skrg ni semua menteri (konon-nya) ada KPI, Kalau pelancung drop, fulus tak mashuk, KPI tak meet, kena drop-lah.."

So out TPM would rather have the whole Malaysia rife with H1N1, and more and more Malaysians succumb to this flu? This is absolutely RIDICULOUS.

..WHEN POLITICAL MADNESS AND LOVE OF WEALTH (if investors knows the full detail they might pull out their money from sharemarket KLSE and share prices will go down..) TAKES PRECEDENT OVER THE WELL BEING OF MALAYSIANS.

Gov't against disclosing H1N1 hotspots

Aug 15, 09 3:39pm

The government has decided against releasing information on Influenza A(H1N1) hot spots in the country, with Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin saying it was not a practical idea.

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• 

  by fantastic4 - an hour ago

  This episode always remind me whether our leaders actually think through the issues before annoucing or commenting to the media. This is certainly not the first time. Flip-flop policies seems to be the trademark. Many examples, like Education policies, internet censorship and then this ? Don't they think before they talk ???

• by concerned - 2 hours ago

  It's like not telling you where there is a minefield and letting you walk into it.

• 

  by Suhakam - 2 hours ago

  Sometimes I wonder whether the government is really serious in tackling the H1N1 problem. The increasing death toll is extremely worrying.

• 

  by Lin Wen quan - 2 hours ago

  Trademark of Malaysia Boleh - first deny then cover up and let the people go about their business in blissful ignorance. With already so many reported deaths, we are now talking about ordering additional the antiviral drug, Tamiflu. In Australia, at the first sign of an imminent outbreak of H1N1, all hospitals were issued Tamiflu as a standby measure. It looks like the drug house producing Tamiflu is obliged to entertain our order when H1N1 is now more or less a global curse and therefore immediate supply may be a problem. The moral is 'Take care of yourself and don't expect the government to take care of you'.

• by Mykern - 2 hours ago

  If a certain area is declared H1N1 free, then people may go there and inadavertantly infest it .... thus spreading it.

• 

  by Dennis Madden - 2 hours ago

  ... or maybe they dont even know where the hot spots are

• 

  by David Yau - 3 hours ago

  Flip flop again... always engage brain before opening mouth lah!

H1N1 Swine Flu: We should declare Curfew.

This morning i got this forwarded message.
Basically healthy body, and fitness, and lots of Vitamin C.
On the "what should be done" side, I believe that we should declare curfew, yes CURFEW.

No one shall get out of their house. Need food? The army of volunteers shall deliver to front gate, and "NO CLOSE CONTACT" either.
Then the curfew shall last at least 2 weeks. Businesses, shops, school and all other least necessary services shall close.

This virus spread through human contact, or close human contact. If there is less human contact, we shall be able to arrest the spread of this virus.

We should keep in mind, at the moment there is no vaccine in the market yet.

Here is the email that has been going around..

Latest info pasal H1N1(pengalaman family pesakit)-penawar Insya'Allah
> JUST 4 INFO... SEKADAR FORWARD UNTUK SEMUA MUNGKIN BERGUNA
>
> JUST A SMALL BUT MEANINGFUL INFO FM ME TO YOU AND YR FRIENDS....MY PERSONAL
> EXPERIENCE OF H1N1 SINCE IT PRACTICALLY HIT US LIKE A TIME BOMB.....
>
> My staff was crying herself sick on Tuesday morning...was told that her son
> was confirmed of H1N1 in his Uni at Kangar, Perlis...worse was that when he
> was bedridden 2 days the warden didnt even bother to sent to hospital till
> his dad came fm KL and with his friends assistance brought him to GH
> Kangar....
>
> No one bothered in the hospital and he was put in the normal ward for
> another 2 days!!! (imagine the amount of people he has infected!!)
> .....after 2 days and his eyes were turning yellow and saliva greenish...he
> was put in quarantined room...
>
> Called his mom to say...minta maaf and ampun la dosa dia, etc...she
> practically fainted just telling me the story.. cant do much cos she x have
> enough money to go to the north with the father...
>
> First thing we did was made her call the hospital and insist that they sent
> him to Sg.Buloh Hospital or any other hospital in KL since they seemed to be
> more alert and more equipt...they refused of course...so I sent her off to
> Kangar the same day to solve the problem.
>
> Whilst this was happening, SUBHANALLAH, I had a call from one Ustaz who was
> in town to "help cure" another H1N1 child in Shah Alam.....and was told this
> simple prescription by him.....of course kena redha pada ALLAH and niat
> dengan sesungguh nya...selawat 3x....
>
> *EAT MINIMUM 6 GREEN APPLES A DAY AND FRESH ORANGE JUICE** *
> for those with sore throat please blend the apples and keep on taking till
> your fever disappear and yr symtoms are gone....I cannot explain it but the
> child in Shah Alam was ok too after taking this tip....
>
> ALHAMDULILLAH. ..my staff's son was given the apple juice for the whole day
> on Monday/Tuesday and dengan kuasa ALLAH he was out of the fever yesterday
> Wednesday... .she called me and was crying on the phone to say that her son
> was out of ICU and was able to eat normally...all these happened within just
> 4 days today (thursday 6 august)...
>
> This is just to share with my fellow sisters and brothers and hope this
> small info could assist others as well, INSYA'ALLAH! !!!!!!!!! No harm in
> trying and kuasa ALLAH anything can happen!!!!

garlic from last year..

that tree at the back is cabbage tree. no, not the cabbage that you eat as vegetable. but a native New Zealand tree, called cabbage tree.
emilie putting in the silver beet seeds.
last year we planted these garlic, they died off over winter. look how they come up this spring.

i'll do gardening..

emilie, helping dad.. all those bikes at the back are for sale, anyone interested?

adam, has a fascination with tools, any tools.

emilie and dad getting the ground ready for silverbeet crop.

a couple of hours of digging, my back back is a bit sore already.