WHAT NAJIB SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SCOUT?

Najib wants to be all and be all. He proclaimed that he is the chief scout of Malaysia. Since when he has time to be in the scout movement? To be a scout is to be committed not just lip service. If he is really the CSM why we do not see scouts during National Day parade at the Merdeka Padang? Would he know about Baden Powell?

The examplar Chief Scout of Malaysia was Mubin Sheppard who promoted the scout movement wholeheartedly with deeds.

Yours truly, a Queen Scout at Tunku Besar Secondary School, Tampin, 1966(?). Seated fourth from left, En. Kamarudin (Scout Master/chief lab assistant), on his left Cikgu Razali (hostel master). At that time Dr. Kamarudin Kacha, the present Scout Commissioner of Malaysia was already active in the scout movement probably as the State Commissioner then.

Najib with his notorious Up 1finger thing. A scout would show a three finger salute with a motto 'Be Prepared'.

Najib was not 'Be Prepared' at the University of Nottingham, hence unprepared to be the PM. A pretender he is. In that sense he is an extremist at the other end of of the scale. Ignore the extremists he said!

HOW TO RECONCILE GEOLOGIC TIME AND SPINOSAURUS?

It is believed that shape of the earth began with a massive landmass known as Pangaea more than 245million years ago.

65 million years later on Pangaea divided into two huge landmasses, Laurasia in the north and Gondwanaland in the south.

The shape of the earth's several land masses (in colour) as recent as 65million years ago. The whole of Southeast Asia what more Malaysia was not yet formed!

 In terms of geologic time, 65 million years ago we were merging from late Mesozoic into early Cenozoic era, specifically in terms of period from late Cretaceous into early Tertiary (Paleocene epoch).

The recent archeological find of remains of a dinosaur named Spinosaurus in Pahang more than 65millions ago may present a mismatch with geologic time because Malaysia was not yet in existence as mentioned earlier! We were still part of a large landmass yet to undergo further shaping then. Changes in land form are due to innumerous recurrence of many great natural forces through millions of years eg. movement of tectonic plates causing land upheavels (sinking or rising), changes in water level due to weather and temperature changes (ice age and melting), volcanic eruptions, tsunami, soil erosion.

 

The presence of the remains of the dinosaur found in Malaysia could be explained by the possibility that that the particular dinosaur already long (millions of years) dead was also lying buried deep in a part of the landmass that later gave way to form Peninsular Malaysia.

Anyway, Dr Masatoshi and his team of archeologists are in a better position to explain the finding of the so called Spinosaurus to match with geologic time in this small part of the earth, Pahang.

APA KITA PATUT TAHU FASAL MALTA?

Pulau Malta terletak di pertengahan Laut Mediterranean selatan kapada Greece. Ia merupakan lokasi strategik untuk kapal2 yang lalu berdagang atau berlabuh untuk bekalan, berehat, dan dibaik pulih.

Dalam era Perang Salib, Malta seperti jua Sicily telah jatuh dari pemerintahan Arab ketangan kristian. Pulau itu kemudian diagihkan kapada Knight of Hospitaliers pada tahun 1530. Mereka telah mendirikan kubu yang sukar ditembusi. Walaubagaimana pun maritime Ottoman dapat mengalah dan mengusir Knights of Hospitaliers dari kubu St. Elmo mereka pada tahun 1565.

Knights of Hospitaliers dan Knights of Templars merupakan wira2 Katolik yang melindungi para jemaah Kristian mengunjungi Jerusalem. Mereka juga menjadi soldadu upahan raja2 salib yang memerintah kawasan taklukan mereka sekitar Lebanon, Syria dan Israel sekarang ini. Dengan upahan, habuan dan rompakan mereka menjadi kaya raya dan ditakuti pemerintah. Oleh itu raja Perancis terpaksa mengharamkan Knights of Templars dan membunuh hampir kesemua wira2 tersebut dalam satu helah pertemuan yang dirancang.

Di ibukota Malta, Valletta masih terdapat kubu ketinggalan Hospitaliers.

UPM telah menandatangi persefahaman dengan Malta beberapa tahun lalu sebelum kacau bilau di Timur Tengah. Tetapi adakah berbuat begitu dengan negara2 Islam berdekatan seperti Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon dll.? Keadaan masih tidak mengizinkan mana2 pihak universiti di Malaysia berkerjasama teknikal dengan negara2 Arab dan patut bersedia membantu mereka apabila keadaan menjadi aman.

TERIMA KASIH, BANDUNG

Bandung menjadi tumpuan lawatan semasa anak saya belajar kedoktoran selama 6 tahun di Universitas Padjajadran, Jatinangor. Terima kasih kapada tenaga pengajar universiti yang banyak mengajar ilmu kapada anak saya. Moga Allah cucuri rahmat kapada mereka semua dan juga para kenalan. Terima kasih Bandung atas kenangan manis.

UPI(Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia), Bandung merupakan antara tempat2 yang dilawati secara kebetulan kerana ia terletak dengan hotel kami menginap. Gambar atas adalah pintu masuk kampus dengan bangunan baru tersergam didepan.

Bangunan perpustakaan

Fakulti Ilmu Pendidikan 

Fakulti Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni 

Poliklinik 

Bangunan2 lain - Direktorat, Pejabat Akademi, Postgraduate 

Bangunan Bumi Siliwangi. Diberitahu bahawa bangunan ini asalnya kepunyaan seorang Belanda kaya yang membunuh diri. Kini digunakan oleh pelajar untuk pelbagai aktiviti.

Jelas kampus UPI mempunyai bangunan yang hebat. Saya tidak kesempatan untuk mendapat maklumat lanjut atau bertemu bual. Diseberang jalan kampus ada restoran bebek, lihat posting saya sebelum ini 'Bebeknya enak sekali'.

Adakah UPSI, Tanjung Malim setanding dengan UPI, Bandung dari segi produknya? Wallahualam.

THE NEW K. LIPIS -C. HIGHLANDS ROAD

Cameron Highlands is approachable from four directions - via old road from Tapah, via Spg. Pulia, via Gua Musang, and latest from Kuala Lipis (pic above). I took the K. Lipis approach that goes to Ringlet about two years ago. It is quite scenic, the road is wide, and the ascend very gradual thus not winding.

The road cuts through a number of Orang Asli villages, the first is Pos Batau that has a secondary school.

A rubber holding, a source of income for OA.

A mixed dusun  of durian and banana belonging to OA.

Some logging activities are still going on.

Transition to better housing for OA (foreground); opening of plantation after logging (background).

The road passes through Lembah Bertam where there are extensive commercial flower and vegetable growing under plastic shelter hence much hill-cutting before it reaches Ringlet town.

n.b. The lack of details in the writing is because the short notes I took during the drive were nowhere to be found.

TANAH RATA OF 1930, 1960

William Cameron and his team which included one Kulop Riau set from the foothills of the Main Range near Ipoh in1885 to survey and map the highlands. From their camp at summit of Gunung Chabang they could see loftier mountain peaks to the east and for some months they bushwhacked. Cameron reported on locating a plateaux.


He was in feverish state when he came down from the expedition and was sent to Singapore to recuperate in the hospital. He did not recover and died there.

In 1925, after a lapse of 40 years the colonials sent another team headed by  George Maxwell to retrace the plateaux (tanah rata) and open up the area as a hill resort and hence the birth of Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands.

In 1927 tea cuttings and plants were imported from Assam and Darjeeling and first planted at the Department of Agriculture Experiment Station (now MARDI station), Tanah Rata.

View of Tanah Rata town, 1930. Those importations were the origin of plantings at BOH, Bharat, Shum Yip Leong and other tea holdings.


As to the 20 or so original tea types at MARDI, the Head, a man of extreme self-interest mismanaged the station and the tea plots became neglected as to which is which in the 90s. He claimed to have PhD but found not so. No action was taken against him but was let to retire in good stead. The then DG put large tracts of the station into privatized nursery leaving little area for research. He wanted it to be a place for tourist attraction deviating from the main aim for research. He was also a man of maligned self-interest. It is a very sad state that there is nothing much of  research going on up there now.

Tanah Rata, 1960.

Tanah Rata, Merdeka celebration 1957. The Shuparshad stores and tea plantations are thriving, one of the many landmarks in the highlands.

Tanah Rata, 1960s. The BMH (British Military Hospital) now Convent School at top left corner.

The Hotel Eastern (now Century Pines Resort), 1960. This landmark was built during pre-War days by a tin mining magnate from Ipoh. His grandson, a famous chest physician in Ipoh told me. Occasionally I learn to play billiard from Abang Din, a Majlis Daerah driver and part-time driving school instructor in its lobby in 1973.


Tanah Rata was heaven, cool,  exotic and misty then. Five of us were young diploma holders and would walk and laze in town during morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, (and dinner) to the chagrin of Pak Darus, the Farm Manager of MARDI Station.