Hujan sejukkan Senawang

Alhamdulillah, sejak sehari dua ni hujan telah turun menyejukkan dan menyegarkan suasana di Senawang.

Panas yang berpanjangan sebelum ini telah menyebabkan rasa gelisah dan tidak selesa di kalangan penduduk di Senawang. Rumput pun dah naik kuning kekeringan.

Semoga setiap hari akan hujan yang menyegarkan ... Amin

DERMALAH KEPADA SALURAN YANG BETUL

Palestin memerlukan sumbangan anda. Namun dalam semangat untuk membantu rakyat Palestin, semua pihak perlu berhati-hati dan jangan menyalurkan sumbangan kepada:

1. Pihak yang sengaja mempergunakan isu ini untuk mengaut keuntungan wang ringgit.

2. Pihak yang menyalurkan sumbangan itu kepada kumpulan Mahmud Abbas, kerana ternyata kumpulan ini telah melakukan pengkhianatan terhadap perjuangan umat Islam

Hulurkanlah derma anda kepada pihak yang benar-benar ingin menyampaikannya kepada para pejuang Islam Palestin.

Semiconductor sales fell by 22%

Semiconductor sales fell by 22% in December, SIA reports

"A resumption of sales growth will depend in part on the effectiveness of various measures now under consideration by the federal government to restore consumer confidence, improve liquidity, and stimulate economic growth," SIA President George Scalise said.

By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News -- Electronic News, 2/2/2009

As expected, December 2008 saw a massive drop in chip sales, bringing down the full year's results with a 22% year-over-year decline in revenues for the month.

According to the SIA (Semiconductor Industry Association), sales fell from $22.3 billion in December 2007 to $17.4 billion in December 2008. December sales declined by 16.6% from November 2008 when sales were $20.9 billion. (See chart below.)

“The global economic recession severely dampened semiconductor sales in the fourth quarter of 2008, historically a strong quarter for the industry,” said SIA President George Scalise (pictured) in a statement today. “Weakening demand for the major drivers of semiconductor sales -- including automotive products, personal computers, cell phones, and corporate information technology products -- resulted in a sharp drop in industry sales that affected nearly all product lines. Once again, the steepest revenue declines were in the memory sector where price pressure more than offset significant growth in total bit shipments.”

2008 marked the first year-on-year drop in sales since 2001, SIA's data showed. Total sales for 2008 were $248.6 billion compared to $255.6 billion in 2007, a decrease of 2.8%.

“As consumers worldwide drive over 50% of demand for semiconductors, the fortunes of the chip industry are increasingly linked to macroeconomic conditions such as GDP, consumer confidence, and disposable income,” Scalise said. “Sales of electronic products held up reasonably well during the first nine months of 2008, but fell sharply as turmoil in the global financial industry unfolded."

The decline in consumer spending indirectly hit the memory segments especially hard in 2008.

"The memory content of cell phones and PCs continued to increase dramatically driving large increases in total bit shipments," Scalise said. "Over the past 12 months, DRAM content of the typical PC grew by 44% to an average of 1.8 gigabytes, while the NAND content of a typical cell phone increased by 244%. However, severe price pressure resulted in significant declines in revenues for these product lines.”

Scalise, an active advisor to the United States government on the state of the tech industry and its role in the US economy, suggested a large part of the semiconductor industry's recovery will depend on federal measures.

“The industry is currently facing an unprecedented period of uncertainty," he said. "A resumption of sales growth will depend in part on the effectiveness of various measures now under consideration by the federal government to restore consumer confidence, improve liquidity, and stimulate economic growth.”

Iran sends first home-made satellite into orbit

“Omid” launched as Iran marks 30th years of revolution

Iran sends first home-made satellite into orbit

Tthe satellite was carried into orbit by the Iranian-made satellite carrier Safir (File)

TEHRAN (Agencies)

Iran launched its first home-made satellite into orbit on Tuesday using a Safir-2 rocket, state television reported, displaying progress in space technology at a time of persistent international tension over its nuclear program.

"In another achievement for Iranian scientists under sanctions, Iran launched its first home-made Hope satellite into orbit," said the television.

" In another achievement for Iranian scientists under sanctions, Iran launched its first home-made Hope satellite into orbit," said the television " Iranian state TV The Omid (Hope) satellite, launched as Iran marks the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution this month, was designed for research and telecommunications, said the television, which carried footage of the launch. "Omid will carry experimental satellite control devices, communications, digital equipment, power supply systems," the television said.

Safir is about 22 meters long, with a diameter of 1.25 meters "It has been designed for gathering information and for testing equipment." It said the satellite was carried into orbit by the Iranian-made satellite carrier Safir. The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into space can also be used for launching weapons, although Iran says it has no plans to do so. "All parts of Safir-2 Omid have been made by Iranian scientists," state news agency, IRNA said. Iran is under U.N. sanctions because the United States and other Western powers suspect Tehran is amassing the capability to produce nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear ambitions are limited to the peaceful generation of electricity to meet the demands of its economy. The state television broadcast said Omid would return to earth after orbiting for one to three months. Safir is about 22 meters (72 feet) long, with a diameter of 1.25 meters (a little over four feet) and weighing more than 26 tons. Iran's most powerful military missile, the Shahab-3, has a diameter of 1.30 meters and measures 17 meters in length. In August when the Safir-2 was launched, media reports had initially claimed that the rocket had carried Omid (Hope) but this was later denied by officials who said only a test satellite had gone up. Iran already had a satellite in orbit but the Sina-1 was launched by a Russian rocket in 2005, it said.

1000 of bibles

Group failed to justify reason for thousands of bibles

Sudan expels US aid group over bibles

The group,Thirst No More, was supposed to be in the region supplying drinking water (File)

KHARTOUM (AlArabiya.net, Reuters)

An American aid group has been thrown out of Sudan's Darfur region after officials found thousands of Arabic-language bibles in its office, state media reported on Saturday.

Sudanese authorities told the offical Suna news agency they found 3,400 copies of Christianity's sacred book in the office run by water charity Thirst No More in North Darfur, a region that is almost entirely Muslim.

Officials told Suna they had decided to expel the Texas-based group "for its violation to the Voluntary Work Act, the Country Agreement and the regulations on registration of organizations in Sudan."

Regulations dictate all aid groups have to give details of their activities to the Sudan government's Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and are not allowed to start new projects without state approval.

Suna said Thirst No More was supposed to be in the war-torn region supplying drinking water. It had "failed to provide justification" for its ownership of so many bibles, North Darfur's HAC commissioner Osman Hussein Abdalla told the agency.

Thirst No More's website describes its work in Darfur as focused on repairing and drilling water wells and makes no mention of evangelism or other faith-based work.

The vast majority of aid groups in Darfur, including ones with religious foundations, voluntarily sign up to a Red Cross code of conduct that says aid should not be used "to further a particular political or religious standpoint".

Freedom of religion is enshrined in Sudan's constitution, created after a 2005 peace deal ended two decades of war between the mainly Christian and animist south and the mostly Muslim north, which includes Darfur, however apostasy is banned in the Darfur region.

Aid groups are running the world's largest humanitarian operation in Darfur where, international experts say, more than 2.5 million have fled their homes in almost six years of fighting.

written by King Abdullah, in 1947

Greeting All,

This article, written by King Abdullah, in 1947 is a must read, especially for all post world war II generation, and for us too lest we forget.

Please forward to the entire world to let the world population know, the history, the plight and the people behind the current tragedy in Palestine, and to do any small actions and contribution possible to stop the genocide of the Palestinians.

From being their homeland for more than 2000 years, within 80 years, they are murdered and driven out from their home, cornered into portions in West Bank and Gaza, or refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, without being allowed any full self rule, labeled terrorist for fighting for their rights, and constantly subjected to sanctions, raids and bombing.

And all these being supported by the so called Police of the World, and the civilized nations of the West. Imagine these happening to our family, our home, our land, and ourself…… Your support in any small way is being accounted by the All Mighty.

Summary

This fascinating essay, written by King Hussein's grandfather King Abdullah in November 1947, appeared in the United States six months before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In the article, King Abdullah disputes the mistaken view that Arab opposition to Zionism (and later the state of Israel) is because of longstanding religious or ethnic hatred. He notes that Jews and Muslims enjoyed a long history of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East, and that Jews have historically suffered far more at the hands of Christian Europe.

Pointing to the tragedy of the holocaust that Jews suffered during World War II, the monarch asks why America and Europe are refusing to accept more than a token handful of Jewish immigrants and refugees. It is unfair, he argues, to make Palestine, which is innocent of anti-Semitism, pay for the crimes of Europe. King Abdullah also asks how Jews can claim a historic right to Palestine, when Arabs have been the overwhelming majority there for nearly 1300 uninterrupted years?

The essay ends on an ominous note, warning of dire consequences if a peaceful solution cannot be found to protect the rights of the indigenous Arabs of Palestine.....

http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/kabd_eng.html

Abdullah visits injured Palestinians

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday visited two seriously wounded Palestinians who have been admitted to King Faisal Specialist Hospital (KFSH) in Riyadh. Nine Palestinians arrived in the Kingdom by plane on Thursday night. Two of them were admitted to KFSH, while the others were sent to the National Guard Hospital, the King Khalid University Hospital, the King Fahd Medical City, the Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital and the Security Forces Hospital. The patients, who arrived in Medevac air ambulances, were ferried from Areesh Aiport to Riyadh Airbase on the instructions of King Abdullah. Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghlani, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said the nine included an eight-year-old boy and two seriously injured patients who were unconscious. “Each patient was accompanied by a close relative,” he added. The two Palestinians the king met were Emad Al-Khalidi, 22, who suffered multiple injuries including a broken leg in an Israeli missile attack, and Mahmoud Abu Sultan, 20, who suffered severe head injuries in an airstrike on his home. On his arrival at the hospital, King Abdullah was received by a number of officials including Dr. Fahd Al-Abduljabbar, the king’s adviser and chairman of the KFSH’s board of directors, and Dr. Qassem Al-Qasabi, the hospital’s executive general supervisor. The king was given briefings about the patients’ health conditions. He requested the hospital to exert utmost care in treating the Palestinians and asked the authorities to provide their accompanying relatives with proper lodging during their stay in the Kingdom. Fahad Al-Dosary, spokesman for the KFSH, said the two patients were admitted to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, as their condition was very bad. He said that following treatment, Al-Khalidi had shown remarkable improvement and would soon be transferred to the general ward. Abu Sultan, who underwent emergency orthopedic surgery yesterday after the king’s visit, had not regained consciousness until late in the evening.