1st Raya... (Balik Kampong)

bongsai....

Misi Pencarian

Baru-baru ini di dearah belait telah heboh dengan kehilangan misteri seorang pencari rezeki yang hilang atau dibaham buaya. Kejadian ini berlaku di kawasan Loji Mumong, Sungai Belait. kejadian ini masih lagi beroperasi sehingga kehari ini. Mengikut Isteri mangsa beliau merambat hampir tebing sungai, apabila jaring yang digunakan menyangkut kearah tunggul, beliau menarik dan terus menyelam kesungai itu. kejadian itu berlaku pada waktu malam. Ada juga beberapa orang pemancing berkata, mereka pada awalnya nampak kelibat seekor buaya yang berenang dikawasan itu, tapi mereka tidak memperdulikan dan membiarkan.

setelah kejadian berlaku pihak Bomba&penyalamat dan juga Polis berkejar ketempat kejadian. Selapas 3 hari misi pencarian beberapa agensi-agensi kerajaan dan pihak sukarela menjalankan beroperasi besar-besaran pada 11.09.09 masih juga tidak ketemui...

Rahsia Asal Usul Tarian Poco-poco.
Alhamdulillah kerana kita semua masih bernafas lagi dgn keizinanNya. Saya ingin berkongsi dgn rakan-rakan semua tantang tarian poco-poco yang sedang hangat ditarikan oleh semua lapisan masyarakat, umumnya masyarakat kita yg beragama islam terutama suri-suri rumah dan badan-badan kerajaan ketika manghadiri kursus.
Sebenarnya tarian poco-poco ini berasal dari Filipina bukannya dari Indonesia. Ia ditarikan oleh masyarakat yg berugama kristian ketika mereka menghadiri upacara sembahyang mingguan mereka. Lihatlah sahaja bagaimana pergerakannya, yang membentuk salib.
Mungkin kita tak perasan kerana kita suka mengikut-ikut sesuatu yg baru tanpa usul periksa. Inilah cara musuh-musuh islam mengenakan kita sedangkan kita tahu apabila kita melakukan sesuatu yg menyerupai sesuatu agama maka kita dikira merestui agama itu seperti amalan yoga yg telah difatwakan haram kerana menyerupai agama Hindu. cuma tarian pocoh2 ini belum difatwakan haram lagi. Marilah kita sama2 fikirkan.
Saya dulu pernah terfikir, kenapa tarian itu dimulakan dari kiri? Dan apa jenis senaman ini? Relevankah tarian ini, yang kelihatan seperti tidak siuman?
Saya menyeru kepada diri anda semua supaya mengambil inisiatif untuk tidak lagi ‘menarikan’ lagi tarian ini yang ternyata mensyirikkan Allah tanpa kita sedar. Dan paling utama memohon keampunan daripada Allah S.W.T atas kejahilan kita tentang perkara ini sebelum ini.
Semoga mendapat perhatian pihak berkenaan agar mengkaji secara terperinci tentang kesahihan perkara ini,asal usul dan kesannya kepada akidah umat Islam dan mengeluarkan fatwa tentang tarian ini,agar Umat Islam tidak berterusan di dalam kelalaian dan ‘keasyikkan’ menarikan tarian ini.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jobless since January, Donald Money has already moved in with his elderly parents, stopped going to the movies and started using less of his prescription medication so it will last longer.

This month, something else will fall by the wayside: Money's unemployment check. The 43-year-old former printing press operator is among the more than 1.3 million Americans whose unemployment insurance benefits will run out by the end of the year, placing extra strain on an economy that is just starting to recover from the worst downturn in a generation.

These are the most unfortunate of America's 14.5 million jobless: the ones whose benefits are drying up — in some cases after a record 18 months of government support.

With savings depleted and job opportunities scarce, people who've run out of benefits are living with relatives and borrowing cash from friends. They are even skipping meals. Through it all, they are trying to stay positive through exercise and prayer.

The government said Thursday that 570,000 laid-off workers filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, while the number of people receiving benefits has risen to 6.23 million.

The Labor Department is expected to report Friday that the August unemployment rate rose to 9.5 percent, up from 9.4 percent in July.

Many are scrambling to find work before they have to reach for the next layer of government aid — food stamps or even welfare.

On a recent day in Jacksonville, Money attended a church-run job fair in a half-vacant shopping mall. Most of the vendors were vocational schools trolling for students, or recruiters for the military and fast food joints.

Money, who was laid off from a printing business, said he'll do anything for a paycheck.

"I'm tired of not working," he sighed. "I just can't sit at home anymore."

People who lost white-collar jobs seem most surprised by the dire circumstances they are finding themselves in as unemployment benefits dry up. Before the recession and financial crisis, it had always been easy for them to find work.

Clifford Sheffield, 43, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., used to earn $2,000 a week as an analyst for Merrill Lynch's Jacksonville office.

Today, Sheffield lives off of a $1,300 monthly check from the government — and is burning through his savings to keep up with rent. The unemployment benefits run out later this month.

At a recent job fair, he perused applications for Valu Pawn and Taco Bell, but did not fill them out.

"I have family I could fall back on, but it's not very appealing," Sheffield said.

"People are just barely getting by," said Sue Berkowitz, the director of the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, an advocacy group that helps the poor with legal issues surrounding rent and mortgage contracts. "When I go down to our food bank, I see a lot of people who never, ever thought that's where they would be."

In the past year, nearly 5.5 million people exhausted their 26 weeks of standard benefits without finding work. The government says the "exhaustion rate" is the highest on records dating from 1972.

Some 3.4 million people now depend upon extended benefits approved by Congress lasting anywhere from 20 weeks to a year — the longest period of extensions ever added.

The length of these extensions vary by state, depending on the unemployment rate. More than half of all states have unemployment rates that triggered 53 weeks of extended benefits.

The government does not track how many jobless Americans have exhausted both their standard and extended benefits, but experts estimate the figure to be nearly 100,000 — and rising.

According to the National Employment Law Project, more than 402,000 Americans will exhaust their unemployment benefits by the end of September. That figure will more than triple by the end of December unless Congress — or individual states — authorizes another extension.

Legislation has been introduced to provide an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits in states with high jobless rates; the bill, introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., has 23 co-sponsors, including two Republicans.

Unemployment benefits play an important part in stabilizing the economy because recipients tend to spend their weekly checks, rather than saving the money or paying down debt.

"It's definitely a valuable component of economic stimulus," said Alan Auerbach, a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley.

Rudolf Augustine, a 39-year-old former construction worker from Miami, is one of about 16,000 Floridians who have exhausted all their benefits. Out of work for the past two years, Augustine's last unemployment check came in August.

He's doing handyman-type jobs, living with his brother to save money, and had to borrow just to visit his oldest daughter in New York to see her graduate from high school.

Augustine's self-esteem is bruised from the lack of cash.

"I used to drive a Saab turbo," he said. "Now I drive a clunker a friend gave me for free."

Still, he says he has something to look forward to: a business degree, which he should receive in about a year. He spends time with his youngest child in the park for fun and occasionally visits Burger King for a treat.

Trying to maintain a good attitude is key, said Mike Allen of Riverside County, Calif., who received about 13 weeks of unemployment benefits earlier in the year. He wasn't eligible for more because he owned his own business and didn't pay enough into the state's unemployment fund to qualify him for more assistance.

Allen, who is 41, moved his wife and 15-year-old daughter into his parents' home in early August.

"They've got a small house," Allen said. "But it's a roof. We'll help out with food."

After their mortgage company refused to work with them on a loan refinancing, the family walked away from their home, which is several hundred thousand dollars underwater. Allen, formerly the owner of a trucking company, owes about $500,000 in business loans. He's traded in his newer cars for a used Jeep that needs $2,400 of repairs. The family sold most of their furniture.

His one bright spot: Allen has launched two employment-related Web sites in hopes of generating money through online advertising.

"We don't dwell on the past," said Allen, who added that his Christian faith is seeing them through. "We can't change it. We can only change our future."

Sheffield, the former Merrill Lynch analyst, said he has some job leads and is beginning a retraining program to become a radiographer. He's done some odd jobs around his neighborhood for cash, and has cut back on most of his expenses — even his $25 a week comic book hobby.

"I don't drink or smoke, and I can't go to lunch or anything like I used to with my friends," said Sheffield, who runs on the beach to relieve stress. "I eat less. I've lost 20 pounds."

WASHINGTON – House liberals pleaded with President Barack Obama on Friday to push for creation of a government-run health care program as the Senate's chief negotiator said he won't wait much longer for Republicans to compromise amid dwindling chances for a bipartisan bill.

Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., held a nearly two-hour teleconference with his small group of negotiators, who call themselves the "Bipartisan Six." Afterward, Baucus was careful to leave the door open to a long-sought deal, but he clearly signaled the time has come for him to move ahead.

"I am committed to getting health care reform done — done soon and done right," Baucus said in a statement. He is considering making a formal proposal to the group of negotiators.

Obama, meanwhile, tried to placate disgruntled House liberals who fear he is too eager to compromise with Republicans and conservative Democrats to get a bill. In a phone call from the Camp David, Md., presidential retreat, Obama spoke to leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and other liberal-leaning House groups.

Caucus leader Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., said the lawmakers expressed their commitment to creation of a government-run plan to compete with private health insurers. On Thursday, they sent Obama a letter saying they could not support a health bill that lacked such a public option.

Woolsey said Obama listened, asked questions and said the dialogue should continue. She said a follow-up meeting will occur next week at the White House. Another participant said the president was noncommittal about the government-run plan.

Senate Finance is the only one of five congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care that has yet to produce a bill. Baucus had held back from convening a bill-drafting session, hoping that his group of three Democrats and three Republicans would reach a compromise behind closed doors that could win broad support. But he faces a Sept. 15 deadline from the Democratic leadership — and the prospect of losing control of the legislation if he doesn't act.

On Friday, Baucus said the members of his group agree on several big-picture items, including the need to control costs, provide access to affordable coverage for all Americans and ensure that health care fixes don't add to the deficit. The negotiators have been working on a pared-back bill that would cost under $1 trillion over 10 years and drop contentious components, such as the government-sponsored insurance plan that liberals insist must be in the legislation.

"Health reform is certainly a significant challenge, and each time we talk, we are reminded just how many areas of agreement exist," Baucus said.

The bipartisan group has scheduled a face-to-face meeting when the Senate returns on Tuesday, on the eve of a major speech by Obama to Congress. The president is trying to rescue his health care overhaul after a summer in which angry critics filled the Internet and airwaves with attacks, some clearly based on misinformation.

Senate aides say the six Finance Committee negotiators realize they have an historic opportunity to influence the direction of the health care debate — and its ultimate result.

But with Republican leaders solidly opposed to Obama's approach, the GOP negotiators are under tremendous pressure not to cooperate. In the last few weeks, two GOP negotiators — Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Mike Enzi of Wyoming — have made harsh public statements about the Democrats' approach. However, both insist they are serious about their negotiations with Baucus. The third Republican, Olympia Snowe of Maine, has been circumspect.

"When Congress returns to session next week, we will be working with the same intensity ... to achieve a consensus bill," Snowe said in a statement. "I believe we must reduce the costs of health care and make coverage more affordable for all Americans."

The other two members of the group are Democrats Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico.

Separately, the Democratic National Committee on Friday released a new television ad that counters Republican claims that lawmakers plan to raid Medicare's budget to finance coverage for the uninsured. Obama says wasteful Medicare spending will be reined in but won't affect benefits.

The Democratic ad, called "No Friend to Seniors," depicts Republicans as longtime opponents of Medicare. It will run on national and Washington, D.C., cable stations. A similar ad will also run in 10 Republican-held congressional districts.