N. Mohanadas and M. Magendran made Malaysians proud when they reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 23, 1997. Thirteen years later, both stand here today bearing state honours that carry the honorific “Datuk”.
The Penang state government conferred both with the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) at the Governor’s 72nd birthday ceremony here today.
When contacted, 48-year-old Mohanadas said an award after 13 years has given him the sense that the two were “remembered and valued”.
The avid mountaineer also said that when he was picked for the expedition, rewards and recognition were not a priority for him.
“When selected for the mission, there was an obligation to fulfil for my country and my community,” he said.
Both were part of the Telekom Malaysia Mount Everest Project 1997 that started out on March 1 that year, which braved unpredictable weather and freezing temperatures to conquer the 8,848m “Goddess Mother of the World”, as Everest is known in Tibetan.
“We did not do it for awards. We did it to inspire others and I think we have succeeded,” the father of three boys added.
Mohanadas, who is still an active climber, is leading a group from a corporate organisation on an expedition to climb the 4,095m Mount Kinabalu on Aug 31.
The Shell Malaysia employee said he keeps himself fit by running and participating in marathons.
Mohanadas explained that the Penang state government had also approached him and Magendran to discuss the possibility of exposing youths from Penang to the sport.
He said although they did not have a structured plan as yet, discussions have been held with Deputy Chief Minister Prof P. Ramasamy.
“Penang has world-class [athletes] like (Datuk) Nicole David and (Datuk) Lee Chong Wei. They want to produce more of these people but in different fields,” said Mohanadas, who is also the chairman of Malaysian Outward Bound Youth Association and vice president of Malaysian Mountaineering Organisation.
In a World Cup of droning vuvuzelas, dodgy balls and substandard favourites, nothing has fascinated the public as much as the octopus named Paul.
So far, the seemingly precognitive Paul has correctly predicted the results of all German matches during the tournament, even their losses to Serbia and Spain.
Tomorrow, according to his handlers, Paul will predict the winner of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. If he is not tired.
Residing in the Oberhausen Sea Life Aquarium in Germany, the two-year-old cephalopod “predicts” the results of matches by picking one of two clear boxes bearing the flags of the competing countries. The boxes are arranged according to Fifa’s arrangement of flags for each match, and filled with food like mussels or oysters.
Previously, he has correctly predicted five out of six results from Germany’s campaign in Euro 2008.
After predicting Germany’s exit at the hands of Spain in the semi-final, Paul has since received death threats from many Germans who wish to see him served on their dinner tables.
Some punters and booking agencies have made money from following his advice, while animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is urging for his release from his “imprisonment”.
Paul might be the first octopus to have done so, but he is surely not the first animal to tell fortunes or read minds. In 1927, a horse in Virginia, US named Lady Wonder was claimed to possess psychic powers and extra-sensory perception (ESP), and communicated by pushing toy letter blocks.
For the price of a dollar, one could ask the horse three questions, and over 150,000 people had taken up the offer. The horse also supposedly predicted the result of a boxing match, discovered oil, and solved a missing person case.
Another horse in 1900 in Germany, Clever Hans, was shown as having the ability to solve arithmetical and intellectual problems. Having a multi-talented owner who was a mathematics teacher, amateur horse trainer and phrenologist bestowed Hans with various abilities such as telling time, differentiating musical tones and understanding German.
In the 1980s, a dog called Harass II was purported by its handler, John Prestons, to be psychic. Harass II could supposedly find cold trails and human scent — even months or years later. He could also track underwater and after hurricanes, using his psychic powers.
Historically, humans have relied on observing animals for divination since thousands of years ago. Alectryomancy, practised by Etruscans in ancient Italy 2,400 years ago, enables people to tell fortunes by seeing roosters pecking at scattered grains.
The ancient Romans practised augury, divination by studying the flight of birds: whether any noise was made, whether they flew alone, their directions, etc. These duties were held by a special order of priests whose role was interpreting the gods’ messages.
This divination by observation extends to various other animals such as cats (felidomancy), horse (hippomancy), fish (ichthyomancy), spider and snakes (ophiomancy).
In the cases of Lady Wonder, Clever Hans and Harass II, it has been proven that the animals were unconsciously or unintentionally cued by their owners. In fact, this observer effect has been called the “Clever Hans Effect” and has been used to debunk many “intelligent” or “talented” pets over the years.
As for Paul, it is still not proven if he reacts to his trainer Oliver Walenciak’s cues or the expectant German fans. Although he has predicted 11 out of 12 matches correctly so far, it is noted that Paul chose Germany nine times out of 12. Considering Germany was the favourites in those nine matches, Paul had consequently better odds to be correct.
Being a common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), it has also been suggested that Paul has a preference for flags with bright horizontal stripes like Germany and Spain, instead of England or Argentina, despite not being able to see in colour.
The species is naturally found in shallow tropical and semi-tropical seas around the world and can grow up to 25cm, with tentacles up to a metre.
In a stunning move, the State Lottery has disqualified two of the three bidders for the ill-fated Aqueduct “racino” project.
SL Green and Penn National Gaming were rejected only seven days after submitting their applications in the latest round of bidding for the long-delayed project.
That leaves just Genting New York in the running.
Genting “appears to conform with all requirements of the bid submission process and will continue to be evaluated,” the Lottery said in a statement.
If Genting ultimately is not approved for the Aqueduct project, the bidding process will have to start again. A recommendation from Lottery is due to Gov. Paterson and legislative leaders by Aug. 3.
Lottery officials said Penn National and SL Green, which was partnering with Hard Rock International and Clairvest Group, did not conform with the set criteria. Both failed to submit signed copies of the mandatory bid requirements.
Instead, the two bidders offered “altered versions” containing numerous changes they wanted.
Once believed to be a front-runner, SL Green, for example, wanted their minimum $300 million upfront fee to be held in escrow until their conditions were met by the state.
The group also wanted the right to make ownership changes without the state’s consent, a cap
on any increase in local property taxes at 3%, and a complete exemption of state and local
sales taxes for the construction of the racino.
Penn National, meanwhile, wanted to be able to terminate its Aqueduct video lottery license
any time it decides the casino has not been profitable for four straight quarters.
The group also wanted a guarantee that no other gaming facility would open within 50 miles
of Aqeuduct, despite those who are eying Belmont in the future.
Most of the changes sought by both groups were raised with Lottery before the bids were due.
“It was made clear that non-conforming bids would be disqualified,” Lottery said.
It would do us good to look at the issues raised by the other two bidders. Caveat emptor!
From what transpired recently where GenM was made into the 'monkey and donkey' to take over red ink of Genting UK from Genting S, be very careful of this rogue parent company, minority shareholders!
The latest Bloomberg report tells us that Genting Malaysia Bhd, is the only surviving bidder for an electronic slot-machine parlor at New York City’s Aqueduct Racetrack after two US-based firms were disqualified, the New York Lottery announced.
One excluded proposal was submitted by a group led by SL Green Realty Corp, Manhattan’s biggest office landlord, in a bid with partners Hard Rock International and Toronto-based Clairvest Group. The other was from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania-based Penn National Gaming Inc, which operates 19 casinos and racetracks.
“The proposals did not conform with the requirements of the competition and, instead, attempted to negotiate for terms more favorable to the bidders,” Lottery Director Gordon Medenica said in a statement. Neither New York-based SL Green nor Penn National will be eligible for reconsideration even if Genting isn’t approved, he said.
The project, called a racino, would include more than 4,000 video slot machines plus a hotel and other facilities located at the racetrack for thoroughbred horses in the New York City borough of Queens. The developer of the project, which has been planned for nine years, would pay a minimum US$300 million up- front fee to the state, which would issue US$250 million of bonds to help finance the facility, according to budget documents.
Lottery Evaluation
The Lottery’s evaluation of Genting’s bid will continue, and it is not guaranteed the award, even though it is the only remaining bidder, said Jennifer Given, a state spokeswoman. The Lottery expects to announce its recommendation by Aug. 3, she said. The winner must also be approved by the governor, the president of the state Senate and the speaker of the Assembly.
The Lottery’s announcement listed 19 aspects of the SL Green proposal that were called “non-responsive” by the Lottery. The Penn National proposal was disqualified on eight counts.
Genting Malaysia, based in Kuala Lumpur, said July 1 it will buy the UK casino businesses of Genting Singapore Plc for £340 million to expand overseas. Both companies are controlled by Genting Bhd., which has holdings in hotels, palm oil plantations and cruise lines.
Spokesmen for SL Green and Penn National couldn’t be reached for comment.
It was a new low for Linsay Lohan when she was sentenced to 90 days imprisonment today for violating her parole of not attending alcoholics rehabilitation classes.
From a meteoric rise, she is now in the dumps. Yet another fallen princess of the silver screen.
The Electric Train Service (ETS) which will reduce travel time between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur to just two hours from three hours previously, is expected to be fully operational by mid July 2010.
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) president Dr Aminuddin Adnan however, did not reveal the exact date of the launch of ETS.
“We are targeting professional groups and businessmen, besides the regular users of public transport, to use the service.
“With a speed of 140km/h, ETS will definitely reduce travel time, and the service of stewards and stewardesses will also provide comfort to passengers.
“In future, we will also provide wi-fi facilities in the train and we are in the midst of getting the right service provider,” he told Bernama in an interview here yesterday.
Eventually, he said, the ETS would also be expanded to Seremban.
Aminuddin said there were five ETS trains which would provide eight return trips for the Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh route daily, with the first train leaving at 5am and the last, 11pm.
On the fare, he said, KTMB was still waiting for approval from the transport ministry, adding that it was expected to be between RM30 and RM35 per trip.
Dr Aminuddin said KTMB had prepared an organised maintenance system for the ETS to ensure that it would not face similar problems as its existing train services.
“It is easier to maintain the electrical system with an organised maintenance plan. We hope to be able to provide an efficient and hassle-free train service, as compared to the commuter and inter-city train services,” he said.
He said each ETS train was also equipped with close-circuit television cameras to monitor the safety of the passengers, besides having the capacity of 350 passengers per trip.
In journeying through life, many things will happen to us. We are amused by many things. We sober up on others. Oftentimes,we reflect on the more important ones and we meditate deeply on some of them.
Journaler 0203 will chronicle the milestones of the author's life in 2009, the crossroads where decisions had to be made, times when he reflected on things past and his vision for the immediate future. So come; journey with him and have fun reading his entries!
