What Happened To Our Moral Values? (Part 1)

Hi Everyone,

What has happened in our world today? Some of us think that we can get away with something that we have done but later it is found out. This happened especially with celebrities. Do celebrities really thought that they can do anything that they want and they can escape with it? Offenders include commoners, politicians and celebrities.

Moral Values

Are we losing our values? From sex scandals to corruption,murder, drugs trafficking and human trafficking what has happened in the world? There is so much sin. We can also that greed controls people. People are willing to do anything just to get money even resulting to unlawful practices. It may also result in murder. We can see that people are able to manipulate others or use others without the other party knowing it just to gain extra money. There can be a lot of cover-ups to prevent their doings from getting known. We need to learn to be content with what we have.

Celebrities


Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears


Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears have been at their prime but they lost it. There were a lot of news of both of them when they were facing troubles previously and now too especially for Lindsay. 


Known for her movies such as Parent Trap and Freaky Friday, Lindsay Lohan is also involved in alcohol abuse and drug abuse^1,2. She was arrested numerous times for different incidents committed including driving with high alcohol content and stealing. She was also admitted into a rehab numerous times. Recently, she was arrested for theft and sentenced to jail and 480 hours of community service. She also violated it³. She still has not face her issues yet at the moment.


Britney Spears also had a mental breakdown after she had success in her music career. After she was married to Kevin Federline few years back in 2008, she locked herself in with her son, Jared. She was also found to be under the influence of an unknown substance. She refused to handover her children to Kevin's bodyguards who had court order. She was hospitalised after that and classified as 'special needs patient' because she may have tendencies to commit suicide and may have a mental issue.⁴ She also went bald once after her rehabilitation. There were reports that she were having troubles reconciling her superstar persona with her already damaged self. This was in 2007.  Britney Spears has seen proceed on with her life this year with her Femme Fatale album launch and tour this year⁵.


Charlie Sheen


Charlie Sheen is another celebrity that has problems in his life. He still went wild after his divorce with Denise Richards. While Denise Richards has proceed with her life and also her family and children, Charlie is still making headlines for the wrong reasons.


He was arrested for domestic violence in 2009. He was charged for second degree assault and menacing, both felonies, and criminal mischief and a misdemeanor.^6,7,8


This year, he was fired from the hit show, Two and a Half Men because of his involvements in domestic violence and alcoholic tendencies8. The lead actor is replaced with Ashton Kutcher now. However, the dispute against Warner Bros is settled now.^9,10

Sports

Tiger Woods^11,12, the greatest golfer in the world, was an example of this. After the accident two years ago, rumors began to circulate about him cheating on his wife. He later admitted to have relationships with other women / girls before and during his marriage. About 10 of them. Just one blink of an eye, from being one of the role models in the sporting world, he has found himself a new fame, his sex scandal. Who would imagine that to happen? In the end, he did not manage to maintain his good image.


Drugs / performance enhancers are used in sports to enhance sportsmen and sportswomen as well. Although most sportsmen / sportswomen did not use them, there are some who used them to enhance their performance. Doing this will give them an unfair advantage to them. Andre Agassi, last year admitted that took crystal meth and he lied during his doping test so that he could avoid a ban in tennis competitions¹³.  Well, Andre Agassi was brave enough to admit it. Michael Phelps also apologised to the swimming federation and to his fans when he was caught smoking marijuana in a photograph. It is not to enhance his performance but rather to have a feeling of "High"¹⁴.


Drunkenness


People nowadays also like to get drunk. It is very common no matter where we are in our working lives whether we are normal employees  or project managers. A number of us will drink until they are drunk and they will be satisfied. Next day, they will be back to normal. Drinking are allowed in Christianity but drunkenness is prohibited.


That's all for now. Part 2 may cover corruption and graft allegations, baby dumping and other things.


Cheers,


Rogerkoo


¹ Lindsay Lohan's circle fears for her life - Celebrity Gossip - Entertainment News - Arts and Entertainment - Fox.com

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,290653,00.html

Accessed: 20th October 2011


² Cops: Drug Found After Lohan Crash
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/27/entertainment/main2856359.shtml
Accessed: 22nd October 2011

³ BBC - Newsbeat - Lindsay Lohan handcuffed in LA court probation hearing

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/15381507

Accessed: 22nd October 2011

⁴ Britney Spears Hospitalized After Refusing To Turn Over Kids
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1578990/britney-spears-hospitalized-after-domestic-incident.jhtml
Accessed: 22nd October 2011

⁵ Britney Spears' Femme Fatale Is Her 'Strongest Album,' Critics Say

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660881/britney-spears-femme-fetale-critics.jhtml

Accessed: 22nd October 2011

⁶ Charlie Sheen arrested in domestic dispute, police say

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-12-25/entertainment/charlie.sheen.arrested_1_actor-charlie-sheen-aspen-police-pitkin-county-jail?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ

Accessed: 22nd October 2011

⁷ Charlie Sheen arrested after domestic violence claims

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8430737.stm

Accessed: 22nd October 2011


⁸ 'Two and a Half Men' studio fires Charlie Sheen
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41955659/ns/today-entertainment/t/two-half-men-studio-fires-charlie-sheen/#.TqLcAt7iG2s

⁹ Charlie Sheen Settles $100 Million 'Two And A Half Men' Suit
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1671576/charlie-sheen-lawsuit-two-and-a-half-men.jhtml
Accessed: 26th October 2011


¹⁰ Charlie Sheen settles lawsuit over "Men" firing
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-charliesheen-idUSTRE78P67J20110926
Accessed: 26th October 2011

¹¹ Brief History of the Tiger Woods Scandal - Photo Essays - TIME

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1966486,00.html

Accessed: 20th October 2011

¹²  Special Feature: Timeline of  Tiger's sex scandal - Golf - NBC Sports
http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/34969596
Accessed: 20th October 2011


¹³  Andre Agassi book says he used crystal meth - ESPN
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=4600027
Accessed: 22nd October 2011

¹⁴  BBC NEWS | Americas | Swimmer Phelps Regrets Pot Pipe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7864011.stm
Accessed: 22nd October 2011

Have you ever imagined what the world is like if everyone, both Christians and non-Christians alike is perfect?

Hi Everyone,


Have you ever imagined what the world is like if everyone, both Christians and non-Christians alike is perfect? Perfect without sin. Just perfect. :D


Would it be like this?


There will be no need for a Quality Assurance team or QA managers to check the quality of our work


There will be no mistakes at work


Every man and woman will have no blemish on their faces. Everyone will look good.


All mobile phones are perfect, maybe one will only exist. Just IPhone or Just Android perhaps. Maybe just Nokia or Ericssons or Blackberries only.


There are no accidents because everyone is perfect drivers


There may be managers but everyone is managing their job well. Everything is done according to plan and schedule.


There may be no competitions in the world


Everyone will also observe the law and maintain unity, peace and harmony


There will be no suffering


There will be no illnesses in this world


There will be no defects for all products including PCs, cars, food, clothes, cars


Everyone will be healthy


Every cook will cook perfect food each time (char kuey teow, noodles, rice, roti canai etc)


There will not be any employees who require to work overtime


Everyone has no problems with languages. If it is a new one, we will pick it up immediately


There will be no arguments among people


Every car sold will be good no matter whether it is Proton, Perodua, Toyota, Honda, Mazda,,Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Volksvagen, Volvo,  Chery, Ford, Chevrolet,  Saab, Daihatsu, Nissan, Ferrari, McLaren, Suzuki, Alfa Romeo, Fiat.......


Every broadband packages will be super fast without connectivity issues at all


Everyone can play sports well


Every musician will perform well with their musical instruments


There is no food or drink that no one will not like


There will be no wars


There will be no pollution


Everything is perfect before there was sin. Sin is present in our world today. In Genesis 3, after God knew that Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, the world is not perfect. God punishes them by introducing suffering and hard work to mankind.


Please read Genesis 3 for more details.



Here are just some thoughts only.


Cheers,


Rogerkoo

Environmentally Friendly Cars (Hybrid and Others): Part 2

Hi Everyone,


This is the second post of environmentally friend cars.


BMW Clean Energy^1,3


BMW has produced the first Hydrogen vehicle in the world. It is named BMW Hydrogen 7. It has been around for quite some time now. BMW has the idea of making hydrogen to be the fuel for the future. BMW hydrogen engines will burn the fuel to produce H2O or better known as water.


BMW has decided that hydrogen fuel is the long term solution to reduce emissions. Hydrogen has won over wind, sun, water and biomass and meet energy needs in a sustainable way.


Not only does BMW has pioneered Hydrogen fuel, it also has several hybrid cars to choose from.


Volvo Drive²


Volvo also has initiatives of researching environmentally friendly vehicles. See videos of the four Volvo cars that has been researched namely Volvo C30 Electric, Volvo V60 Plugin Hybrid, S60 and V60 Drive and Volvo Flexifuel (85% ethanol, 15% petrol).


Volvo has developed cars based on electric technology, hybrid technology and flexi fuel technology that reduces Carbon Dioxide emissions by 80%. 


Other car companies are going green as well including our national car manufacturer, Proton. Proton Emas is set to go on sale by 2013. Here are several links to other car companies on their environmentally friendly vehicle initiatives:


Kia Eco Dynamics
Ford Electric Vehicle Technology
Mazda SKYActiv Technology
Proton Concept Cars: Emas
General Motors: Design & Technology
Mercedes-Benz International: BlueTecEco

Cheers,

Rogerkoo


¹ BMW Clean Energy: Overview, http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/cleanenergy/phase_2/cleanenergy.html


<sup>2 Volvo DRIVe: Environmental Programme - Explore, http://www.volvocars.com/intl/explore/Pages/drive.aspx


3 BMW Efficient Dynamics: Introduction</sup>
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/efficientdynamics/phase_1/introduction.html

Environmentally Friendly Cars (Hybrid and Others)

Hi Everyone,


What do Honda Insight, Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid have in common? These are all hybrid cars! 


First launched in 1997, Toyota Prius is one of the first hybrid cars on the market. It is first available in Japan before it went worldwide 4 years later in 2001. Toyota Prius is now one of the world's best selling hybrid vehicle with 1 million units sold in the U.S and Japan. That's a total of 2 million units in both countries.¹ Honda Civic Hybrid has been around in Malaysia for a few years now. Priced around RM160,000 initially, the demand here has been slow but with a cheaper price now @ RM128,000, there is a slightly higher demand. Honda Insight was launched last year with a price tag of RM98,000 making it the cheapest hybrid car in Malaysia.² It is now in the top 10 best selling non national car in Malaysia.


Pollution is one of the causes of environment degradation. Efforts have been done to reduce pollution. Car companies started to research on reducing emissions and environmentally friendly cars in the late 1990s, from hybrid cars to BMW's hydrogen car technology and Volvo's bio-ethanol initiatives.


What are the differences between the different types of eco friendly vehicles? 


Here is information on How Hybrid Cars Work from HowStuffWorks.com.³


Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive®^4,5


Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive® (HSD) is a full hybrid system that uses an battery-powered electric motor and a petrol driven combustion engine. Either one of these can power the car alone.


HSD is a smart technology that can determine when to switch between petrol and electric and when to combine both petrol and electric for maximum efficiency with high performance and excellent fuel efficiency and thus reducing pollution.


It charges the battery when the petrol is running and when the brakes are pressed, energy that are wasted due to heat during breaking is converted into electricity for use later. The battery also receives more than sufficient energy from the petrol engine when coasting so that the car does not need to be connected to the mains at all.


The car also knows when to power off the car during breaking and powers on again after that when needed.


With both the petrol engine and electric motor running, the car will produce more power with a smaller engine. For example. the 1.8l Toyota Prius actually produces performance similar 2.4l performance car.


Honda I-VTEC and IMA^6,7,8


This is Honda's hybrid system combining both i-VTEC and IMA (Integrated Motor Assist). The i-VTEC engine serves as the main power source with the IMA providing an extra power when needed. The combined engines come with an ultra-thin brushless motor that reduces the weight by 15%. It is also thinner by 22%. It also comes with CVT and ECON mode where it increases regenerative recharging and enhances the energy saving of the air conditioner unit. 


Civic Hybrid also comes with a Power Control Unit (PCU) that carries out accurate engine management to switch the motor between motor assist, motor off, and regeneration modes depending on engine speed during acceleration, cruising, and deceleration. It achieves the highest fuel economy at all conditions. The PCU is combined with the Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) that controls the functions and regulates the power of the IMA.


The fuel consumption gives an astounding 29.5km/l reading, the highest for a 5-seater passenger car.


Future Posts:


I will have another post in which we will explore BMW's Clean Energy initiatives to research on hydrogen powered cars and Volvo's DRIVE initiatives to develop environmentally friendly cars.




¹ Toyota Prius, Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius#First_generation_.28XW10.3B_1997.E2.80.932003.29


² Honda Insight - cheapest hybrid in Malaysia at RM98k, 2nd December 2010
http://paultan.org/2010/12/02/honda-insight-cheapest-hybrid-in-malaysia-at-rm98k/


³ Nice, Karim, and Julia Layton.  "How Hybrid Cars Work"  20 July 2000.  HowStuffWorks.com. 
http://www.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car.htm  14 October 2011.


⁴ Toyota Australia: Hybrid Synergy Drive - Hybrid Technolgy - How Hybrid Works
http://www.toyota.com.au/hybrid-synergy-drive/hybrid-technology/how-hybrid-works


⁵ Honda Insight - cheapest hybrid in Malaysia at RM98k, 2nd December 2010
http://paultan.org/2010/12/02/honda-insight-cheapest-hybrid-in-malaysia-at-rm98k/


⁶ Honda Malaysia: Honda Insight
http://www.honda.com.my/insight/about/


⁷ Honda Worldwide - CIVIC Hybrid Technology: Honda IMA system
http://world.honda.com/CIVICHYBRID/Technology/NewHondaIMASystem/PowerUnit/index_1.html


⁸ Honda Worldwide - Technology Picture Book (Automobile): IMA
http://world.honda.com/automobile-technology/IMA/detail/



Cheers,


Rogerkoo