Computer trouble!

For a laugh…

I was having trouble with my computer.

So I called Richard, the 11 year old next door whose bedroom looks like Mission Control, and asked him to come over.

Richard clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem.

As he was walking away, I called after him, 'So, what was wrong?

He replied, 'It was an ID ten T error.'

I didn't want to appear stupid, but nonetheless inquired, 'An, ID Ten T error? What's that? In case I need to fix it again.'

Richard grinned. 'Haven't you ever heard of an ID ten T error before?''

‘No,' I replied.

'Write it down,' he said, 'and I think you'll figure it out.'

So I wrote down: I D 1 0 T

I used to like the little shit.

 

 

3,000 march against Papua New Guinea corruption

By Ilya Gridneff of AAP

June 14, 2009 - 12:29PM

 

More than 3,000 Papua New Guineans have turned out to march against corruption, calling on their countrymen to quit using traditional custom as an excuse for lawlessness and graft.

Corporate teams, non-government organisations, public institutions, school children and citizens came together at today’s rally in the capital Port Moresby under the banner "Enough is Enough!"

The third and biggest march organised by Transparency International (TI) against PNG's rampant corruption also drew a few politicians, but none from the government.

TI last year ranked PNG as the most-corrupt country in the Pacific and put it in lowly 151st place out of 180 countries in a global survey.

TI chairman Peter Aitsi said corruption of all kinds and every level of magnitude needed to be rooted out in PNG.

"We work in a shifting environment in terms of our culture," he told AAP.

"It's evolving and mixing with western cultures as well, which potentially causes instances where people can use custom as an excuse for corruption, so this is what we're confronting as well.

"Custom is there and can be appreciated, but we live under a law now and our constitutional law is what we all must abide by," he said.

PNG's closely tied kinship network, known as the wantok system, is seen as both a social safety net and destabiliser as it relies on perpetual welfare and favours.

"In 2007, (the march) was mainly corporate teams and individuals," Aitsi said.

"In 2009, we've had 30 (government) departments come along, and last year we had the department of finance audit team come along.

"The message has started to be heard.

"It's the beginning - we have the members of the opposition there and so what we want to do is build a bridge.

"It's in the government's interest in supporting a community initiative that is bringing positive change to the country," he said.

The march was led by PNG's Governor-General Paulias Matane. Only three politicians attended, all from the opposition.

Last month, Prime Minister Michael Somare admitted community resentment over widespread corruption in PNG's police force and labour and immigration departments was one factor behind a spate of anti-Chinese attacks.

Sleeping beauties!

Attached are pictures of my four young children fast asleep last Friday night.
Left to right are Jr (8), Moasing (4), Gedi (7) and Keith (2).

National Geographic best pictures for the year!

Hot curry

Curry powder sparks fire alert on Air India plane
Article from: AAP
From correspondents in Mumbai

June 13, 2009 08:28pm

AN Air India passenger jet heading to Frankfurt was forced to return to Mumbai after a bag of curry powder set off smoke and fire alarms, according to reports.
Pilots on the Boeing 747-400 plane activated fire extinguishers after receiving a cockpit warning about a fire in the cargo hold early Friday morning, the Mumbai Mirror newspaper said.
But on the plane's return to India's financial and entertainment capital, engineers said the alert had been triggered by the escape of particles from a bag containing up to 3kg of curry powder.
The bag, belonging to a passenger from the western Indian state of Gujarat, was removed before the plane took off again after a 12-hour delay.
"On taking off for the second time, the pilot apologised for the delay and announced that a bag containing curry powder had caused the problem," Air India spokesman Jitendra Bhargava was quoted as saying.
Mangoes and meat products that generate heat have been suspected of causing similar incidents on Air India flights in the past, the newspaper said.

Local Papua New Guinea beauty

Picture of a local beauty at the Kerevat National High School singsing day outside Rabaul, East New Britain province, last weekend. Picture by JOHN PANGKATANA

 

7 quarantined for suspected swine flu in Papua New Guinea

Swine flu test samples sent to Brisbane

 

By KESSIE TADAP in The National, Papua New Guinea’s leading daily newspaper

 

THE Pacific International Hospital (PIH) in Port Moresby has reported that it has clinically quarantined seven people suspected of carrying the influenza A (H1N1) or swine flu virus.

However, the hospital is yet to confirm the cases as swine flu because tests have to be done in Brisbane, Australia as facilities to carry out the tests are not available in the country.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) late last night declared that the outbreak has reached the level of a full-blown pandemic, raising its alert level on the pandemic alert scale to phase six.

It is the first official pandemic to be declared in 40 years. Worldwide, more than 27,000 people in 74 countries have been sickened by the virus, with 141 deaths (see reports on Page 15).

PIH deputy chairman, Dr Mathias Sapuri, said yesterday that the hospital should receive the test results from

Brisbane by tomorrow.

The hospital screened patients over the last four weeks and tested 20 people for the swine flu virus. Of these, seven have been quarantined.

Dr Sapuri said the suspected cases had been quarantined, meaning that they have been cautioned to stay at home and keep to themselves, wash their hands, wear masks as much as possible, and also to keep away from others, including their family members.

Dr Sapuri said these suspected cases had also been given Tamiflu vaccine, the medicine supplied by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Their swabs have been collected and sent to Australia for confirmation and tests.

“We have done the clinical diagnosis but their blood tests, which we are waiting for, will tell us whether they have the virus or not,” Dr Sapuri said.

He said the seven people had flu-like symptoms and had also passed through Australia, where an influenza A (H1N1) epidemic has been declared.

Dr Sapuri also said that if anyone was experiencing flu-like symptoms, they must go to PIH where swine flu tests could be done and free Tamiflu medicines could be provided to those confirmed to be carrying the virus.

He said this was important, so that any cases of the virus could be quarantined and treated early before a pandemic broke out in PNG.

He said all suspected cases must be tested because if there was an outbreak, many of the vulnerable population which includes children, the elderly, those malnourished and sick, would not be able to resist and fight many diseases such as pneumonia.

Dr Sapuri said PIH was in the process of introducing a much quicker swine flu testing kit, which will take only 15 minutes to give a reading.

He said PIH would continue to conduct free swine flu tests for the public including providing free Tamiflu vaccine and would also continue to follow the guidelines set by the WHO to combat the virus.

Health Minister Sasa Zibe warned earlier this week that it was only a matter of time before the epidemic arrived in PNG.