Bahasa Melayu lambang jati diri, ketamadunan bangsa

Ketika menghadiri mesyuarat Panel Warisan Tabii Dunia di Gland, Switzerland, saya ber­kampung bersama rakan dari Eng­land, Jerman, Perancis, Amerika Syarikat, Australia, Kanada, China, Jepun dan Jordan. Dalam mesyua­rat formal, kami semua berbahasa Inggeris. Ramai daripada mereka boleh berbahasa Perancis, mereka bertutur dalam bahasa Perancis ke­tika makan tengah hari dan malam. Rakan dari China berbahasa Man­darin ketika berjumpa dengan ra­kan senegaranya. Dalam konteksini, bahasa hanya alat komunikas

Wawasan Johor pusat tamadun melayu global

Apabila Menteri Besar Johor,Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin menyarankan supaya disediakan sebuah Pelan Induk Johor sebagai Pusat Tamadun Melayu Global, ramai yang bentanya benarkah Johormenjadi pusat tamadun Melayu terawal, berkembang dan disuburka

Wawasan Johor pusat tamadun melayu global

Apabila Menteri Besar Johor,Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin menyarankan supaya disediakan sebuah Pelan Induk Johor sebagai Pusat Tamadun Melayu Global, ramai yang bertanya benarkah Johor menjadi pusat tamadun Melayu terawal,berkembang dan disuburkan di dunia melayu

Characteristics of boulders formed in tropical weathered granite: a review

Boulder is well known as one of the obstruction material and problematic to the underground excavations and constructions. Although the presence of boulder in weathered rock mass was revealed and reported by many researchers, but the occurrence and physical characteristics of boulders in weathering profile are still not clearly understood. This paper attempts to revise the issues and characteristics of boulder formed in weathered granite which include the formation, distribution, properties and location of boulders found in tropical weathering profile. As a weathering product, boulder is dominantly found in moderately to completely weathered zone of rock mass (Grade III to V). Boulder consists of corestone Grade I or II and surrounded by some concentric sheet of weathered rock Grade III to V or rindlets which formed due the reaction of spheroidal weathering. The rindlets with thickness ranges 0.2 mm to 2.0 m is the zone of decomposition and dissolution of biotite and feldspar that gradually transforming to saprolite. This information is useful to geotechnical engineers and researchers for engineering purposes and weathering zone classification especially in underground excavation and structure design

Sustainable design elements for urban street micro-architecture in Malaysia

Streets microarchitecture constructs are compact structures such as stalls, kiosks, phone booths, and toilets that one finds as one walks on the streets, alleys, walkways, pedestrian malls and such. Because of its smallness, they are usually seen to be unimportant in the development of townships and cities. In this paper a series of street investigation of human behavior within the retail built environment projected a unique results on how formal and informal street space is cultured. As Jacob (1993) stated a great street should have characters, therefore this event can bond a specific street identity within and would become a tourism product besides the daily retail activity. Microarchitecture, however, actually gives the first real impression of a town, city or country to visitors to a particular place or locale. Its impact is immediate and opinions are formed of the place and its people quite instantaneously. A lot of street micro-architecture are public amenities such as toilets and squares. Base on current phenomenology research studied, it gives a better justification on sustainable elements approach on street microahitecture in Malaysia. Thus, in this research and practise base paper, it is imperative to study and understand its functions, aesthetics and design elements so that a sustainable architectural plan and street identity can be developed for the comfort of locals and visitors alike

Geotourism activity evaluation: case study in Langkawi Geopark, Malaysia

Langkawi Island has long been known as a tourist destination since the 1980s. Since being recognised as a geopark in 2007, the development of the island has been far more challenging. The objective of this paper is to analyse tourist activities in Langkawi Geopark using geotourism scales, known as SKALAGEO, which was developed for the current study. An in-depth literature review propose that geotourism behaviour comprises of 4 dimensions; that are appreciation (4 items), learning (5 items), culture (3 items) and geological heritage (5 items). Questionnaires were developed and distributed in Langkawi Geopark using convenience sampling. The efforts yielded 339 respondents who agreed to take part in the survey and SPSS analysis was used for the data gathered. The reliability analysis results shows that the 18 scales of SKALAGEO has high reliability scores of 0.927. The descriptive analysis revealed that appreciation has the highest average score (4.5), comparing to other dimensions; learning, culture and geological heritage. The results indicated that the respondents in this study match to the characteristics of geotourist. Regression analysis was also conducted and positive relationship were found between geotourism behavior and tourist satisfaction. The research findings provide supports to the government efforts in improving activities related to geotourism as well as promoting the island as a UNESCO global geopark. In order to improve the quality of geotourism attraction, it is proposed that improvement in knowledge delivery related to geological process need to be increased as this will boost higher tourist satisfaction level among the tourists. Geotourism behavior scales used in this study are found as a useful tool in measuring geotourism behaviour and, therefore, the study has contributed to enhancing knowledge in geotourism literature

Integrated Models for Solid Waste Management in Tourism Regions: Langkawi Island, Malaysia

The population growth, changing consumption patterns, and rapid urbanization contribute significantly to the growing volumes of solid waste that are generated in urban settings. As the rate of urbanization increases, demand on the services of solid waste management increases. The rapid urban growth in Langkawi Island, Malaysia, combined with the increasing rates of solid waste production has provided evidence that the traditional solid waste management practices, particularly the methods of waste collection and disposal, are inefficient and quite nonsustainable. Accordingly, municipal managers and planners in Langkawi need to look for and adopt a model for solid waste management that emphasizes an efficient and sustainable management of solid wastes in Langkawi Island. This study presents the current practices of solid waste management in Langkawi Island, describes the composition of the solid waste generated in that area, and presents views of local residents and tourist on issues related to solid waste management like the aesthetic value of the island environment. The most important issue of this paper is that it is the first time that integrated solid waste management is investigated in the Langkawi Island

Excavation assessment in wet tropically sedimentary rock

The selection of suitable methods to be employed for surface excavation works is particularly important in geotechnical engineering projects. Factors such as environmental constrains, rock properties and size of site may affect the selection of machine required for surface excavation. Wrong selection of equipment and technique can result in unrecoverable expenses and thus, should be avoided. Great challenges in excavation works are expected in sedimentary rock where the occurrence of discontinuity such as bedding thickness, foliation and the inhomogeneity of rock as well as effect of moisture can greatly affect its excavatability. This paper aims to identify and highlight the factors affecting the excavation works in wet tropically weathered sedimentary area as what have been experienced in Malaysia. Some of these factors, however, are not specified in the existing general excavatability assessments. Assessment by practical excavation was carried out at three sedimentary rock sites in Nusajaya, Malaysia, taking into account the related parameters. Statistical analysis by using SPSS was then being conducted in order to determine the correlation of each parameter with productivity of excavation and their significance in affecting the excavatability.Based on the results obtained, it was found that the parameters such as Is50, R, UCS, density, ITS, Js, JL, Jd, IP and moisture content play significant roles in affecting the excavatability of sedimentary rocks. Meanwhile, the existence of bedding, Id2 and Jn are deemed to be neglected. It is believed that this study can help to enhance the knowledge on factors that complicate the excavation works in sedimentary area

Disaster management base on geoinformatics

Disasters including natural and manmade make heavy losses in life and property each year. This subject can affect society, economy, and environment and can be a serious threat for development. In 10 years ago over 200 million people are have been effected both life and property. This figure is seven times more than losses in war. After the earthquake in Bam (a city in south Iran), tsunami in south-eastern of Asia, fire in Australia, and other disasters, the management of disaster has been considered more than before. They have tried to use all facilities and equipment for reduction of disaster damage. Over 80% of necessary data in disaster management are spatial data. The applications of geoinformatics technology products particularly derived from space earth observation satellite and remote sensing integrated with GIS technology to various areas of earth sciences, urban management, geohazards, mapping, planning, early warning system and development has been highly rewarding. Spatial data and advanced technologies have an important role in disaster management because Geographic Information System (GIS) can help in identifying disaster points. GIS combines geospatial data, and hardware, software that can analyze data to Produce information. GIS mainly involves saving and analysis of data according to spatial and attribute data. GIS can combine and analyze spatial and non-spatial data. We have made an attempt to consider disasters management according to facilities and role of Geospatial Technology in control of disaster (especially earthquake)