Saturday, December 6, 2008

Thousands Light of Kek Lok Si Temple Penang






We have attractive places for tourist, but previous government does not know how to appreciate them, hope we can attract more tourists to Penang in next 5 years.

Song for Recession

You'd better watch out
You'd better not cry

You'd better keep cash

I'm telling you why:

Recession is coming to town.


It's hitting you once,

It's hitting you twice

It doesn't care if you've been careful and wise

Recession is coming to town


It's worthless if you've got shares

It's worthless if you've got bonds

It's safe when you've got cash in hand

So keep cash for goodness sake, HEY


You'd better watch out

You'd better not cry

You'd better keep cash

I'm telling you why:

Recession is coming to town!


Finance products are confusing

Finance products are so vague

The banks make you bear the cost of risk

So keep out for goodness sake, OH


You'd better watch out

You'd better not cry

You'd better keep cash
I'm telling you why:

Recession is coming to town.

Friday, December 5, 2008

SCAM by KWSP

Remember during Budget 2008 announcement last yr, our Finance Minister (cum PM) announced that in order to assist KWSP members to reduce the burden in housing load repayment, KWSP will allow monthly withdrawal from members' A/C II for the purpose?

Sounds like a nice goodies!

When you apply for the monthly withdrawal, you only need to provide KWSP yr housing loan & instalment details from yr bank and the bank a/c # you like KWSP to bank the monthly withdrawal into it. KWSP will approve yr application based on the available amt in yr A/C II
> and compute the withdrawal period by dividing the approved amt with the monthly instalment amt. Application process takes about a month and you will receive the monthly payout promptly into yr bank a/c!

Well everything appear to be nice and good. It was indeed a noble plan until you take to close look at yr KWSP Statement! The withdrawal plan is actually a SCAM! This is how the KWSP SCAM works.......

Assuming you have RM100,000 in yr A/C II and yr housing loan's monthly instalment is RM2000/mth.
KWSP will approve yr application of withdrawal from yr A/C II of RM100,000 and pay you M2000/mth for the next 50mths. Everything appears to be in order BUT.......

What KWSP didn't highlight to you is that when the application was approved, the TOTAL AMT (RM100,000) is removed from yr A/C II! It appears to be transfered to an unknown a/c to effect the monthly payment from therein.

The impact to the member are as follows :-

1. You just lost RM100,000 from yr A/C II. Assuming the KWSP Dividend is 5%, you will lose >RM4,000 in dividend during the 1st year. Based on the above example you will will lose >RM10,000 over the 50 mths period!

2. There is no statement to account for the amt approved vs amt paid, hence you would need to keep the monthly payment voucher to reconcile against the approved amt over the 50mths period to ensure there is no missing amt!

Assuming there are 100,000 members who innocently fell prey to this SCAM, based on the above example, KWSP would have cheated the members of 100,000 X RM10,000 = RM1,000,000,000 (that's RM1 BILLION) over the period!

Furthermore, if you discovered this SCAM early and intend to stop the plan, KWSP would not allow any cancellation of the plan until at least 1 year. That would mean, once the application is approved, based on the above example, you would have lost >RM4,000.

100,000 members would have lost 100,000 X RM4,000 = RM400,000,000 (RM400 MILLION) in One Year!!!

If you're a victim of this KWSP SCAM, would suggest you call yr MP to raise hell in Parliament!
For others who have not fallen into this SCAM, pls continue to watch out and alert yr family & friends about this.

HOW COULD THE GOVERNMENT ALLOW ITS AGENCY TASKED WITH SAFEGUARIDNG ITS CITIZEN'S HARD EARNED MONEY TO CHEAT ITS MEMBERS IN THIS MANNER???

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Article by Dr Mohamed Rafick Khan bin Abdul Rahman

I have been following the story of the construction of a centralized and modern pig farm in Kampung Tumbuk in Kuala Langat and how the issue of religious sensitivity and racial cards has been played by the Opposition (i.e. The BN people) in Selangor.
The issue also appears to have been made worst by the lopsided reporting by the Malay newspaper which obviously is trying to incite racial sentiments. Please allow me to share my views as a Muslim on the matter. The Babi and the narrow minded politicians who called themselves Muslims from an Islamic perspective. In Islam, the eating of swine is forbidden.
> This is clearly demonstrated in many verses of the Quran. Among others this includes: [1] 5:3, 6:145, 16:114-115; [2] 2:168-169, 3:93-94, 6:119, 10:59; [3]0-91.
My research has failed to find any evidence that suggest that the religion do not allow muslims to be standing next to or to look at or to smell a pig. Maybe some people in authority can highlight further on this issue.

First of all, I am appalled at the narrow minded politicians who made the issue of building a centralized and modern pig farming an issue. It is beyond doubt that the real issue here is economy, environmental pollution and improving quality of life in the surrounding community. The opposition (BN) are making a mockery of this just because of political mileage. I feel when something good is being done; it should be promoted by all parties.

I have travelled to St Louis , USA where it is also known as pork capital of the world. I have visited and stood 3 feet away from a pig pen. There was no smell. It was so damn clean. It is even cleaner than public toilets in Malaysia . How many of these politicians have visited such a farm and how many are involved in goat farming in Malaysia ? While goat is Halal in Malaysia , please enter many farms there is in Malaysia and you will see how dirty it is. Islam only prohibits the eating of pork. There is no prohibition of looking at it or standing next to one. In fact I have yet to find anywhere in the Quran that prevents Muslims from rearing it.

During my 15 months tour of duty with UN in Cambodia , many Malay Champa who are strong Muslims rear pigs under their house for economic reason even though they don't eat them. From an economic perspective it is better to rear pigs than cows or goat. It is simply more profitable. The pregnancy duration is about 112-115 days compared to goat which is about 150 days or a cow 290 days.

At the end of each pregnancy the pig produces between 12- 15 piglets, the goat about 1-2 kids and the cow 1 calf. From an environmental perspective, it is definitely better to have a central farm where small farmers join hands and run one big and clean farm. This way the cleanliness of our water way will be maintained. Waste management will become the epicentre of the operation. It is more economical to run one big farm than many small farms that are polluting.Overall it is a win win situation for everyone.

It is insulting the way some politicians look at the issue. I believe from an Islamic perspective it is quite clear. It is the narrow minded politicians that played up the issue that makes it into a Muslim and non-Muslim issue and trying to create a bigger racial divide among Malaysians. Sometimes I wonder, which has the lower image, the babi or these politicians. For that aspect, I respect the position taken by PAS on this matter. It has shown that it has handled the issues properly. I ask all level minded Malaysian and to re look at the 'Babi' issue again. Study the real issue properly and make a proper judgment. Overall it will benefit Malaysians from the economic, environmental and quality of life perspective.

Dr Mohamed Rafick Khan bin Abdul Rahman

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

North-South Expressway (Dangerous Stretch)

Dear TV3 and The Star,

I am a frequent user of our North-South Expressway and I have this IMPORTANT
experience to highlight and share:-

I was driving back to Penang yesterday afternoon (24 June 08) when I saw the unfortunate accident in the opposite direction involving the passenger bus that skidded and overturned at Tanjung Malim. I didn't know that the skidded bus was from hometown Penang untill I watched TV3 news later in the evening and was shocked to learn that the accident took two lives.

Now, this is what I need to share:-

I am a building contractor with over twenty years of experience and I have been driving my 5 series BMW (latest generation and a dammed solid road holding car) each time I travelled to KL. Lately, the new extended 3 lanes highway had been opened up for use and since then, I have also been using it quite oftenly.

HOWEVER, when I used it each time it is WET, I can really 'feel' that the new road surface is extremely SLIPPERY! To share with some of you, my car comes with a built-in traction control mechanism (skidding prevention mechanism) and you can feel it each time it is activated. Previously, I don't come across this kind of slippery feel except when I drive over a
paddle of water at certain speed.

From my observation as a building contractor, the 'wearing course' of the new road surface could be TOO FINE OR TOO SMOOTH and TOTALLY UNSUITABLE for highway use!
The wearing course (top premix layer) mix design for highways should be of minimum 20mm coarse aggregate mix that will give us the required bond between the surface and our tyres. Fine wearing course (14mm coarse aggregate size and below) is only suitable for normal road. (A proper test need to be carried out to determine the mix design of the wearing course).

Since the opening of the three lanes highway, I had seen cars skidding in front me or in the opposite direction and approximately 2 weeks ago, one of my friends who is also a frequent user of our NSE, came to share with me about his slippery feeling as well as the many skidded cars he had seen lately.

I am highlighting this to TV3 and The Star with the hope that a thorough investigation could be carried out immediately to find out how or what causes the bus to skid. A proper and independent test need to be carried out urgently to determine the design mix of the wearing course. THIS CAN SAVE LIVES.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

NewType of Crime in KL - KLIA

BE EXTRA CAREFUL WHILE IN KLIA

Pass it on..... let more people be aware of such things around them.

A few days ago a new type of crime has surfaced in town.

It goes something like this:- Somebody slips a handphone into your
pocket.

sometimes it could be just a wallet with an identity card and a few
ringgits. A few minutes later, the 'owner' comes up and confronts you,
the 'thief '. He makes a big commotion that you stole his stuff. You,
caught unaware, are then pulled aside by the 'owner' for a settlement
you are intimidated and threatened that if you do not pay up the police
will be brought in. If you pay up, this 'owner' lets you go. If
not, the police are brought in.

Another strange thing is that there always seems to be a 'witness' to
the
your 'theft'. I am told this often happens to foreigners at the
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) or even at LRT trains. Given
that
you're 'guilty until proven innocent' as far as the Malaysian
police are concerned, I understand some poor people are in jail for
these
'offences'.

At the KLIA, the 'owner' throws his handphone and wallet with the few
ringgit notes into the luggage trolley of a just arrived passenger.
The drama unfolds a few minutes later. The real culprit has easily
convinced our Malaysian police to arrest the real victim (if he has
not paid up the 'settlement' demand). This is a very serious matter.
This
is another form of extortionists operating in broad daylight.
They are disgusting criminals who will do anything to rob and steal. The
sickening part of the whole scenario is that unless you pay the
"quoted settlement" money, they will put you in real trouble by calling
the
police. The real culprit gets back his handphone and wallet
but the real victim (i.e. could be any one of us) is thrown into the
police lock up and charged in court. So do be very careful,
otherwise you may end up as a "thief" as you have no way to prove your
innocence.

Geh Cheng Lok & Co,Advocates & Solicitors,
No.20, King Street (Top Floor),10200 Penang , Malaysia.Tel. No:
604-2617464 Fax. No: 604-2611840

Monday, December 1, 2008

Child Kidnap Trick in Carrefour, JB

Even if you do not have little kids, pass this one on to everyone you
can think of. You never know who you might save by sending this e-mail!
Please, take the time and forward this to any friend who has children &
grandchildren! Thanks!

Wanted to share something that happened today while shopping at
Carrefour. A mother was leaning over looking for meat and turned around
to find her 4 years old daughter was missing. I was standing there right
beside her, and she was calling her daughter with no luck.

I asked a man who worked at Carrefour to announce it over the
loud-speaker. He did, and left me, he immediately walked right past me
when I asked and went to a pole where there was a phone. He made an
announcement for all the doors and gates to be locked, a code something.
So they locked all the doors at once.

This took all of 3 minutes after I asked the guy to do this. They found
the little girl 5 minutes later in a bathroom stall drugged .Her head
was half shaved, and she was dressed in her underwear with a bag of
clothes, a razor, and wig sitting on the floor beside her, to make her
look different.

Whoever this person was, took the little girl, brought her into the
bathroom, shaved half her head, and undressed her in a matter of less
than 10 minutes. This makes me shake to no end.

Please keep a close eye on your kids when in big places where it's easy
for you to get separated like Shopping Malls. It only took a few minutes
to do all of that. Another 5 minutes and she would have been out the
door.

I am still in shock that some sick person could do this, let alone in a
matter of minutes. The days are over when our little ones could run
rampant all over the place and nothing worse would happen then them
annoying people.

The little girl is fine. Thank God for fast workers who didn't take any
chances.

BE SURE TO FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE, SO THEY REMEMBER JUST HOW SICK
PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE!