What's Up??: January 2008

1/31/08

Bumi policies will drive away foreign money

Source : Malaysiakini

By Hamdan Ibrahim | Jan 31, 08 4:13pm

I refer to the Malaysiakini report Anwar: Bumi policies affect investments.

Our former deputy premier has opened a Pandora’s box by saying that bumiputera polices affect investment. The NEP - a ‘sacred cow’ for the Malay community for more than three decades - has had its share of successes and failures. But there are still some people, especially in Umno, who think the policy should be maintained so that Malays can catch up economically with other races in this country.

No one can dispute that a majority of middle-class and millionaire Malays are the by-product of affirmative action by the government to restructure society and reduce poverty among the various races in this country after the May 13 incident.

Malay professionals such as accountants, lawyers, engineers and doctors can be found in the private and public sectors. As a result, one wonders if the bumiputera still needs a leg up from the government in order to compete with other races.

The abuses of the NEP could be detected from during the old premier’s watch. Instead of moving the poor into the mainstream, affirmative action policies granted cronies and family members of the ruling elite business opportunities and blue-chip shares at below-cost.

The hijacking of the NEP caused a huge gap between the rich and poor in this nation, as the economic pie was not shared equally among the various races in this country. But times are changing for in the fast-paced economic climate in which we live, foreign funds will go to countries with fewer restrictions on how money can do business.

Because of quota systems that govern how local firms partner with foreign investors, foreigners will be reluctant to invest here. Instead, they will be drawn to other countries who beckon them with better incentives than ours.

Many multinational companies have closed shop and relocated to other regions because of the cost factor here. As a result, many ordinary workers and professionals have been retrenched. This is not in the national interest as unemployed people are not able to put food on the table for their families and pay taxes. Thus, they create social problems later on.

We would expect Umno to brand Anwar Ibrahim a traitor to the Malay community because of his asking that the NEP be abolished. But thinking people know that affirmative action policies have already outlived their usefulness and should be stopped .

In order for our country to progress, the Malays should compete with other races on an even ground and not depend on huge commissions.

I am sure there are successful Malay entrepreneurs who succeeded on their own. They don’t depend on political patronage and would not lose any sleep if the NEP was abolished.

There is no shortcut to success. If our government still sticks to the old bumi quota policies, it will drive foreign investment to other shores. As it is right now, a corrupt government and a tainted judiciary have made Malaysia an international laughing stock.

Foreigners will think twice before investing in our country if palms have to be greased several times before approvals are given by top officials. On top of that, foreign investors cannot seek legal redress as our courts are full of judges of questionable integrity.

Hindraf rally

After a shocking bersih rally with a lot of supporters, now it's time for me to share some story on Hindraf. A well known organization in Malaysia (not by me before the rally).The Hindraf geng protest at Dataran Merdeka straight to Istana Negara.It looks like it's turn for the indian to show their protest in Hindraf Valga Rally in front of British High Commissioner at Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. I found these pictures on hidraf rally for sharing.

It may not as many as bersih rally but it does makes government and naton open eyes and see what actually these guys really wanted a peaceful rally or a riot!!.Murali take a lot of pictures with his Nikon Check out his blog!

Credit to : murali, minority report, dismantle roadblocks, HAKAM, rally report, carbon copy, info, syamsulariff

Bersih Rally -perhimpunan bersih

Bersih rally. It has been a hot issues in Malaysia. Bersih rally or Perhimpunan bersih really got a lot of supporters. I search throgh google and found something from shamsulariff web. Just want to share it here and also for my personal blog archive. You can see some pictures also attached here on Bersih Rally -perhimpunan bersih.

Event chronology by small jeff

By 2:00pm, people have already gathered around Masjid Jamek and around the LRT station. Police and FRU are already there standing by.

By 2:30pm, people started to gather outside the mosque, whilst FRU had their vehicles in position, as well as traffic officers diverting trafic.

By 2:40pm, People started to chant “Freedom Rakyat” and “People Power”.

By 2:45pm, FRU suddenly started to spray chemicals (smells like sulphur which makes you vomit and hurts your eyes). I dont hear any warning from them. This kept going on for another 15 minutes, where FRU keep trying to disperse the crowd. At least 10 rounds of tear gas was shot.

By 3:00pm - 3:15pm, people tried to walk directly to Dataran Merdeka. But was again, blocked by FRU. Hence, they started to divert course, walking towards Pasar Seni and Central Market.

By 3:45pm, most of the crowd reached the opening road to Istana Negara, but was blocked again.

By 4:00pm, a round applause was heard. I believe the memorandum has been handed over, and everyone was told to “Pulang”.

Credit to : harakah daily, aliran, yellow day, keadilan rakyat, bersih rally, jeff ooi, harakah bm, malaysia today, sniper wolf, yahoo news, al-jazeera, flickr, pemuda wp, bersih, merdeka review, keith heinjihoh, jiunpic photo, utusan, china press, cable news network cnn, photopages malaysia kini, kidpieces, keadilan online,syamsulariff

mybloglog.com/buzz/community/kurasan

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

8TV Banned For Three Months

It was a disaster , i would like to see where it goes on One In A Million (OIAM). WHO going to win the one million ringgit and contract. But then an incident came up, everything turn off. So all the contestant have to wait for 3 months to start again the OIAM show. 3months!!Here are the reason why it happened. Taken from Oneinamillion Bluehyppo

Local production house is banned showing live and delayed telecast concerts and all entertainment programmes

Following investigations into 8TV’s "Rockin Birthday Concert" where Faizal Tahir too off his shirt and exposed his body which was painted with the letter "S" in red, 8TV has been banned from showing live and delayed telecast concerts and all entertainment programmes for three months effective Jan 15.

The effected programmes are: One In A Million, Project Superstar and American Idol.

According to 8TV's CEO Ahmad Izham Omar, this is the first time in four years such an incident occurred. "We are taking positive steps to ensure that this will not happen again," he said.

Currently, 8TV has reached two conclusions: Faizal will no longer be with 8TV and steps to manage the three shows.

"Shows will be recorded from now for the given period (3 months). The schedule for One In A Million will still be the same only the broadcast time will be different," said Izham.

However, nothing has been confirmed yet.

As for Faizal, he is barred from appearing live or in delayed telecast of entertainment programmes aired by private television stations and may face similar action from Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).

For now, Faizal is asked to do community service and it starts on February 1, 2008

Download Naruto Shippuuden Episodes 33 - 44

Download Naruto Shippuuden Episodes 33 - 44 here. Credist goes to Saiyanisland i juts love the web.I just want to share it here for my personal update. Fan of naruto Shippuuden can download Latest update for Naruto Shippuuden Episodes 33 - 44.

It was a great battle naruto that has grown up a little. But yet not really matured. It just that naruto have the Jinchuuriki power that makes all really turn up!! In episode Naruto Shippuuden 39-43 you shall see what i am talking about. Naruto turn into Jinchuuriki powerful enough to defeat Orochimaru sama the great!And see how mysterious lab rat yamato naruto team leader show his real power!!Enjoy!!!

	Shippuuden 44: The Truth About the Fight File size: 35.2 MB Format: Real Player Length: 23 minutes 04 seconds Download link (look for Download Now! image) Mirror Link 2
	Shippuuden 43: Sakura's Tears File size: 35.0 MB Format: Real Player Length: 23 minutes 04 seconds Download link (look for Download Now! image) Mirror Link 2
	Shippuuden 42: Orochimaru vs Jinchuuriki File size: 35.0 MB Format: Real Player Length: 23 minutes 04 seconds Download link (look for Download Now! image) Mirror Link 2
	Shippuuden 41: Secret Mission Shippuuden 40: The Kyuubi Unleashed File size: 65.1 MB Format: Real Player Length: 43 minutes 39 seconds Download link (look for Download Now! image) Mirror Link 2
	Shippuuden 39: The Bridge of Heaven and Earth File size: 35.0 MB Format: Real Player Length: 23 minutes 04 seconds Download link (look for Download Now! image) Mirror Link 2
	Shippuuden 38: Simulation File size: 35.1 MB Format: Real Player Length: 23 minutes 04 seconds Download link (look for Download Now! image) Mirror Link 2
	Shippuuden 37: Untitled Shippuuden 36: A Fake Smile File size: 66.0 MB Format: Real Player Length: 44 minutes 24 seconds Download link (look for Download Now! image) Mirror Link 2
	Shippuuden 35: Unwanted Addition File size: 35.2 MB Length: 23 minutes 04 seconds Format: Real Player Download link (look for Download Now! image) Mirror Link 2
	Shippuuden 34: Formation! The New Team Kakashi File size: 35.0 MB Length: 23 minutes 04 seconds Format: Real Player Download link (look for Download Now! image) Mirror Link 2
	Shippuuden 33: The New Target File size: 35.0 MB Length: 23 minutes 04 seconds Format: Real Player Download link (look for Download Now! image) Mirror Link 2

1/30/08

Jobstreet Mark Chang's story

Source : Forbes
By Cris Prystay 01.28.08

Mark Chang -Turning Classifieds Into Cash

Hong Kong's 40 Richest

Andy Grove's Battle

Market Maker

Complete Content

Selling Internet job listings in booming Asia seems like a cinch. But it was Mark Chang's caution that's made JobStreet a success.

When Malaysian Mark Chang started online job-listing company JobStreet in 1997, he figured it would earn him a regular paycheck and allow him to be his own boss, but he didn't expect anything more. "I really thought it would be a mom-and-pop kind of thing," he says. Fast-forward ten years: JobStreet is now Southeast Asia's largest online employment company. It's growing in Hong Kong and India, and it's entered Japan.

The company, whose clients include the likes of Dell (nasdaq: DELL - news - people ), Siemens (nyse: SI - news - people ) and Canon (nyse: CAJ - news - people ), serves more than 45,000 employers and 4 million registered job seekers. Asia's sizzling growth has meant plenty of business in industries from banking to manufacturing desperate to fill jobs. "When the economy is strong, companies need to keep expanding, so we get a lot of companies coming back to us," says Chang. "When the unemployment rate in Singapore, for example, dips so low, companies must look outside of Singapore for labor. A company like us, on the Internet, can reach out to Malaysia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and tap job seekers across the region."

In July, in fact, it formed a joint venture in Japan that will advertise for engineers from around Asia to work in Japan's technology sector. Japanese electronics makers have moved most of their factories to other parts of Asia, but they still need midlevel engineers in their research and development centers back home. JobStreet also has branched into other services, such as providing custom-made recruitment software for multinationals. Dell's Malaysian call center hired it to screen candidates and compile shortlists for the personnel department. Shell picked JobStreet to design and manage the oil giant's global online employment site.

JobStreet is still small, but its profits and revenue are growing fast. The company hasn't announced its 2007 results yet, but Shin Kao Jack, a technology analyst at OSK Investment Bank in Kuala Lumpur, estimates that net profit hit $9.6 million, a 40% jump over 2006. Revenue reached $24.6 million, he figures, up 24% from the year before. It listed on Malaysia's technology exchange, the Mesdaq, in 2004, and the shares are up 46% over the past year, to a recent 54 cents. Last year the company landed on FORBES ASIA's list of the best public companies in Asia-Pacific, with under $1 billion in annual revenue.

How this Kuala Lumpur startup flourished beyond its founder's expectations has very much to do with the founder himself. A soft-spoken engineer, Chang, 43, has an innate conservatism that led him to seek advice from people who made sense and to shrug off the myriad Internet experts and would-be investors who urged JobStreet to grow fast. This helped the company sidestep the dot-com bust in 2000, which wiped out many of his competitors. When Asia's economic boom resumed, JobStreet was well positioned. Along the way Chang, who wrote much of the software that powers the company, had to learn to relinquish control of the technical stuff and don the mantle of chief executive.

After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a master's degree in mechanical engineering in 1990, Chang returned to Malaysia and took a job as an engineer at a catheter factory in Perlis, a rural state on the Thai border. He spent his evenings and weekends tooling around the Internet. In 1995, figuring he was ready to set out on his own, he started Malaysia Online, the country's first commercial Web site. MOL offered the usual portal services, including online classifieds, and Chang quickly noticed that the job listings were popular. That led to JobStreet.com.

The site's growth soon bumped into a problem: Malaysia's then slow Internet speeds were putting off some job seekers. So he wrote software enabling the site to match jobs with job seekers and automatically e-mail them when a suitable opening was posted. That way they didn't have to keep logging on to the system to conduct fresh searches of the listings.

By 2000 Chang had decided he had too much on his plate with MOL. He spun off JobStreet into a separate company and sold MOL for $3.2 million to Vincent Tan, the chief executive and controlling shareholder of Berjaya Group. He then plowed $2.6 million into JobStreet and began building the site in earnest. Malaysia's large electronics manufacturing sector, which boasts Dell, Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) and Motorola (nyse: MOT - news - people ) plants, formed the core of JobStreet's early clientele, later followed by industries such as banking and hospitality.

During the early years Chang was basically winging it. "When I started JobStreet, I had no business plan," he says. "I just thought, 'I'll try it for two years and see how it goes.'" His approach worked in his favor as dot-com fever swept through Asia in 1998 and 1999 and Internet consultants and angel investors bombarded Chang with business plans and big ideas. He shrugged most of them off. "People were just handing out cash in those days," he says. "And these people had suggestions that seemed so unbelievable I couldn't sign my name to them." Some, he recalls, thought JobStreet should quickly expand clear across Asia and list on Nasdaq. "I thought they were crazy. We couldn't even list on Nasdaq now." That caution served him well. When the bubble burst, JobStreet still had plenty of cash and didn't have to fire people or shut down.

He did, however, open the door to a seasoned global investor. In 1999 he accepted a $1.6 million investment from San Francisco venture capital firm Walden International. After putting in more money in 2001, Walden owned 30% of JobStreet. It urged Chang to hire a chief executive who had more business experience, but there weren't any compelling candidates on the horizon. So Walden decided Chang should stay put--but start acting like a chief executive. That was tough for Chang. "I had to switch modes," he says. "I was acting more like an inventor than a manager. I wasn't profit-minded." To help out, he recruited two Malaysian classmates from MIT: Albert Wong as chief technology officer and Suresh Thiru as chief operating officer.

Walden also urged Chang to expand to a few key Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore and the Philippines. And it pushed him to trim costs--JobStreet, as well as MOL, was losing money. "It was a wake-up call," he says. "They demanded that we run it like a real company."

JobStreet is now the largest online recruiter in Malaysia and the Philippines and number two in Singapore. It's not in Thailand yet but is looking to enter. And its seven-year-old India unit, which had languished in a very competitive market, is gaining traction. Last April JobStreet sold half of its India unit for $2 million to Television Eighteen India in Mumbai, which promptly began promoting the site on the air. Since then the number of registered users has climbed 25%, to 1.5 million.

While some countries such as India have strong online recruiters, there are few regional players. Hong Kong's JobsDB, which isn't listed, is JobStreet's chief regional rival. Jobsdb, which operates in 11 countries, says it counts 7 million registered job seekers.

JobStreet's move into software services got a boost from Shell in 2006. Shell bought a customized version of JobStreet's recruitment software to power its employment Web sites worldwide and outsourced the sites' management to JobStreet. JobStreet's system helps Shell screen, process and track applications around the globe. Shell Malaysia was one of its first big customers, so when the parent company, which was using six different recruitment software systems worldwide, decided to pick one, Shell Malaysia backed the JobStreet offering, according to Chang. That deal was worth $1 million, plus an annual retainer of $500,000, he says.

The Shell deal impressed Flextronics International (nasdaq: FLEX - news - people ), which then bought JobStreet's software to manage its online application and tracking processes in seven Asian countries. Flextronics, the giant Singapore contract electronics manufacturer, considered a host of well-known human resources software packages but soon settled on JobStreet. "Our margin is very, very thin," says Andy Li, Flextronics' director of talent acquisition in Asia. "We needed to look at a GE kind of effectiveness at Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ) prices." Li liked that JobStreet was able to quickly customize the software for each country, so applicants who visit the Web site in South Korea are able to peruse job postings in Korean.

JobStreet's success has attracted overseas investors. Some 43% of the company is held by institutional investors. U.S. fund Fidelity International holds 10%, U.S. hedge fund Armor Capital 8%. Chang, the largest single shareholder, owns 12%, Walden still 2%. OSK Securities recommends buying the stock. "I like the company," says analyst Shin. "It's young and growing, and has the potential to become world class."

Indian votes will swing unless...

Source:M'kini

Barisan Nasional (BN) risks losing Indian votes in the coming general election unless it employs drastic measures, warned a veteran MIC leader.The first step in untangling this political quagmire is for party president S Samy Vellu to step down.

Without mincing his words, the former MIC central working committee (CWC) member declared that Samy Vellu has become a liability to the ruling coalition.

"Is one man more important than the community?" This is the question posed by KP Samy during an interview with Malaysiakini recently.

"If the government feels it needs the community and is concerned about the community, then please talk to this leader. Enough, he has already been there for 28 years."

"The Indians were loyal supporters of BN. The government could not question our sincerity, so why did the government leave us in the hands of this leadership?" he asked further.

While the Nov 25 rally - which drew some 30,000 Indian Malaysians to the streets - was organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), Samy suggested that MIC also played a major role.According to the Shah Bandaraya MIC branch chairperson, vexed Indian Malaysians swarmed the heart of Kuala Lumpur on that day because of the "total failure of the MIC leadership.

" Samy, who is a strong supporter of the MIC president's ex-deputy turned nemesis S Subramaniam, said: "Many Indians on the street feel that Samy Vellu has failed the community."

"We expected him to resign after Nov 25 by accepting that Indians came to the street because they were fed-up, disappointed and frustrated."Ninety percent of the people took to the streets because their expectations and requests were not fulfilled, the government gave us (aid) to a certain extent, but (this) never reached the poor," he added.

Temple demolition
Samy also blamed the MIC president for the incident, which many see as the catalyst behind the Hindraf rally - the demolition of a temple in Kampung Rimba Jaya in Padang Jawa, Shah Alam.A clash erupted between local residents and enforcement authorities when the latter moved in on Oct 30 to tear down the 100-year-old temple.The demolition which took place just a week before the Hindu festival of Deepavali was viewed as an insensitive act and riled up the community.

"We felt that what the (state) government did (the demolition) was wrong, but (Selangor) MB (Dr Mohd Khir Toyo) later explained that the root problem was MIC.

"The MB said 'we allocated the land and gave RM40,000' (for the temple's relocation)," said Samy, adding that a state MIC leader appointed by the party president had allegedly "failed" and this paved the way for the crisis.

(This state leader allegedly did not inform the temple committee regarding the land and allocation for the relocation)"So who do we blame?" asked Samy.

"Can Samy Vellu run away and say he is not answerable. You selected (the leader), (he is) your leader, and he failed.

"Samy also said the government should be thankful to the five Hindraf leaders, who have since been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA), and the protesters for bringing the plight of the Indians to its attention.Until the Nov 25 rally, he added, the government was under the impression that the Indian community is well taken care of.

"Now the government is worried about Indian votes, the government is to be blamed because they listened to Samy Vellu who said that Indian votes are in his pocket.

"By keeping him, protecting him and saying that he has done his duty, the losers will be the government and the Indian community," he stressed.

In view of this, Samy called on the MIC president to step down or at least set a retirement date.The party veteran felt this will assuage the anger of the Indian community to a certain extent and help BN regain some lost ground.

'Not allowed to work'
On the MIC front, the branch leader accused the president of not allowing capable leaders to perform because of political differences.Citing himself as an example, Samy claimed that he was 'victimised' because of his close ties to Subramaniam.

"Another sad part about MIC is that its leaders are not created but controlled, the president endorses candidates right from the deputy president to CWC.

"Proposing is one thing, but he goes to the field and threatens the delegates and insists that his line-up should win," he said.

"So this created a vacuum, we cannot identify any capable leader after Samy Vellu," he said, adding that deputy president G Palanivel and vice-president S Sothinathan lack support from the grassroots.On that note, Samy stressed that Subramaniam, who lost to Palanivel during the 2006 party elections, is a competent leader. The MIC leadership should recognise this and consider bringing him and his supporters back into the fold, he said.

"Though he is not in a position of taking over at this time, I believe Subramaniam is the best leader at this point to lead the community"Even if he sits in office for a short term, he can manage things well for the community," he added.

Samy claimed that since the MIC president "did not allow others, including Subramaniam, to work" he should stop blaming branch leaders for the party's woes. He challenged Samy Vellu to reveal how effectively the party's CWC sub-committees - involving leaders of his choice - have performed or contributed.

"Do you have the records, can you show it to the press?" he asked.

How to Make a Million

I found some really interesting on How to Make a Million from kiplinger.com by Mary Beth Franklin. It was an outstanding idea on our financial planning. I think you we should apply this for our future. Plans for our retirement, we going to need it.

Strategies for saving at every age.

The road to $1 million starts early, but there's hope, and help, for late bloomers.

Choose your age category below to see how much you need to save each month to accumulate $1 million by age 65. You'll also find strategies to fit retirement saving into the rest of your life.

At age 25, you're starting from scratch. At ages 35, 45 and 55, we assume you already have money in savings on which you're earning 8% annually. Even if you can't save quite this much now, our step-by-step guide will help you set priorities for every stage of life.

HOW TO SAVE A MILLION AT AGE 25

You've Saved: $0

To reach one million by age 65 you need to save $286 per month.

Successful Savings Strategies

You're just starting your career, so this is your chance to build a solid financial foundation. Time is on your side.

Contribute enough to your company 401(k) plan to capture your employer match. If you don't have a retirement plan at work, fund an IRA.

You'll be investing for 30 years or more, so you can afford to keep 100% of your account in stocks.

Pay down credit cards and other high-interest debt. That will free up money to save for a house.

Set up an emergency fund equal to three to six months of take-home pay. Stash it in a readily accessible account in an online bank that pays interest of 4% or more.

HOW TO SAVE A MILLION AT AGE 35

You've Saved: 0$

To reach one million by age 65 you need to save $671 per month.

If You've Saved: $50,000

To reach one million by age 65 you need to save $304 per month.

Successful Savings Strategies

You may be starting a family or preparing to buy a home. Balance you short-term needs with long-term savings goals.

Although you have added responsibilities, don't neglect retirement.

Aim to save 15% of your gross income (including an employer match in your 401(k). If one parent leaves work to care for the kids, consider opening a spousal IRA.

Shift your assets to 90% stocks and 10% bonds.

Invest in a 529 college-savings plan. Many states offer a tax deduction for your contribution, and qualified distributions are exempt from federal taxes.

HOW TO SAVE A MILLION AT AGE 45

You've Saved: 0$

To reach one million by age 65 you need to save $1,698 per month.

If You've Saved: $50,000

To reach one million by age 65 you need to save $1298 per month.

If You've Saved: $100,000

To reach one million by age 65 you need to save $861 per month.

Successful Savings Strategies

You may be juggling the needs of a growing family and aging parents, but don't take a break from retirement savings.

You can contribute up to $15,500 to a 401(k) or similar workplace-based retirement plan this year or $5,000 to an IRA. Roll over retirement savings from previous jobs into an IRA.

Adjust your asset allocation to 80% stocks and 20% bonds.

Your kids can get grants or loans for college, but there's no financial aid for your retirement. Don't put your kids' college costs ahead of retirement.

HOW TO SAVE A MILLION AT AGE 55

You've Saved: 0$

To reach one million by age 65 you need to save $5,466 per month.

If You've Saved: $50,000

To reach one million by age 65 you need to save $4,859 per month.

If You've Saved: $100,000

To reach one million by age 65 you need to save $4,253 per month.

If You've Saved: $200,000

To reach one million by age 65 you need to save $3,040 per month.

Successful Savings Strategies

Take advantage of your peak earning years to top off your savings.

Add an extra $5,000 in catch-up contributions to your 401(k) savings and an extra $1,000 to your IRA.

As you near retirement, reallocate your portfolio to 70% stocks and 30% bonds.

Estimate your retirement expenses and your projected income. If you're coming up short, consider working a few more years.

Copyrighted, Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc.

Dr M fears corruption in general election

Tun Mahathir, our former PM comments on how goverment
now runs. It may affect the upcoming election. Is that really going to happen? Maybe we can't deny there is some people in charged now building up their emperor and wealth, but is that represent all of the government leader now in the cabinet?
Is that bad our condition now? I am not sure, but maybe the internal people should know about this better than anyone.

Here what Tun Mahathir said :

'I know a lot of people are collecting a lot of money now ... if they use money politics the result may not reflect the true feeling of the people,' says the ex-premier.

.Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad lashed the government as "weak" and said he feared that vote-buying would be deployed to stem its losses in upcoming general elections

	BN to win with reduced majority
	MIC blamed for Indian plight

1/29/08

National reconciliation - not general election

I refer to the Malaysiakini report Kayveas: Samy has lost control. By Dr Jacob George

By now it should have dawned on the country’s core leadership and aspiring and inpatient ‘political wanna-bees’ that it cannot be ‘business as usual’. The draconian Internal Security Act, the incompetence of the Attorney-General’s Office, the heavy-handed response to public demonstrations and the threat of imprisonment are certainly not going to solve or prevent a pubic outcry when things go massively wrong.

Worse still, questions are today raised whether the government is fully aware of what is happening on the ground and whether the incompetent, obese civil service and the little Napoleons within are frustrating the need to move forward by tailoring data, facts, figures to mislead.

I have said this before and I say it again – the government needs to think outside the box, the government needs to address dissent and the core and primary reasons for it. The government should stop all forms of action that can be described as a ‘witch hunt!.

The government needs to talk to people outside the government, individuals who serve in civil society and those who have no political agenda but a strong passion and love for the nation. We need to address root and real causes and having the political maturity to meet individuals who raise these issues instead of using the Internal Security Act.

The government would gain more nationally and internationally from the immediate and unconditional release of the ‘Hindraf 5’ who should instead receive a closed-door audience from both the premier and his deputy. This meeting should free of other politicians who are alleged to be the root cause of this particular fiasco.

All political parties have done so far did was to protect their own political turf together with those they are politically comfortable with for their own self-interests (as they have done from time immemorial!)

In the past Malaysia was a much respected nation for its moderation, fair and equitable position in addressing issues. However today, we are being ridiculed for our flip flops and hypocrisy which are blatantly seen.

At the time of writing, one group of politicians and their parties in the BN are divided or infighting among themselves to settle political scores and vendettas, while the second group quietly accumulates more ill-gotten wealth before they are thrown out of office after the impending general elections. The third - a younger group - quietly initiates a plan of action to lobby for political positions by using all forms of publicity stunts from allegedly helping the poor, the sick and the marginalised. They are nothing but political predators.

What Malaysia needs now is not a general election but a season for reconciliation, a period of time for honest political reflection and a postmortem to address the real issues confronting the nation before taking steps to address them with critical and clinical perception.

Action that will result in politicians and senior civil servants who are corrupt and selfserving being removed or retired and government policies streamlined and made consistent with the nation’s constitution.

That to me is the challenge facing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Najib Abdul Razak.

1/28/08

Malaysiakini - Mind Blowing News

Lingam stuns court with allegation
Lingam tape inquiry The embattled lawyer alleges that the Malaysian Bar legal team’s lead counsel Robert Lazar had sought his help to be made a Court of Appeal judge.Embattled lawyer V K Lingam stunned the courtroom today when he accused senior lawyer Robert Lazar of seeking his help to be appointed as an appellate court judge in early 2000.

	Absent Lazar issues immediate denial
	Bar team caught by surprise

Eusoff: A very big lie
updated 7.50pm He said that the allegations by Lingam’s brother, Thirunama Karasu of him receiving a wallet, ladies’ handbag and handphone were concocted and a big lie.Former chief justice Eusoff Chin today branded as lies all allegations that he had received gifts from lawyer VK Lingam in 1995.

	No judge-brokering
	No case discussions

Ahmad Fairuz: Lingam tape a 'slander'
Lingam tape inquiry The former chief justice, implicated in an alleged judicial corruption scandal, said that the video at the centre of the inquiry was a "fabrication" and a slander.A former chief justice, who has been implicated in an alleged judicial corruption scandal, said today that the video at the centre of the inquiry was a "fabrication" and a slander.

	'Two thing crossed my mind'
	Wrote to the PM

35 charged with illegal assembly
updated 7.05pm In the same court a Malaysiakini journalist is also charged with obstructing the police from performing their duty.Thirty-five people were today charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with taking part in an illegal assembly on Saturday.

	RM1,000 bail each
	Hearing on June 16

Opposition condemns mass arrests

MIC's restless young blood want change
The party's young leaders are trying to convince party president S Samy Vellu to drop some big names from the election line-up. A revolution is brewing in MIC as its young leaders are growing restless with the current scenario

	Move them to state seats
	Tall order for the president

Disgruntled DAP branch defies party leaders
A branch under Selangor DAP has named an ‘acting candidate’ for the general election until party leaders make up their minds.In an unprecedented move, a branch of the Selangor DAP has named an ‘acting candidate’ in Kota Alam Shah until party leaders agree on who to field in the state seat.

	Uncertainty in the air
	'Guan Eng is busy'

	DAP calls for end to 'body-snatching'
	DAP targets Internet for polls campaigning

Hindraf 5: Decision on Feb 26
Lead counsel Karpal Singh told the court that this habeas corpus application is a test case crucial to determine whether the Internal Security minister can arrest anybody he pleases without investigation.It will be a month before the five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders know if they can be brought to court for a proper trial as the Kuala Lumpur High Court set Feb 26 as the decision date for their habeas corpus application.

	Request for early decision
	Detainee’s wife approaches AG

'Boycott newspapers, buy no lies'
Lawyer-cum-blogger Haris Ibrahim is leading a campaign for ‘paper-free Tuesdays’, which is aimed at the print media in Malaysia.Every Tuesday, lawyer-cum-blogger Haris Ibrahim will not buy newspapers. Neither will at least seven other individuals who have joined him in a boycott of Malaysia’s print media.

	Text-messages to senior staff
	Haris: 'People are ready'

Malaysiakini : No need for Anwar to testify

Commission: No need for Anwar to testify
breaking news Two other PKR leaders and two secret witnesses offered by Anwar will also not be called in by the royal commission on the Lingam tape.The royal commission on the Lingam tape today decided not to call in PKR’s de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim as a witness.

	Evidence not directly related
	New video clip in possession

The Royal Commission of Inquiry ruled today that it is not necessary at this stage to call Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and two others to testify in the inquiry into the video clip allegedly showing lawyer Datuk V.K.Lingam brokering judicial appointments.

Besides the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor, the other two are lawyer R. Sivarasa, who is also PKR vice-president, and Sim Tze Tzin.

Commission chairman, Tan Sri Haidar Mohamed Noor, said that at this point of time the commission saw no need to call the trio as their evidence was not directly related to the inquiry.

The five-member panel headed by Haidar however allowed the application by Lingam’s younger brother, Thirunama Karasu, to take the witness stand but his evidence will only be confined to certain issues.

Last Friday, the commission heard submissions behind closed doors as the names of several personalities in the judicial and legal fraternity were brought up.
The proceedings were held in camera to ensure that allegations which have have nothing to do with the video clip would not be included as evidence.

M. Puravalen, counsel for Anwar, and Wee Chee Keong for Thirunama Karasu, had submitted that the testimonies of their clients were relevant to the terms and conditions of the inquiry.

Last week, Puravalen and Wee submitted documents, which allegedly revealed judicial impropriety, for the commission to scrutinise.

The other members of the panel are Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong, Datuk Mahadev Shankar, Puan Sri Zaitun Zawiyah Puteh and Prof Emeritus Datuk Khoo Kay Khim.

The inquiry, which enters its 10th day, was set up to, among others, ascertain the authenticity of the video clip, the truth of its content, identify the persons in the clip and recommend any appropriate action to be taken against those involved, if there is any misconduct.

Lingam video - another sequel

Lingam video - another sequel
PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim releases another five-minute clip. This time senior lawyer VK Lingam implicates former chief justice Dzaiddin Abdullah. PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim today released a ‘third segment’ of the controversial VK Lingam video.

	'We gave him expensive gift'
	'Taken him for dinner three times'

Keputusan Anugerah Juara Lagu ke 22 2007

by Syaliza Shapiansuri

27 Jan 2008

Siapa sangka kemenangan AJL 22 kali ini di tangan kumpulan Estranged.
Walau masih baru, dan lebih dikenali sebagai kumpulan Inggeris temapatan,
lagu Itu Kamu nyata memberi 1001 rahmat kepada mereka.

Tiada persembahan magik, yang ada hanyalah vokal Rich dan susunan muzik
yang menjadikan lagu ini magik sehingga menjurai kategori Pop/Rock serta
juara keseluruhan AJL 22.

“Memang tak sangka!,” Itu ayat pertama Estranged apabila ditanya mengenai
kemenagan mereka.

“Bukan sembarangan artis yang bertanding dalam kategori ini. Semuanya
hebat belaka. Kami tidak pernah menyangka akan memenangi AJL 22 ini.
Dapat masuk final sudah dikira bagus, inikan pula menang. Yang lebih
kami bimbangkan ketika datang tadi adalah bagaiamana persembahan
kami ketika di atas pentas. Kami takut jika berlaku kesilapan vokal dan
penyusunan muzik tidak sepatutnya.

“Ternyata jangkaan kami salah. Walau apa pun, kami sangat bersyukur
dengan kemenangan ini walaupun pada awalnya datang sekadar suka-suka
dan memenuhi undangan. Duit kemenangan ini akan digunakan untuk
menerbitkan album kedua nanti,” terang Andi, pemain dram Estranged.

Memandangkan sambutan hebat peminat terhadap lagu Melayu kumpulan
ini, mereka sepakat memilih lima lagu Melayu untuk album kedua nanti.

Kategori Etnik Kreatif pula memihak kepada lagu Samudera nyanyian Nora.
Walau sudah tujuh kali menyertai AJL, ini pertama kali dia berjaya
menggengam trofi. Lirik lagu nukilan Ahmad Fetri Yahya serta melodi
ciptaan Johan Nawawi mantap diiringi tarian dan drama di atas pentas.

Walaupun kategori ini dilihat sebagai pentas artis senior bertanding,
ternyata kekuatan lagu Samudera berjaya mematahkan saingan lain.

“Sebenarnya saya dan Nora hampir putus semangat. Ini penyertaan
ketiga saya dan kelapan Nora. Saya katakan kepadanya (Nora),
sekiranya lagu ini gagal menang, mungkin sudah tiba masanya
untuk kami berhenti daripada menyertai Juara Lagu. Alhamdulillah,
kemenangan ini telah mengembalikan semangat serta keyakinan
kami berdua,” kata Johan Nawawi.

Tuah ayam nampak di kaki, tuah orang? Jawapannya tentulah
Sahri. Usaha gigih tanpa kenal erti jemu berlatih dan memantapkan
vokal menyanyikan lagu Izinku Pergi akhirnya membuahkan hasil.

Walaupun hanya menggantikan tempat Kaer yang kini menyambung
pengajian di Jakarta, Sahri membuktikan dia penyanyi hebat
walaupun hadir dalam industri ini tanpa sebarang album.

“Saya amat bersyukur dengan kemenangan ini. Terima kasih
kepada Kaer kerana mempercayai bakat serta yakin dengan
kemampuan saya. Bukan mudah menyanyikan lagu orang lain,
dan ini adalah tanggungjawab saya sebagai penyanyi, agar
membawakan lagu itu sebaik mungkin. Saya cuba bawa
cara saya tanpa dibayangi cara nyanyian penyanyi asal,”
katanya.

“We have chemistry, itu yang boleh saya komen,” kata Jac.
Lagunya, Ceritera Cinta, memenangi kategori Vokal Terbaik.
Pada malam AJL 22, Jac bergandingan bersama Lah Ahmad (V.E)
yang menggantikan penyanyi asal, Rio Fabrian.

Apa yang menyebabkan mereka kelihatan begitu serasi?
“Mungkin kerana kami berlatih setiap hari. Lagipun saya percaya kepada
kemampuan Lah melaksanakan tugasnya menyanyikan lagu ini.
Ramai kata setiap kali saya menyanyi, nampak kaku. Tiada emosi. Kali ini
saya cuba menghayati lagu sebaik mungkin dan beremosi. Ternyata ianya berjaya.”

Walaupun tidak memenagi kategori utama, magik Mawi menukar baju di
atas pentas membolehkannya memenagi kategori persembahan terbaik.
Dia kini tidak lagi kaku menari.

Persembahan Mawi bersahaja, menarik dengan kehadiran penari-penari
cilik di atas pentas. Vokalnya bagus walaupun terpaksa menari dalam
masa sama.Walaupun kategori ini berkelebihan kerana mendapat undian sms,
tetapi itu bukan faktor kemenangan jejaka yang dikenali sebagai Raja SMS.
Seperti kata Azhar Borhan, ketua juri AJL 22, “Kemenangan Mawi bukan
kerana SMS, tetapi kerana dia berjaya memikat hati kami (juri).”

27th January 08: Pemenang Anugerah Juara Lagu 22

by gua.com.my

27 Jan 2008

Dengan itu berakhirlah edisi ke-22 Anugerah Juara Lagu. Bagaimana?
Best tak? Terkejut tak Estranged diumumkan sebagai Juara Lagu?

Sudah pasti AJL kali ini akan diingati ramai sebagai yang paling drama dan
penuh dengan kejutan. Dari ketidakhadiran Faizal Tahir disebabkan
arahan Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (MCMC
) atas insiden buka bajunya, spekulasi mengenai pengganti Faizal
dan keputusan para juri.Ketiadaan Faizal sememangnya dirasai. Walaupun
Fiq telah melakukan yang terbaik tetapi versi ‘Mahakarya Cinta’nya masih
tidak cukup ‘power’. Sementara Bob pula, tiada cacat-cela pada persembahannya.
Tetapi ‘Kasih Tercipta’ sudah terlalu sinonim dengan Faizal. Tidak kena
kalau orang lain yang menyanyikan lagu ini. Tetapi apakan daya. Yang
terjadi sudah terjadi. Diharapkan ini menjadi satu pengajaran kepada
semua artis agar sentiasa beringat untuk tidak melakukan apa-apa yang
mungkin menjejaskan karier mereka.

Finalis-finalis yang lain juga telah memberikan persembahan yang
baik dan menghiburkan. Mawi membuktikan yang selain daripada
menyanyi dia juga pandai berjoget (dan menukar baju dalam masa
yang singkat, dan di atas pentas lagi!). Datin Seri Siti Nurhaliza
berjaya menawan hati ramai dengan imej barunya. Cute giler!!
Bertuah Datuk K. Persembahan Jinbara pula memang meletup.

Tetapi yang akhirnya membuat keputusan adalah para juri.
Mereka yang menetapkan siapa selayaknya bergelar juara.
Jadi, tepat tak ramalan anda? Atau tidak puas hati dengan pilihan juri?
Sememangnya di dalam sejarah award shows, sudah pasti ada keputusan
yang mencetuskan kontroversi. Tapi itu perbincangan untuk lain hari.

Sehingga tahun depan, jumpa lagi!

Juara Lagu Ke-22 (trofi dan wang tunai RM25,000)

Estranged (‘Itu Kamu’)

Vokal Terbaik (trofi dan wang tunai RM10,000)

Jaclyn Victor dan Lah Ahmad (‘Ceritera Cinta’)

Persembahan Terbaik (trofi dan wang tunai RM10,000)

Mawi (‘Angan dan Sedar’)

Juara Etnik Kreatif (trofi dan wang tunai RM12,000)

Nora (‘Samudera’)

Juara Balada (trofi dan wang tunai RM12,000)

Sahri (‘Izinku Pergi’)

Juara Pop/Rock (trofi dan wang tunai RM12,000)

Estranged (‘Itu Kamu’)

Source : gua.com.my (without permission hehe)

Congratulations Estrange!! The new Juara Lagu Ke 22 - Estranged Song Itu Kamu

Congratulations Estrange!! The new Juara Lagu 2007 - Estranged with the song : Itu Kamu

At last the new Juara Lagu ke 22 for year 2007 announce! It was Estranged Band!!They were new bands and you know what, they have only few malay songs in their album. But yet, it rock!!Congrats Estranged!!Hope there is more coming new talents and new faces with great songs!!!Enjoy!!Here lyrics and dowload for Estranged song Itu Kamu.

Estranged - Itu Kamu

Segala yang ku pasti akan aku capai tuk mengambil hati mu
Melepasi angkasa cinta ku
Sesudah aku melafazkan kesemua yang diperlu
Ianya seperti suluhan yang terang

Segala yang kau ragui akan ku padam habis dari hati mu
Mengingkari dalaman akal mu
Takkan puasku, mengiringi semua tawa dan tangisanmu,
Anggun jiwamu, pelita yg terang

Hatiku mahumu
Rupamu
Masih masih masih masih…

(Chorus)
Kau terindah
Masih ada
Yang tercantik
Itu Kamu

Tiada mengapa taupun sampai bila kerna cinta enggan kenal mengalah
Memanah masuk hatiku yang reti
Setelah kau nampak tetap ku masih menunjukkan erti hidupku
Yang mahu bersama kau buat selamanya…

Download Estrange Itu Kamu Mp3

Download Estrange Ringtones Itu Kamu

Lee Kuan Yew on channelnewsasia

Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew says that the print media is stagnating against the Internet. His advice to newspapers: Be the first with the analysis. He made this point during a wide-ranging interview with US columnist Tom Plate and new media expert Jeffrey Cole.

On Wednesday, transcripts of the wide-ranging interview were made available online by UCLA Asia Institute.

Singapore is one of the world's most wired countries, far ahead of the pack. How do you imagine over time that this will change Singapore? What will be your sense of what happens in an educated country with high standards, when anyone can get anything on the Web, videos and blogs so that the role of a centralised media becomes less and less dominant?

Well, it is already on its way because the print media here is not growing the same way, they are stagnating. It's not declining as fast as, say, it is in America or Britain.

The young, they read things on the Internet. Yes, I read some stuff on the Internet, but at the end of the day, I say, well, let's see what the proper analysis is.

So, I look up, I look at the editorial pages and the op-ed pages. I am not sure that the young will do that anymore, but the way the print media can stay in the contest is not to be the first with the news because that's not possible, but to be the first with the background and the analysis and the ones with the high credibility will stay in business.

You must have credibility because you get so much on the Internet. Whom do you believe? Finally, you've got to say, who is saying this? And you don't know.

But if you say, this is The New York Times, this is the Washington Post or the LA Times, then you say, well, that is the standard.

With the rise of China, we are already seeing more and more going to China doing business and more Chinese coming here doing business. So, they are going to start reading the Chinese blogs, the Chinese news. It's already happening. So, the trend will be from print to screen.

Right. So, that the role of the centralized media is less important. Even if you can control the centralised media, that's less and less valuable than before.

I don't know if you've caught up with this story. It's a bit of scandal going on.

(Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister) Anwar Ibrahim leaked a video ... of an Indian lawyer talking to a top judge about how he can arrange to get him promoted to be the "Number One" or whatever.

I think it was an eight-minute video and Anwar has now put it on the Internet and it's on YouTube!

So the Malaysian bar - which have already been dismayed at the degradation of their judiciary and the corruption and judgebuying and case-buying - they have demanded a royal commission to inquire into the facts.

So, the government, under pressure now, has appointed a committee of judges and one eminent person, to check on the authenticity of this tape.

So, that's bought them some time, but in the meantime, 2,000 lawyers, following what the Pakistani lawyers did, have marched on to the Prime Minister's office to deliver a petition to investigate this matter.

Now, this would not have happened without the Internet and without YouTube. I mean it is so simple, you see. But at the same time, there is the problem of credibility.

So, you have a website called Malaysiakini. That means "Malaysia Now" and it's got some very good articles in it and some of them are signed regularly by the same person. So when we get that, we read it and then we say, okay, circulate it.

But you get a lot of rubbish, too, and you have got to filter it. It's a waste of time.

This is the future of professional journalism, if there is any?

No, you'll always have it. But if we don't use this [new technology], then we are just one hand tied behind us ... This is a highly competitive world. But the flood of information leads to overload.

Therefore, you've got to have somebody filter it for you. - CNA/ym

Source :www.channelnewsasia.com

Taken from : Lee Kuan Yew on the Web's gems and rubbish

1/27/08

Anugerah Juara Lagu ke 22

The AJL finalists are:

Kategori Etnik Kreatif:
1. Samudera (Johan Nawawi/Ahmad Fedtri Yahya/Nora)
2. Kasihnya Balqis (Adnan Abu Hassan/Mohariz Yaakup/Aishah)
3. Dirgahayu (Radeen Sri/Hairul Anuar Harun/Ramlah Ram)

Kategori Balada:
1. Ceritera Cinta (Ross Ariffin/Habsah Hassan/Jaclyn Victor/Lah Ahmad)
2. Mahakarya Cinta (Audi Mok/Shah Shamshiri/Faizal Tahir)
3. Kasih Tercipta (Ajai/Shuhaimi Baba/Faizal Tahir)
4. Harapan (Hazami/Fazli Zainal)
5. Izinkan Ku Pergi (Azlan Abu Hassan/Sulu Sarawak/Sahri)

Kategori Pop Rock:
1. Destinasi Cinta (Lin Li Zen/Rozi Abd. Razak/Siti Nurhaliza)
2. Farhana (Puteri Bumi kenyalang (Jinbara)
3. Janjiku (Sofaz),
4. Sembunyi (Misha dan Andy)
5. Itu Kamu (Estranged)
6. Angan Dan Sedar (Mawi)

News feed Malaysiakini

Protesters awaiting for remand hearing
breaking news Their lawyers are complaining that the police are not giving them access to their clients.About 100 people have started gathering outside the Pudu remand centre in Kuala Lumpur, calling for the release of some 50 people detained yesterday for taking part in a protest against price hikes.

	Waiting for magistrate
	Staging a walkout?

Anwar: Opposition will do well in Sarawak
Anwar Ibrahim, currently on a two-day visit to Sarawak, is confident that the opposition parties will perform well in the coming elections in the hornbill state.PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said today that any disagreement on seat allocation between PKR and DAP in Sarawak will be resolved in the end.

	Seats issue will be resolved
	Big donation to Chinese school

Indian's approval of Pak Lah plummets
A latest opinion survey shows that the prime minister’s approval rating has dipped by 41 percentage points, possibly due to his handling over the Hindraf issue.Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s standing among the Indian community has taken a severe beating according to a recently released survey.

	Approval rating an all time low
	No confidence in economy

Long on promises, short on delivery
It is well known in terms of the opposition parties that they are very, very long on promises but, when it comes to delivery, they are very short, says Najib.Najib Tun Razak has reminded the people to be wary of the false promises and tactics of the opposition to garner support in the next general election

	Cannot fulfill promises
	Not all can contest

US recession no great impact: PM
Because Malaysia's fundamentals are strong, any US recession will not have a great impact on us, says Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that any US recession will not have a great impact on Malaysia's economy because "our fundamentals are strong”.

	Good economic indicators very evident
	Google to make a presence in M'sia

BN gaining ground in Kelantan?
After BN ruled Kelantan for 18 years, it lost the state to PAS. Now, after 18 years of PAS' rule, will the BN be able to reverse the tide?Although Kelantan has been under PAS rule for 18 years, political analysts believe the tide has turned in the Barisan Nasional's (BN) favour in the state when the next general election is held.

	In favourable position now
	PPP has 3000 members in the state

Kurasanblogspot Already Posted 200 post

What's Up!?? Believe it or not, I already posted 200 post in this blog. Wow, that awsome huh!I never though it would be that much before I started this blog. I even abandon this blog for few months. But then i started to post and post everyday, even more than 5 post per day!

Even though it was not all originated from my brain, but what who cares, it just a blog. Internets own by everyone and anyone. Any people can uses it contents!And I don't even give a damn if anyone take my contents for their own web, it's free!You are welcome to do so.Internets own by everybody, rite?Am i rite!hehe.What the heck!

Malaysia can counter US slump

DAVOS (Switzerland): Malaysia’s economic fundamentals are strong enough to withstand a recession in the United States, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The Prime Minister said he did not foresee any major effects on the economy due to the country’s long-term and forward-looking policies.

“We can face it because of our strong and stable government,” he told Malaysian journalists before flying home yesterday after attending the World Economic Forum annual meeting.

Abdullah’s remarks came in the wake of Wall Street stocks tumbling on Friday after two days of solid rises amid fears of trouble by a major hedge fund.

Engaging points: Abdullah (seated, second from right) addressing the plenary session on the Emerging Asian Community at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday. — Bernama
European markets ended mostly lower while Asian bourses posted big gains, with share prices on Bursa Malaysia closing sharply higher for the second consecutive day.

The Prime Minister said Malaysia’s economic fundamentals were intact although it had at one time depended heavily on the US.

With the diversification of its exports to other countries, he said, Malaysia no longer relied on the US market but traded more with its Asean partners.

“In fact, our total exports to Asean countries are higher than to the US,” he said, adding that Malaysia also had strong economic relations with China, Japan and Korea while expanding ties with India.

Abdullah said the Malaysian economy had shown signs of resilience during times of uncertainty.

He said 86% of the country’s GDP were also derived from the strength of the domestic economy.

“Our ringgit is stable and so are our markets,” he added.

He expressed confidence in the people’s ability to face the recession and take measures to cushion its effects.

On any new measures to reduce its impact, Abdullah said the existing policies had proven to be effective and would continue to be implemented.

“We will see whether it’s necessary to take any new action when the situation arises,” he added.

Abdullah also said the Davos meeting had become a responsive forum to discuss the latest developments linked to economic or political issues.

It also provided the opportunity for participants not just to meet government leaders but also the private sector, including corporate giants, he added.

By CHOI TUCK WO / The Star

Beware, Easy credit, easy spending

Easy credit, easy spending

The credit card war among banks has created easy access to credit and as a result more and more people are being trapped in a “credit web”.

A Finance Ministry official says the number of those who only manage to pay the minimum 5% of their outstanding balance has increased significantly beyond last year’s statistics of 40% of the 8.8 million credit card holders.

Despite the Government's reminders to be more selective in issuing credit cards, banks have instead become more aggressive in signing up more clients.

And they are coming out with “innovative” ways of getting new clients. Among these are free gifts to those who sign up; “mandatory” credit cards for purchasers of certain car models; and a cheque for a sum of money in one’s name. In other instances, gold cardholders are given a status boost with platinum cards and higher credit limits.

The reason is simple – credit cards offer the most lucrative form of business to banks, with an interest fixed at 18% per annum.

And it's simple arithmetic – the less one pays of the outstanding credit balance, the more money a bank makes.

Many credit card holders face credit that has snowballed to an uncontrollable amount, resulting in their not being able to service the debt at all.

The Treasury intervened last year when it was revealed that credit card defaulters accounted for RM700mil of the RM18.6bil in non-performing loans.

“Many credit card holder pay only the minimum 5% of their monthly balances. This means they have to pay a 1.5 % monthly interest on the remaining balance and this can cause the outstanding figure to balloon,” said a senior Treasury official.

Last year, Bank Negara deputy governor Datuk Mohd Razif Abdul Kadir asked banks to study spending trends that showed early signs of financial mismanagement to put the lid on spiralling bad debts.

He proposed that such cardholders be referred to the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency for counselling.

So why have banks not acted to stem the credit tide? The answer is becoming clearer as credit card debts continue to mount.

The Treasury official, who was asked the question, had this to say:

“There are already complaints of too many regulations in the banking industry. We must remember that this is a free market.

“It is also the cardholder’s responsibility to handle his finances properly. Banks can give you 100 credit cards for all they want. Ultimately it is the credit cardholder who must be disciplined and responsible with his expenditure.”

Drawing an analogy on the dangers of smoking, the official said: “Cigarettes are on sale everywhere. Does that mean that everybody will become a smoker? Does it mean that the sale of cigarettes be banned?”

Source : The Star

House search for Sharlinie extends beyond 5km radius

Police have extended their house-to-house search for missing five-year-old Sharlinie Mohd Nashar beyond the 5km radius.

Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed said that apart from searching constructions sites, kongsis and abandoned buildings, police were also looking for the girl at high-rise buildings, including flats and apartments and luxury homes.

“The public should not be unduly worried as we will only check luxury homes that we believe need to be checked based on our intelligence reports,” he said yesterday.

ACP Arjunaidi said that despite the expansion of the area of search, policewould recheck premises they had gone earlier as the abductor could go back to the buildings thinking that police would not check them again.

“We will not stop until Sharlinie is found. Our men are on the lookout round-the-clock.

“What we need is information leading to the girl's whereabouts and again, I urge the public to call us if they have information on her,” he said.

ACP Arjunaidi also urged the public to stop spreading rumours that Sharlinie has been found in Ulu Yam and her DNA samples sent for testing.

“This is not true. I am warning all irresponsible individuals not to spread rumours or lies. Please respect the feelings of the family,” he said.

ACP Arjunaidi said police carried out a search at the SEA Park area yesterday.

A team comprising General Operations Force (GOF) personnel, police officers and a forensic unit detained 74 illegal immigrants, including five women, for not having any valid travel documents.

He said the illegal immigrants were handed over to the Immigration Department for further action, adding that police had detained 185 of them for committing various offences under the Immigration Act since the first day of the search operation.

Sharlinie went missing after going to a playground near her PJS2 home in Taman Medan on Jan 9.

ACP Arjunaidi said that police were still waiting for the Chemistry Department to conclude the tests on the doll, which was found near her home on Jan 12.

Source : The Star

Obama Win Big South Carolina

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) - Barack Obama won South Carolina's bitterly contested Democratic presidential primary with the aid of heavy black support on Saturday, dealing a setback to rival Hillary Clinton after a week of political brawling.

Edwards had chastised his two rivals for their squabbling and said the tone of the South Carolina contest was disappointing.

"There's been a lot of effort by the other two candidates to tear each other down which is why I'm focused on the voters and doing positive things," he said.

Voting was heavy at some polling stations and record turnout of more than 300,000 was expected in the first Democratic primary in the South.

Clinton had left South Carolina for two days during the week and headed to states with contests on February 5, leaving her husband to carry the campaign load here.

All three candidates have portrayed themselves as the strongest leaders of a shaky economy. Clinton has hammered Obama for a lack of experience and highlighted her readiness to lead "from day one" in the White House.

Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black U.S. president, handily beat Clinton in the latest showdown in an escalating fight for the right to represent the Democratic Party in November's presidential election.

John Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, finished third.

The win for Obama after two consecutive losses to Clinton, in New Hampshire and Nevada, gives him new momentum heading into February 5 "Super Tuesday" Democratic contests in 22 states.

Clinton called Obama to congratulate him and headed from South Carolina to Tennessee, a February 5 state, as the results began to roll in.

"We now turn our attention to the millions of Americans who will make their voices heard in Florida and the 22 states as well as American Samoa who will vote on February 5th," Clinton said in a statement.

The high stakes in South Carolina fueled a week of angry accusations and increasingly personal jabs between the two candidates, capped by a volley of attacks on Obama from Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, and questions about the role of race.

Exit polls showed Obama won four of every five black voters, who made up more than half of the primary electorate. He also won one-quarter of white votes, higher than many had predicted. Edwards and Clinton split the remaining white vote.

Edwards had chastised his two rivals for their squabbling and said the tone of the South Carolina contest was disappointing.

"There's been a lot of effort by the other two candidates to tear each other down which is why I'm focused on the voters and doing positive things," he said.

Voting was heavy at some polling stations and record turnout of more than 300,000 was expected in the first Democratic primary in the South.

Clinton had left South Carolina for two days during the week and headed to states with contests on February 5, leaving her husband to carry the campaign load here.

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent Source : Reuters

PSM Protes assembly in Malaysiakini

PSM's Aru to be charged, others expected to go free
Full report updated at 10.55pm. S Arutchelvan of PSM was placed in the police lock-up at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters tonight and is expected to be charged for violating a court order banning the Protes assembly.Of the some 60 people who were detained by the police for taking part in the Protes rally today, only PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan has been placed in the lock-up of the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

	Still in police canteen at 11pm
	Staying put in solidarity

1/26/08

Crackdown at KLCC Malaysiakini

Crackdown at KLCC: Dozens picked up
breaking news updated at 3.45pm More than two dozen individuals have been detained by the police near the iconic Twin Towers ahead of a protest against price hikes organised by the Coalition Against Inflation (Protes).
More than two dozen individuals have been detained by the police near the Kuala Lumpur City Centre ahead of a protest against price hikes organised by the Coalition Against Inflation (Protes).
Random detention by cops

Malaysiakini journalist also nabbed

Court bans Protes from protesting

Court bans Protes from protesting
Those participating in the rally against inflation at the KLCC today risk being in contempt of court due to a court order obtained by the police yesterday. Police have obtained a restraining order from the court to stop Coalition Against Inflation (Protes) from gathering at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre tomorrow.

	Cops: We’ll detain participants
	Protes: Meet at Ampang Park

Source :Malaysiakini.com

Conflicting accounts of Rela raid on refugees

Conflicting accounts of Rela raid on refugees
The burnt items include plastic sheets for shelter, pots and pans for cooking, donated articles of clothing and food rations, as well as Christian Bibles.Did they or did they not burn down a makeshift tent settlement in Putrajaya in which Burmese asylum seekers - including about 20 women and children - had taken refuge the past four years?

	‘Reduced to ashes’
	Two raids or one?

source : Malaysiakini.com

1/25/08

Zarina An-Julie hot picture

Do know Zarina An-Julie? The star as Mia in Anak Pontianak has a very controversial photos in this digital world. Kecoh memang kecoh! Lawa tue beb! Kental! The girl is really look like her, but I cannot comment whether it is true or not.

Syoknya!

Pandanglah! Lihatlah! Saper cantik...

Gadis track Kawasaki pilihan

ZARINA AN-JULIE is of Iranian-Malaysian parentage yang membawa watak sebagai MIA dalam drama Anak Pontianak having fun with sexy girls I believe her friends in kelab malam. Ada juga tuduhan mengatakan this girl terlibat dengan “ice” dan pernah jalani BREAST AUGMENTATION. Biar betul ZARINA AN-JULIE tapi tidak saya ketahui dan tidak dapat saya buktikan sebab saya belum pernah tengok yang betul-betul.
Source :

Syoknya!

Pandanglah! Lihatlah! Saper cantik...

Gadis track Kawasaki pilihan

Syoknya!

Pandanglah! Lihatlah! Saper cantik...

Gadis track Kawasaki pilihan

Adegan panas zarina pontianak

Who’s Zarina An-Julie? Well, she’s the hottest pontianak (of coz she came after Maya Karin) nowadays. She’s in the drama tv series on TV3 which is Anak Pontianak, the sequel of Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam films. Anyway, this is not a review of the series, but actually to reveal the pictures that’s been spreading on the Internet which claims it is her on the picture. She’s been ‘terjah’ by Nas Ahmad of Melodi before, but she said that the pictures is a fake. So, up to you guys to judge whether its true or not. My intention here is not to ashamed her, but to give a lesson to all of you guys outthere that don’t ever caught yourself on YOUR OWN cameras, as in the end somehow will or will not leaks out on the internet. This goes to all the celebrities as they are the eye of the citizen, so renung2kan lah..

For more picture go HERE

Source :www.manchurr.net & likeall.blogspot.com

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Malaysiakini Headnews link

Three-way battle for Ipoh Timur?

Syed Jaymal Zahiid | Jan 25, 08 7:07pm

DAP and PKR are again slugging it out over seat allocations and this time, both parties seem to be headed to a three-way contest for Ipoh Timur.MORE

	PKR: It's our turn now
	DAP: We are ready to face PKR

Uthaya risks heart attack: family

Jan 25, 08 2:02pm

Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar who has been hospitalised during a hunger strike is at risk of suffering a heart attack, his fiancee said.MORE

Committed to continue hunger strike

AG: ISA detention orders lawful

Soon Li Tsin | Jan 25, 08 2:02pm

Abdul Gani Patail argues that the applicants have the burden of proof to show evidence of bad faith on the part of Internal Security Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. [VIDEO INSIDE]MORE

	Karpal rebutted
	Reply on Monday

Media told to control coverage on inflation

Ng Ling Fong | Jan 25, 08 3:03pm

Expecting the opposition to harp on inflation in their election campaign, two Umno bigwigs are asking the mainstream media to paint a clearer picture of the issue to the public.MORE

	No negative reports now
	Govt doing its best

PM out for sympathy votes

Protest is on, says defiant organiser

Andrew Ong | Jan 25, 08 4:04pm

Despite a warning from the police, the Coalition Against Inflation (Protes) is adamant in carrying out its protest against the hike in the prices of goods and services.MORE

	Constitutional right
	KLCC cordon tomorrow

Headlines online: Jan 25

Man buried as Muslim amid conversion row

Jan 25, 08 4:04pm

An elderly ethnic Chinese man has been buried as a Muslim after his Buddhist family lost a battle with the Islamic authorities who said he had converted.MORE

	Family fights over body
	'This government is not fair'

Remembering Christopher Fernando

Jan 25, 08 3:03pm

Fiercely passionate about his work, kind and warm around his company - Christopher Fernando will forever be remembered as a great lawyer and friend.MORE

	Judge's disparaging remarks
	Well respected and loved

Varsity launches probe against students' political party

Jan 25, 08 1:01pm

International Islamic University has sought Malaysiakini’s help in investigating the involvement of its students in the setting up of a new political party.MORE

	Online news portal refuses to cooperate
	Students to 'contest' in upcoming polls

Teachers, parents running in fear of PIBG head

K Kabilan | Jan 25, 08 3:03pm

The Education Ministry has suspended a Parent-Teacher Association of an elite Tamil school following numerous complaints against the PIBG chairperson.MORE

	Death threats and abuse of funds
	PIBG denies all allegations

Lingam closed door session in Malaysiakini

Inquiry starts with closed-door session
breaking news The media and public are barred as the commission members hear submissions from lawyers acting for former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and lawyer VK Lingam’s brother Thirunama Karasu. The royal commission of inquiry into the Lingam tape this morning started its session behind closed doors.

	Vincent Tan in the court
	Open hearing in the afternoon

Last Respects to Megat Junid

500 pay their last respects to Megat Junid

PETALING JAYA: Former and current Cabinet ministers joined more than 500 people in paying their last respects to Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayub at his home in Kelana Jaya.

Megat Junid, the former domestic trade and consumer affairs minister, died of prostate cancer at the Pantai Medical Centre early yesterday. He was 65.

He was buried at the Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetery after zohor prayers.

His son Megat Firdouz, 38, said his father passed away peacefully in his sleep and family members were at his deathbed.

“I managed to talk to him at 4am and he gripped my hand tightly just before he died at 5.25am,” he said, adding that his father’s illness was first detected in September 2006.

In Davos, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi extended condolences to Megat Junid's family.

“I was informed (of his death) this morning and I am sad because he was a good friend of mine,” said Abdullah who is here to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.

“On behalf of the Malaysian delegation here, I extend my condolences his family and I pray that God blesses his soul,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Megat Junid would be remembered as a jovial and lively person who “always injected humour during Cabinet meetings”.

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, who was Megat Junid’s colleague in the Home Ministry when they were both deputy ministers from 1991 to 1999, said the Barisan Nasional had lost a dedicated party leader.

He said Megat Junid always tried to help in sorting out the people’s problems.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was among the first to arrive at the house, described Megat Junid, his former political secretary, as a hardworking and honest person.

He said when he last met Megat Junid three weeks ago, the latter still wanted to speak about politics even though he was unwell.

1/24/08

Lingam was bullshitting Malaysiakini

Lingam said I was 'bullshitting and bragging' regarding to the video clip taken by Loh Mui Fah. He seems run out of idea in the royal commission.
Lingam: I was 'bullshitting and bragging'
senior lawyer says that he could have just lied to businessman Loh Mui Fah that he was talking to a former chief justice in the phone conversation.Lawyer VK Lingam told the royal commission into the scandalous judge-fixing video clip that it was up to him to “pretend” to talk to whoever he wants to.

	I can talk whatever rubbish I like
	My house is my castle. I'm the king

Megat Junid Dies

Megat Junid dies

Megat Junid succumbs to cancer
The Mahathir-loyalist died this morning at the Pantai Medical Centre after after losing his fight against prostate cancer. He was once the powerful 'de facto' home minister.

	Powerful deputy home minister
	Ex-teacher in politics

PETALING JAYA: Former Deputy Home Minister Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayub passed away at 5.25am Thursday at the Pantai Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur. He was 65.

The body will leave his Kelana Jaya home at 12.30pm for the mosque, then on to the Kiara Cemetery in Damansara here for burial.

Also the former Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, Megat Junid had been seriously ill for months. He had undergone surgery for prostate cancer in 2004, but the cancer recurred in 2006 and spread to his liver, lung and bones.

Born in Teluk Intan in 1942, the teacher first met former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the early 1970s when the latter was in political exile for criticising Tunku Abdul Rahman, then Umno president and prime minister.

He was swept away by Dr Mahathir's unconventional political style and soon after left teaching to become a special assistant then political secretary to Dr Mahathir.

He made his political debut as an MP when Dr Mahathir won his first general election as Prime Minister. Two years later he was made Primary Industries Deputy Minister.

In 1986, Dr Mahathir made him his deputy in the Home Affairs Ministry, a post that many agreed was as good as that of Minister given the trust that Dr Mahathir had in him.

His tenure in the ministry was often very controversial and coincided with massive illegal immigrant, the controversial Operation Lalang in 1987 and escalating drug issues.

Megat Junid was finally promoted to Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister in 1997 but held the post for only two years because he lost to a PAS candidate in the Reformasi (reformation) fervour of the 1999 elections.

Anwar Ibrahim in Malaysiakini

Anwar: Bumi policies affecting investment
The former deputy prime minister says Malaysia's ability to attract foreign investment had been compromised by keeping the country's affirmative action policies in favour of the Malay majority.A leading opposition figures today said the country was losing out economically to regional rivals because of long-running policies favouring ethnic Malays.

	'That policy is obsolete'
	First China, then India, now Vietnam

1/23/08

Malaysiakini Hindu Boycott Batu Caves

Hindu devotees boycott Batu Caves
Mammoth crowds at the Batu Caves are an annual spectacle during the Thaipusam festival. However, this is not the case this year.Thaipusam festivities at the Batu Caves Temple in Kuala Lumpur have been somewhat lackluster this year, marred by a below-average turnout believed to be attributed to an apparent boycott campaign.

	An SMS boycott campaign
	Hindraf: We’re not involved
	Samy Vellu: What boycott?

A movement is fast gaining momentum on the ground to canvass support among the Indian community to boycott the Batu Caves temple for the Thaipusam festival which falls in Jan 23.

Short message services (SMSes) and emails are being circulated asking people not to fulfill their spiritual vows in Batu Caves following the temple committee’s role in allowing the police to violently disperse a gathered crowd in the early hours of Nov 25.

So far no one has claimed leadership or responsibility for the boycott call but the feedback from the ground seemed to indicate that it is a random act of protest propagated by unknown individuals.

“As mark of respect for all fellow brothers and sisters who were part of the Nov 25 rally, we will fulfill all our spiritual vows at other temples in Malaysia except Batu Caves during Thaipusam,” said one such SMS making its rounds in recent weeks. Other SMSes with similar messages have also been in circulation lately.

The SMSes refer to the violent dispersal by police of a large crowd who had gathered peacefully at the compound of the Batu Caves temple in the early hours of that day last year.

The crowd had arrived there prior to participating in the much-talked about Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) organised rally in Kuala Lumpur later that morning.

The police have said that they had acted only after they were called in by the Batu Caves temple management committee, headed by R Nadarajah.

Nadarajah (photo) had defended the temple’s actions by saying that the crowd had trespassed into the temple after closing hours and in the process had caused severe damages to the temple’s properties.

Thaipusam is one of the most important festivals for the Hindus. It is dedicated to Lord Muruga and celebrates the victory of good over evil. In Malaysia, Batu Caves has been the centre of the celebration for years, attracting about a million visitors on that day every year.

An angry community

One annual Batu Caves visitor, S Sivalingam from Pasir Penampang in Selangor told Malaysiakini that the calls for the boycott was likely to be heeded in his area.

“Every year bus loads of devotees from this place and the surrounding estates will make the pilgrimage to Batu Caves. This year lots of people are asking us not to go after what the temple has done to the people who were there on Nov 25,” he said.

He said that calls for the boycott has come not just via the SMSes, but also from local community leaders and from fellow residents themselves.

“They talk openly about Hindraf and how Nadarajah and his committee members have failed to support the fight for Indian rights,” he added.

He admitted the local Indian population in his area and the surrounding areas - which have long been strong BN supporters - were angry with the manner Hindraf supporters and protesters were treated in both Batu Caves and Kuala Lumpur city centre on Nov 25.

“The feeling is that our political parties have failed us. Our temples have failed too. So why must we continue giving our support to them,” asked Sivalingam, a 43-year-old businessman.

Bloggers too have joined along in asking the people to boycott Batu Caves this year.

“Perhaps we should teach them (the Batu Caves committee) by going to Penang and Malacca for Thaipusam. Let them lose their revenue,” wrote a blogger.

“Public solidarity is paramount in this symbolic effort to achieve the objectives and show that it is not easily quelled. Let’s hit them where it naturally hurts most - $$$,” wrote another blogger.

Hindraf denies involvement

A priest in a small temple in Kapar K Munian said that he was worried that devotees from his temple would take “their fight against the wrong party”.

“The anger should not be focussed at the deity in the temple. It is after all Lord Muruga’s day. We go there to pray to him. If the anger is against the temple committee, find some other way to show it. Let’s not ask people not to go to Batu Caves to pray,” he pleaded.

Hindraf coordinator RS Thanenthiran (photo), when contacted, denied that his organisation was the mover behind the call for the boycott.

“How can we ask people not to pray. Of course we at Hindraf are angry with the Batu Caves temple committee, but that doesn’t mean we can ask people to boycott Lord Muruga,” he said.

“It is a temple and we will not stop people from praying there. But if it is their choice to boycott, we can’t do anything about that,” he added.

Batu Caves temple officials when contacted said that they are aware of the calls to boycott the temple for Thaipusam.

“But we are not worried about this. We are sure the devotees will continue to come here to worship,” said an official. Protest the right way

Similar strong sentiment was espoused by MIC vice president S Veerasingam, who was confident that devotees will not boycott Batu Caves for Thaipusam.

“As usual thousands will turn up at Batu Caves and other places to fulfill their vows. Do not bring negative thoughts into religious festivals,” he told Malaysiakini.

A long time kavadi-bearer at Batu Caves, P Batu Malai said that he would surely fulfill his vows by carrying a kavadi this year too at Batu Caves, although he was angry with the manner the temple committee handled the crowd on Nov 25.

“I was in the crowd and I know how the temple committee worked hand in hand with the police in getting us out of the temple compound,” he claimed.

“But that will not stop me from going there for Thaipusam. However I will not pay a single sen to the temple for any of its projects and charity drives. Neither will I be standing around to hear MIC president S Samy Vellu’s annual speech for Thaipusam at Batu Caves,” he added.

Hindraf hunger in Malaysiakini

130 on ISA hunger strike

They demand the release of all ISA detainees and the draconian act to be abolished. The hunger strike may go on until Jan 28 throughout the country.The hunger strike is on. It is aimed at seeking the release of Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees and to demand for the draconian act to be abolished.

	More expected to join
	Uthayakumar a diabetic

DAP shows evidence of tainted electoral roll

The electoral roll shows several individuals born in 1880 and this makes them 128 years, exclaimed DAP politician Tony Pua.DAP’s economic advisor Tony Pua today adduced an array of evidence of irregularities in the Petaling Jaya Utara (PJU) electoral roll and urged the Election Commission to look into the matter.

	Over 20 voters in a house
	EC data entry

Price hike rally: Protes will not apply for police permit
It is a peaceful assembly, so why the need to get a police permit, the organisers reason. But the police, Bar Council and Suhakam can monitor event.Coalition Against Inflation (Protes) secretary has no intention to apply for a police permit for its peaceful assembly against fuel price hike in front of the KLCC on Saturday.

	Another hike this year?
	Memo submitted to ministry

Warta Mandarin RTM2 Boost

KUALA LUMPUR: RTM2’s Warta Mandarin has achieved its targeted rating boost way ahead of schedule, said Deputy Information Minister Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye.

“When I launched the new faces for Warta Mandarin Tuesday (last week), the audience numbered only 300,000. I stressed then that we’d set a target of 500,000 viewers in three months. According to the latest report, we achieved that within one week.

“Since we have achieved success so soon and received much positive feedback, I have decided to set a new target of 750,000,” he said at a press conference held on Tuesday at Wisma Radio, Angkasapuri to launch Radio Television Malaysia’s (RTM) programmes for the Chinese New Year and Chap Goh Meh celebrations.

Last Tuesday, RTM2 had unveiled Ong Ching Yee, Tan Ley Teng and Lee Siad Huey as news presenters in a bid to boost viewership ratings for Warta Mandarin on RTM2.

Updates from Malaysiakini

Polls: BN can't repeat 2004, says PM
He said that in 2004, there were high expectations that a ‘lot of things would be changed but I can’t change everything’.Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today openly conceded that the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition will not be able to repeat its astounding electoral feat at the 2004 polls.

	Overseas trips ban to stop lobbying
	PM: I don’t consider Anwar a threat

A Hindraf Valentine: 'Mr PM, take my roses'
'I want to give you beautiful flowers... wait for me at Parliament,’ wrote W Vwaishhnnavi, aged 5, in a hand-written letter to the prime minister.Dressed in a frilly dark-red dress, five-year-old Vwaishhnnavi was the undoubted ‘star’ among a dozen supporters of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) who gathered at the prime minister’s office in Putrajaya this morning.

	Planned parade of children
	'Set a good example'

Royal commission put 'on trial'
Lingam tape inquiry Lawyers argue on whether evidence of a NZ vacation should be accepted with the Bar Council saying the core issue also involved fixing of cases.The royal commission of inquiry into the Lingam tape scandal was put ‘on trial’ today with lawyers debating its terms of reference in relation to the admissibility of evidence not directly related to the issue of judicial appointments in 2001.

	Goes hand-in-hand: lawyer
	Panel yet to see all evidence

'Korean scandal' duo suspended
The duo’s suspension, according to sources, is puzzling because Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor had cleared them of any wrongdoing.The two Tourism Malaysia (TM) high-ranking officials implicated in the ‘Korean scandal’ have been suspended, according to sources today.

	Ministry trying to cover up?
	Continue to receive their salaries

Mahathir reveals secret of picking polls date
Just look out for when the government appears confident of winning, said Dr M.He may have retired from politics but that has not stopped former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from speculating on the date of the next general election along with every other Malaysian.

'Everything is going up'

Fed Cut for Mortgage

What the Fed Cut Means For Your Mortgage

Tuesday January 22, 11:05 am ET On days like this, I think it’s important to go back to the ol’ mortgage primer and figure out exactly what all this news means to you, to your mortgage, to your home equity line and to your home’s financial future. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the 30-year fixed is not tied.

Fixed mortgage rates are tied to long-term bond yields that move based on the outlook for the economy and inflation. And guess what? The long-term outlook for the economy isn’t exactly rosy right now.

Today’s rate cut does affect short-term adjustable rate mortgages, but not really as much as you might think. Why? Because this rate cut was already priced into the market, maybe not three quarter's point, but definitely a half-point. So if you are facing a reset on your ARM, you’re in much better shape today than you were just six months ago.

For example, if your rate adjusts Feb. 1st, and your ARM is pegged to the 1-year treasury, than your reset is going to be to 5.25 percent as opposed to the 7.5 percent that it would have been in August. That’s going to make the payment much more manageable.

So does this cut stem the foreclosure crisis? Maybe a bit on the margins, but not really, and here’s why: the bulk of the folks facing foreclosure because they can't make their monthly payments have no equity in their homes and no money to put down on a refinance.

While rates might be lower, this is a market where lenders and investors are much more aware of risk and will gravitate toward borrowers that represent less risk. So many folks will still find themselves in trouble. For people who are having trouble paying the initial rate on the loan, forget it. No help there.

As for those looking to buy a home, that is, get a new mortgage, while ARM rates may be lower, the mortgage landscape is still a far far different tundra than it was just a year ago. You can’t do a stated income loan anymore, and you can’t do 100 percent financing. Tighter standards don’t change with a rate cut.

And I want to add my two cents here about a home equity line of credit. Yes, the rates are lower now, but I really don’t think that means we should all start using our homes as ATM’s again, which is what got us all in trouble in the first place. This is a time to pay off debt, not to gather more. The housing market is still in trouble.

The statement from the Federal Reserve this morning: “incoming information indicates a deepening of the housing contraction as well as some softening in labor markets.” We all know the price correction in housing is still underway with home prices across the nation (yes, I know, some markets worse than others) expected to fall further, so this is no time to put your home in more hoc. Just my two cents, which I’m putting in the bank as we speak.

Heath Ledger Dead story

Associated Press

NEW YORK - Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan apartment, naked in bed with sleeping pills nearby, police said. The Australian-born actor was 28. It wasn't immediately clear if Ledger had committed suicide.

He had an appointment for a massage at a residence in the tony neighborhood of SoHo, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

A large crowd of paparazzi and gawkers gathered outside the building on an upscale block. Ledger's body was still inside, and several police officers guarded the door.

The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy Wednesday, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully rather than cashing in on his heartthrob looks. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film. The two had a daughter, Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

Ledger most recently appeared in "I'm Not There," in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan ƒƒ‚‚ as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned an Oscar nomination Tuesday for best supporting actress.

Ledger had finished filming his role as the Joker this year in "The Dark Knight," a sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins."

He's had starring roles in "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot," and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in "Monster's Ball." He also played a heroin addict in the 2006 Australian film "Candy."

Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather GrahamNaomi Watts. He met Watts while working on "The Lords of Dogtown," a fictionalized version of a cult classic skateboarding documentary, in 2004. and

Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney and played a cyclist hoping to land a spot on an Olympic team in a 1996 television show, "Seat."

After several independent films, Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and co-starred opposite Julia Stiles in "10 Things I Hate About You," a teen comedy reworking of "The Taming of the Shrew."

Offers for other teen flicks soon came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he didn't like.

"It wasn't a hard decision for me," Ledger told the Associated Press in 2001. "It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, 'You're crazy,' my parents were like, 'Come on, you have to eat.'"

His movie career caught on anyway, culminating with his Academy Award nomination opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback."

"Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan said earlier this month that Ledger's performance as the Joker would be wildly different than Jack Nicholson's memorable turn in 1989's "Batman."

"It was a very great challenge for Heath," Nolan said. "He's extremely original, extremely frightening, tremendously edgy. A very young character, a very anarchic presence that taps into a lot of our basic fears and panic."

1/22/08

Lingam tape accidentally taken

Clip taken by accident

KUALA LUMPUR: The person, who took the controversial clip purportedly showing a lawyer brokering the appointment of judges over a mobile phone, said it was made by accident.

Loh Gwo Burne, the 34-year-old son of businessman Loh Mui Fah, said he was trying to take a picture of a vase when he realised his digital camera was on video mode.

“I then continued to record the conversation between Datuk V.K. Lingam and the other person on the other line.

“I was bored and fed up with the lawyer for constantly talking on the phone, as he was supposed to discuss legal matters with my father,” said the 12th witness on the sixth day of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the video clip yesterday.

"I was bored and fed up with the lawyer for constantly talking on the phone" - LOH GWO BURNE

When questioned by DPP Datuk Nordin Hassan, Gwo Burne, a Shanghai-based consultant, said he had gone to Lingam’s house in the middle of December 2001 with his father.

Gwo Burne said Lingam was aware that he had a digital camera, as when they arrived at his house, he had asked for permission to take photographs of the lawyer’s dog and videos of the house.

He said Lingam had also asked him to take group photos, adding that shortly after they arrived at about 6pm, Lingam had gone out to buy wine.

When DPP Nordin questioned if Lingam or his father was aware that he was recording the conversation, Gwo Burne said neither of them knew.

To a question by his counsel Alex De Silva, Gwo Burne said Lingam did not appear drunk when the video clip was recorded.

He said the recording was taken earlier in the evening, and both his father and Lingam did not have many drinks.

Asked if he thought the lawyer was play-acting, he replied, “No, there were times I could hear a male voice, although I did not know what the person was saying.”

At the start of court proceedings, DPP Nordin has questioned Gwo Burne on what he did with the photographs and the recording, to which the witness replied that he had downloaded them from his camera’s memory card into his personal computer, and later deleted the data from the card.

He said he had burned the data into a compact disc, and that before he left for China in 2004, he had stored the CD in “various sources,” which he took along with him.

Gwo Burne said he gave one copy of the CD to lawyer Manjit Singh, who had since died, adding that his original personal computer where he downloaded the recording was no longer with him.

When asked how the video clip went public, Gwo Burne said he initially though it was Manjit Singh, but later found out that he had passed away.

Gwo Burne said he had given a copy of the CD containing the video clip to Manjit Singh, as both of them had complaints about Lingam.

“I had complained about Lingam not attending to the legal matters and Manjit Singh complained of not being paid, and he said that ‘this guy always politics, politics, politics’.

“So I told him in that case, he had to check the video clip out, and gave him a copy in 2002.”

Thayalan said if he had no idea how the clip went public, there was a possibility that other people had access to the clip and it was possible to edit the clip, to which Gwo Burne said: “Not entirely impossible.”

When Thayalan pointed out that the camera seemed to be placed behind a book, as it seemed from the video, Gwo Burne said he was reading a magazine and a coffeetable book at that time, and that the camera was hung around his neck.

Evasive answering questions by Mahathir, Adnan and Eusoff Amnesia?

I refer to Malaysiakini report Star witness: It wasn’t Ahmad Fairuz.

The royal commission to investigate the controversial Lingam tape issue seems to be like a comedy of errors. Those prominent figures that appear before the commission appear to be suffering from temporary amnesia as their favourite words when being questioned are either ‘I can’t remember’ or ‘I don’t know’.

From Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to former CJ Eusoff Chin, one can conclude that all of them were evasive in answering the questions as they wanted to make sure that their answers would not incriminate themselves.

The icing on the cake is Lingam’s statement that although the man in the video clip ‘looks like him and sounds like him’ he cannot confirm or deny that it was him. He seems to be making a mockery of the commission as there were prior witnesses who testified that it was him in the video-clip.

Yet he has the cheek to deny everything. What a shameless act to do - lying through your teeth.

The royal commission, meanwhile, seems to be moving in circles. I am sure other witness will play along and plead ignorance or amnesia when asked pointed questions during the coming hearings.

Malaysian must be flabbergasted to know how behind closed doors, the rich and the powerful decide the fate of the country’s judiciary and how compliant judges jump the queue to reach the top.

One way to restore confidence in the judiciary among the public is to have a judicial commission made up of eminent people to decide on the appointments and promotions of judges. This rather that having the prime minister deciding on such important matters.

Malaysiakini Words today

BN meet: Samy-Kayveas lock horns
The two heavyweights exchange verbal blows at the meeting, forcing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to play referee.MIC president S Samy Vellu and his PPP counterpart M Kayveas spiced up the Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting in Putrajaya yesterday when the two heavyweights locked horns.

	S'wak BN leaders join in
	PM praised for 'frank and open' meet

'My husband not a turncoat'
The wife of Hindraf secretary T Vasanthakumar has dismissed speculation that he is a police officer planted in the movement to undermine it.K Vikneswary, the wife of Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) secretary T Vasanthakumar, has dismissed speculation among some supporters that he is a police officer who has been planted in the movement to undermine it.

	'Police report was a strategy'
	He's not a Special Branch officer

Fatal fall: Umno Youth unhappy with police probe
Umno Youth public complaints bureau chief Subahan Kamal says the police should provide K Yashovan’s family with answers.Umno Youth today expressed dissatisfaction with how the police are handling investigations into the death of 15-year-old student K Yashovan.

	IGP, CID director vow to act
	Umno Youth wants answers from school

Lingam Tape on Malaysiakini

SPECIAL REPORT: The Lingam tape

The grainy eight-minute video footage was taken in 2002 at senior lawyer VK Lingam's Kelana Jaya house. At that time, Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah was chief justice.

Appointed in 2000, he was seen as a fresh break from his two previous predecessors - Mohd Eusoff Chin (1994-2000) and Abdul Hamid Omar (1988-1994).

Dzaiddin was to retire in 2003, and the video showed Lingam expressing concerned that the outgoing CJ was moving his 'men' into top judiciary posts.

The conversation revolved around the urgent need to get Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, then chief judge of Malaya - the judiciary's No 3 - appointed as Court of Appeal president (No 2) and then chief justice (No 1).

There was also the plan to get former attorney-general Mokhtar Abdullah, who was then a Federal Court judge, to replace Ahmad Fairuz as No 3.

To do that, Lingam had roped in tycoon Vincent Tan, a close crony of then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, a key minister in PM's Department.

They were to talk to Mahathir on the appointment of judges.

Postscript

Ahmad Fairuz was appointed Court of Appeal president in December 2002 - months after the telephone conversation.

Dzaiddin stepped down as CJ in 2003 and he was replaced by Ahmad Fairuz.

Mokhtar, however, could not take the No 3 post as he was in coma after suffering from a fall in August 2002.

He died in 2003. Ahmad Fairuz' term as CJ will end in October 2007.
On Sept 19, Malaysiakini broke the story on the Lingam tape with the following report:

Video links CJ to 'judicial fixing' scandal
Watch the 8-minute video here
Transcript of Lingam's conversation with Ahmad Fairuz
Transcript of the second part of the video
Fact-finding into Lingam tape
Who is VK Lingam?

Interview with Lingam's brother

Brother vs Brother
The 'mad' patient who wasn't
It's my duty to expose the rot

Interview with video-clip man Loh Mui Fah

Lingam tape: Businessman goes public
Video-clip man worries about his safety
Part 1: Q&A: My son took the Lingam tape
Part 2: Q&A: ACA forced me out into the open

Israel agrees to ease Gaza blockade after protests

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel agreed to allow some fuel, medicine and food into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Tuesday, at least temporarily easing a blockade that has plunged much of the territory into darkness and sparked international protests.

Monday's decision by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak means the European Union will be allowed to deliver a week's supply of industrial fuel to Gaza's main power plant, which shut down on Sunday. The EU, which funds fuel shipments to the plant, confirmed the delivery would take place on Tuesday.

Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak is seen in Herzliya near Tel Aviv January 21, 2008. Israel agreed to allow some fuel, medicine and food into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Tuesday, at least temporarily easing a blockade that has plunged much of the territory into darkness and sparked international protests. (REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen)

Israel closed its border crossings with Gaza on Friday in what it said was a bid to make Palestinian militants stop firing rockets into southern Israel. Large parts of Gaza, home to 1.5 million people, have since lost power as hospitals cancelled non-essential surgery and local residents stockpiled food.

The EU and international agencies called the Israeli measures "collective punishment", which is banned under the Geneva Conventions.

Israel countered that conditions in Gaza never reached crisis levels and accused Hamas of exaggerating the impact of the closure.

It is unclear whether Barak will allow additional fuel shipments and medical supplies into Gaza, which Hamas Islamists seized by force in June after routing forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli government officials said future shipments would hinge on regular assessments of Gaza's humanitarian needs and on the number of rockets fired by Palestinian militants into the Jewish state.

"We are not committing on how often we will do this," Defence Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror said.

Barak said Israel would not ease pressure on militants. "We will do everything to make them understand we will do anything to restore quiet," he said.

In addition to 2.2 million litres of industrial fuel for the power plant, Israel will allow into Gaza 500,000 litres of diesel for generators and a supply of cooking gas, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said.

Israel will also allow 50 trucks of food and medicine into the aid-dependent territory, but restrictions on petrol for cars will remain in place.

DRUGS, GENERATOR FUEL

"As far as I'm concerned, all the residents of Gaza can walk and have no fuel for their cars, because they have a murderous terrorist regime that doesn't allow people in the south of Israel to live in peace," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said before Barak's decision was announced.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said it welcomed any signs that Israel was easing its cordon.

"But this drip, drip, drip, here-today-gone-tomorrow... approach to humanitarian assistance makes it very difficult for UNRWA to sustain in the long term a humanitarian programme to nearly a million people," spokesman Christopher Gunness said.

Barak's decision followed warnings by international agencies that Gaza hospitals would run out of drugs and generator fuel in a few days unless Israel allowed goods through the crossings.

"We hope Hamas has got the message," said Mekel, citing a decline in the number of rocket attacks since the weekend. "When they want to reduce the number of rockets, they can do it."

More than 45 rockets were fired into Israel on Friday and Saturday, while only five were fired on Sunday, the army said.

But Gaza militants have vowed to continue the rocket attacks, and Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said "pressure must continue until the siege is completely lifted".

The Gaza power plant normally provides only 30 percent of the territory's electricity, but its closure affected a far greater proportion of the population because of the way the power grid system works. The bulk of Gaza's electricity, which comes from Israel and Egypt, was not cut off, Israel said.

(Additional reporting by Wafa Amr and Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah and Adam Entous, Avida Landau and Rebecca Harrison in Jerusalem)

By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Copyright © 2008 Reuters

U.S. White House contenders celebrate Martin Luther King legacy

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Reuters) - Democrats Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards honoured the legacy of slain U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King on Monday and said his work paved the way for this year's precedent-shattering White House candidacies.

Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president, and Clinton, who would be the first woman U.S. president, joined Edwards at a rally outside the South Carolina state capitol to hunt for black support on the holiday marking King's birthday.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama stands next to a picture of civil rights leader Martin Luther King at a King Day rally at the state capitol in Columbia, South Carolina, January 21, 2008. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

The Republican presidential contenders, meanwhile, flooded Florida ahead of a crucial showdown on Jan. 29 in a nomination race where three different candidates have scored wins and a fourth, Rudy Giuliani, is looking for his big breakthrough.

South Carolina is the next Democratic battleground in a seesawing race to find a candidate for the November election. Obama holds a slim lead in polls in the state, where more than half of the likely primary voters on Saturday will be black.

"Let us just take a moment to marvel at the progress we have made together," Clinton, a New York senator, told more than 5,000 people on the lawn of the capitol.

She said the rally was a testament to King's efforts to knock down social barriers and bring justice to those who lived on the margins. "But the work is far from finished," she said. "The dream is not fulfilled."

Obama, an Illinois senator, marched to the rally with about 1,000 people through downtown Columbia, walking alongside a group of Clinton supporters chanting her name. Once there, the crowd gathered underneath a Confederate flag that once flew on the statehouse.

"It's not always easy to see past our differences," Obama said, with Clinton and Edwards seated on stage behind him. "Every day our politics fuels and explores these kinds of divisions."

Edwards, who was born in South Carolina and won the state primary during his failed White House bid in 2004, said he was proud to be on the stage with a black and a woman presidential candidate.

MARCH TO JUSTICE

"All three of us are on the journey with you on the march to justice and equality," said Edwards, who has promised to push on in the race despite distant third-place finishes in New Hampshire and Nevada.

The three Democratic contenders will meet in a debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, later on Monday night.

Across the street from the rally, about a dozen protesters held signs picturing the Confederate flag and reading "Yankee Go Home" and "The Flag Stays."

Neither party has established a clear front-runner in the race to pick the two candidates to contest the Nov. 4 election to succeed President George W. Bush, as the first major state-by-state battles produced multiple winners.

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who won Republican contests in Michigan and Nevada, also cited King's work during a campaign stop in Jacksonville, Florida.

"Sometime you think problems are huge and they're beyond the scope of anyone's ability to deal with them, but an individual of passion and courage and faith and character can help change an entire nation, as he did," Romney said.

He said fixing America's schools and encouraging people to get married before having babies would help those who face racial barriers.

"That's the great civil rights issue of our time, is making sure our inner-city schools are up to the task. And I think they fail way too many of our kids," he told reporters.

Romney is in a tight race in Florida with Arizona Sen. John McCain, who won last Saturday's Republican primary in South Carolina and earlier in New Hampshire, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won Iowa, and Giuliani.

Giuliani sat out the early voting states in order to concentrate on Florida in hopes it will propel him on to the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" voting in 22 states with fresh momentum.

McCain wooed Cuban-American voters in Miami and told that influential bloc of Republican voters that he would not lift the trade embargo on Cuba until it holds free elections.

Huckabee attended on Monday King's home church in Atlanta, Ebenezer Baptist Church, before heading to Florida. Obama spoke at the Atlanta church on Sunday.

(Additional reporting by Jason Szep and Tom Brown in Florida)

Armand Morin Sucks?

I received one more letter from Joel Comm and guest what, he is introducing a guy named Armand Morin. Is he really a great example on internet millionaires? Guest what, I search in google.com and found his website www.armandmorin.com . He is a well-known person in this online world gurus.

His profile :

Armand Morin started online in 1996 and is now one of the most recognized internet marketers in the world today. Prior to this he was the CEO and Co-Founder of Global Telecom International, Inc., which was acquired by American Nortel Corporation. Armand's online businesses have generated over $25 million in revenue. Each year Armand appears at live business trainings and seminars all over world, sharing the stage with other world famous marketers like Mark Victor Hansen, Jay Abraham, Dan Kennedy, and Jay Conrad Levinson. Armand is a prolific internet marketer with numerous internet products to his name, including Audio Generator, AutoResponder Generator, Directory Generator, eBook Generator, eCover Generator, FlashPal Generator, Focus Generator, Header Generator, Instant Video Generator, InstantPDF Generator, LinkCheck Generator, MultiTrack Generator, PopOver Generator, Psychological Tactics, and SalesLetter Generator.

Joel Comm Letter on Armand Morin :

It's a fact, people come and go online.

You'll see some people make it big for a
while, make a bunch of money but then they
seem to fade away.

It's a shame because if they just realized
how to turn one opportunity into another,
their business would grow considerably
faster.

One guy (who I'll mention in a minute) who
has done this went from a vacuum salesman to
a multi-millionaire and quickly became one of
the most recognized names in the marketing
industry.

Last year alone, his business pulled in over
$15 million dollars... and he took more time
off because he and his wife just had a baby!

Here's the key to this story...

This isn't one of those "one hit wonders".

This guy has been at the top of this industry
since 1996 - that's over 12 years of
continued online success.

There is a MAJOR reason I asked him to be one
of our exclusive faculty members for the Next
Internet Millionaire show.

He's got a well known track record.

He's sold millions of dollars online.

He runs the biggest seminar for the internet
marketing industry.

...PLUS...

He's helped thousands of people build their
dream business, and he can do the same for
you.

That's why I've asked him to join me for an
exclusive call on Tuesday night.

Please be warned...

This person has a tendency to hit people
right between the eyes with his information.

He's blunt and gets straight to the point.

I like that.

And if you are ok with that, then you'll really
enjoy what he has to say.

You can find a full outline of our agenda by
following the link below:

http://internetmarketingexplained.com/joel/

That is no doubt he is one of the successful one online!! But then i triggered one ads link saying that Armand Morin Internet Marketing sucks!what is it with this? Is it true or it just a guy who wanted to sell his product!! I am confused.Here some of it.

Internet Marketing Explained is NOT complete!

Your offer could rule the world but if you don't have visitors then no one will ever get a chance to find out. Your unbelievable offer will do nothing but collect dust and remain unnoticed.

And make money is only number of games: the more visitors you get, the more money you make.

So...

Where is the bigger market... online or offline? That's a silly question,
right? 12 years old child knows it... there's only 0.6 billion people online and there's more than 6.5 BILLION people offline -- so, why offline marketing is not revealed at all?

Because it's Gurus' "dirty" secret! Big names who make millions online use offline marketing strategies regularly.

Indians in Malaysiakini

Indians redundant in their own country

Yet another letter published in malaysiakini about Indians. Wrote by Meenachi Indian who claimed she is an intelligent person and full of others quality package but seems not getting what she really needs. I am triggered by it, maybe it was right by some facts she's stated in her letter about Indians, but then it was just a "letter". It was her opinion, and we does not know the actual story is.

Anyone can wrote a letter saying she/he had problems getting into University, scholarship,discriminate or what so ever. The main point is, maybe she's not really working towards what she want, maybe her attitude and perhaps her condition restraining her. There are always channel to get help, if she is so talented why don't just come to MIC and ask for the place she wanted. If she's that great, no doubt MIC will help her.While at jobs working she's also complaining favors on Indians employee. That is totally rubbish! I have been working in few company and I had met a lot of successful Indians. And you know what, that is not Indian dominated company. It proves that it is not your race, but it's your talent and hard work that employer looking for.

Last but not least I am not against any races. In fact, my best friend now even an Indian. I just love Malaysia as it is. 50 years of peace is good enough to prove that our country are well-built.

Below I attached the letter from Malaysiakini on Indians redundant in their own country.

I am an intelligent, resourceful and hardworking Indian Malaysian woman. Unfortunately I have had very little opportunity in life due to several factors beyond my control.

These factors include the sad fact that my family did not have the money or the connections to obtain a scholarship or a study loan for me to read medicine, law or dentistry.

If that wasn't bad enough, I belong to a country which has policies that discriminate me simply because my forefathers did not come from the Malay archipelago.

To add insult to injury, the private sector, in which I am employed, mostly favors races other than mine. Therefore, I can stand on my head and even roll over while somersaulting at work, but my employer may not even blink an eye.

What I am trying to say is that people like me have been rendered insignificant in our own motherland. Our country does not need us and we are told this over and over again in many subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle ways.

All the Indians in Malaysia can pack up and go live in Timbuktu tomorrow, and we probably wouldn't be missed at all. We are also not well-represented in the armed forces – in spite of having been the backbone of the air force and navy for many, many years after independence.

Believe me when I tell you that almost 85 percent of the pioneers in the Royal Malaysian Air Force were Indian Malaysians. The then Telecoms Department as well as National Electricity Board were also filled with Indian Malaysians, not forgetting KTM which was also maintained by Indians.

Indian Malaysians have also played a pivotal role in the country's development by building roads, railway tracks and bridges as well as carrying out janitorial duties through their jobs in the JKR and the various City Halls and municipalities.

We have also contributed tirelessly towards the nation's economy by breaking our backs in the many rubber estates for decades. We realise that times have changed and we can no longer expect things to be like what they were before.

We are not asking much other than some opportunities to help ourselves so that our community will not completely become insignificant in our motherland.

Indian Malaysians have now become the nation's weakest link and a majority of us, especially those whose forefathers had broken their backs for the nation, have become redundant in our own country. Please understand and acknowledge what's happening to us.

1/21/08

Lingam not speaking to Ahmad Fairuz?

However, Lingam or err .. (the man who looks and sounds like Lingam) denied that it was Ahmad Fairuz that he was talking to on the other end. Lingam came out with another revelation indeed!

“I don’t know who I was speaking to but certainly I wasn’t speaking to Ahmad Fairuz because I never had his mobile number and he didn’t have mine either.”

'It looks like me, it sounds like me'
However, he said Loh Mui Fah - the businessman whose son recorded the video during the dinner seven years ago - was never his client.
“He has never been my client. I can establish that. But his father was a client once. To the best of my recollection, I have not done legal work for him or acted as his lawyer at any time.” Lingam was then shown the full video clip. When asked whether he was the man in the video, he said: "It looks like me, it sounds like me." Deputy public prosecutor Nordin Hassan then reminded Lingam that previous witnesses had testified that it was him in the video.
"No matter what people, my answer is still the same - it looks like me, it sounds like me."
He said he would not go beyond this until the original video clip is produced.
"I have consulted my experts, and the only way to determine the truth is to examine the equipment that took the video and the original tape."

Lol! If I was Deputy public prosecutor Nordin Hassan, I wish to ask Lingam this "Are you drunk and mad, Lingam?" What will be Lingam's answer? Look no further.

Main Witness Lingam takes stand malaysiakini

Star witness Lingam takes the stand
breaking news updated 1.10pm The lawyer at the centre of the grainy video clip on judicial fixing, took the stand at 12.30pm today as the 13th witness at the royal commission tasked to investigate the tape. VK Lingam, the lawyer at the centre of the grainy video clip on judicial fixing, took the stand at 12.30pm today as the 13th witness at the royal commission tasked to investigate the tape.

	Lingam: It wasn't Ahmad Fairuz
	It looks like me, it sounds like me

Q&A: 'It looks like me, it sounds like me'
Lawyer VK Lingam is finally in the hot seat over his alleged role in brokering of judicial appointments. This is a transcript of his answers.VK Lingam, the lawyer said to be at the centre of the grainy video clip on alleged judicial fixing, had declined to confirm or deny his involvement ever since the explosive footage was revealed last September.

	'You can ask me 100 times'
	Loh just a 'social friend'

Lingam wants NZ holiday details expunged
breaking news The lawyer says that details of the 1994 trip, revealed by his holiday buddy ex-CJ Eusoff Chin, were not relevant to the inquiry.Lawyer VK Lingam is attempting to expunge all evidence tendered at the royal commission of inquiry on the New Zealand holiday in 1994 taken together by the lawyer and the former chief justice Eusoff Chin.

	Submissions tomorrow at 2.30pm
	Eusoff grilled on itinerary

Video maker confirms recording clip
breaking news updated 11.35am Loh Gwo Burne arrived at the Jalan Duta court this morning, carrying a file and a yellow pouch, believed to be containing the camera he had used to record the Lingam tape.The man who who recorded the controversial 14-minute video on judicial fixing took the stand today as the 12th witness before the royal commission of inquiry into the Lingam tape.

	I was the one who recorded video
	Heated exchange in courtroom

News on Malaysiakini

Video maker testifies before panel
breaking news updated 10.40am Loh Gwo Burne arrived at the Jalan Duta courts this morning, carrying a file and a yellow pouch, believed to be containing the camera he had used to record the Lingam tape.The man who who recorded the controversial 14-minute video on judicial fixing took the stand today as the 12 witness before the royal commission of inquiry into the Lingam tape.

	Father, son had dinner with Lingam
	Loh currently working in Shanghai

Mahathir 'mudah lupa'
The way he answered most of the questions clearly shows that he's very evasive person and that he has a lot of things to hide.

	Judges destroyed
	Eusoff is lying

Ben: This Mahathir guy should be made to account for his actions. He can’t say that he ‘doesn’t have to explain to anybody’ at a royal commission especially when a serious crime has been committed. What a recalcitrant. They should cite him for contempt. But then again, I presume the law only applies to the weak and the poor.

Onmumartin: I am terribly disgusted with our ex-PM for his very evasive response to the royal commission of inquiry. He doesn't seem to live up to his accountability of being an ex-PM and now a ‘Tun’.

He promised to cooperate with the commission of inquiry. But by the way he answers most of the questions, it clearly shows that he's very evasive person and that he has a lot of things to hide.

What does he mean by he ‘doesn't remember? Ask him whether he remembers he was the ex-PM? Don't tell me he is going to say, ‘I am not sure, I cannot remember’. Does he think that Malaysians are idiots or what? I might not have the title of ‘Tun’ but I am certainly not a ‘Nut’.

Nirmala Naidu: Its obvious Eusoff is lying. Too much of a coincidence. How can Lingam go to a foreign country without an itinerary? On a week-long trip, surely the tour company would have planned a whole itinerary. Who is Eusoff kidding? He is making a fool of himself .

Mohamed Sultan: What happened to the Legal Services Commission which used to appoint judges? Who abolished it? It should be resuscitated. The Great Dictator Mahathir meddled with Articles 121 and 131 and he amended almost all the articles that led to the collapse of the judiciary.

Maha also destroyed a number of judges. See the way Maha answered the commission - as he is not answerable to any body because he is still a dictator.

The present enquiry commission should recommend that the Legal Services Commission as it was originally when we got independence should be reinstated. Then all appointment of judges should be by the commission - not by the chief justice.

Source : Malaysiakini.com

PM MIC and Thaipusam Malaysiakini

Thousands at MIC's 'evening with PM'
The large turnout at the event, according to MIC, proves that the Indian community is solidly behind Barisan Nasional.Thousands of Indian Malaysians packed the Cheras badminton stadium in Kuala Lumpur in a show of support for Barisan Nasional (BN) and MIC this evening.

	Thousands attend an 'evening with PM'
	Samy: Only MIC can

PM offers olive branch with Thaipusam holiday
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declared a popular Hindu festival a public holiday, in an olive branch to the ethnic Indian community following months of dissent.Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declared a popular Hindu festival a public holiday, in an olive branch to the ethnic Indian community following months of dissent.

	'Work hard and vote hard'
	LiM: Much more needed

Every year without fail, the 114-year-old silver chariot undergoes cleaning and polishing one month before the Thaipusam festival begins.

Managing trustee of the Nattukotai Chettiar Temple Trustees Datuk N. Ramanathan said yesterday A. Veerapathiran, 73, and his two sons V. Kajendrakumar, 39, and V. Sugumar, 38, have started cleaning and polishing the chariot housed in a shed opposite the Kovil Veedu (Temple House) in Penang Street.


Shining bright: The 114-year-old silver chariot which will bear Lord Muruga getting a clean-up before its annual journey to the temple.

Veerapathiran has been carrying out the task for the past 40 years without any charge, as he considers it a service to God.

Ramanathan said a special prayer to Lord Muruga would be conducted at Kovil Veedu at 2am on Jan 21, before the deity was placed on the chariot.

The chariot is expected to leave the Kovil Veedu on its journey to the Nattukotai Chettiar Temple in Waterfall Road at 6am.

The 7.3m-high chariot was brought by ship from India in 1894, and was made of wood and is silver-plated.

The Chettiar community here commissioned for the silver chariot after the original wooden chariot started showing signs of decay.

The new chariot parts, made in Karaikudi, India, arrived here in different shipments and were assembled locally.

The wooden chariot was subsequently “sold” to a Lord Muruga temple in Medan, Indonesia.

Ramanathan said a VCD featuring the significance and importance of the Thaipusam festival with a voice-over done in English and Mandarin would be available by end of the year.

“We produced one in Tamil in 2005 but found the need to do it in English and Mandarin for the benefit of non-Tamil speaking devotees,” he said.

He said among others, the one-hour documentary touched on the rituals and prayers that began one month before Thaipusam.

1/20/08

Anwar Ibrahim and chameleon

One letter that i feel interesting to share about Anwar Ibrahim.Taken from Malaysiakini. No offence but i'm just one of the reader and not exactly 100% agreed what this writer wrote about Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar Ibrahim claim that he is not a politician who can change colours in a jiffy depending on the situation is debatable. During his heyday, the former premier’s decisions and actions were questionable but now that he is out of power, he seems to be singing a different tune. Six years in the slammer due to trumped-up charges might have made him a changed man. We should at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

‘Karma Chameleon’, the song made famous by Boy George and Culture Club in 1983 is the right phrase to describe our present government leaders. These so-called leaders will say one thing but do anything, including lying through their teeth, to get away with misdeeds exposed in public. They will change colours to suit the situation and will say different things to different crowds. Most of the time, their words does not match their deeds. They have no principles and will bend the country’s rules and laws to become rich instantly.

Anwar happens to be the opposition’s torchbearer to become Malaysia’s fifth prime minister if the opposition manages to dislodge the present regime at the coming polls. But that is a tall order as our government is made up of the same parties since independence. They are entrenched in our political scene and will not be easily replaced.

We are not a mature nation like other First World nations such as the US, the UK or Australia where governments can change hands after general elections without hitches.

Considering that nearly 50,000 people showed up for Anwar’s speech in Alor Star, it makes us wonder if the winds of change are blowing there too. After all, Kedah, Penang and Selangor has been identified as ‘hot spots’ where the ruling parties might lose big in the coming polls due people’s dissatisfaction towards government policies which affect their rice bowls.

The Malay community has already made their voices heard during the Bersih rally regarding election irregularities. The Indian community voiced their grievances at the Hindraf rally about the abject poverty amongst the poor and downtrodden Indians in this country. Even the Chinese are grumbling that business is bad nowadays with more businesses closing down due to the poor economic climate and foreign investors venturing to other places with better business environment.

Heaven knows how the ruling parties are going to face the people at the coming general elections. Issues of endemic corruption and price increases have incurred the anger of voters.

Even with all the government machinery and a one-sided Election Commission at their disposal, the ruling parties might lose big if Anwar can marshal crowds to the opposition side in the coming polls.

That will the present regime’s worst nightmare. But they will use every trick in the book to secure victory in the coming polls. But it is anybody’s guess as to who people will vote for. It will be interesting to see if Pak Lah has to make way for others if he loses big.

If this happens, the question is who will replace him as premier? Will it be the present deputy prime minister or the former deputy premier? Who says Malaysian politics is dull?

Malaysiakini Sunday 20 Jan Headlines

Fatal fall: Teachers blamed of inaction
A boy who rushed to the aid of K Yashovan after his fatal fall tells Suhakam commissioner N Siva Subramaniam what happened on that day. “Why did you bring him here?”
This was one of the questions allegedly posed by a teacher to a student who rushed to the aid of 15-year-old K Yashovan after his fatal fall in school last Tuesday.

	'Teachers did nothing for a long time'
	'He was a good student'

Nation gearing up for general election: reports
Abdullah's nationwide tours, along with an upcoming meeting tomorrow of all BN leaders and another on Tuesday with heads of Umno are seen as evidence of election preparations.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has started a new round of nationwide tours, according to reports Sunday, in the clearest indication yet that national elections are imminent.

	PM remains tight-lipped
	Rising public anger

JPJ Online licence renewal

Few drivers realise that they can renew their driving licences online without having to leave the comfort of their homes.

And for a small fee, they can even have their licence renewal slip delivered to them by registered mail or courier.

With few knowing about the facility available on the Road Transport Department's (JPJ) website since April last year, the response to the online renewal service has been poor.

JPJ director-general Datuk Ahmad Mustapha Abdul Rashid said only 687 people renewed their licences online so far, way short of the 1,000-driver target expected in the first year of implementation. Every year, some seven million motorist renew their licences.

“Maybe it is because it has not been promoted enough by the e-services (concessionaires).

“But hopefully things will pick up. Malaysians are a bit sceptical at first (about new technology), but later on they will accept and use it, like on-line banking,” he told The Star.

He also added that there were 11 million Competent Driver’s Licence (CDL) holders in the country.

Drivers' may renew their CDL by accessing the JPJ website at www.jpj.gov.my, and clicking on the CDL Renewal Online link.

Applicants need to provide the usual personal particulars, such as their MyKad number, licence expiry date and their mobile phone number.

Via the online form, they can choose to renew their licences from one to five years, as well as decide on how they would like to collect and pay for the renewal slip.

The fee remain the same – a renewal fee of RM30 per year and a processing fee of RM2. Drivers who want their licences delivered to them will be charged a small delivery fee between RM5 and RM10, depending on location.

Those who do not want the renewal slip may head to any state JPJ branch to upload the renewal information into their MyKad.

Applicants can also choose to collect their renewal slip from one of the many e-service centres in the country, which are operated by e-services concessionaires MyEG Services Bhd and mySPEED Sdn Bhd. Payment can be made via credit card, or electronic online payment systems such as e-cash and e-debit.

Ahmad Mustapha assured users that the system was secure and reliable.

“So far, I haven’t heard anything about the system going down. And it is safe to provide your financial details. There have been no complaints,” he said.

By renewing their licences online, drivers will no longer have to worry about forgetting to renew their licences in future, as the system will send a reminder via SMS to the mobile phone number provided.

Now Wikipedia has a rival to compete

Knol - Wikipedia's Rival
By Mikhail Tuknov (c) 2008

There's a new kid on the online block named Knol and even this early in the development stage, some people are already predicting that it could bring about yet another significant change to the way we share information on the Internet.

Knol is a new Web service being developed by Google that is meant to serve as a virtual storehouse of knowledge on the Internet. With content being contributed by various experts on different topics, it will behave much in the same way that Wikipedia does currently. In fact many industry experts have made the suggestion that Knol is set to become a direct competitor to Wikipedia and other similar types of web sites.

Google is of course the go to web site as far as search engines go, being the most popular search engine web site today by far. If Knol is as successful in drawing a widespread following as the developers hope, it could bring about the Google's transition from a search engine into a company that creates and publishes Web content.

Some industry observers warn that one problem that could potentially arise is that Google's objectivity in presenting search results could be compromised.

Knol – the name of which is derived from the word "knowledge" – is being developed to allow people to create Web pages on virtually any topic. When completed, it will include several features that will allow its users the ability to perform a number of tasks, such as submitting comments, rating individual web pages and suggesting changes.

We mentioned earlier in this article that Knol has been compared to Wikipedia by many industry analysts. While there are in fact many similarities between the two web services, the main difference is that Wikipedia allows virtually anyone to edit an entry while Knol only allows the author of each particular "knol," – which is what the individual pages in the service will be called – to do so. This means that the same topics could have many different authors with sometimes contrasting – or even competing – points of view.

Google has stated that the main thrust of the Knol project was to focus attention on authors who have sufficient expertise on particular topics. As vice president for engineering at Google Udi Manber wrote in the Google corporate blog recently, the Internet has evolved largely without the benefit of a standardized means to highlight the author's name on each web article. He goes on to say that the company believes that knowing who wrote a particular web article will considerably aid users make better use of the Internet and its various content.

Manber also stated that another important goal of Knol was to cover a wide range of topics, from the various sciences to health concerns to history. Eventually they hope to have Knol become the first stop for research on any topic. Today it is Wikipedia that provides that function and its web pages show up at the top of the results page of Google and many other search engines more often than not.

Some in the industry have suggested that this latest move of Google is driven by the unprecedented growth of web sites that combine knowledge resources such as Wikipedia, and that Google feels the need to have a strong presence in that particular area.

Wikipedia is by no means the only web site that offers that type of service. Many other companies have taken slightly different approaches in functioning as knowledge repositories on various topics on the Internet. These services include Squidoo, Yahoo Answers, About.com and Mahalo.

In spite of the widespread popularity of these services – as well as the existence of many free tools that allow experts and regular people the means by which they can share their knowledge online – Manber said that Google feels that it is still not easy enough for the average user to do those things.

Interestingly, considering all the hype and excitement that is currently surrounding the news of Knol's existence, Google has refrained from discussing the project any further than these initial details, and have even said that it is still an experimental project at this time. This means that just like many other Google tests that never saw the light of day, Knol could end up never even being released publicly at all.

As for Wikipedia, site founder Jimmy Wales has downplayed his site's comparison with Knol, saying that while Wikipedia's goal is utmost objectivity in its content, with each individual article being the sum total of the collective knowledge of its various authors, Knol's model will likely result in highly opinionated and possible even contradictory articles on even the simplest of topics.

Another important distinction is that Wikipedia is a strictly non-profit web site that does not carry any type of advertising, while Knol is a decidedly more commercial venture, with its content authors earning revenue from any Google ads on their site.

Editor's Note: Currently, Knol is accessible by Google invitation only. Some additional information on Knol can be found at::

Google
Mashable.com
blogoscoped.com
Google Blog

MalaysiaKini and Korean Scandal

I read this letter from malaysiakini and thinking posting it here.

I sniggered with amusement when I read that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor to deal with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) regarding the ‘Korean scandal’. Isn’t that like asking the wolf to deal with the farmers on why so many goats have been missing from the farm?

The PM might as well have come out openly and said that he wants the matter closed for good as it is damaging our nation’s image. That would have been a quicker option, but then again, elections are around the corner and so diplomacy has to take centre stage and a cover-up has to look at least semi-authentic.

Everyone in the industry knows that mega-bucks spent on advertising campaigns have long been a ‘modus operandi’ of the corrupt to siphon funds into personal accounts. This has been happening for a long time both in the private and government sectors. The bigger the advertising budget, the greater the hanky-panky.

No prizes for guessing the size of the annual advertising budget of our Tourism Ministry. Guess what was the budget for the recent Visit Malaysia campaign? Many can’t even count that high but just take a look at the poor quality of the advertising campaigns.

Two companies that come to mind for mega-advertising budgets are Malaysia Airlines (during the former management) and Telekom Malaysia, the later which recently undertook a full-scale brand/ advertising campaign. Basically, TM spent hundreds of millions of ringgit to change their corporate colour from blue to orange. Of course, senior management was very pleased with the colour change.

Corruption is at the core of every aspect of Malaysian life. Corruption in advertising and promotions runs into the hundreds of millions each year. The Korean scandal is only a drop in the ocean.

Over the last few weeks, the Toursim Ministry awarded more Advertising & Promotion contracts to some advertising companies for exorbitant amounts. Many of these companies are unknown in the advertising fraternity and would not be able to secure any contracts in an ethical society. Mr Prime Minister, maybe we can put another wolf to check on these contracts awarded?

What do you think about this letter?Any comments?

The Star lingam case

BY CECIL FUNG

KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the video clip purportedly showing a senior lawyer brokering the appointment of judges’ appointments, had a busy week, with key personalities turning up to give evidence.

There was former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Chief Justice Tun Eusoff Chin, former Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Osman, and Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

Before they spoke, businessman Loh Mui Fah - one of the two persons featured in the video clip - confirmed that it was Datuk V.K. Lingam in the video and that his son Gwo Burne had filmed it.

But there were disappointments when some witnesses repeated the safe and much-used phrase of “I don’t know” or “I can’t remember.”

Expectations skyrocketed when Dr Mahathir’s lawyer Tunku Sofiah Jewa told the commission that he would answer all questions regardless of whether they were relevant to the terms of reference of the inquiry.

But when it came to the crunch, those in the packed courtroom, and other Malaysians eagerly following the proceedings, felt short-changed.

Dr Mahathir and Tengku Adnan swiftly denied all the allegations in the video clip that involved them, but it was the former who bore the brunt of criticisms when he could not remember many details he was asked about.

The Malaysian Youth Secretariat even took a swipe at him by holding up placards outside the court complex here the following day that read “Mahathir mudah lupa (Mahathir easily forgets)”, an obvious reference to the phrase “Melayu mudah lupa (Malays easily forget)” that the former PM had famously coined.

As for Tengku Adnan, the fact that he did not take any action after he had seen the video clip is something to ponder about, especially since he thought the man in the video clip, whom he identified as Datuk V.K. Lingam, was “drunk or mad.”

He must have had very good reasons not to do so since – as rightly pointed out by commissioner Datuk Mahadev Shankar – the imputation in the video clip was that the Tourism Minister had breached the Official Secrets Act.

However, things were slightly different for Eusoff who, despite denying the allegations concerning him in the clip, still ended up in a tight spot.

Being in the witness stand was probably the most unfamiliar position that he has been in.

His personal life was suddenly put under scrutiny as the Malaysian Bar grilled him on his relationship with Lingam whom he said he had met in 1990, when the latter handled a case in his court.

On one hand, Eusoff said he was “not extremely close” to Lingam but on the other, he admitted to allowing him to tag along on his New Zealand holiday in December 1994.

A press statement he issued in 2000, which was tendered to the commission, also raised some eyebrows.

“When the man puts his hand on your shoulder, you can’t simply shove it aside,” he was quoted as saying.

But in a photograph tendered by the Bar on Friday showing Eusoff, Lingam and their spouses during that holiday, an interesting placement of hands was observed.

As the testimony got more intense, the commission halted the proceedings to allow the former Chief Justice to appoint a counsel to represent him.

The proceedings enter its second and final week tomorrow. Among the “star” witnesses will be Gwo Burne, the “maker” of the video clip, Lingam himself, and two unidentified persons who had offered to give evidence.

Former Chief Justices Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim (the person who is alleged to be having the phone conversation with the man in the video clip) and Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, and tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan are also on the witness list.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also listed, has expressed his desire to testify first tomorrow as he will be going abroad on Wednesday, while the status of V. Thirunama Karasu, Lingam’s brother, as a witness has yet to be determined by the commission.

More answers are expected from the proceedings, particularly on Eusoff’s relationship with Lingam, when the former Chief Justice resumes his testimony.

But the real question that begs to be answered is this: How did the man in the video clip know about details privy only to the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice?

The Star Evolution of Proton saga

New Proton saga model ranging price from RM31,500 to RM39,998!!! As i posted earlier showing the saga BLM interior,but yet the price still unofficially launched. Now proton has named the price! I bet it has to be the finest sale for proton design. Maybe it may shoot to be the highest sale ever for proton?Just wait and see..

Related post :

Hot New Proton Saga BLM (Overview with picture)

New chapter for the rakyat’s car

First National Car Reborn

KUALA LUMPUR: After 23 years as the original Proton model and easily the national carmaker’s most recognisable car, the Proton Saga has progressed to the next generation.

Launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi here yesterday, the new Saga four-door family sedan contains many of the out-going model’s well-appreciated features, namely affordability, a spacious boot and low-cost of ownership.

Five variants of the new Saga in three trim levels of entry, base and medium lines, and options of four-speed automatic and five-speed manual transmissions are offered with on-the-road prices ranging from RM31,500 to RM39,998.

It's good: Abdullah giving the thumbs-up after launching the new Proton Saga at the KL Convention Centre on Friday. Looking are (left) Proton Holdings Bhd chairman Datuk Mohamed Azlan Hashim and Proton Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

Attractive model: People having a closer look at the new Saga at a showroom in Mutiara Damasara, Petaling Jaya, on Friday.

“It is a car designed from the beginning, as the vehicle for the masses, a rakyat’s car,” Proton Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said at a media briefing earlier.

“With such pricing and value for money proposition, anyone who earns about RM1,300 a month can afford the new Saga,” he said.

With the launch of the new Saga, Syed Zainal Abidin said the company was bidding farewell to “a very grand and dear old lady of Proton – the original Saga.

The original Saga was launched in July 1985 and more than 1.2 million units have been sold since.

Syed Zainal Abidin also noted that around 38% of the new Saga’s pre-launch customers were Chinese, indicating that Proton had gained the confidence of more Chinese buyers.

He said the Chinese usually accounted for between 10% and 15% of Proton owners.

The model comes with a service interval of 10,000km for lower cost of maintenance and something that will help give owners more peace of mind – a three-year warranty plus the option to extend it a further two years.

The new Saga claims a fuel consumption of 6 and 6.3 litre per 100km at a constant speed of 90kph for the manual and automatic variants respectively.

The Star-Reminder from Pak Lah

Embrace knowledge or risk being left behind, says Abdullah

By CHRISTINA CHIN

PENANG: Malaysia has no other option but to move “forward and outward” if the country is to progress.

To do that, the country must embrace knowledge or risk being left behind, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said when opening the RM40mil Wawasan Open University (WOU) campus yesterday.

“It is crucial to develop our human capital. That is one of our national missions.

“Human capital development should not just be aimed at primary, secondary and tertiary school students but also at working adults who want to continue studying and those who never had the opportunity to do so when they were younger.

“Indeed, education is the key and every Malaysian must have access to knowledge so that they can contribute to the country’s growth,” he said, adding that learning institutions must “add value” to their programmes and improve their learning environment in order to produce quality human capital.

“Besides providing good education, universities must also produce citizens who celebrate and value our multi-ethnic society.

“That will give us the confidence to tell the world Malaysia Boleh! and to ensure continuous future development we can all be proud of,” he said.

The premier also expressed “a thousand thanks” to those who contributed to the establishment of WOU – the country’s first private, non-profit open distance learning university.

“WOU council chairman Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said to me: ‘Pak Lah, you gave something to Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting for TAR College, so you must also support WOU’.

“I told him not to worry – I will support any effort if it is for something good. So I gave WOU RM20mil.

“When Dr Lim invited me to open the university, I did not hesitate – not because I wanted to make him happy but because I wanted to thank him for his effort in setting up a ‘people’s university’ that is affordable and open to everyone,” he said.

Later at a press conference, Abdullah said construction of the second Penang bridge was “progressing” and that work was never stopped.

Those present included Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Dr Lim and chancellor Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu.

The Star - PM mulls over holiday for Thaipusam

PM mulls over holiday for Thaipusam

By SHAHANAAZ SHER HABIB and MARTIN CARVALHO

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pledged to the Indian community yesterday that he would consider declaring Thaipusam a national holiday.

The Prime Minister said the annual festival, which falls on Wednesday this year, was nearing and the community was filled with expectations.

Addressing a Ponggal Festival (Tamil New Year) event at Bukit Bintang here last night, Abdullah said he understood and appreciated the meaning of a poem read out earlier by an Indian participant, who called for Thaipusam to be made a holiday.

Part of the poem read:

Sambutan Thaipusam semakin dekat

Warga menanti pengumuman cuti

(Thaipusam is nearing,

The people are awaiting news of a holiday)

The Prime Minister, in a pantun-style reply of his own, said he would have a meeting before making a decision.

“I have to hold a meeting before a decision can be made. I promise you, I’ll consider it,” he added.

Thaipusam is currently a holiday in Selangor, Penang, Perak, Negri Sembilan and Johor.

Lone term target foreign workers employment

Government plans drastic cut in number of foreign workers

THE Government is planning a drastic reduction in the number of foreign workers in the country, with at least 200,000 likely to be sent home by next year.

Home Affairs Ministry secretary-general Datuk Raja Azahar Raja Abdul Manap said there were now some 2.02mil foreign workers, with approvals for 200,000 arrivals this year.

> The target: To cut the number down to 1.8million by next year and 1.5million by 2015.

> The objective: To reduce the country's dependency on foreign labour; to prioritise jobs for locals.

> Measures to be taken: All unskilled foreign workers will not have their work permits extended if they have been in the country for five years or more; skilled workers have up to a maximum of 10 years; and enforcement staff strength tripled

> Industries given priority: construction, manufacturing and plantation.

> Domestic maids: No limit to length of stay. But eligibility of employers may be raised from income of RM3,000 to RM5,000.

Malaysia Foreign labour

Getting strict on foreign labour

By LEANNE GOH and JOSEPH LOH

PUTRAJAYA: Reduced dependency on foreign workers and more and better paying jobs for the locals.

With these objectives in mind, the Government will go all out to reduce the number of foreign workers in the country with set targets and strict enforcement of Home Affairs Ministry regulations.

By reducing the number of foreign workers in many of the industries, employers will be forced to hire local workers at “reasonable” salaries.

“We are going to re-look at the policy of managing foreign workers in this country. We have a total of 2.3 million foreign workers, students and expatriates and short-term workers from southern Thailand; we want to lower (the number) to the 2006 figure of 1.8 million,” ministry secretary-general Datuk Raja Azahar Raja Abdul Manap told Sunday Star.

The ministry's target is 1.8 million foreign workers by next year and 1.5 million by 2015. However, it faces a dilemma because it has approved applications from employers last year to bring in 200,000 foreign workers this year.

The ministry also has consider the manpower needs of the Government’s development projects such as the Iskandar Development Region and the Northern Corridor Economic Region.

Only three industries – construction, manufacturing and plantations – that are heavily dependent on foreign workers because locals do not want to work in them will be exempted from the strict measures.

“For others like the service industry (hotel, restaurants, petrol stations, cleaning services, etc) and agriculture, we will come down hard.”

For a start, effective now, said Raja Azahar, the ministry would not approve the work permit of any foreign worker who has been in the country for five years or more.

This alone could reduce the number of foreign workers by 200,000 this year.

“In the employment contract, the permit is for 3+1+1. After three years, we allow annual extensions. We were liberal in the past, but now we will be very strict.”

To ensure compliance and to weed out illegal workers, the ministry has received approval in principal to beef up its enforcement officers from 1,500 to close to 5,000 to be set up as inspectorate teams, each covering specific industries.

He said skilled workers could work in the country for a maximum of 10 years but they must have qualifications recognised by the Government.

“We have been lax with the ruling to allow employers to cut costs with cheaper foreign labour but now, they have to turn to locals and pay a reasonable salary based on supply and demand,” he added.

It was reported recently that foreigners took up 20% of the 200,000-300,000 new jobs created last year, especially in the labour sector, according to the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER). .

Domestic help, however, is one sector that may be affected in the effort to reduce foreign workers.

“We are looking into the possibility that only those who earn more than RM5,000 a month (currently RM3,000) be allowed to employ foreign maids. This issue is still being studied by the Economic Planning Unit.

“At the same time, we are talking to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to assist in the setting up of child-minding centres that employ foreigners, so we can reduce dependency on domestic maids,” said Raja Azahar.

WidgetBucks New Evolution Ad Network?

Recently i found lots of campaign on widgetbucks.com. It was a new (maybe new for me not for anyone else) ads network. It looks good, and maybe i'll try pasting on my site few ads after approve by the widgetbucks team.

Now i already join how many eh ads network.Maybe i need to list down all of it. Here it is :

1)Google ads
2)Bidvertiser ads
3)Nuffnang ads
4)Adbrite Ads

5)Chitika Malls JOIN HERE

Here are some testimonial from Joel Comm about widgetbucks.com i received from him. He even promoted his new secrets 30 pages e-book on widgetbucks.com ads network. As usual he always with the revealed secret, but maybe worth it to try. Who know maybe it suits you??

Letter from Joel Comm

I love quick and easy changes that make a significant difference.

A few months back, I learned of a contextual advertising service that was compatible with Google AdSense.

It took me less than 15 minutes to place their code on my pages.

In my first month, I made an additional $1000 just from that fifteen minutes.

Not bad!

And it gets better...

1/19/08

Revealed New Zealand and lingam case

ABOVE: For Mahathir on Day 5 at the Jalan Duta Courts
Former Ch Tun Eusoff Chin was a confused man on Day 5 of the RCI. He came unrepresented and was subjected to a barrage of questions until the commissioners advised him to get a lawyer. He seems to contradict himself about Lingam tagging along. He said it was first in Changi airport (see NST Below) but in the interview report by Rais Yatim (7 years ago) they met at the NZ Zoo.

His lapse in memory is also astounding. Knowing someone for so long, he claimed he cannot recognize Lingam in the Video Clip but “sounds like him” only.

And the trutht will come when Lingam's bother will testify of the “closeness” between Lingam & Eusoff Chin

2008/01/18

Lingam "tagged along" with me to New Zealand: Ex-Chief Justice

ABOVE & BELOW: Former CJ Tun Eusoff Chin a confused and evasive man on Day 5 of the R C I. Came unrepresented and told to get a lawyer; contradicts himself under a barrage of questioning from the Bar representative & other counsel

By : Anis Ibrahim; NST; KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18:

Former chief justice Tun Eusoff Chin claimed lawyer Datuk V. K. Lingam “tagged along with me” from Singapore to New Zealand and back while the judge was on holiday in 1994. Giving evidence before the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam video clip, Eusoff said he had “accidentally bumped into” Lingam at Singapore’s Changi Airport. “I went on holiday with my wife and two children in December 1994 and at the airport, I bumped into him,” he said yesterday. “He asked me where I was going and he said he wanted to tag along. I cannot help it if people want to follow me, I cannot control that.” Counsel for the Malaysian Bar Ranjit Singh had earlier tendered a newspaper clipping of The Sun dated June 7, 2000 on a photograph which had been circulating then on the internet. The photograph showed Eusoff, Lingam and their respective wives together in New Zealand. “Based on your travel itinerary, you spent three to four days in Auckland. Did V.K. Lingam tag along the whole time you were in Auckland?” Ranjit asked. “Yes,” Eusoff replied.

Former top judge grilled on overseas trip with Lingam

R. Surenthira Kumar; theSUN

ABOVE & BELOW: The two families caught Holidaying together in NZ - 1994

Superman Faizal Tahir Banned??

Apart from banning the Faizal Tahir the three months, local station 8TV was also similarly punished by being prohibited from broadcasting any live or delayed telecast concerts for the same duration.It was a disaster huh. I posted earlier about Faizal Tahir concert and also include the picture attached previously.You can go here for more picture and info referring to my previous link HERE. I hope this will open up everybody eyes that these kind of act are prohibited. Even though i think that it was totally against my opinion. Like i said before, it was just a young talented boy who adore superman, and he tend to make it look real and stylish, that's all. As for me, give him a chance, but it just my 10 cent opinion huhu.

BERSEDIA UNTUK TERBANG - MALAYSIA's SUPERMAN

Malaysiakini Bulletin news

Umno leaders barred from leaving country
Umno leaders are to make sure that their members do not leave the country until the general election is over in order to ensure the party is at full strength during election preparation.In yet another obvious sign that snap polls would be called soon, Umno has barred all its party office bearers from leaving the country to prepare for the upcoming polls.

	Radzi: Conduct courses locally
	Division heads to meet PM

Dr M & Eusoff: Competing in selective amnesia?
A keen-eyed opposition leader points out the number of times Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Eusoff Chin has said “I don’t remember” or an equivalent, during the Lingam tape inquiry.Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang is unconvinced that former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former Chief Justice Eusoff Chin could be so forgetful during the ongoing Lingam tape inquiry.

	Can Dr M write a memoir?
	'Look closely at NZ photos'

Khir in dark over cultural centre proposal
The Selangor state government says the delay in the setting up of the RM20 million Hindu Cultural Centre in Batu Caves was due to the lack of initiative by the Indian community.The Selangor state government has blamed the Indian community’s lack of initiative for the delay in implementing the Hindu Cultural Centre project in Batu Caves.

	Temple committee slow
	Opposition's usual tactic

Ace student: MIC college cheated me
An electrical engineering student says his future is bleak after Tafe College failed to inform him that the degree programme he was doing was not recognised by the national accreditation board.A MIC-run community college has been accused of misleading its students by not revealing that one of its popular degree programmes is not recognised by the government.

	No help from Samy Vellu
	Defaulting study loans

Penang gears up for a trouble-free Thaipusam
A recent meeting held by a Penang Hindu organisation managed to round up all Indian gangs in the state and elicit pledges from them of a fight-free celebrations next week.There is hope in the air that the Thaipusam festival next week will be celebrated in Penang without the usual gang fights between rival Hindu youths.

	Community unity a bigger cause
	Banning the sale of alcohol proposed

'Korean scandal': No irregularities, says minister
The Tourism Ministry has cleared two of its officers embroiled in an embezzlement scandal after an internal probe.The Tourism Ministry is convinced that its two officers allegedly involved in a scam in South Korea did not do anything that was against ministry procedure.

	'According to procedure'
	ACA unclear on some issues

Police probe alleged misuse of Hindraf funds
Deputy police chief Ismail Omar said police had received a report that the money, about RM700,000, meant for the families of those arrested, had been misused.The police are investigating supporters of Indian rights group Hindraf for allegedly misusing several hundred thousand ringgit in donation funds, a report said today.

	Hindraf coordinator: Inflated figures
	Report lodged against legal adviser

1/18/08

Hot New Proton Saga BLM

Introducing a new PROTON SAGA BLM. Some people claim it was look alike MERCEDEZ C-CLASS from the back part. I am sure this is one of the best PROTON design. This will be the main attracting factor for people to purchase PROTON SAGA BLM BARU. However after screening the picture the interiors looks lame to me same as other Malaysian design.Some people even said it looks cheap.Is that true?Of course the price is not that big compare to MERCEDEZ C-CLASS. But to drive away a lokk a like MERCEDEZ BENZ C-CLASS for RM35k is certainly a good bargain, don’t you think? It’s due to launch in the next few weeks. I was a bit too late to buy a new car cause already bought one and it still new shining stylish car ever hehe.

PROTON SAGA BLM BARU MACAM MERCEDEZ BENZ

THE TAIL LIGHTS ARE VERY SIMILAR TO MERCEDEZ BENZ C-CLASS

MERCEDEZ BENZ C CLASS PROTON SAGA BLM TEMPAHAN

MERCEDEZ BENZ C-CLASS..SEE THE RESEMBLANCE!

PROTON SAGA BLM BARU MACAM MERCEDEZ BENZ

PROTON SAGA BLM BARU MACAM MERCEDEZ BENZ rupa bentuk

INTERIOR OF PROTON SAGA BLM BARU

BAHAGIAN DALAM PROTON SAGA BLM BARU

MARKETING BROCHURE OF NEW PROTON SAGA BASE LINE MODEL

Faizal Tahir is Superman OIAM

Faizal Tahir is Superman?I bet everyone know this guy, from the OIAM One in A Million first season. Good voice, full of strength that's how I describe him. Controversial to controversial attacking him recently all together with his popularity. But as for me, he just want to feel his own show. Who care as long as he did not open his pans?Even the international singer "bukak everything" our media and fans still the big fan "kipas susah mati" and give them the 1st class treat. Come on, give him a break. He's just a shining young talented singer who just adore superman .That's all.

SUPERMAN RETURNS - FAIZAL TAHIR TANGGAL BAJU DI KONSERT

MALAYSIA’s SUPERMAN READY TO SAVE THE WORLD - FAIZAL TAHIR..PERHAPS IT COULD BE PUT TO GOOD USE IF HE COULD FIND SHARLINIE MOHD NASYAR, THE MISSING GIRL!! Hmmh..Perhaps the community service punishment that he got from 8TV may be used to head the search for SHARLINIE.. That my friend is the true quality of a superman!!

The hot story this week, apart from GAMBAR ZARINA ANN JULIE BERBOGEL DAN BERGAMBAR LUCAH, was about FAIZAL TAHIR, a product of NTV7’s reality show, ONE IN A MILLION. Is he really one in a million in MALAYSIA? Yes I guess so, considering his controversial act during 8TV anniversary concert at Central Park Avenue, One Utama. The only one MALAYSIAN ever who took off a top during a show. Dikatakan, persembahannya yang sungguh masyuk, sehingga FAIZAL MENANGGALKAN BAJUNYA.. Aksi ini sememangnya dirancang oleh FAIZAL. In fact FAIZAL TAHIR adalah seorang SUPERMAN tidak rasmi MALAYSIA. He’s the product ambassador of D.C. Comics. As such it’s expected he will strip to become aSUPERMAN and save the world.

BERSEDIA UNTUK TERBANG - MALAYSIA's SUPERMAN

BERSEDIA UNTUK TERBANG..UP AND AWAY….

So far, the only person that I know who can fly in MALAYSIA is KABER HERO KABER ZERO.. But definitely Kaber does not need to sing a song first before he can fly. He flies whenever he feels like flying.

KABER HERO KABER ZERO.. MALAYSIA’S REAL SUPERMAN?

After failing to launch, FAIZAL has decided to call an emergency press conference to clear the air. Faizal mengatakan bahawa beliau tengah asyik menyanyi dan menanggal baju kerana terlalu menjiwai lagu yang dibawakannya..

FAIZAL TAHIR PRESS CONFERENCE

EXPLAINING AND APOLOGISING TO THE PRESS

Source :Zimbio.com

Intan Sarafina eliminated from top 12 OIAM

OIAM Season 2

Intan Sarafina eliminated from top 12 OIAM tonight. One more rejected during elimination and this means opportunity for other contestants. Find out who will be the winner of 1 million prize!!