How Tze 浩知

Record Corporate Earnings - PADINI and Public Bank

2012-01-30T23:31:00.000-08:00

Two corporate earnings news worth noting, one in fashion retail and another banking industry.

Other than Bonia, another local company in the fashion retail industry that make it to top spots:

Padini’s net profit to grow at 9.4% three-year CAGR, 7 November 2011

For the financial year ended June 30, 2011, Padini posted a higher net profit of RM75.3 million against RM60.97 million in the previous year.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/201332

New stores to drive Padini’s earnings, 25 January 2012

Padini plans to open five stores next year comprising three concept outlets and two Brands outlets.

The concept stores will be in Setia City Mall in Shah Alam, Paradigm in Kelana Jaya, and Jusco in Ipoh. The Setia City Mall and Paradigm will also have Brands stores.

Currently, Padini has a total of 235 outlets.

Chan said the company expects to spend RM15 million for the new stores, including the installation of IT systems.

In the first quarter ended Sept 30, 2011, Padini's net profit rose 47% to RM27 million from RM18.35 million a year earlier driven by the Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Merdeka Day sales. Revenue advanced 30% to RM178 million from RM136.6 million.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/276474

Related: Fashion retail and real estates

While Public Bank Posts RM3.05b Net Profit for FY10, Q4 net profit for FY11 up 3.6% on improved performance from Islamic banking.

Record earnings for Public Bank, January 31, 2012

Public Bank Bhd posted a 3.6% year-on-year increase in net profit to RM877mil for its fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2011, and cited the improved performance as mainly due to higher net interest and net income from its Islamic banking business.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/31/business/10567324&sec=business

Creative and Built-In Ads

2012-01-30T23:06:00.000-08:00

The Samsung tablet ads is creatively put on the front page of The Sun Daily newspaper (Tuesday, January 31, 2012 issue).

Another "built-in" ads example is the "Ho Chak!" programme at TV8 which introduces nice foods to audience. In the recent episode on air (29th January, 2012) in 8TV, where one of the sponsor is Proton Inspira, there is a scene where the lady host told the guy to drive slowly to their destination, where the guy replied "don't worry. I have this auto cruise function here" and a scene showing the car's feature.

Somehow the scenes go like this:

女：哎哟，你不要驾这样快可以吗？
Lady: aiyo, can't you just drive slowly?

男：放心，我有 Autocruise function, 这样就不会超速了！
Guy: Don't worry, I am using the autocruise function, I won't speed!

And then they arrived at the restaurant to continue on introducing nice food...

You can watch the full episode at Tonton:

http://www.tonton.com.my/#/home/channels/8TV/ho_chakss22232425_9c2e707b00054fea9cd19fc8003d4094/season_22__episode_2_a657c2c035164de4b9109fc8003d4140

In summary, with more and more "FREE" things (such as free-games, free-softwares, free preview books content etc), the future of A&P industry will lean towards "built-in ads". This is definitely not a new idea, as many of advertisers already familiar with many of the pay-per-click programs on the internet.

Serviced Apartments

2012-01-27T23:57:00.000-08:00

An abuse of the word "serviced apartment"
More and more property types are being ambiguously marketed as both residential and commercial, with titles such as SOHO (small office, home office), SOVO (small office, versatile office), SOFO (small office, flexible office), lifestyle suites, serviced residences and serviced suites, among others. Many of these projects' brochures depict young working professionals in suits toting briefcases, next to images of double beds, saunas, barbeque areas and jacuzzi.

You may heard sales pitch like this: "Our units are like condos but we call them serviced apartments because we have 100 units of shop lots on the ground floor".

However, if there's no management, rental return, housekeeping services or security policy, and it wasn't fully furnished either, this is somehow misrepresentation.

Serviced Apartment

The homeowner must understand the original concept was like with Micasa in KL. It's a commercially run operation. Serviced apartments are paying a premium for the commerciability of places like this. So people should be very hesitant to buy this.

Besides commercial land costs usually being priced higher, properties on commercial titles require owners to pay peak energy, water and sewerage rates as well as quit rent and assessment charges.

The buyer is paying property taxes which are normally double those of residential taxes. In other words, your water price is the same price as the one the Pappa Rich operator pays. The electricity rate is double, and the deposits they take from you are also higher.

Alternatives
Not all residential units on commercial land parcels need to remain designated as commercial however. Upon applying for strata titles, developers may apply for the title's conditions ("syarat nyata") to be converted to containing residential apartments ("bangunan kediaman") as well as shops.

That way, the rate applied to these apartments is a mixed rate ("kadar bercampur") which is less than the rate for commercial shops. "To do this, they just have to pay a nominal additional premium of RM100," says a spokesperson in the strata title department of Selangor's land and mines office.

There may even be a 50% reduction in chargeable quit rent if the number of shops is less than 2% of the number of homes, eg two shops underneath 200 apartments. Alternatively, these shops may be assigned as "common areas" of a condominium, in order to fully designate the development as residential.

Trend

There has been a trend for more self contained developments (mixed use developments in which residents live, work and play are being designed), where you can live upstairs then go to the gym, to the movies or shopping downstairs. And with the advent of the MRT, there will also be more transit orientated developments with high rise apartments and retail spaces clustering around stations.

Just give developers a plot ratio* that each location deserves.

More dialogue between property investors, industry players as well as federal and state governments is necessary to achieve a framework that better captures the needs of the evolving populace. This should ideally result in a more accurate treatment and less ambiguous marketing of these properties.

From: The Sun Daily, 27th Jan 2010

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/278343

* Building permissions for residential developments are based on units or population per acre, while commercial developments are based on plot ratio (total built-up area per land size).

For residential developments to be profitable, developers go for large units which allow them to sell more built-up area per acre. As the demand for big units, the bungalows in the sky, ended (because those who can afford them have already bought them), smaller units sized below 1,200 sq ft and priced below RM500,000 or RM600,000 have been selling like hot cakes at launches.

"Let's say you have a piece of land that is 100,000 sq ft large and you get a plot ratio of 10, so you can build 1,000,000 sq ft of so called offices. Once you have that 1,000,000 sq ft, you can carve those out into any size you want, like 600 sq ft or 700 sq ft."

Fashion Retail and Real Estates

2012-01-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

2011 was a year of shopping transactions with major purchases such as Pavilion Mall being bought by the Pavilion REIT for RM2,390 per sq ft, The Gardens Mall by Krisassets Holdings Berhad at RM1,025 per sq ft, as well as the yet unconcluded purchase of Bangsar Shopping Centre. An older shopping centre - The Mall (which was bought over last year by Sunway REIT together with Putra Place for RM513.95 million) - also being upgraded.

Johor Premium Outlets

"JPO has been a sellout. For brands like Levi's, Fossil, Esprit, and many others, this is their best shop in their country now. It's better than KLCC, even on a per sq ft basis." says CB Richard Ellis (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd's managing director, Allan Soo.

More Johor Premium Outlet images: https://picasaweb.google.com/110957824161464689337/JohorPremiumOutlet

A factory outlet in Kuala Lumpur?
You can't put it in the city because it would be too close to what they call in-line stores and that would kill them. So the answer would be to put them as far as possible, perhaps Genting Highlands.

The wholesale market trend
This wholesale market trend came from Hong Kong and Korea and has spread to Taiwan and Bangkok. There's a place in Bangkok called Platinum that is extremely successful. And with recently completed Kenanga Wholesale Mall in Pudu, even some Singaporean retailers get their merchandise there.

Possibilities
Potential locations include Cyberjaya, Cheras, Kepong, Shah Alam and Ampang. "There is still a possibility for better quality retail in Puchong. And in East Malaysia, there are a lot of towkay balak there. There's a lot of money out there and it's still pretty untapped."

Entry of more international brands

One major development to shake up the retail landscape is the imminent entry of several large international brands. "New retailers entering the market pose threats to locals but raise the bar for the industry," says Soo. Besides the possibility of Thailand's largest retail developer, Central Pattana Public Company Ltd, setting up a 1 million sq ft mall in Icon City, Petaling Jaya, Index Living Mall is a home furnishings store from Thailand which has just opened in Vietnam, and is looking to set up in Malaysia.

There have also been revelations that brands such as H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch and Costa Coffee are in discussions with developers and property owners to open several outlets in the Klang Valley. "One of them is likely to sign up soon," says an industry source.

"Abercrombie & Fitch just opened in Singapore, and there is an opportunity for them to come here. And when it comes to brands such as H&M which provides fast fashion, it is a volume game," continues the source. "So they would need spots in KL and PJ with high volumes of visitors."

Source: Opportunities still in retail property
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/272178

SOPA: The Internet Blacklist Bill

2012-01-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

The two pieces of information necessary for you to understand what SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / PIPA (Protect IP Act) are all about and how they are going to destroy our personal liberties:

Click image to enlarge.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

"We oppose these bills because there are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue websites without asking American companies to censor the Internet," a Google spokesperson said Tuesday.

Related:
INFOGRAPHIC: Everything You Need to Know About SOPA
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/2539?r=1

Final Step to Fascism? National Defense Authorization Act Passes
The key takeaway from this kafkaesque law is not its specific provisions or complete decimation of civil liberties, but the fact that this war was never declared on a nation or tangible enemy. It is a war against an abstract idea, therefore there is no enemy to step down and no chance for this war to end. So strap in because this seems to be just the beginning.
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/2382

The March of Technology

2012-01-18T23:58:00.000-08:00

This is the follow up info on the case of Kodak, The Case of RIM (Black Berry), IBM and General Electric. The point of these case studies is about the march of technology, and how important it is to be able to adapt with the times.

Kodak and The March of Technology

For the case of Kodak, although it's sad to see an industry pioneer bite the dust, competition is brutal - better companies have emerged with better products and services at lower prices - it was digital technology that destroyed Kodak's market share.

Ironically, it was Kodak that invented the digital camera nearly 40 years ago, yet it could not keep in step. The fear of self-cannibalisation allowed newcomers to come in and eat their lunch, and by the time it realised it had to play the digital game, it was too late to catch up.

However, its Japanese competitor, Fujifilm - also an old company - which aggressively rode the digital wave has got a market capitalisation of US$12.6 billion today.

So the lesson here is: If you fail to adapt with the times, you'll be rendered obsolete by a newcomer able to ride the current wave. And that won't be a pretty picture. Certainly not a Kodak Moment.

While that is for digital image, let's look at a broader perspective - digital publishing.

Borders, the once-popular US book chain, has gone bankrupt. Why? Because it failed to develop an internet strategy even as Amazon.com, an online retailer started to push ahead with e-books.

Amazon: Game Changer for the Publishing Industry

Who needs publishers? The recent deal for James Franco book fuels fears that online giant has become too dominant and could spell the end for publishers.

For years, the rise of Amazon, which heavily discounts books, has been eating into the once luxurious profit margins enjoyed by mainstream publishers. There are, therefore, growing fears that the online giant could soon send their industry the way of the high street bookstore.

Not only does Amazon's publishing arm launched an array of imprints which released more than 100 new titles, in hardback, paper back and electronic formats, it has also shown itself willing to pay huge sums to secure the services of what it considers to be the stars of the writing profession, using aggressive charm to woo them from the clutches of their former houses.

This growing dominance was upending the status quo in almost every corner of the traditional book industry.

"Publishers are terrified and don't know what to do. Everyone's afraid of Amazon," he said. "If you're a bookstore, Amazon has been in competition with you for some time. If you're a publisher, one day you wake up and Amazon is competing with you too. And if you're an agent, Amazon may be stealing your lunch because it is offering authors the opportunity to publish directly and cut you out. It's an old strategy: divide and conquer." ~ Richard Curtis, a prominent agent

Similarly, the printed newspaper will one day be extinct. It might be some time before that happens but happen it will. And that's because a clearly better medium (tablets and e-readers) and a system of distribution (the internet) has emerged, which will be the way news is delivered in the near future. News organisations that do not keep up with this development will go the way of the dodo.

人們購買平板，最直接的需求依然是內容，比如讀書、看電影、聽音樂和玩遊戲。

以亞馬遜的Kindle Fire為例，不只是一個設備，更是進入亞馬遜“雲端世界”的一個流動接口。或者說，你花199美元買的不是一部設備，而是一張進入亞馬遜數碼世界的通行証。只要上網下載，几乎可以把整個圖書館藏在平板電腦裡。

Other than digital images and publications, we will see some convergence in home entertainment as well. As the "old" saying goes: content is king. However, being the platform to communicate all the content may be a better idea. Take a look at Samsung's strategy.

Samsung presents vision for future of consumer electronics, making the world simpler, smarter and more connected

Working across its entire product portfolio, Samsung will remove the barriers that exist between devices and content to deliver a smarter, simpler and more connected life for consumers.

Presenting at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012, Samsung revealed a new connected ecosystem that encompasses its diverse array of products, content and services.

"We stand alone as the only company capable of connecting all the components of a consumer’s electronic life. From TVs to phones, tablets to PCs, cameras to appliances, we are enabling meaningful connections between them all. Our promise is that you will share and enjoy content across all these devices, easily, anywhere, anytime." ~ BK Yoon, president of Samsung’s Consumer Electronics Division.

Note: ES8000 LED TV redefines how consumers access, experience and manage their home entertainment. Powered by a dual-core processor, users can surf the web while using or downloading multiple apps simultaneously. A broad range of content is also available through Samsung Apps, the industry’s preferred TV apps platform.

Sources:

Lessons from Kodak
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/269564

Samsung Pushes Boundaries at CES 2012
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120109006653/en/Samsung-Pushes-Boundaries-CES-2012

As celebrities choose Amazon, is this the end for publishers?
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/as-celebrities-choose-amazon-is-this-the-end-for-publishers-6285033.html

Case Study : Terimee Facebook Fans Page

2012-01-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

There are 2 part in this article, first would be the presentation of statistics log, and the second part of it some elaboration on the numbers.

First, take a look at the journey of Terimee Facebook Fans Page towards 10,000 fans:

The overall project started on 1st October, 2011, as covered in 我和我的小三

6/1/12 - 7,169 like this, 2,924 talking about this (~41% of fans count is in active status)

7/1/12 - 7,646 like this, 3,879 talking about this (~51% of fans count is in active status)

9/1/12 - 7,825 like this, 5,212 talking about this (~67% of fans count is in active status)

12/1/12 - 8,307 like this, 5,640 talking about this (~68% of fans count is in active status)

17/1/12 - 10,000 like this, 6,723 talking about this (~68% of fans count is in active status)

Below are some screen shots made from time to time in support of above mentioned figures:

Lessons From Terimee Online Campaign

Though the info we have here may not be the full picture and most likely only a tip of the iceberg, there are still some lessons we can learn from it:

1. Work with the best people to get the best results! Remember the lesson: Pay Peanut, Get Monkey.

2. The golden rules:

apply here as well for online community, simply illustrate:
Facebook not equal activities, activities not equal money.
In other words, having a Facebook page or an online community doesn't mean you will have engage them with activities, and having a large pools of fans doesn't mean you are able to monetize on it. Just as what we have covered in 虚拟大国诞生，第三波淘金潮在 Facebook : 一个 Facebook 粉丝值多少钱？答案是：最高可达 136美元，关键是：你会变现吗？

3. A branding effect & promotional effectiveness report that conventional A&P (Advertising & Promotion) not able to provide will be complemented by your online presence (such as the Facebook Insights Report Tools). This doesn't mean that radio, TV, printed media, billboards etc are not important, but setting a portion of marketing budget to new medium will definitely give your business a boost (over your competitors who are still sleeping).

Please note that the info used as case study are only those available to public (for instance, the no. of fans, no. of people talking about this), simply click LIKE on Terimee Facebook Fans Page to follow the progress in real time (for what you can see).

Once you get used to online marketing, the tools and resources available in this medium, you are sure to love the powerful leverage it could bring!

In summary, a correct mixed portion of conventional and new medium marketing channel will give your branding and marketing effort a boost. Seek a good professional consultation for a custom made business solution, as every business case is unique, just as conventional advertisements you see on TV.

活到老，忙到老？

2012-01-15T04:48:00.000-08:00

“给我 5 千块，我帮你投资，然后每个月还你 134 块钱，还 5 年。要吗？”

是否有市场上那种 money game 的感觉哩？但这回（绝对）不同，它可是馬來西亞人民信托計劃（SARA 1Malaysia），一个在政府經過完善規劃後才推出的计划，而參與者每月回酬也是經過仔細計算後得出，並非憑空許下承諾。

在这项计划下，月入低過3千令吉的家庭可以使用本身的5千令吉申請一個馬來西亞人民信托計劃，投資在有保證回酬的一個馬來西亞信托基金（AS1M），將可享有每月134令吉回酬。

“如果民眾向指定銀行貸款5千令吉申請一個馬來西亞人民信托基金，在扣除每月攤還84令吉予銀行貸款後，每月依然有50令吉的回酬（5年回酬3千令吉）。” 針對每月134令吉的回酬，林祥才表示這其實是紅利形式。

你看，我们政府多么关心人民，没有钱投资还想办法找管道借给你，这不等于变相每个月给你 50 令吉吗？详情请看林祥才：一馬人民信托完善規劃‧每月回酬非空承諾这则新闻。

诚如关于钱，你不能不懂得基本知识里提到的，有时候，合法与非法投资之间，还真不过是即得利益者们政治势力与实力上的一种距离。

有趣的是，隔天就有一篇有意思的报道，标题为 “活到老，忙到老？”，而且文章顶上居然还是一副博彩横幅广告：

有点讽刺味道，却是事实。

財務永續的重要性雖不容質疑，但就更廣義而言，永續也涵蓋物品及服務層面，這意味除了經濟成長外，我們還需要確保市場具備飽滿的生產力，提供充足的物品和服務，否則金錢根本派不上用場。

http://biz.sinchew-i.com/node/55924
http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/233527

时间

2012-01-13T21:24:00.001-08:00

想象看，有一间银行每天早上在您的户口存入 86，400，并且在每天晚上取消您没有花掉的余额。

我们都有一间这样的银行，它叫做时间。

每天早上，它汇入86，400 秒。每天晚上，它取消我们无法妥善利用的部分。

许多人都投诉“时间紧逼”。我们要如何善用时间？我们要如何节省更多时间？

实际上，我们每天都获得同样的24小时。问题并不在于节省或利用，而是我们如何明智地投资时间。

成功人士都能妥善利用每一天。他们聪明的把时间投资在一项能协助自己以及他人发掘及发挥自己的潜能的事业。

随着时间的推进，成功者目睹他们的投资茁壮成长。

好好利用每一天，这样您就可指望您的投资成长。

Steve Van Andel & Doug DeVos
Alticor 机构主席

Real Estates Updates - Sri Damansara and Bangi

2012-01-12T23:16:00.000-08:00

THIS ARE JUST CASE STUDIES. Some backgrounds of the projects:

Damansara Foresta

A large development of up to 3,000 apartments on 42 acres of land. Amenities planned for this development include an abundance of nature trails, tree houses, lookout points and even a flying fox facility and tea house.

"We could only build on the Grade 1 and Grade 2 slopes, so about half of the rest of the footprint, on grade 3 slopes or more, remains as greenery," said developer Land and General Berhad's head of sales and marketing, Lim Kok Yee.

The units in the first block of this Bandar Sri Damansara hillside development ranged in size from 1,426 to 1,610 sq ft. Prices ranged from RM644,000 to RM923,000, or RM450 to RM570 per sq ft.

Follow up news:

L&G to launch gated project this year
Managing director Low Gay Teck said the ongoing developments include the Damansara Foresta condominium in Bandar Sri Damansara with a gross development value (GDV) of RM700 million, commercial development 8trium in Bandar Sri Damansara (RM700 million) and serviced apartments The Elements in Ampang (RM100 million).
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/270767

Bangi Sentral

Located in Section 9 of Bandar Baru Bangi, this is a joint venture between Andaman Group and Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) comprises a first phase of 86 four-storey shop/offices, and a four-storey shopping centre as its second phase.

Plot size ranges from 24'x70' while built-up area ranges from 6,543 to 11,729 sq ft. Each unit is priced from RM2.15 million to RM 5.5 million, which equates to above RM329 per sq ft. Bumiputera buyers enjoy a 12.5% discount.

All units come with a lift and a lower ground floor for parking, accessed from behind, as well as a full glass façade. The shopping centre is proposed to include a cineplex, bowling centre, book village and IT centre.

Looking at the prices, location and wondering how the sales doing? Check below.

Forest gumption

According to news announced by the developer, there is a spontaneous balloting after first block of Damansara Foresta sold out.

"By the second day, all the units in Block 1 were gone. People then waited from noon to 6.30pm for the price list of the second tower to go up," said developer Land and General Berhad's head of sales and marketing, Lim Kok Yee. "We had no choice but to open up the second tower for sales and to conduct balloting so that people could pick their units. Sales for the second tower have now touched 80%."

How did they get into this? Look at the other paragraphs of the news:

A group of young estate agents were sanguine about this project however and personally invested in a few properties with the intention to resell at a higher price. "We were told the developer will raise prices for the next block by 10% to 20%," said one of the group. They were also encouraged by a 2% early bird discount, and other easy-entry incentives, including a developer interest bearing scheme (DIBS).

Interesting? Take a look at some word of cautious too:

One seasoned investor who held back from purchasing a unit expressed surprise at the number of young attendants at the preview. "The amount of loan you would need to take would be about RM700,000. And if you repaid within 25 years, that's still RM3,800 to pay every month," he said, pointing to the repayment table given out by one of the partner banks.

"How many would be able to afford that, once they've paid off the rest of their outgoings, and what if one member of the couple lost their job?" You would also need to consider the monthly maintenance charges, which have been cited as RM0.25 per sq ft.

The sales for New Sentral of Bangi is surprisingly good too. However, it could be a different crowd.

"I'm proud to share that we are 90% sold and most of our buyers are actually end users, investors and businessmen who have bought the shops for their own use," said Andaman Property Management's head of sales and marketing, Datuk Vincent Tiew at the launch.

"Jakel [Trading] bought 19 shoplots from us where they will consolidate a very big textile city… We also have a lot of buyers who are currently shop owners and retailers in Masjid India, as well as some existing businesses in Bangi"

Worth noting is how the New Sentral of Bangi came about:

"None of the developments since then treated this area as a central commercial development. And since this was the last piece of land to be developed here, the state government said, 'We must make this happen. We want Bangi Walk to be successful and we want to adopt this as the central [business district].'"

Sources:

Damansara Foresta
http://www.damansaraforesta.com/location.php
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/265682

New Bangi Sentral
http://bangisentral.com.my

Real Estate Related News - Johor

2012-01-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

Puteri Harbour is a mixed hotel, retail and entertainment complex along the Johor coastline. The 275.2ha development combines entertainment and culture with the experience of waterfront living and dining in a natural setting.

Family Entertainment Centre

The Family Entertainment Centre (FEC, at Puteri Harbour, Johor) is a four-storey indoor theme park which will be home to the first Hello Kitty Town in southern Asia, is 80 per cent complete.

Besides Hello Kitty Town, FEC will house popular global children’s characters under The Little Big Club, showcasing Thomas and Friends, Barney the Friendly Dinosaur, Bob the Builder, Pingu the Penguin and Angelina Ballerina.

Besides the Hello Kitty character as well as My Melody and Little Twin Stars, Hello Kitty Town offers Hello Kitty merchandises, stage shows, songs and dance as well as the Hello Kitty Tea Party.

It will introduce a unique Malaysian touch with the opening of LAT’s World, conceptualised by popular local cartoonist Lat, and featuring elements of his well-loved cartoon character, Kampung Boy.

The restaurant there will feature authentic Malay cuisine in a “kampung” setting.

Work on Family Entertainment Centre in Johor progressing well
http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20111228005919/Article/

Nusajaya

UEM Land Holdings Bhd, the country's biggest property developer by market value, aims for record sales of RM3 billion this year, after exceeding its own sales forecast of RM2 billion last year.

The aggressive target will continue to be driven by demand in the Klang Valley, where the group plans to offer new residential and commercial units in Mont' Kiara, Kuala Lumpur and at townships in Bangi and Kajang. The company is also looking down south to propel its sales to new heights.

Since 2006, UEM Land has handed over 3,500 homes in Nusajaya, most of which were sold in recent years. "We have very low stocks of unsold units," its managing director and CEO Datuk Wan Abdullah Wan Ibrahim said.

However, analysts have voiced concerns that property prices in Johor could have "overshot" due to short-term hype over the past two years.

Developers like UEM Land are banking on Johor's close proximity to Singapore and recent tightening of the property market there to lure new buyers for homes in Nusajaya.

There is also growing concern that property demand may cool this year, due to economic uncertainties at home and abroad.

UEM Land targets record RM3b sales in 2012
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/262951

Ties with Singapore on best footing

Singapore is naturally the biggest investor in Iskandar Malaysia, the largest of our development corridors. Hsien Loong said it is very much in Singapore's interests that Iskandar Malaysia prospers and succeeds.

He praised the corridor, formed six years ago, saying it had done well in attracting investments with its broad base of talent, facility and interest which was self-sustaining and able to hold its own in a highly competitive world.

Azman Ujang
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/261705

Parkson 2012

2012-01-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

While one of the brand carried by Dang's Fashion is planning to enter Parkson, it would be interesting to take a look into Parkson's business and their strategy.

Continuous rebranding or store remodelling the key to strong sales growth

"Our customers are now buying more. While the price per item has gone up, the value per transaction has also gone up, which in turn led to higher productivity per sq m. That’s why our same store like-for-like sales growth is strong. And we are the only one (retailer) who consistently upgrades and frequently remodels our stores because we have the resources to do so, " said Datuk Alfred Cheng, Parkson Retail Group Ltd group managing director.

"When we first made changes to our store in KLCC in 2004/2005, we saw sales drop off immediately in the first six to seven months before it started picking up. That’s because the profile of our customers changed and it was not a Parkson that people were used to seeing. Today, we have many regular customers who come back more frequently than they have ever been. We have given the KLCC outlet a facelift four to five times in the last 13 years," he said.

Parkson has evolved from a neighbourhood department store serving the man-in-the-street to one that caters to middle- and upper-middle class shoppers, though it did not become a brand icon overnight.

"We started the rebranding exercise in 2000. We had to move the merchandise overtime to a slightly higher level to communicate with a different platform," said Cheng. "But it has done very well for us. The image and perception of our brand among our consumers, I think today is very different from five years ago," he added.

Growing Kuala Lumpur-listed Parkson Holdings Bhd has been more than a journey; it’s an adventure.

Let's look at the overall strategy of Parkson's business:

Basically we operate with one brand (Parkson) everywhere, except in Indonesia. We will continue to develop the Centro brand there for now, which will cater to the middle-class market. That’s because Indonesia is at the stage of development where the middle-class market is the best position for us to grow very quickly over there. As such, we will develop Centro for the next few years in the 12th or 13th largest cities outside Jakarta that are not quite ready for a Parkson outlet yet.
At the same time, we will come back probably in the next 12 to 18 months, to introduce the first Parkson just in the major cities of Jakarta, Medan and Surabaya, which we will position for the uppermiddle class and premium segments of the market.
This strategy allows us to have fast penetration (in Indonesia), while keeping the integrity of the Parkson brand as it is.

Looking back, 10-15 years ago, we cannot imagine that we will be where we are today. We knew that we wanted to be a regional player, but we did not anticipate the scale that we have today. But again, we got to start thinking where we want to be 10-15 years from now.

This is very similar to previously studied Angry Birds' Tale - We built 51 games before Angry Birds so it wasn't like we were an overnight success...

Excerpt from:
Success did not come overnight for Parkson
http://203.115.192.117/thesun-epaper/mon/09012012/files/assets/downloads/page0015.pdf

The Case of RIM (Black Berry), IBM and General Electric

2012-01-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

In the case of Kodak, we had seen how an old company could be wiped out by changes, if they refused to change accordingly. Here, we will study another two similar companies, yet with different outcome.

RIM - Research In Motion
The provider of the BlackBerry, gadget that is quite popular among business people.

Take a look at the excerpt.

The problem with technology is that it is forever changing. RIM should have learnt the lessons suffered by many. Remember IBM? Well they used to rely on their mainframe business. Except there are only so many mainframes that can be sold. And there are only a limited number of companies which could invest in a mainframe. It was not until Louis Gerstner became CEO that the company realised that to survive, it had to find another business that would be sustainable and offset the significant drop in hardware sales. Cue services. Now IBM is unrecognisable from the organisation that Gerstner inherited. But it is much more profitable.

General Electric

General Electric is another company that has constantly reinvented himself. Jack Welch, its former CEO and the man credited with transforming the company, recalls in his book, Jack, of a meeting with the executives of GE's nuclear reactor business. The executives presented their business plan to Welch and confidently predicted that they would get orders to build three new nuclear reactors a year. Welch stunned them when he told them that he wanted a business plan with zero new orders and for the division to be profitable against that assumption. With no new product, the division did the only feasible option available to them — switch from a product-based business to a service-based business. It survived and went from loss making to being highly profitable.

From above strategies imply by IBM and General Electric, you may now have the clue of how to make a business longer lasting. No wonder big car companies like Mercedes is looking at options where they sell you the car once, and keep charging you for electricity through battery rental or servicing for their alternative / renewable energy vehicles.

Excerpt from What next for BlackBerry by Tony Pereira
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/259986

Follow up news:
Samsung says no interest in buying troubled RIM
"There's no merit (in Samsung buying RIM)," said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities. "An acquisition would enable Samsung to have its own operating system but the cost is too high. Samsung didn't buy HP's webOS either for the same reason... BlackBerry sales are collapsing and one plus one will not become two.http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/18/business/20120118093057&sec=business

Some Politics Related Updates

2012-01-07T15:20:00.000-08:00

"Look, I am independent, I am fair. Now, let's play."

An election has much more to do with what is unseen and shrouded from public attention. It involves the mobilising of massive funds, goods and machinery, volunteers (or paid staff, which also depends on financial resources) and other "friendly donations". How constituencies are delineated, and how well-cleaned-up voter rolls are, all have a huge impact on electoral outcomes.

As one of the millions of citizens who are aghast that this great country is being divided by selfish individuals and groups, this is my humble suggestion.

We had enough of the fighting. It has taken its toll both physically and monetarily on the people and the nation. The time has come for all good men and women to come to the aid of the country to work out schemes which create a better quality of life for all citizens irrespective of their race, creed, colour or religion.

We had enough of name-calling, play acting, subversion, accusations and taunts with racial and religious undertones. Where has all these got us to? Are we No 1 in Asean or Asia? Are we a must see destination? Have we set the benchmark for good governance? Despite all the natural resources and the oil money, we still lag behind some of our neighbours because we are expanding our time, effort, and money on power than on moving forward.

All this has to end. It has cost this glorious nation plenty. In the desire for power, the ordinary people have been caught in between and made to pay, although it is no fault of theirs. For the future of our nation, the people and their children, it is time to say enough is enough and sit down and talk about putting the country on track.

岂能因声音微小而不呐喊！ ~山寨电影《网瘾战争》
大葱清白一生，辛辣了千百年也没留下骂名。 ~鲁迅

Related:Corruption is just a fancy word for theft. What our conventional school system teach us doesn't really help to solve this problem in real life ... "If a hawker spends one month in jail for stealing $35, how many years will a politician spend in jail for stealing $5 million?" ... http://www.thesundaily.my/news/263908

Unity govt – the way forward
R. Nadeswaran
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/263075

Game-changers at the year’s start
Tricia Yeoh
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/265315

南韩偶像梦工厂

2011-12-24T04:52:00.000-08:00

虽然接下来的战略是打造一个中日韩超级天团（涵盖中国、日本、韩国的超级明星偶像团体），但我想让发明星梦的朋友们有一个机会可以从另一个角度与战略点去看待整个梦工厂产业，在未踏入娱乐圈前给自己一个较广泛的思考空间...

Rain 的前经纪公司 JYP，背后有 SK 电信、三星电子等大型企业股东；最大的经纪公司 Sidus，其母公司就是韩国第三大企业第一大行动网路电信商 SK Telecom 集团。SK Telecom　在 2005 年开始以增资、收购等手段掌控了包括 Melon 音乐网站、首尔唱片、JYP 娱乐经纪公司、iHQ　艺人经纪及影视剧制作公司等多家顶尖的娱乐机构，形成娱乐内容生产、销售、营运的完整产业链，把韩国娱乐产业转变成“品管严格的制造业”。

经纪公司结合了韩国手机、电器、电脑等产业和商品共同行销旗下艺人，他们着眼的不是那些超级偶像的演唱会或唱片收入，而是能搭配集团优势行销。

试想一下，如果 Super Junior 替三星手机拍个广告，对于手机的效益有多大？如果让旗下某个尚未走红的女子偶像团体在 LG 液晶电视的广告亮相，并籍由庞大的广告魔力拉抬，这个新团体不红才怪！

不过，韩国对旗下艺人的待遇与要求也相当严厉，艺人的实际地位已经等同于庞大娱乐生产线上的工人或原料，财团投资的是金钱，艺人投资的是青春，包装艺人就是把本来只值二十元的原料，加工后以一万元卖出去。

偶像光环的背后，是残酷的行业竞争

韩国的娱乐事业之所以成功，乃在于复制了消费电子产品的模式，用最廉价的劳工（艺人）和标准且大量的生产模式，生产出各式各样的产品（偶像），并运用观众喜新厌旧的习惯不停更新产品组合，消费者不停汰旧换新可以掩饰其产品品质的不耐用性，不停推陈出新的策略（推出各种不同类型的偶像团体）还可以刺激出不同需求的消费者，三星与 LG 的那一套被韩国娱乐产业把玩得炉火纯青！

韩国把儒家中那套“去个人化”与资本主义的“生产因素集中化”混搭出“东方威权式重商主义”，用国家力量建立超大型财团，再由超大型财团运用完全集中化的资源与标准化的生产流程，切入每一个想要跨入的产业。

在这种艺人被视为产品的产业文化下，即便是成名的女星，也有超过六成被要求包养陪睡，四成被要求陪酒，三成以上遭到性骚扰。可怜的是韩国艺人就算熬到成名，往往只能出个一、两张专辑或主演一、两套戏剧后，就被经纪公司无情地汰换，以更年轻更便宜的后起之秀取而代之，难怪韩国艺人的自杀率居全球之冠。

只是，在注重创意与差异性的娱乐世界，能否只用大量缺乏灵魂和探索力的标准化商品维持荣景呢？

黄国华，钞票的重量

Disposable Income 可支配所得

2011-12-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

物价上涨10%是如何让穷人越穷，富人越富

关键在于可支配所得：收入减必要支出后剩下的金额。

可支配所得大多用在储蓄或提升生活品质的事项，可支配所得越高的家庭，对于未来收入的贡献会越来越大，因为不论投资也好，教育也好，这类支出对于家庭未来的生活品质，财务状况都有所助益。

举例：

在物价上涨前，四个一般家庭收入、支出与可支配所得比率：

家庭收入	支出	可支配所得比率
40,000	38,000	5%
80,000	65,000	18.75%
200,000	100,000	50%
400,000	120,000	70%

当物价上涨那“区区 10％”后：

家庭收入	支出	可支配所得比率
40,000	41,800	-4.5%
80,000	71,500	10.6%
200,000	110,000	45%
400,000	132,000	67%

民生物资上涨，低收入家庭可支配所得会变成负数，这种家庭恐怕从此陷入贫穷的循环；本来可以收支平衡的家庭落入贫穷循环，而本来小康或中上的家庭则被逼需要缩衣节食以平衡收支。对于超高收入的家庭来讲就只不过少买一个 LV 包包。(烂船还有三分钉的最佳写照)

这种影响会造成什么后果？

黄国华，钞票的重量

While Wall Street hangs on every quarterly GDP report, monthly jobs number, and weekly jobless claims tally (all of which get revised significantly later on anyways), there are much bigger trends that reveal a lot more about the economy and the markets.

One of the most important is disposable income.

If 70% of the economy is consumer spending, you can bet how much money consumers have to spend is extremely important.

Consumers who have worked for six years naturally expect their disposable income to rise. They expect to be able to upgrade cars, vacations, houses, and still have more left over to save and invest after years of advancement and achievement.

Flatlining real disposable income doesn’t allow for any of that. And it’s one of the major reasons most people don’t feel any better off than they were five years ago: on average, they aren’t.

But all that could be starting to change in 2012...

Andrew Mickey, Wealth Daily

Architect

2011-12-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

一股雲淡風輕的樸實之感，頗有笑傲江湖之勢; 建築創作往往是以小而勝大，平凡中吐露不平凡。

經歷過生活的起承轉合，心境的感悟和昇華后，他很篤定地告訴我們，當一個好的城市建築師必備三大條件：腦子清楚、有感覺、有見識;
最關鍵的是必須通過本身的生活體驗，以創造出以人為本的建築設計。"

建築師不能隨便地蓋個房子，而是要留意建案地點的氣場，並營造恰當的氛圍，這是西方建築師所不能理解的道理。根據每個地點的環境與氣候的不同而做不同的建築，用當地的語言來讓建築說話，不同地域就會出現不同的建築語言...

永遠不要限制自己的創意，確保每件作品都保持質量。 ~清华大学建筑学院教授李晓东

中國傳統醫學中，健康的身體取決于一種極其重要的能量循環，這就是身體中的“氣”，這種能量存在于全身脈絡中，中醫可以通過針刺使得脈絡的循環恢復正常;人們是不是可以通過一個小建築物，產生比其面積來得更大的影響力呢？

桥上书屋 (Bridge House)，为古老客家土楼注入新生命
- 智者乐水仁者乐山，依山傍水筑我书楼

这是一所只有2 间教室的希望小学和村民的图书馆。

篱苑书屋
以四万余根长短一致的柴火棍塑造的前卫“篱苑书屋”，小巧精致绝色建案。

玉湖完小
- 善用资源升华校舍，灵山丽水育英才

設計理念在于對環境的干擾最小，卻能造成最大的影響，同時利用這個建案為古老土樓注入新生力量。他的建築設計從未有複刻版本，理由是他在工地現場尋找靈感、物色材料。
他的學生在現場待了長達一年時間，代他監督整個施工過程，"這種毅力全憑對建築投放的熱情。"

云南丽江徐宅
- 天水间盖宅院, 天水人与建筑合一

為這個坐落在中國玉龍雪山腳下，以山為鄰的建築，注入了以水烘托環境，用院落擁抱環境的設計重點，把人為環境與自然充分融合，設計出天、水、人與建築合一的“水宅”（Water House），美不勝收！

智者和仁者具備柔和與敦厚的心態，而山水環境可以陶冶人的情操。許多問題都是息息相關而無法獨立解決的，把所有問題看得很通透，頓時豁然開朗，藉由建築體現和諧感。

http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/271737

http://culture.gmw.cn/2011-04/10/content_1809472.htm

Clinique Mobile and Cleo Cover Girl Search

2011-12-09T19:00:00.001-08:00

From The Sun Daily's report:

金融业

2011-12-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

投资这玩意最大秘密就是：“运用人们想要不劳而获的惰性，诱使人们抱住资金进来很难钻出去的金融迷宫。”

金融表面的工作是 market maker, 但本质上却是 money maker。

帮助大户出货，协助建商炒地皮，诱使年轻人过度消费，让存款户被通膨侵蚀，销售投资人不需要的金融产品，鼓吹社会过度“金融投资”的风潮，晴天借伞雨天收伞，提供政商勾结的金钱舞台...用一种悲观的角度来看金融业，它没有创造多少正面的社会价值，但若从一种乐观的角度来审视金融业，它既然是个 money maker，那它是唯一一个可以让人不必依靠家世背景、性别年龄、学历门槛或党派宗教就可以投机（资）致富的地方。

既然金融业是个让年轻人投机致富的好场所，更是个高级又充满庞大铜臭香味的赌场，能够掌握这个赌场的筹码发牌权、分配权或兑换权才能成为这个行业的赢家，不然至少也得挤在发牌者、庄家或大赌客的旁边，起码当利多来临时，总有些赢家会发点小费，否则永远窝在赌场的机房、餐厅、门外当个小职员，不论筹码如何流动，不论庄家或赌客的赌局如何地精彩，永远没有致富的机会。

不论外商银行或外资劵商的规模有多大，即便是大到不能倒的程度，如果只是一个位居其底层的过劳工蚁，绝对没有资格进到赌场核心去玩那些筹码。碰不到金融业筹码的人，顶多就是一个月领几万块钱，做到四十来岁被放在“战力外名单”，成为下一波被裁员、放无薪假或减薪的优先名单，四十五岁就列为“优先退休名单”；所以，不论赌场大小，能跻身在金融赌局比起名片上响亮与否的公司名称来得重要。

- 当个操盘人或交易员，图的固然是分红，否则谁能够忍受那种长时间加班且没有生活品质的工作呢？

- 想要在金融业界工作又能够拿到高额奖金，要有一个必要条件与充分条件：必要条件是能够创造盈余，充分条件是这些盈余不能让别人抢走并且得要事先布局，这种分红的布局比投资布局难上百倍。

- 一个厉害的操盘交易主管必须同时具备“创造盈余”或“隐藏盈余”的本事，隐藏盈余的重要性不逊于创造盈余。浑水当然是用来摸鱼，在浑浊的水塘中自然会形成一些特殊的生态。

- 金融界的利润来自两大范围：一是进场赌博，二是出货做庄。如果要出货做庄家就得聘请一大堆业务员，如股票营业员、银行理专、保险业务员、房贷专员等等，特别是股票营业员与理专，他们的工作不是报名牌就是卖商品出货，换句话说就是引诱客户进场赌博的人。

- 别小看资深分析师或大牌研究员的能耐，在市场浓厚的多头气氛下，这些人的一言一行可是会左右特定股票的短线走势。代言虽然不一定可以取得代言费，可是透过消息的二手货延迟转播，他们往往也可以取得短线消息的先机。这些经过巧手变出来的数字预测，可以替他们赚到名声、钞票与关系。

证卷公司的肥缺不折不扣就是个政治问题 - 利益与资源分配的问题。

黄国华，钞票的重量

Premium Outlets, Augmented Reality, and Hong Kong Rental

2011-12-04T18:50:00.001-08:00

December 11, 2011, will be the grand opening of Johor Premium Outlets, where consumers will find a collection of 80 designer and name brand outlet stores featuring saving of 25% to 65% every day, in Kulai, Johor, Malaysia.

A joint venture project between Genting Plantations Bhd, and Premium Outlets® (the outlet division of Simon Property Group), this real estate is somehow different from that of AutoCity in northern region, as it will serve as a hub between Resorts World Genting (which is about 3.5 hours drive) and Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore (which is about an hour's drive from Johor Premium Outlets).

A look at overseas market, and we found that the heats go on for the top spots in Hong Kong...

The Hong Kong retailer lost out because Abercrombie & Fitch offered the landlord around US$1m in rent per month, three times more than what Shanghai Tang was paying, real estate agents say...

Foreign retailers defy Hong Kong rent surge

While in the virtual world, we can see some Aumented Reality in action with the pilot project by TopShop, for fashion lovers!

Feed In Tariff, Renewable Energy

2011-12-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

This could be another good passive income besides Automated Internet Business. However, do your own due diligence and invest accordingly (your skill sets, cash flow, financial education level, risk appetite etc).

2011年再生能源法令是于今年4月在國會通過。再生能源的資源包括油棕生物質（biomass）、水力及太陽能光電池發電。

政府的目標是在2015年生產985兆瓦（MW）電力，2020年生產2080兆瓦（MW）電力。

2011年8月15日 : 7附屬條款需擬定電力收購制展延至12月
能源、綠色工藝及水務部長拿督斯里陳華貴今日宣佈，原訂9月1日實行的鼓勵國內再生能源發展“電力收購制”（Feed-in Tarrif Mechanism），展延至12月1日。他說，由于在2011年再生能源法令下，仍有7個附屬條款需要擬定，以確保此計劃順暢執行，因此政府決定展延"電力收購制"。"為了確保電力收購制順暢、有效及透明進行，能源部檢討了推行的日期。能源部從其他推行電力收購制的國家吸取經驗，要確保此計劃有效推行，必須先有明確的立法。"
http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/242969

2011年9月10日 : 再生能源設固打制避免加重政府負擔
能源、綠色工藝及水務部長拿督斯里陳華貴說，為再生能源設立固打制是謹慎做法，旨在避免政府承擔多余費用，加重經濟負擔。"我們不能與德國相比，一些國家如西班牙，沒有限制電力收購數量，最后墜入無底深淵，因為他們需要撥出多余補貼，以讓收購制能持續進行。"
http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/250093

2011年11月22日 : 電費超過RM77.4多付1% 下月實行影響三成用戶
下月1日起，每月耗電量超過300千瓦（KW）的用戶，即電費超過77.4令吉的用戶，需另支付1%的電力收購費。在電力收購制度下，大馬永續能源發展局通過國能，向合格用戶收取1%費用，作為發展基金，以便支付給再生能源計劃的人士。

How you can sell back power to Tenaga

CONSUMERS who install their own renewable energy sources such as solar modules at home and can earn as much as RM600 amonth by selling the power generated to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) under the REAct 2011 when the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) is launch next month, Nanyang Siang Pau reported yesterday.

Under FiT, some two million households whose electricity bills exceed RM77.40 (300kWh) amonthwill have to pay a fee equivalent to 1%of the bill to a fundmanaged by Sustainable Energy Development AuthorityMalaysia (Seda).

The money will be used to pay those who produce renewable energy (RE) by harnessing solar power, use of small hydro, biomass and biogas.

At present, households pay TNB 40 sen per kWh (kilowatt-hour) for power consumed but theywill be paid RM1.20 per kWh by selling RE back to TNB.

Seda chairman Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn toldNanyangthat it is viable for households to take part in RE by installing a small-scale solar PV producer.

Explaining how the public can generate income in this area, he said: “Based on an average of three hours of sunshine a day, (for an average solar PV producer) 18 kWh of power can be generated a day, or 540kWh amonth.

“This works out to RM648 amonth (based on RM1.20 a kWh), or RM7,776 a year.”

He said the RM50,000 needed to install the solar PV can be recouped in seven to eight years.

“The annual return of 5% from the investment is higher than the fixed deposit rates offered by banks,” he said.

The Sun Daily, 29 November 2011, Page 9
http://203.115.192.117/thesun-epaper/tue/29112011/index.html#/9/zoomed

Smart Grid Electricity Feasibility - the internet of electricity?
http://www.ecoliving.my/smart-grid-electricity-feasibility

Overview of the FiT System in Malaysia
http://seda.gov.my/go-home.php?omaneg=00010100000001010101000100001000000000000000000000&s=6

FAQ of the FiT System in Malaysia
http://seda.gov.my/go-home.php?omaneg=00010100000001010101000100001000000000000000000000&s=171

我的錢呢？
http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/243597

The Case of Kodak

2011-11-28T04:26:00.000-08:00

From Dec 31 last year to Nov 23 this year, the day before the Thanksgiving holiday, Kodak’s share price tumbled 78.5% to US$1.15 (RM3.70) a share – a precipitous fall from its all-time high of US$94.75 on Feb 14, 1997. Kodak’s stunning decline is a cautionary tale that Malaysia’s corporate chieftains and policy makers would do well to study.

First, unlike Apple, early dominance in cameras and film technology made Kodak complacent. "You press the button, we do the rest" was the phrase Eastman immortalised.

Second, Kodak was slow to recognise the impact of digital photography.

Third, Kodak announced recently it will sell 1,100 digital imaging patents – about 10% of its patent portfolio - the need to generate long-term sustainable profits.

inkjets are threatened by electronic copies on tablets and smartphones.

According to the Association of Natural Rubber Producing countries, this year Thailand is expected to produce 3.35 million tonnes while the comparable figure for Malaysia is estimated at 975,000 tonnes. With Malaysia’s current output just 29% that of Thailand and with rubber planting requiring even more labour than oil palm, this policy objective, if true, is surreal.

As Kodak has shown, continuing to rely on a buggy whip business isn’t likely to reinvigorate Malaysia’s economy.

Kodak: A cautionary tale
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/221739

Politics, 天下乌鸦一般黑?

2011-11-27T04:12:00.001-08:00

There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt. ~ John Adams

Populist policies undermine reform
Failure to demonstrate such flexibility and implement necessary reforms will see us going down the slippery slope that countries such as Greece and Italy find themselves in today. We can say goodbye to reformasi if the national agenda for change is usurped by populist desperadoes.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/218388

派鈔票政治
The PIIGS — Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain — borrowed gobs more than they could ever actually pay... 加薪，沒問題；花紅，多多益善。公務員是國家的骨幹，當然要疼要愛。更重要的是，130萬公務員，就是130萬張選票，這才是硬道理 ... 民粹政治就是儘量討好群眾，只要可以激起人民的熱情，讓大家又high又happy，就可以放手做。民粹不求治國理念，不求管理效能，不放眼明天和未來；只求可以執政，混過今天。...

不管是國陣或民聯，應該提出振興經濟，帶動成長的政策，提高國民收入；而不是把國庫的錢派光光，讓人民更加依賴補貼。派鈔票容易，國家淪落也容易。

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/21145?tid=17

Zorba the Greek — get a job!
The problem is that most of the hard-working citizens long ago moved to the US, Canada, Australia and other countries to escape their corrupt governments and unfriendly business environment. Left behind were unionised workers and do-nothing bureaucrats who owed their sinecures to political patronage...

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=%2Fdata%2Fopinion%2F2011%2FNovember%2Fopinion_November27.xml§ion=opinion

The One Percent: Gigantic Government + Gigantic Corporations = Massive Wealth Inequality
Helping the poor is certainly a noble goal, and handouts can certainly ease suffering at least temporarily. But handouts are never a permanent solution and they can cause large numbers of people to end up becoming completely and totally dependent on the government. What poor and middle class really need are opportunities. Handouts will keep people alive, but they will not give people hope and a future...

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/2123?r=1

“引爆点”迟早到来•玛丽娜马哈迪
人民迟早会达到一个“引爆点”，不再容忍任何压制和贪污，他们会做一些事情，即使这意味着一些人将得死亡。

我们在嘛嘛档和网上大骂白痴政客就厉害，但是当确实要做些事情的时候，我们就找藉口。我们耸耸肩，说我们不能改变的，只有一些人能够。这样，我们就自己解除了力量。我们的领袖指望这样。

我们会容忍笨蛋领导我们多久呢？我们会容忍肆无忌惮的贪婪与憎恨多久呢？

http://www.nanyang.com/node/400962?tid=490

这是滥权越权还是失信？
搞了多年，牛没养好养够，应该再善用餘款去改善增产才对。却反而把可以改善及提高产量的余额，用去买与牛肉没关係的豪宅。

这岂不像将军的军需预算不用在购买军火粮食，打败敌军，反而把钱拿去投资跟打仗没关系的矿产品。这是滥权、越权还是挪用公款的失信之罪？小民无知，只主控官、律师、法官才说得清。

http://www.nanyang.com/node/400959?tid=490

律己以严
如果有一个排行榜，比较的是哪一个国家的人民对于政府事务或相关事宜最为宽宏大量，我想，马来西亚的人民肯定能榜上有名。是逼于无奈还是真的宽宏大量，姑且不论，但我们的政治环境里确实从来不曾出现“引咎辞职”这样的名词，甚至连“问责制”这个名堂也陌生得很。从高高在上的决策人到执行政策的公务员，谁也不必为任何过失负责任。就算要追究责任，那也可能是许多年以后的事，而且很可能最终的结果还是不了了之。

话说回来，这回公布的总审计司报告，东西买贵了已算是小case了，养牛竟然养到要买千万豪宅这才叫厉害！只是，明明是养牛计划却不好好利用相关贷款来发展养牛业，反而拿去投资方地产了，这不是“不务正业”吗？

http://www.nanyang.com/node/400960?tid=490

民眾見怪不怪了，變得冷漠無情了，要怪的人和事都懶得去怪了──只要貪污貪的是別人的錢就OK，反正死的是別人也OK──最終養肥的是一頭叫民主的怪物。

Related:
腐败、债务及其内幕http://howtze.blogspot.com/2010/05/blog-post_06.html

Fashion Updates

2011-11-25T00:15:00.001-08:00

1. Global Access - Malaysian designers enter French ready-to-wear market

Contemporary Batik

It is not always about flowers and butterflies when you think about batik prints. Neither does it all point to caftans and resort wear. In Michelle Lau’s world of batik, you can find more than just flowers and butterflies as the Meesha Sukira brand seeks to find a balance between the heritage of batik and modernity.

Meesha Sukira targets women who are 35 and above who know what they want and are certain of their purchases.

"Our target has always been women who are strong, confident and most importantly, they cherish individualism while they also appreciate art. They knowwhat theywant to achieve, are very certain and straightforward."

Expressive but minimalist, these are the characteristics of Meesha-Sukira collections which boast of shift dresses, maxi dresses and accessories such as clutch bags and shoes.

http://www.roslanwilkinson.com

theSun Daily, FASHION, November 23, 2011, Page 20

2. Bloggers turn designer for new shoe line

While fashion purists may argue bloggers already have too much power in the fashion world, a series of shoes designed by some of the most prominent online trendsetters will go on sale November 22, 2011.

Bloggers including Susie Lau of Style Bubble, Style Salvage's Steve Salter, Leandra Medine of the Man Repeller, and Face Hunter's Yvan Rodic have collaborated with footwear producer Six London and website Farfetch.com to each create an "ultimate shoe."

http://news.yahoo.com/bloggers-turn-designer-shoe-line-171202582.html

3. Asian shoppers 'fight' over Versace for H&M

It has been reported that fights broke out during the launch of Versace for H&M in China on Thursday, November 17. The hotly anticipated collaboration finally hit stores in Europe and Asia Thursday, and WWD writes that some shoppers on Shanghai’s Huai Hai Lu shopping street ended up in a scuffle.

http://news.yahoo.com/asian-shoppers-fight-over-versace-h-m-173530769.html

4. Intimate Luxuries in The Gardens, Mid Valley

5. 奢侈品消費逾8000億中國佔全球市場20%

全球奢侈品市場今年再雙位增長，銷售額按年成長10%至1910億歐元（約8190億令吉），中國更佔全球市場20%。

消費品專家普里茨爾（Rudolf Pritzl）認為，儘管國際市場動盪及經濟不穩，奢侈品領域卻能一枝獨秀，表現“反危機”的勢態。

奢侈品專賣店的營業額增幅大于普通大型商店，全球奢侈品近30%銷量來自專賣店。

http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/271386

Digital Publishing, Google One Pass, Amazon Kindle

2011-11-20T22:36:00.001-08:00

When Amazon.com says it already sells more Kindle books than paperback and hardcover books, e-publishing is finally ready for prime time. The march of technology is unstoppable, books and lifestyle magazines are going tablet as iPad and Kindle are gaining more grounds into people's daily life.

All the arguments against e-books are about external incidentals – the feel of a book, the crinkle of the pages and so on. None of these things has anything to do with what makes a book worth reading – that it’s a well-written, thoughtful and compelling story.

John Biggs, an editor at TechCrunch, has predicted that by 2013, e-book sales will surpass all other book sales (not just at Amazon.com). By 2016, lifestyle magazines will go tablet-only. By 2020, every high school and college student will have an e-reader. Finally, by 2025 the transition would be complete with print largely disappearing even in the developing world.

If Robert Andrews, the UK editor of PaidContent.org, is to be believed - Last year, he posted an article where he cited the rising cost of newsprint and the inefficiency of delivering newspapers via trucks as reasons why “printing on paper may increasingly look like just another cost that, soon, could be removed from the balance sheet”.

Asians are crazy about mobile gadgets and tablets are as popular here as they are overseas.

So, the writing is on the wall as far as print publications are concerned. It’s now up to the publishers – established ones as well as new ones yet to emerge – to ride the digital trend.

Progress of Digital Publishing

If you are into the digital content or publishing world, check out these 2:

Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing is the fast and easy way to self-publish your books for sale in the Kindle Store.
With Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) you can self-publish your books on the Amazon Kindle Store. It's free, fast, and easy. Books self-published through KDP can participate in the 70% royalty program and are available for purchase on Kindle devices and Kindle apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac, Blackberry, and Android-based devices. With KDP, you can self-publish books in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian and specify pricing in US Dollars, Pounds Sterling, and Euros. You will also find useful information on our active community forum.

https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin

Google One Pass is a payment system that enables publishers to set the terms for access to their digital content.
It offers purchase-once, view-anywhere functionality, so users can view the content they buy across all of their devices.By providing a system for user authentication, payment processing, and administration, Google One Pass lets publishers focus on creating high quality content for their readers. Publishers have flexibility over payment models and control over the digital content for which they charge and the content that is free for consumers.

http://www.google.com/landing/onepass/

A recent survey by eMarketer daily shows that One in Three Online Consumers to Use a Tablet by 2014:

Sources:

Digital future of publishing
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/209577

Amazon Now Sells More Kindle Books Than Hardcover and Paperback Combined
http://techland.time.com/2011/05/19/amazon-now-sells-more-kindle-books-than-hardcover-and-paperback-combined/

One in Three Online Consumers to Use a Tablet by 2014
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008701&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4

High Tech High Touch

2011-11-14T19:46:00.001-08:00

High Tech High Touch, 缺一不可

施比受有福

重赏之下，必有勇夫。同样的，Pay Peanut, Get Monkey!

资不抵债，实现财务自由的一个简单计划:

1。创办一家企业, Create a business
2。对企业实行再投资, Reinvest and grow the business
3。投资房地产, Invest in Real Estate
4。购买舒适的生活, Use income from assets to buy luxuries

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

2011-10-31T23:30:00.001-07:00

Steve Jobs was not 'warm and fuzzy': biographer

Jobs, despite being worth billions of dollars, lived in a modest house in Palo Alto and was determined not to let money change him.

Jobs told Isaacson a lot of people had changed at Apple after becoming wealthy.

"A few people went out and bought Rolls-Royces and they bought homes, and their wives got plastic surgery," Jobs said.

"I saw these people who were really nice, simple people turn into these bizarro people," he said. "And I made a promise to myself. I said: ‘I’m not going to let this money ruin my life.’"

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/story_print.html?id=5597108&sponsor=

And here's a real world example to explain Precession Theory...

Bill Gates to Students: I Didn't Dream About Being Super-Rich

I think most people who have done well have just found something they're nuts about doing. Then they figure out a system to hire their friends to do it with them. It it's an area of great impact, then sometimes you get financial independence.

"I didn't start out with the dream of being super-rich. And even after we started Microsoft, and the guys who ran Intel—Gordon Moore and those guys—were billionaires, I was like, 'Wow, that must be strange.' And so—it is, it's quite strange."

Wealth above a certain level, really, it's a responsibility that then you're going have to either, a.) leave it to your children, which may or may not be good for them, or b.) try to be smart about giving it away…So I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars, because there's meaningful freedom that comes with that. But once you get much beyond that—you know, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger. Dick's has not raised their prices enough…But, you know, being ambitious is good. You just have to pick what you enjoy doing.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395453,00.asp#fbid=1hwS0uB4cWV

Bill Gates not bothered by Steve Jobs's comments in biography
While Gates said he found Jobs to be a "weirdly flawed human being," Jobs asserted that Gates was a "basically unimaginative" person who "never invented anything... He just shamelessly ripped off other people's ideas."...
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/10/31/bill_gates_not_bothered_by_steve_jobss_comments_in_biography.html

Hong Leong Bank

2011-10-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Building A Strong Foundation:

As at 2011, it seems the bank is on track as planned.

Corporate Journey 2008

2011-10-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

Corporate Journey Magazine online subscription service article on China Press:

Mobile Trading

2011-10-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

This ads on 21st April 2008, The Edge Financial paper is additional info to Consumption Device, Digital Contents, and Online Campaign:

10 minutes between meeting. 12k made. not bad.

Ads by Maxis and Blackberry.

A Message to Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Occupy Wall Street,

I completely understand your anger and commend you for having the courage to do something about it.

Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company said nearly a century ago, "It is well that the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning."

And that was before the government financial system really got good at stealing from and impoverishing us. Today, if we all really had any idea as to what has been done to us by the system there’d be 6.8 billion people involved in these protests.

However, there is a very, very important piece of the puzzle that you have missed completely.

In order to understand why, you have to realize one thing. You have been brainwashed. Don’t feel too bad, we all have been.

Thomas Pynchon said, "If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers."

And that is precisely what they have been doing for decades, using propaganda and indoctrination to confuse you as to the real source of the problems so that you never ask the right questions.

In a sound, honest world, you could do anything you want… you certainly would not have been forced into a minimum of 12 years of indoctrination (called public or private, state regulated schools) as a child. As well, practically everything in mainstream media is meant to subtly, every day, push you in the direction of supporting the nation-state.

After 12-16 years of government controlled “education” and thousands of hours of television propaganda from mainstream media that is all but one-in-the-same with the government it can be very hard to see reality.

Here is the reality. All of the problems you see are real. But you’ve been misdirected as to their cause – on purpose. Wall Street is, for the most part, corrupt and incredibly damaging to society as a whole. But, they are a SYMPTOM, not the CAUSE of the problem.

If you want to protest the real devils who have caused every major problem in the world, from wars to poverty to oppression, then you shouldn’t be in New York. You should be in Washington D.C. (District of Criminals) in front of the White House, Congress and the Federal Reserve building. That is the source of all of our problems today.

Sadly, because of all the propaganda and brainwashing you are actually asking for more government involvement in the economy as a solution to the problem CAUSED by the massive amount of government involvement in the economy. You have to realize one thing. There is a war on for your mind. At the moment, the side of reality, truth, honesty and self-responsibility is losing. The side of propaganda, corruption, theft (taxes), violence (laws against victimless crimes, wars and cages/jails or death if you do not submit to theft) and outright evil has been winning.

The tide is turning, however. Slowly people are awakening to the truth. We don’t need to fight violently, like them. We just need to say no. But this will only happen if you can see the true cause of all of the problems of today. As the younger generations we have unfortunately been completely brainwashed and indoctrinated.

We’ve been told government is good and here to protect us when the only times most of us have been accosted, tased, put in cages (jail) or beaten has been at the hand of a “police officer”.

We’ve been told taxation isn’t theft, when that is exactly what it is.

We’ve been told that democracy is freedom, when in fact it is slavery.

We’ve been brainwashed our entire lives but we can snap out of it very easily. Here are a few videos to get you started down the rabbit hole:

Once you are done those videos then you can move on to the next stage. Read these books:

Murray Rothbard’s “For a New Liberty”
Hans-Hermann Hoppe's "Democracy: The God That Failed"
Morris & Linda Tannehill's "The Market For Liberty"

You will feel a lot of emotions as you awaken. You may feel, more than anything, fear. Swallow it. You are here on Earth once. Don’t allow yourself to be scared out of freedom, love and peace. Step past that feeling. Once you can quell those feelings, then you may feel angry. That is good and natural. However, we shouldn’t need to get violent to stop this slavery.

All we need to do to stop it is to stop supporting the government and spread the word to others so that they do the same. This is very easy.

Mahatma Gandhi said, "Withholding of payment of taxes is one of the quickest methods of overthrowing a government."

Be warned, this process will not be easy… we will go through a few months and maybe even a few years of virtual chaos as the entire nation-state, political control system collapses. The entire false, non-free market, thieving monetary system will collapse in the process. Everything will change. People will once again have to learn to support themselves and how to be productive.

But don’t worry. As Bill Hicks said, it’s just a ride. Once we can get rid of the devils amongst us who only can have power WHEN we CREATE that power for them to attain (governance) then they scurry like the cockroaches that they are.

Freedom is right in front of you. Prosperity like you’ve never known lies at your fingertips. All you have to do is awaken, educate yourself and follow one simple principle. A principle that is so simple and obvious that they teach it to kindergarten children. The Non-Aggression Principle. Don’t hit… don’t steal… and only resort to violence when aggressed against. And don’t allow any person, corporation or government to breach this principle.

When that stands as the center of your philosophy of being all else becomes simple. The “authorities” hope you never figure this out. Unluckily for them, but typical at the same time, they didn’t realize the internet would allow this message to get to the masses. It is typical because these people aren’t especially smart. They are scheming sociopaths and excellent conmen and women, but they aren’t especially smart. If they were they would have realized the internet would be a major problem for them years ago and have done something to stop it.

Now they are beginning to realize that the internet will facilitate their fall. People like Barack Obama speak often of the “internet kill switch” for this reason. But we have a few months still to educate, communicate and to defeat them. Act now to devour all of the real, honest information that is available to you through the internet. Look to website such asLewRockwell.com, Mises.org and watch interviews with top anarchists at Anarchast. Also, download all of this information... it will almost certainly be censored by the government very soon.

If we cannot spread the word prior to them shutting the internet down then we will lose. We will all be enslaved except for the few of us who have found a way to escape to remote islands, live discretely off of un-policed waters on sailboats or ships, small seasteads or the few who may have even escaped to outer space… things like Virgin Galactic are just now making possible.

But it is my hope that we can use this moment as our time to awaken. Pass along this post, its videos and articles to anyone and everyone you can.

Fight the power and stand up to the tyranny, but fight the root of the problem, not the symptom. The root are the governments of the world. They have created an entire, artificial financial system (which is not capitalism, it is corporatism/fascism) based on theft (taxation). It is natural, then, for the financial edifice that grows up around that system to also be based on theft and corruption.

But you cannot defeat that financial system without defeating the system that created it. Take your fight to Washington, D.C. When ten million+ occupy Washington D.C. and call for the end to institutionalized force and theft then we have an opportunity to really change the world for the better.

Youth of America, occupy Washington. Youth of the world, occupy the power centers of your own tax farms (countries). They have stolen your futures from even before you were born.

Take it back...

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/1995

Education And Freedom

2011-10-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

For years, I've dedicated my life to mastering the global economic chess match, where the moves of yesterday and today will land us tomorrow. And trust me, it's no easy task. It entails knowing how the policies in America trickle into the stability or instability of the world.

Below are some drafts and notes related to the education system (part of the cause), part of my findings on slavery in the 21st century.

Though they are still scattered around, by connecting the dots, we shall be able to get a better picture in the near future. The temporary conclusion is: all things are well connected: 政经文教、士农工商，环环相扣、息息相关.

While the plantation system is still alive and well in the Information Age (Slavery In The 21st Century?), there seems to be an education trap in the real world to produce obedient skilled workforce to the ruling elite. As what G.Edward Griffin in The Creature from Jekyll Island pointed out on Rockefeller's General Education Board (founded in 1903):

True education was to be restricted to the son and daughters of the elite. For the rest, it would be better to produce skilled workers with no particular aspirations other than to enjoy life.

However, they may have not realize the internet would allow this message to get to the masses.

Real education, today, is all free and can be done via the internet from anywhere. All you have to do is ensure your child can read, write and count, equipped with the right attitude and mindset, from there they can self-educate and grow.

Formal education will make you a living. Self-education will make you a fortune. ~ Jim Rohn

In life there are no "sure things" or guarantees. The government fooled you into thinking there are, but there isn't. In real life you just have to get out there and do it.

Today, however, formal education often does not even make you a living as the cost of schooling has increased dramatically ever since the government subsidized it with grants, loans and tax benefits.

The good news is, we still have alternatives with the advance technology and the free will with us.

For example, home schooling which is a legal option for parents in most developed countries to provide their children with a learning environment as an alternative to public or private schools. However, there are still legal issues for homeschooling in Malaysia at the time of writing. Some lobbying effort may be needed in the future.

Another example of the use of technology as alternative would be private sector's initiative, the one such as gooroo.my provide a live and working model as well as a good case study.

Above are just bits and pieces of the findings to date. While compiling the masterpiece and preparing a thesis and reaction to the "cause".

With Love, Respect, and Much Abundant Blessings Always,
How Tze

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. ~ George Orwell

Does Our Education System Destroy Free Will?

All public school is, in the US (and major part of the worlds where you can use Visa/Master - same system! - or spot KFC, McD, Starbucks etc) today, is indoctrination for jail or to train you to be a cubicle rat for the rest of your life.

Don't get caught in the education trap...

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/2047

Message to Occupy Wall Street

Fight the power and stand up to the tyranny, but fight the root of the problem, not the symptom.

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/1995

獨木橋和陽關道

教育是百年大計，不能以意識形態來決定政策，而必須以遠見來作抉擇。你走你的獨木橋，我走我的陽關道；誰都不礙誰，後果如何，自行負責。優點在於，家長和學生有選擇的自由，依本身的家庭背景，以及未來的展望，進行選擇。

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/21453?tid=17

The Real Threat of Cyber Terrorism

2011-10-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Identity theft — mainly, fraudulent spending — has affected hundreds of millions of people, causing hundreds of billions in losses worldwide in the past decade.

Today, though, your credit card number isn't the only target of hackers' keystrokes...

What Do You Do Online?

I bank with an online interest-bearing checking account. I use it to make utility, car, cable, and phone payments. It also contains my entire banking and ATM transaction history.

I pay my mortgage through a separate online account.

I have a brokerage account.

I manage my insurance and health savings account (HSA).

I have an individual retirement account (IRA).

I have a credit card account.

And of course, I have an email account, which doesn't forget anything and is a catch-all for correspondence from any person or business I interact with: orders, confirmation numbers, pictures, usernames, etc.

The very fabric of my life — and yours, I'm sure — is sewn together with digital thread.

It's not just our financial data that's at risk; it's our personal information, our likes and dislikes, our habits, and even our geographic location.

Google knows what you need and how you're getting it. It knows where you're going and how you're getting there. It knows what you're cooking. It knows when you're sick.

Social media, apps, and smartphones have added a whole new layer to this.

People chronicle their lives on Facebook, telling the world what movies and books they like, what they're doing over the weekend, even which coworker annoys them. Some even sync their phones' GPS with these accounts to broadcast their location as they go.

It's all out there in the ether, strings of ones and zeros floating on a server in some cloud.

Individually, you may not think much of it. But when combined, you have a dossier on a nation — a psychological profile, a financial profile, a spending profile, a medical history, a travel log, a family tree, a social interaction chart.

We're way past identity theft...

These mountains of data are our new Twin Towers.

The Real Threat of Cyber Terrorism

We've all seen how penetrable supposed "secure systems" can be.

Hacking has come to be the new tool of both criminals and law enforcement. It's at the core of today's activism, now known as hacktivism.

And more and more each day, it's terrorists' new weapon of choice.

The most important thing to know is that this stuff is already happening.

"It is now clear this cyber threat is one [of] the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation," President Obama said during a speech.

"We know that cyber intruders have probed our electrical grid, and that in other countries cyber attacks have plunged entire cities into darkness," the president said.

Keep this issue in mind... when the market comes back, this will be one of the prime places to be.

Call it like you see it,
Nick Hodge

Face It

2011-10-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

If you have a problem, face it. Don't Facebook it.

Putting A Human Face On Environmental Problems

2011-10-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

A simple and straight forward message to bring up the awareness that taking care of environmental problems is everybody's responsibility.

Dengue are transmitted by mosquitoes, clearing off the surroundings to prevent the growing of mosquitoes is a good way to prevent the cases.

In the image above, steps such as eliminating pockets of stagnant water that serve as mosquito breeding sites at home, workplaces and their vicinity, not storing water in open containers, covering all water containers with lids - are carried out through a sharp community message image.

俊男美女的比赛

2011-10-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/terimee

OMG Paradise’s We Love Planking Asia Challenge
OMG！帅哥美女爱扑街亚洲大挑战
http://www.12winfreebies.com/win-a-free-trip-with-omg-paradise-planking-asia-contest

Half Time (Retire Young Retire Rich)

2011-10-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Life is a game of time and money. A professional football game is made up of four fifteen-minute quarters and your working life is four ten-year quarters.

The Game of Money
Age	Game Period
25 - 35	1st Quarter
35 - 45	2nd Quarter	Retire Young Retire Rich!
------- Halftime -------
45 - 55	3rd Quarter
55 - 65	4th Quarter
------- Overtime -------
Out of Time

Will You Work Forever?

People who did not have anything at the end of the fourth quarter may have to work for the rest of their lives, which may not be a bad thing as long as you are able to work.

In fact, I believe working keeps us healthier and happier. I know because I retired at forty-seven and found it depressing ... which is why I keep working, even though I do not have to. ~ Robert Kiyosaki

Do something you enjoy and you can work at for as long as you want to work at it. There will come a time when you will call an end to the working game and really want to retire and do nothing. Also remember that doing nothing can still be expensive.

Every investor needs to pay attention to time. What worked for our parents' generation may not work for many of us. Watch the change in cycles. It is important to understand the velocity of money.

Velocity of Money

2011-10-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

The example demonstrates the differences of how your money increases when invested in a mutual fund, a rental property, and a rental property where you borrow the appreciation every two years. Choices 1 and 2 are examples of people who park their money and choice 3 is an example of people that increase the velocity of their money.

20,000	Description	Net Equity After 7 Years	Average Annual Return on a $20,000 Investment
Choice 1	Invest in a mutual fund that earns 5% a year	$28,142	5.8%
Choice 2	Invest $20,000 and borrow $180,000 from the bank for a $200,000 rental property and let your equity compound. Assume rental income only breaks even with expenses and the property appreciates at a rate of 5% a year	$101,420	58.2%
Choice 3	Invest $20,000 and borrow $180,000 from the bank for a $200,000 rental property. Rather than letting the equity compound, you borrow out the appreciation every two years and invest it in a new property at 10 percent down.	$273,198	180.9%

The investor needs to first invest in their financial education before expecting such accelerated returns.

The formula professional investor follows:

1. Invest money into an asset
2. Get the original investment money back
3. But keep control of the original asset
4. Move the money into a new asset
5. Get the investment money back
6. Repeat the process

Financial institutions understand how important it is to expand their money supply in order to increase their earning power. Most investors do not realize they too can expand their own money supply and thereby expand their earning power. Financial institutions do this by making their money move. The more times a dollar moves, the greater the money supply and the greater their earning power of that dollar.

The movement of money increases your money supply !

Don't count your money while you're sitting at the table. ~ A professional gambler.

In summary, as a professional investor, you need to know when to enter, when to exit, and how to get your money off the table, and still in the game playing with house's money, banker's money, and the tax man's money.

By financial definition, my ROI - return on investment - is infinite.

Professional investors want CONTROL over their assets and their cash flow.

Mechanization of Credit

2011-10-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

The problem with this low-credit, low-risk environment:
profits were slim, not just for banks but for retailers and the real estate industry.

If people had to save up to buy a new item of clothing or an appliance, then the retailers were limited in how many gew-gaws they could sell.
If people stayed put and didn't buy and sell their houses frequently, then developers, lenders and realtors had a very limited field of profit-making opportunities.
If only people who qualified via stringent credit standards had access to credit, then the transactionf ees and interest earned from credit were also limited.

The "solution" to that low-risk, low-churn, low-credit environment was the commodification and mechanization of credit.

An analogy can be found in industrial consumer goods such as autos. When autos were hand-made by artisanal craftsmen, they were extraordinarily expensive. When Henry Ford mechanized the production, effectively turning them into mass-produced commodities, they became affordable to tens of millions of households.

The same thing happened with credit when computers took over the task of qualifying borrowers.

A computer program assessed credit on a simple point system, and voila, the costly task of assessing credit risk fell to pennies per borrower.

Not entirely by happenstance, banks found that millions of households that had been viewed as risks now qualified for credit, as the issuing and servicing of credit--credit card annual fees, transaction fees, late fees, etc.--became a fast-growing, monstrously profitable gusher for banks.

The Origins of American Debt-Serfdom
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/2075

4 Ideas to Help You Offer More Value to Your Customers

2011-10-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

Internet marketing = An exchange of value

4 things you have that are valuable:
1. Time
2. Knowledge
3. Experience
4. Skills

Value is NOT JUST ABOUT MONEY

attention, trust, referring friends, sharing success stories, contributing to a vibrant/active website, sharing ideas, contacts, all these are values in addition to their money.

Offer valuable SOLUTIONS

1. Save $$$
2. Save time
3. Save effort - accomplish a lot more with a lot less work, help people to increase productiviti, to avoid mistakes, to achieve greater results,
4. Offer something better - example, Apple - improved customer experience, what is already available, filling in the gap, correcting weaknesses

What can I do to add value to the transaction?
How can I provide a solution that is cheaper, faster, easier, better?

Mister Potato and Jacker

2011-10-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Just not long ago, a local brand launched its Mister Potato and Man Utd marketing campaign. It is one of the best try for local business where they are scoring with the right brand. In this promotional event, you can Win the Experience of A Lifetime with Mister Potato Man Utd Promotion!

As player in the same industry, another company, Jacker, launched its own campaign aiming to boost sales too - where you can Win Up To RM200,000 Cash with Jacker’s Extravaganza Contest.

It is interesting that both companies are producing similar products, and both are from Melaka. And it is interesting too to study the gap between the team that produces these campaigns.

A follow up on 19th October, 2011:

When Ferguson walked into the press conference that would announce to the world the association of Mamee-Double Decker's Mr.Potato with United, there was pin-drop silence. The man has an aura that is larger than life.

Education Trap

2011-10-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. ~ George Orwell

All public school is, in the US (and major part of the worlds where you can use Visa/Master - same system! - or spot KFC, McD, Starbucks etc) today, is indoctrination for jail or to train you to be a cubicle rat for the rest of your life.

The human herding process

School is an 18 years forced government training program that sterilises the potential of brains in children. Those who actually survive schooling and survived comformity and continue on to think for themselves truly are a rare breed.

Until we abolish mandatory schooling, your child will be brought up as a slave, so that he can accept becoming a slave later in life in adulthood.

"The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed a standard citizenry, to put down dissent and originality" -HL Mencken

Formal education will make you a living. Self-education will make you a fortune. ~ Jim Rohn

Today, however, formal education often does not even make you a living as the cost of schooling has increased dramatically ever since the government subsidized it with grants, loans and tax benefits.

In life there are no "sure things" or guarantees. The government fooled you into thinking there are, but there isn't. In real life you just have to get out there and do it.

Real education, today, is all free and can be done via the internet from anywhere. All you have to do is ensure your child can read, write and count, and from there they can self-educate.

Don't get caught in the education trap...

Does Our Education System Destroy Free Will?
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/2047

An interesting study: We are the 99 percent
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/

Slavery in the 21st Century?
http://howtze.blogspot.com/2011/07/slavery-in-21st-century.html

Food Security, Food Fear

2011-10-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Will a "Food Armageddon" happen in the near future? It will be tough to convince Malaysians that such a calamity could happen in a country where food is available round the clock. It is said that Malaysia is the only country in the world where food is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The term “food security” seems to be the preferred term today. Just a few decades ago, journalists weremore familiar with the term “food crisis”. Who authored the change in terminology? Was the currently preferred termspecially coined to be “politically correct” in context or “politically motivated” to accommodate a sinister agenda of institutional structures?

Experts today use this term because it is not just crisis situations which cause “food insecurity” (i.e. lack of security). Almost a billion people go to bed hungry each day, according to the World Bank. Some of these peoplemay live in countries which have food, but they cannot afford to buy the food, meaning, they have no economic access.

And this lack of abilitymay lead to a situation of “chronic food insecurity”, which potentially affects the growth and development of young children, and thereby their ability to learn as well. There have beenmany studies to show the link between under-nutrition and education performance among children. So all these are now included in the term “food security”.

Look At Effects

One possible effect is the disruption or restriction in supply of food or agricultural rawproducts to the country concerned. For specific countries, local policies could be developed, and supportedwith adequate funding and technical support, to increase local production of a particular item. For example, a country responsemay be to increase local rice production in the face of a global reduction in the amount of rice traded.

Most countries have government agencies chargedwith applying food safetymeasures. The challenge is to ensure they are functional.

There is enough food in the world to meet everyone’s needs, but not enough to accommodate everyone’s greed. Should the world be in jitters over an impending “Food-Armageddon” that might not materialise – or should the international community address the tangible problemof wealth and food distribution more emphatically?

Concurrently, the world population will become more urbanised, leading to fewer people farming. With urbanisation, it is also predicted that the percentage of poor people who are food insecure in the cities will also increase.

Organisations like the World Food Programme have advocated safety nets to help the vulnerable poor who cannot afford to buy food even if food is available.

These safety nets operate in the broader context of individual country policies on wealth distribution vis-à- vis job creation, livelihood improvement and generally economic growth. It is difficult for the international community to effectively address country-specific wealth distribution issues.

Individual country governments need to take local action that can meet local situations of unequal wealth distribution. Assuming no disruptions in the food supply chain, whether local or global, people who are economically well off have a better chance of being food secure.

Malaysia has many advantages as a food producing country – bountiful landwith no regular natural disasters such as typhoons or earthquakes, suitable climate for crop, fish and animal agriculture, resourceful people and strong technical as well as financial resources to support farming.

So Malaysia can ramp up significantly its domestic production of agricultural products if it chose to. The challenge is whether it would be cheaper to import or go for local production. In the context of food security, most experts predict increasing prices of raw materials and increased competition for these raw materials due to population demands and the improved economic status of more people, especially in Asia.

Many countries have developed their own food security plans to ensure there is sufficient resilience in supply to buffer any unexpected shocks to the system.

One of the dilemmas that countries likeMalaysia face is whether to increase the level of self- sufficiency in key items evenwhen other countries can produce those items cheaper or continue to depend on imports fromoverseas and find ways tominimise any supply disruption. There is no single solution.

There are also trade-off issues as cash crops like palm oil continue to yield high returns when compared to food crops like rice.

Some agricultural products will require continued importation, such as wheat; while others like soybean and corn could help lessen the impact from supply shortage if Malaysia grew more of its own. But both soybean and cornwould require renewed significant investments in research to produce the right crop varieties andmanagement technologies.

Brazil has shown that it is possible for tropical countries to become agriculture powerhouses if sufficient financial resources are devoted to R&D.

Agriculture will have to be made more attractive, especially, food agriculture via appropriate incentives and supportive policies.

http://203.115.192.117/thesun-epaper/tue/04102011/files/assets/seo/page10.html

I am not worried about long run supply of agriculture production; the big question is about who gets access to it. ~ Peter Timmer
Invest in agri technology, says Harvard don
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/164579

Related:
Food Pricehttp://howtze.blogspot.com/2011/08/ever-wonder-why-malaysians-are-paying.html

Invest In Land
Penang wants control of foodstuff during natural disasters
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/175800

我和我的阿四

2011-10-14T00:38:00.000-07:00

在我和我的小三于一星期前有所进展后，特丽美面子书专页活动也逐渐活跃。

特丽美俊男美女网络选拔赛在 2011 年 10 月 1 日推广后的两个星期内，粉丝从 2818 人增至 4040 人（本贴标题阿四的意思，是四千多，非广东话里的 "ah sei / 仆人”的意思）：

社群互动也从之前近乎零而呈令人鼓舞的增长：

最新的进展，当然是游览特丽美面子书专页！

Roller Coaster Ride

2011-10-13T01:00:00.000-07:00

This spells it out better than I can describe with words.

In the end, the only thing left standing will be the precious metals and their corresponding mining shares as one fiat currency after another implodes worldwide. We are witnessing the final stages of what happens when fiat currencies go the way of the world...

What lies between now and that moment is plenty of market volatility and all kinds of societal chaos.

You simply have to choose as an investor whether you want to be part of the slaughter, or be on top of the financial heap as the consequences for decades of economic and political stupidity come to full maturation.

This is called the hijacking of America by the elitist banks for the elitist banks so they can get even more power and control. In reality, nothing is going to change the course we are on. Citizens worldwide are going to pay the full price for all this economic and political stupidity. It is not going to be a pretty picture.

This would be very useful in explaining to loved ones and others why you are investing in precious metals:

From:
Slaughter or Opportunity: The Choice is Yours
http://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/precious-metals-investing/3256

Related:
A Message to Occupy Wall Street
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/1995

Is Buffet full of BS?

2011-10-12T00:30:00.000-07:00

Can You Handle The Truth?

the truth is that life can be pretty cruel, if one cannot handle the truth.

To make matters worse, most of these people who cannot handle the truth don’t even know what the truth is. Many believe that the money they’ve been putting in for years is still there, much like a private savings account. Most are unable to comprehend that the money they put in is actually gone, having flowed into an older retiree’s wallet. They do not know that if younger person doesn’t come in behind them and put money in the funds, they’ll be forced to face the truth that there isn’t any money in the kitty.

Little does he know that the stock market is nothing but one big Ponzi scheme. In other words, if money stops coming in to the market, the money already in will rush out. With computerized high frequency trading (HFT), money can disappear at the speed of thought.

What will it take for the economy to come back? Well, obviously, another Ponzi scheme… and that’s the truth.

What truth do you have to handle?

----------------------

Why Is Gold Going Down?

central banks are the only ones who could move the price of gold that drastically that quickly. If the central banks are selling gold to raise cash, that’s not good news for the world economy. If they’re raising cash, then the economy is very weak. This isn’t good.

Then again, the price of gold could be coming down because the economy is strong. Gold is generally a fear investment, and if fear is going down, then the price of gold comes down.

If the sell-off in gold is because the economy is strong and growing again, the sell-off in gold is good news for the economy.

Is this time to buy gold and silver?

My answer is always the same. You need to do your own study and research, and test for yourself. If you can’t tolerate the ups and downs of markets, it’s best to allow someone else to invest for you, regardless of what you invest in.

If you trust our corporate and government leaders to fix our global economic problems, then gold is not for you. Stocks might be a better investment.

there are only two emotions that drive a market: greed and fear. When fear is strong and prices are low, then greed creeps back in and buyers like me begin buying again.

If everything is down, we’re all going down. If everything is going down, a gun might be your best buy.

----------------------

You Can’t Handle the Truh

the name of the game for the conspiracy is “Bailout.”

Why bailout countries such as Greece and Italy? One reason is that the rich want their money back. By bailing out the Greeks, they get the Greeks to pay them the money owed them.

In other words the rich are playing games with money.

In this game, the world becomes terrified, there is a lot of noise and thunder, and then the banks ride to the rescue, saving the world economy.

As stated in other COR updates, the ultra-rich want us to beg them to print more money, even though it means higher taxes and higher inflation for all of us.

What am I doing?

Nothing has changed. I continue to invest in debt by buying apartment houses with as much debt as possible. This is what banks want and what the government wants. The economy needs people who can handle large amounts of debt. This means I need to find apartment houses for good prices, take on lots of debt, and let the tenants pay off the debt.

What should you do? As always, I suggest getting more financial education.

This crisis will be the worst crisis for millions of people. It can also be the best crisis, if you know what you are doing.

-----------------------

Are You Rambo or Pee-Wee?

Risk is an interesting word. Millions live in fear of risk, although they don’t know what it is.

Risk only exists in the future—it’s what might happen. So technically, risk does not exist until the moment it’s realized. It’s only in the unknown where risk lies. For example, if you knew the stock market was going to crash in five days, you could do something about it and mitigate the risk.

Pee-Wee has been right more times, but Rambo’s had more fun. The fact is that I could lose everything I have in the deal, but I’m not stupid enough risk everything I have.

-----------------------

Buying your own shares is often a red flag for professional stock investors. It can mean a number of things. Generally, when a company buys its own shares, it means, “I can’t get my share price to go up so I’ll manipulate the share price up by buying my own shares, which will make my shareholders happy and like me.” It can also mean, “I can’t find a good deal,” or, “I don’t know how to grow my company,” or, “I’ve got more money than brains,” or, “The best return for my money is to invest in my company.”

On CNBC, Buffet said he was buying back shares of Berkshire Hathaway because the value of his stock was less than the “intrinsic value of his company.” This sent the price of his stock back up. Where Warren leads, the sheep follow.

Who knows what the truth is? Only Warren knows.

There are two reasons why I don’t invest in stocks.

Reason #1: Employees play too many games, from the CEO down. Many employees use the public company as their person expense account and ATM. This is why I tend to invest in private companies, not public ones. The private companies are businesses of friends, fellow entrepreneurs who own their company and whom I know and trust.

Reason #2: I invest for cash flow, not capital gains. Most people who play the stock market invest for capital gains, wanting the price to go up. Investing for cash flow, I receive a check every month or every quarter. If I don’t like the dollar amount on my check, I call my friend to find out what’s going on.

Try calling Warren and see what happens.

Egalitarian

2011-10-11T00:20:00.000-07:00

Big govt vs small govt
Aidan Chan

Switzerland has been a safe haven for many centuries – both financial and political.

this stable country does not have a central government...its central bank is tiny in comparison to its size.

The Swiss “government”, or collection of governments, is entirely bottom-up, with plenty of volatility. In fact, it is the last main nation that is not a nation-state in the modern definition of the term. It has a small government, or a coalition of small governments. Because so many decisions are made at the municipal or cantonal level, the Swiss are intimately involved with laws and regulations which affect their lives. In Malaysia, by comparison, very few people relative to the Malaysian population know the Constitution.

Each canton is different, so the Swiss are able to see for themselves which policies work best.

Swiss citizens can then decide which policy suits them best and “vote with their feet” by moving to the canton which they find the most attractive. The result is that good policies tend to drive out bad.

When Malaysians vote with their feet, they move to another country, not another state. Encouraging more intra-Malaysian competition between states might help to mitigate this.

I like to think of the Swiss system as a free market, competitive, federalist system of government.

Another good reason for the coalition of governments system is that Switzerland is made up of several different major ethnic groups – Germans, French, Italians and Romans. Over the years, whenever conflicts arose between the language groups, or between Catholics and Protestants, the Swiss resolved these by allowing each of the warring groups to govern themselves. Thus single cantons (Swiss states) have divided into half-cantons, new cantons have been formed, and border communes have opted to leave one canton to join another. In this way, the Swiss system allowed people of different languages, cultures, religions and traditions to live together in peace and harmony. It is a system Malaysia can learn from, a system where all political dissent and noise is allowed to rise to the surface. In contrast, we are currently fond of stoking dissent and not allowing it to rise to the surface.

Politicians are more easily held accountable in a small government. A government bureaucrat would not be as ashamed of overspending taxpayers’ money as someone you see in the town square every day.

In the spirit of libertarianism, we should promote the idea of downsizing big governments, or moving big governments towards a coalition of small governments. Small is beautiful; small governments are beautiful governments.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/177340

-----------------------------------------Same rules of the game
Tricia Yeoh

Their message is simple: a protest against the well-oiled financial and economic system that is led by the 1% of the population, made up of the wealthiest and most well-connected Americans; the same system that despite having wreaked havoc on the country’s (and therefore, the world’s) economy, still continues running unabashedly on the same rules of the game as it did previously.

The principle of privatisation is to maximise competitiveness and productive efficiency, but the Malaysian version seems to have emerged with the opposite results.

One wonders if real competition and private-led initiatives will be permitted to flourish. Especially since recent privatisation schemes with similar modus operandi have continued.

although the federal government will pay the concession companies the additional fees, this is only for the first five to seven years. These funds dispensed by government are effectively taxpayers’ money anyway.

The privatisation model seems to be a repetition of schemes that in the past have failed to deliver public benefits effectively. Further, it enriches a rentier, crony class disproportionately to corporate performance. Unending “corporate welfare” provided by government could instead be channelled more effectively for public good.

Given the trend, one hopes Budget 2012 will tackle structural reform. Failing which, Malaysians may begin to ask themselves whether they belong to the 1% of society – or the 99%.

Egalitarian
Adjective:Of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
Noun: A person who advocates or supports such a principle.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/169226

Scoring with The Right Brand

2011-10-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

This is a follow up discussion on Mister Potato and Man Utd.

Football clubs are not what they used to be.

But as the game evolved, so have the clubs.

Most have grown intomillion-pound enterprises, some of which are listed in the local bourses.

While one group of highly-paidmen show their skills on the ﬁeld, another group of not-so-well paidmen (andwomen) make it their business to bringmoremoney into their over-ﬂowing coffers.Yet, there’s another groupwhich goes about building the club as a brand, and then conquering markets all over the globe.

This year, with a “brand value” of £412 million, Manchester United Football Club dislodged Real Madrid (£401 million) at the top of the table followed by Barcelona (£392 million), BayernMunich (£308million) and Chelsea (£109million). These ﬁgures were arrived at by brand consultants, Brand Finance plc who deﬁne a brand as the trademark and associated intellectual property.

AON and Manchester United

AON is the world’s leading insurance broker and risk consultant. Headquartered in Chicago, it has more than 59,000 employees in 120 countries. But what has insurance got to dowith football?

AON explains on its website: "Football is dynamic, competitive and appeals to a global audience. It transcends cultures and people, and brings communities together like no other sport. It goes without saying that for AON to become part of this high energy environment is extremely exciting."

Like AON, Manchester United has a truly global reach. The club has a great pedigree, and shares both our ambition for worldwide appeal, and our pursuit of excellence. This partnership allows us to bring theManchester United brand into our core business areas, andwill help us to grow in emerging insurance and reinsurance markets, such as parts of Asia, where the Manchester United brand is very strong.

“TheManchester United shirt is an iconic image in the world of sport, and the chance to appear on it is very rare – AON is only the fourth company to do so in history of the club.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by the Malaysian company’s CEO, Datuk Pang Tee Chew who explained how the sponsorship deal with Manchester United would make available a huge platform to expand in both new and existing markets for Mister Potato.

“We believe football is a wholesome event that brings friends and family together. They cheer for their team together. When their team wins, they celebrate together. We want to be the favourite snack towatch football with, and become part of the special moments only Manchester United can provide.

“I believeMister Potato’s brand image will be elevated by theManchester United partnership and the football fans will love Mister Potato just as they loveManchester United,” he told themedia at the launching in Old Trafford three weeks ago.

... the commercial teamat United have developed such “a compelling andwell protected brand, that global partners are willing to pay premium sums to be afﬁliated” with the champions.

With broadcasting andmatch-day revenues all but maxed out, it’s the commercial brand revenues that provide the club and investors with contractual and highly proﬁtable streams of income less dependent with on pitch success.

http://epaper.sun2surf.com/thesun-epaper/thu/06102011/files/assets/seo/page29.html

Can You Afford It?

2011-10-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

Can you afford it?
Natalie Shobana Ambrose

The face of Malaysia’s urban poor has evolved and now includes different segments of society. Imagine if Adam were on a tight budget, what other Malaysians earning less are living without.

The experts and politicians say we need to live within our means and save 30% of our income. In Adam’s case, saving RM1,500 is next to impossible unless we cook the books and he stops eating.

Imagine how much better Adam’s classmates working overseas are doing – and we wonder why the brain drain figures are so high in this country.

...instead of just pumping more and more money from a deficit budget, greater efforts are concentrated on curbing corruption and frivolous spending, so that the real benefactors of the budget would be the people.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/167775

Reluctant to lead
Yap Mun Ching

...unless Asia is able to muster the leadership and innovativeness to respond to the new environment, we cannot expect a painless transition from the shift in global balance of power.

... it is this lack of leadership that will hinder the ability of future generations to find global solutions to global problems.

Is this a manifestation of Asian humbleness or have we become so set in the Confucian/Asian-values hierarchy of authority that we are now good only as followers?

...recent developments in the Middle East also hint at what could be the flip side of the coin if not enough jobs are generated to accommodate the large numbers of young people entering the work force annually.

...leadership and innovation are two sides of the same coin that Asia must embrace if global leadership is to come from this region.

The democratisation of Asia at all levels of society must take place in order for the region to fulfil its growth potential. And unless Asian leaders to today can loosen their grip on authority and allow true creativity to grow, we may as well prepare ourselves for many years of hardship ahead.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/167781

多喝茶没事没事多喝茶

2011-10-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

江迅‧踐行“減法生活”
一段感情結束，一時身體欠佳，一份工作失去，一場財務危機，一次心靈受傷……沒關係，嘗試不同方式，釋放身體內的沉積能量，減掉不切實際的想法，給生活排列優先次序，集中注意力做最重要的事，把複雜問題簡單化，為心靈減壓，減去疲憊。減肥，減壓，減負，減齡，減輕煩惱，減少鬱悶，減出完美生活。生活的本色是簡約。

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/taxonomy/term/22

鄭梅嬌‧巨人的感召
只要人人能在自已的崗位上，忠於自己的角色，在心態上有一定的高度，大家都有能力讓世界更美好，不一定要等到成為喬布斯，或甚麼首富，才叫成功。

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/21189

歐陽文風‧蘋果與禪
他不是粗枝大葉的敢做敢為，因為勇敢不會太難，無知者往往最敢；他是一個思考者，可以沉靜。

蘋果產品總有一絲絲的禪味，設計簡單但不單調，平靜但不平凡，一切從簡，但內容豐富；空與實，實與空，互相交錯，以少勝多，以無為有。

喬布斯拒絕人雲亦雲，因為這是媚俗。他拒絕隨波逐流，但也非逆流而行，他是以橫溢的才華，使歷史的長河從此改道！

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/21198?tid=10

楊照‧難以超越的“喬布斯障礙”
“喬布斯障礙”指的是一種未來很難被超越的經營管理典範，一種未來更難被超越的企業家形象。

他五度（！）以不同產品改變人類生活體驗的光輝成就，他創造的高科技與美學品味結合的模式，他帶領的既能揮灑創意又能切實執行的神奇團隊，還有他在短時間內給蘋果帶來的驚人營收、盈餘與高漲股價。

看看喬布斯同輩的這些人物就更清楚了。微軟的蓋茲、亞馬遜的貝佐斯、谷歌的施密特，乃至於年紀更輕的臉書的祖克柏，他們都是獨當一面的一代創新梟雄，但就連他們，都沒有取得、或已經失去了喬布斯那樣的全球性近乎“教主”的地位。一個關鍵因素：喬布斯不只創造一個讓人拍案驚奇的發明，他源源不斷持續創造了一連串讓人愛不釋手的發明。

最有可能瓦解“喬布斯傳奇”的，是喬布斯自己。

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/21193

侯雅倫‧你我都不明白的事
習慣了以千萬和億作花費單位的官爺們，永遠不會明白小市民繳不起賬單的煩惱，更不會明白為何有人窮其一生都買不起一間小小的房子。

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/21194?tid=7

Cruel to be Kind

2011-10-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Last year, at a dialogue session with visiting Talent Corp officials including those from Pemandu, CIMB head honcho, Datuk Nazir Razak, talked about the need for Malaysian talent to return home. So the question that was posed was: “Why would anyone want to come back to a country which is perceived to be rife with corruption?”

Nazir acknowledged it as a problem and responded by saying that such perceptions have to be changed and that the prime minister is paying serious attention to them. Did my question damage the image of the country? It is a serious enough issue that is deterring many young people from returning home and who perhaps, falsely, have been led to believe that in Malaysia, “you have to pay for everything”.

How are such perceptions going to change if in the first place we do not acknowledge their existence and take appropriate steps to rectify them? What better avenue than with young talented Malaysians who are able to accept that something is being done to address such issues? But for some quarters, most with blinkered minds, such questions are akin to “memalukan imej Malaysia”.

No, the country’s image is not being damaged by journalists who seek the right answers to many unanswered questions. It is being damaged by those who never want to confront or take on contentious issues.

Sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind by asking questions that require straight answers. This certainly does not make me a lesser Malaysian.

Cruel to be kind
by R. Nadeswaran
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/163448

我和我的小三

2011-10-06T01:43:00.000-07:00

特丽美俊男美女网络选拔赛在 2011 年 10 月 1 日开始进行（适逢星期六），当时的特丽美面子书专页有 2818 名粉丝：

点击上图以观看时间

在 2011 年 10 月 6 日上午，粉丝小增至 3018 人　（标题“小三”的意思）：

点击上图以观看时间

虽然最近 Facebook 改了一些流程，即 by default 社群不需按 LIKE 或赞成为粉丝也可以游览专页内容，粉丝的增长幅度与参赛人数也还好。

至目前为止，共有 30 名参赛者 - 请游览特丽美俊男美女网络选拔赛十月份活动相簿 - 而且素质也还不错。

值得一提的是，特丽美俊男美女网络选拔赛报名表格设计也非常专业。

最新的进展，请游览特丽美面子书专页。投票者也有奖品！

Red Tomato Campaign - 3 months

2011-10-05T02:55:00.000-07:00

Online campaign: Red Tomato weekly newspaper entering 3rd month, a grow of fans count from 1,431 (as at 5th July 2011) to current 19,014 (as at 5th Oct 2011), 1228% growth in 3 months. Not bad.

Till Death Do Us Part?

2011-10-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened to "till death do us part" ?! .. :P

When you say, " To have and to hold," you're talking about the TV remote - right ? "

It will not be "... and they live happily ever after". This scenario only happens in fairytales.
Extra affairs of the heart
Leong Chin
The Sun Daily, Lifestyle, Page 28, October 7, 2011

Are You An App?

2011-10-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

I’m personally in favour of no retirement age limit and for freedom of choice as well as for market forces to prevail. If a person wants to retire by 55 (or earlier), he should be allowed to do so, and if he wants to work until 75 (or later), he should be able to do so too, provided his employers are agreeable.

I guess I hold this view because I have an unconventional perspective of work. I’m a freelancer, so any kind of mandatory retirement age limit would not apply to me.

Whether you are a millionaire, a manager or a teacher, you will one day have to make a transition from the struggle for success to the quest for significance. ~ Bob Buford

And what exactly is “significance”?

a great life involves “using your strengths, understanding what it is that makes you unique, realising the truest expression of who you are – and doing that persistently in the service of something larger than yourself”. ~ Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind

And the mid-point of your life – “Half Time” – is the best time to think about what you can do so that at the end of your career, you don’t end up wondering “Is this all there is to life?”

Half Time
Oon Yeoh
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/166169

I cost them almost nothing. I don't have health care. I can be deleted at a moment's notice. I'm not a valued employee anymore. I'm an app.

迈克尔•戴尔与美国学生创业明星座谈笔录

2011-10-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

去实践，去着手做事。如果你等待别人教你成为创业者，你就不是一个创业者。

技能可以学习。它是让你走出去做出不凡之事的驱动力和雄心。我们任何人都可以成为医生。我们任何人都可以做律师。但只有自强自立的志气——即使在困难的时刻——让我们与众不同。

如果把你置于一个有机会快速学习，并且必须学会成功的环境的话，你的学习过程就会快得惊人。

创业是一种激情，因为你心甘情愿地为创业而学习，它成了你生活的一个重要部分。如果你不喜欢创业，你就不可能成为学生创业者。我完成工作，因为我乐在其中。它不是一项任务。

我过去，并且直到今天仍然遵循的原则是非常简单的。我擅长什么？我不擅长什么？我如何让可能是最棒的人来帮助我做我不擅长的事情？我并不想尝试亲自动手做一切事情。

在你的公司规模还小的时候，基本上一切都是未知的，你没有资本，你还年轻，会有一些唯利是图的人来为你工作。因为这时候风险与回报都相当高。

你必须建立一个面对挑战也能够发展下去的制度。也可能有一些人会做出不同的决定。他们说，我们只打算以我们人能成长的速度成长。好吧。你可能最终仍然是一家非常小的公司。你用的人不对。

如果业务增长速度超过人的成长速度，而现在是你最好的朋友在做这项工作，可他已经没有能力做好，你是要做出一个感性决定还是理性决定呢？这不是私人问题。这是业务问题。如果你雇佣朋友，你要准备好解雇他们。

我认为你必须确定你要寻求什么样的生活。

的确有挑战，但我觉得这些挑战不见得与年轻且快速取得巨大成功有必然的联系。你会受到想从你这里渔利的人们的攻击。我必须要学会保护自己不受他们的侵害。这些人中谁是我的朋友，谁只是想从我这得到好处？结果发现有很多人就是想从我这里渔利。而且，我越成功，他们想得到的东西就越多。

领导者必须乐观。这是很重要的一点，我已经学到了一些：你会发现自己处于完全无所适从的境地，而且你的手上是一堆乱麻。这时如果你不给你的属下指明前进的方向，如果你不知道路在何方，那么用不了多久你就得歇业。因为大家都依赖于你。你必须想出办法，制定计划。这就是领导的职责。

我觉得，不利用社交媒体是很荒唐的事情，因为在与客户交流和分享信息方面，社交媒体是精髓工具。你可以通过它把你的信息直接传播给大量的客户和大量的潜在用户。而且社交媒体发展极其迅猛。

内容的深度对自然搜索有很大影响。所以，如果你有深度的内容——有可能来自于博客或者来自于与客户的交谈——就会有助于自然搜索。实际上，自然搜索是几乎任何企业的强大导向信息。它正在取代大量的其他媒体形式。

对我来说，我的博客非常有用。说到产品本身，客户群就会非常兴奋。他们对颜色、对图案都很兴奋。他们喜欢佛蒙特州公司的想法，他们喜欢我去滑雪和赛车的想法。对我来说，通过社交媒体在网上讲述这个事情其实是我的需要。不然的话没有人会知道我在做什么。~ 科琳娜·普雷沃

在我们这个阶段，还是要讲经济效益的，因为我们不能损失资本。

全文：http://www.forbeschina.com/entrepreneur/review/201108/0011374.shtml

English version: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0822/best-colleges-11-dell-noer-hamilton-dwyer-fu-startup-summit.html

人气卖家 Power Seller

2011-10-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

逛商场时，直觉叫我投资马币 8 块钱买这本杂志：

打开了密封的胶袋，再看一看内容，资讯将让读者赚回无数倍的回酬...

与虚拟大国诞生，第三波淘金潮在 facebook一样，都是 Business Next 数位时代的商品。

看来本地杂志还有一段很长的距离要走。

对话华商领袖郭鹤年 FULL VERSION

2011-09-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

企业家都有一种使命感。赚钱当然是最重要的工作，可是，当获得大量金钱后，使命感便会油然而生。没有使命感，一个人很快便想到退休，每天在高尔夫球场出现。

许多人比我聪明，不过，聪明的人夜生活比较乱，第二天可能在桌上睡着，我没有睡，所以我的马儿就跑得比较快。

http://wiki.mbalib.com/wiki/%E9%83%AD%E9%B9%A4%E5%B9%B4

Gisele Bundchen, Warren Buffet, and Donald Trump

2011-09-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

What do Victoria Secret model Gisele Bundchen and billionaire Warren Buffett have in common?

Besides fame, fortune, and investing smarts (yes, models have brains), they both hated the U.S. dollar... and may still to this day.

You see, back in 2007, the catwalk princess refused to be paid in U.S. dollars.

Bundchen requested she be paid "only euros" because, as Bloomberg pointed out at the time, the dollar "can only depreciate because Americans led by President George W. Bush are living beyond their means."

Even Buffett could be heard laughing when asked about the world's best currency: "Not the U.S. dollar," he'd often say.

Today Donald Trump is joining the anti-dollar ranks, having just accepted $200,000 in gold bullion for office space.

And it may be one of the smartest things Trump has ever done, knowing that as long as Bernanke is Fed chief, gold will be a great investment moving forward.

It's up to you how you want to trade this.

Personally, I'd opt for options. Much more money is made there than with stocks.

And hey, you never know — you could end up with a supermodel on your arm on your way to the bank.

Stay Ahead of the Curve,
Ian L. Cooper
http://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/2011-gold-forecast/3241

What’s Happening to Gold?

Central banks are the only ones who could move the price of gold that drastically that quickly. If the central banks are selling gold to raise cash, that’s not good news for the world economy. If they’re raising cash, then the economy is very weak. This isn’t good.

Then again, the price of gold could be coming down because the economy is strong. Gold is generally a fear investment, and if fear is going down, then the price of gold comes down.

If the sell-off in gold is because the economy is strong and growing again, the sell-off in gold is good news for the economy.

Another reason for the sharp fall in the price of gold could be that we’re simply overdue for a correction. Gold has gone up for over ten years without a major correction—so we were long overdue.

Back in July 2011, gold was below $1,500 and trading around $1,480. I was excited, thinking gold would go down below $1,300. Then over night, gold shot up over $1,500 and kept heading up. Like many people, I panicked and thought I missed the move up. Rather than buy, I stood on the side and watched the price of gold climb as smaller central banks, such as the Bank of Korea, began buying.

Is this time to buy gold and silver?

My answer is always the same. You need to do your own study and research, and test for yourself. If you can’t tolerate the ups and downs of markets, it’s best to allow someone else to invest for you, regardless of what you invest in.

I’ve bought gold since the 1970’s, when it was $85 an ounce. I love gold simply because I don’t trust our government and corporate leaders. That hasn’t changed.

If you trust our corporate and government leaders to fix our global economic problems, then gold is not for you. Stocks might be a better investment.

If gold breaks $1,400 an ounce and silver breaks $24 an ounce, I might begin buying again. For now, I have enough, and it’s never good to become greedy.

Remember, there are only two emotions that drive a market: greed and fear. Right now, fear is in control, which is good because if gold keeps dropping in price, and I’ll be able to buy more at lower prices. When fear is strong and prices are low, then greed creeps back in and buyers like me begin buying again.

What’s most confusing to me, however, is that everything is down. Stocks are down, oil is down, gold is down, home sales are down, and jobs are down. It seems fear is everywhere.

To me, this is not a good sign. If everything is down, we’re all going down. If everything is going down, a gun might be your best buy.

Thank you for supporting COR.
Robert Kiyosaki

Side read:

Are Brown and Kerry really that concerned about the paper dollar bill, or is their another motive behind their proposed act?
The Dollar Coin Alliance claims the two senators are trying to protect Crane&Co., a business in their home state of Massachusetts that supplies the paper used to create dollar bills.
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/metals/1951

太极

2011-09-28T00:38:00.000-07:00

太极生两仪，两仪生四象，四象生八卦.

一生二，二生三，三生万物；万物归一，本来无一物。

None Dare Call It Conspiracy

2011-09-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Government either gets money by taxing or borrowing. The super-rich got that way by leveraging the latter. But does anyone really understand how that government borrowing works?

From Gary Allen's famed 1971 classic None Dare Call It Conspiracy:

The public is led to believe that our government borrows from "the people" through savings bonds. Actually, however, only a small percentage of the national debt is held by individuals in this form. Most government bonds, except those held by the government itself through its trust funds, are held by vast banking firms known as international banks. For centuries there has been big money to be made by international bankers in the financing of governments and kings.

The process through which one collects a debt from a government or a monarch is not a subject taught in the business schools of our universities, and most of us - having never been in the business of lending money to kings - have not given the problem much thought. But there is a king-financing business, and to those who can ensure collection it is lucrative indeed.

Whenever a business firm borrows big money its creditor obtains a voice in management to protect his investment. Like a business, no government can borrow big money unless willing to surrender to the creditor some measure of sovereignty as collateral. Certainly, international bankers who have loaned hundreds of billions of dollars to governments around the world command considerable influence in the policies of such governments.

Since the keystone of the international banking empires has been government bonds, it has been in the interest of these international bankers to encourage government debt. The higher The debt the more the interest. Nothing drives government deeply into debt like a war; and it has not been an uncommon practice among international bankers to finance both sides of the bloodiest military conflicts.

But while wars and revolutions have been useful to international bankers in gaining or increasing control over governments, the key to such control has always been control of money. You can control a government if you have it in your debt; a creditor is in a position to demand the privileges of monopoly from the sovereign. Money-seeking governments have granted monopolies in state banking, natural resources, oil concessions and transportation. However, the monopoly which the international financiers most covet is control over a nation's money.

Eventually these international bankers actually owned as private corporations the central banks of the various European nations. The Bank of England, Bank of France and Bank of Germany were not owned by their respective governments, as almost everyone imagines, but were privately owned monopolies granted by the heads of state, usually in return for loans. Under this system, observed Reginald McKenna, President of the Midlands Bank of England, in 1939: "Those that create and issue the money and credit direct the policies of government and hold in their hands the destiny of the people." Once the government is in debt to the bankers it is at their mercy.

Provoking Thoughts : Cancer treatment is about making money?

2011-09-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

video on internet:

from a fwd mail...

The below is absolutely 100% true and as a doctor I have been telling people this for 15 years now. No one wants to listen. Folks need to wake up. Cancer treatment is about making money. It is a 120 billion dollar a year industry in the United States alone and estimated to be a 600 billion dollar a year industry worldwide.

A successful cancer case according to the American Cancer Society and the American College of Oncology and Hematology means that the person survives for 5 years. Both the American Cancer Society and the American College of Oncology and Hematology admit that a person is likely to survive cancer for 7 to 10 years even if they do absolutely NOTHING. Of course, only the doctors get those magazines - not you, the cancer patient.

Alternative medicine's track record of curing cancer is 10 times higher than that of conventional medicine. Note that I say CURE.

Remember another thing.

A TUMOR is just a symptom.

It is not the cause of cancer.

Science is cause and effect.

Remove the cause and the effect disappears.

I am in my third battle with cancer right now. I have not done any chemotherapy or radiation or surgery for any of my bouts with cancer. I survived leukemia, I survived Non Hodgkins Lymphoma and now I have Glioblastoma which is supposedly an incurable form of brain cancer. I was given two months to live 5 months ago. I have been using Chinese herbs, high doses of vitamin C, acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy and nutritional changes. Yes, at first it got worse. It had metastasized to my lymph nodes, my lungs and my bones. As of this week, I am happy to say that there is no evidence now of any cancer in my lymph system or my bones. I had 6 tumors in my lungs, now there are only two. The tumors in my brain have shrunken tremendously. I never did any of their chemo, radiation or surgery.

Here is a very interesting statistic that you can only have access to by being a doctor. Every year more than 1,000 doctors oncologists (cancer doctors) are diagnosed with cancer. Less than 10% of them choose to do the treatment that they have been giving to their patients. Sort of like the fact that less than 25% of all pediatricians vaccinate their own children because of the fact that the risk of sudden death or serious side effects from the vaccination is higher than the risk of catching the disease one is being vaccinated for. This is not bullshit people - it is truth.

Medicine is about money, not about your health and the system traps people, especially the elderly, disabled and poor into a deadly treatment regime that puts them in an early grave. Meanwhile, all the jet set billionaires are flying off to Europe and paying big bucks for alternative treatments and getting cured.

Does alternative medicine work all the time? No. Of course not. Nothing works all the time. But there is a reason for that. You don't die until it's your time to die. Nothing can make you live longer than that time.

However quality of life comes into play. Those cancer patients who use alternative therapies for their cancer, yet still die from the illness, suffer a much higher quality of life. They die able to spend time with their families and even recognize their family members. They don't become emaciated like those who do chemotherapy or radiation do and rarely is a person who goes under the treatment of chemotherapy able to recognize anyone for the last few days of their lives. Their bodies become ravaged to the point that you can't even recognize them either. They suffer at a much much higher rate and they have one let down after another as doctors tell them, ahhh - it's looking good, only to tell them on the next visit it's looking worse, you need more chemo and radiation.

What is criminal about this is that YOUR DOCTORS KNOW THIS SHIT. I took an oath as a physician. I have always followed it. That has certainly not made me successful financially as a doctor because I have consistently refused to go along with conventional medicine's bullshit.

Read the below carefully. It may indeed make a difference in your life.

Rick Cantrell, PhD, MD, PsyD AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY' BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have

multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patient that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumor.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, but also to environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet to eat moreadequately and healthy, 4-5 times/day and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc

7.Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation theimmune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply

*CANCER CELLS FEED ON

a. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses , but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract.Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat, like chicken. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water,

or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily,and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food
in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Please share this with your whole email
list.........................
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is
just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a papertowel instead.

This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life.

Travel The World 3 Times, Sponsored

2011-09-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

How do you like the idea of travel the world for one time, then get sponsored for the second time for the same world tour, then get paid again to travel the world?

Then you have to Think Different, Do Things Differently!

This is the latest "travel trip" of Matt:

『與世界共舞』的網路名人Matt Harding自創的詼諧舞蹈旅行日記為藍本，塑造出一個以旅遊為主題的Visa新廣告。廣告中看到他胖胖的身影在中國、印尼、日本、新加坡、美國與越南等國家盡情跳舞。

Note the advice: 谨慎理财，信用至上！

This is the first version that made him famous and get sponsored for the next 2 world tour trip (14 months in the making, 42 countries, and a cast of thousands):

Where the hell is Matt?

The Thinking Man

2011-09-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

Be The Thinking Man
Thong Ming Sen

Make money your God and it will plague you like the devil. ~ Henry Fielding

In today's world, greed rears its ugly head in the form of insatiable thirst for materialistic wealth.

We deceive ourselves into thinking that we will be content if we get what we want only to find out that the happiness is only temporary and before long, we are craving for more and better items, just as how drug abusers crave for more drugs.

If the remedy for drug abuse is rehabilitation programmes, then the remedy for greed is looking for non-materialistic joy.

If criticism are fired at you, remember that no one kicks a dead dog. The fact that you are being criticised shows that you are "worthy" of it.

Furthermore, life is a marathon, not a race.

The good thing about life is that if you are good, there's always someone better than you, and if you are bad, there are always others who are worse.

The sands of time are such that the past, present and future are only separated by a blink of an eye. It traps those who regret about the past and worry about the future. Realise the very simple fact that history is non-changeable and that what will be, will be.

The present only exists for a blink of the eye, so use it to the fullest. Life will be a lot easier in the present if only we can accept that, in this imperfect world of ours, nothing is perfect.

It's natural to have expectations, but keep them realistic.

This will mentally prepare you for any eventualities between the two extremes.

The golden rule is to be like the Thinking Man and unravel the truth of the mysterious "common sense", and truly and sincerely accept it; then and only then will common sense become wisdom.

Additional readings:

Can You Handle The Truth? Check out also message to occupy Wall Street.

Mister Potato and Man Utd

2011-09-23T02:35:00.001-07:00

The packaging of Mister Potato products, which is exported to more than 80 countries, now comes with the images of football icons like Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Park Ji-Sung.

It makes business sense for a product like Mister Potato, which has a heavy presence in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in Korea, Japan and Australia.

With an estimated 333 million Manchester United fans worldwide of which 190 million are in Asia, such a deal would have been foreseeable. And believe it or not, it is estimated that there are between four and five million in Malaysia!

Football is the world's No. 1 sports and Manchester United is the world's No:1 club and linking it to Malaysia's favourite potato crisps is the ultimate culmination of a deal that provides a global stage for the expansion of the product in markets where the football club's footprints have already been embedded.

The endeavour to bring out a product whose quality matched global standards started in a humble factory in Malacca.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/152273

In 2035, China Will ...

2011-09-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

By 2035, income per person in China will reach the current U.S. level. If they spend that money like American do, here's how the resource picture will look in about twenty years' time.

In 2035...
China's 1.38 billion people will use 80% as much paper as is produced globally today. That will leave 20% of the paper for the remaining 84% of the population...Hello, forestry boom.

China would also need 1.5 billion tons of grain annually to feed those 1.38 billion people. That's 70% of what the world produces annually. Will the remaining 30% of grain be enough to feed the remaining 7.1 billion people in the world?...Hello, agriculture boom.

China will also have 1.1 billion cars by then. That's as many as are currently in the world, so imagine every car in the world today being in China...To host that many cars, China would needs roads, highways, and parking lots currently equal to 66% of the land it uses to grow rice. If it has to pave all that land, how will it meet its demand for all that grain? ...Hello, infrastructure boom.

Finally, the most revealing statistic and the reason we're all here...

By 2035, China would need 85 million barrels of oil per day. That's about equal to the TOTAL daily global production. Yes, China will need all the oil in the world...Hello, oil boom.

What China is teaching us is that the western economic model — the fossil-fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy — will not work for the world. If it does not work for China, it will not work for India, which by 2035 is projected to have an even larger population than China. Nor will it work for the other 3 billion people in developing countries who are also dreaming the “American dream.”
And in an increasingly integrated global economy, where we all depend on the same grain, oil, and steel, the western economic model will no longer work for the industrial countries either.

The Point

Of course, the point is to prosper as all this plays out.

You do that by investing in the glaringly bright bull markets highlighted above. Buy forestry, agriculture, infrastructure, and energy.

We focus mostly on the latter, but all are thoroughly intertwined. Cheap energy makes industrial forestry, agriculture, and infrastructure possible and profitable. You can't have one without the other.

And that's why, as we approach this resource crunch, all forms of energy will be on the table. Oil (conventional and unconventional), natural gas (fratured or otherwise), nuclear, and renewables are all in for a groundswell.

The entire world will be battling for these resources.

http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/global-resource-crunch-china/1794

Related: Sell Gold, Buy Farmland

Thinking the Unthinkable in Europe

2011-09-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Kidnapping the world with a structured and well planned financial crisis?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thinking the Unthinkable in Europe-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Measures will have to be taken to prevent a financial meltdown in the eurozone as a whole.

First, bank deposits must be protected.

At the same time, the European banking system would have to be recapitalized and put under European, as distinct from national, supervision.

Finally, government bonds issued by the eurozone’s other deficit countries would have to be protected from contagion.

The last two requirements would apply even if no country defaulted.

So there is no alternative but to create the missing component: a European treasury with the power to tax and, therefore, to borrow. This would require a new treaty, transforming the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) into a full-fledged treasury.

The euro exists, and the global financial system’s assets and liabilities are so intermingled on the basis of the common currency that its collapse would cause a meltdown beyond the capacity of the German authorities – or any other – to contain. The longer it takes for the German public to realize this cold fact, the higher the price that they, and the rest of the world, will have to pay.

George Soros is Chairman of Soros Fund Management and of the Open Society Institute.

http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/soros71/English

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------George Soros: How to Avoid a Great Depression-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Soros shares four policy measures recommendations, as shared by CNBC.com, to help with this European financial crisis:

Bank deposits have to be protected to prevent bank runs in weaker states;
Some banks in the defaulting countries have to be kept functioning to keep their economies afloat;
The European banking system would be recapitalized and put under European-, as distinct from national-, supervision;
Government bonds of other deficit countries would have to be protected.

Soros says that the breakdown of the euro, thorough all of this, must be avoided. The euro is a common currency among many countries and its breakdown would “…cause a meltdown beyond the capacity of the authorities to contain.”

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/economy/1861

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------George Soros & Nouriel Roubini: Greece Should Default ASAP-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The infamous economist Nouriel Roubini told the Financial Times that it'd be best for Greece to return to its previous currency: the drachma. Without any other viable solutions, Greeks runs a cyclic case of insolvency and will only plummet further into depression.

Billionaire hedge fund investor George Soros seconds Roubini's notion:
"The lack of a central European treasury has too often made state-by-state solutions to the crisis a day late and dollar short. "No concessional [borrowing] rates for Italy or Spain and no preparation for a possible default and defection from the eurozone by Greece" have made the crisis increasingly intractable. Added to that, the Germans have declared the European Financial Stability Facility to be unconstitutional."

Currently, the Greek public debt is close to 200 percent of the country's entire gross domestic product.

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/economy/1885

Ticket to Freedom: A Value at Any Price

2011-09-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal recently reported: “Canadian and Chinese agents say Chinese buyers are looking for longer-term investments to diversify their holdings outside of the mainland.”

And they’re right. The Chinese want to get their money out of China. And that’s the critical point that will affect you, me, and our financial futures.

A Value at Any Price

The Chinese are buying up international property largely because it’s the only way they can get money out of the country.

There are so many rules governing Chinese citizens and their money. They can’t have money in foreign bank accounts... They can only leave the country with a limited amount of cash... In short, they have very few options by which to shield their money from the Chinese government.

The only reasonable way for most wealthy people in China to get money out of the country is to buy property.

And it’s why they are willing to pay absolutely absurd prices. They may pay $3 million for a place that’s really worth $1 million because the real value is not in making money on the property or having a stable income from renters; it’s in having money out of China, the modern equivalent of an insurance policy on their own financial freedom.

The Chinese government may take their factories, homes, bank accounts, and everything they own on a bureaucrat’s whim. And they can do it for the “greater good” or any other sudden and unexpected reason. But the government can’t take their international property holdings.

The Chinese aren’t just buying a summer home. They’re buying a ticket to freedom if they ever need to exercise it.

And that’s why the Chinese are seeing a value at any price.

The Vancouver real estate bubble (http://howtze.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-spot-bubble.html) is a perfect example. If it weren’t for the Chinese trying to get one foot out of their own country, the prices would likely be half of what they are today.

Financial repression creates massive dislocations in markets around the world.

Fortunes will be made by those of us who can spot these dislocations and what’s really driving them...

And by being prepared for what’s coming and understanding what is going on around the world, you can ensure your fortune stays where it belongs — in your own hands.

Good Investing,
Andrew Mickey

How To Spot A Bubble

2011-09-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

More than Location, Location, and Location

What's driving any major real estate bubble is the critical thing here.

I’ve been staying in an apartment in one of the newest buildings in the city, the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel. A room here will set you back at least $500 a night during the peak summer season (if one is even available).

I’m staying in the residential part of the hotel. And it’s the epitome of a real estate bubble.

My place is a two-bedroom, 2,000 square foot condominium.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice. The shower has seven heads, the blinds go up and down via remote control, the view is tremendous...

But it’s not as nice as the numbers make it out to be.

You see, this condo was originally bought for $3.2 million. The mortgage on that would be about $18,000 a year at current interest rates. And it’s a condo, so there are all kinds of other fees and costs on top of that. The monthly fees exceed $1,500. The taxes are a few hundred dollars a month, too.

All in all, the cost of owning it is about $20,000 a month in what real estate analysts call Owner’s Equivalent Rent (OER).

The rent, meanwhile, is a relatively small $5,000 a month. So the price-to-rent ratio — a key indicator of real estate values — is an astonishing four to one.

In other words, the cost to own is four times higher than the cost to rent.

This is absurd.

At the top of the U.S. real estate bubble, the average price-to-rent ratio peaked at about 1.65 to one. The long-term sustainable price-to-rent ratios usually hang around one to one or slightly above or below.

When you ask local Vancouverites about real estate prices, they are filled with the same bubble-speak we’ve all heard before:

"It’s different this time... It’s different here... This will never end... Housing prices only go up..."

Good investing,
Andrew Mickey

A Week In Review: 两线制,天下没有白吃的午餐,历史

2011-09-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

两线制不外乎两只狼和一只小绵羊决定晚餐吃什么的游戏。无可否认，它好过一只狼一只小绵羊的局面。但现实是，到最后被端上餐桌的，还是小绵羊。

如果你是一家公司的“老板”，在任何时候都有权力对腐败或越权的员工进行惩罚，甚至开除他们。在主流媒体渲染下的所谓民主，“老板”们要对犯错的“公仆”进行惩罚，只有少得可怜的那么两年或四年一次的机会，更甚的是，其他“老板们”必须和你站在同一阵线，你才能够真正教训失职的代表（多数票赢）。

沒有免費午餐 No Free Lunch

當你擁有的是民粹主義的民主時，為了贏得選票，你就得越給越多。為了在下一屆選舉中打敗對手，你必須承諾給得更多。這是個無止境的‘競標’和‘成本’（auctions and costs），債務最終得由下一代來償還。
http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/219697?tid=2

為了政治而派錢，將陷入惡性循環。民聯派100，國陣派200，永遠滿足不了人們的胃口。“天下沒有免費的午餐”，人民遲早要償還收到的財援，這個道理有幾個人懂？...
http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/21004?tid=19

派錢措施固然能為部份國民解決燃眉之急，然而，更實際的紓解民困辦法，還是通過扶貧政策，不分種族地協助低收入的人民增加入息，或讓從事勞動行業、小販及中小型工業者獲得貸款便利、特別獎掖和津貼，協助他們發展生意。
http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/21013

看一看, 天下乌鸦一般黑可以怎样诠释:

Weekend: Obama's Solar Scandal
By Nick Hodge | Saturday, September 17th, 2011

Solyndra was the first green company to get a loan guarantee from Obama's near-trillion-dollar stimulus.

It received $528 million of your tax dollars.

It was supposed to be the poster child of the stimulus, of Obama's ability to create jobs.

The company is now bankrupt... more than 1,100 jobs lost.

The Lesson

The lesson here is that government is corrupt.

And not white-lie corrupt; systematic-presentation-of-misleading-information-to-the-public-and-engineering-of-stories-to-benefit-their-inner-circle corrupt.

Both sides corrupt.

This loan was started by Bush, which I haven't told you yet and which hardly anyone knows.

Lookout for yourself. No one else is. It's not right versus left. It's wolves versus sheep.

http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/obamas-solar-scandal/1773

如果你认为美国离我们很远，请记得：所有 Visa， Master，或 Diners Club 通行的地方，用的几乎都是同一个系统。

近期我们敬爱的首相所进行的政治秀，亲民策略，曝光率等动作，和美国奥巴马的所做所为也近乎相似，是吗？

历史 History

辯論永遠不會完結。雙方的說辭，不在史實之爭，而在於後人不同的背景、利益，以及意識形態。站在哪一個陣營，就絕對堅持本身的立場，否定對方。英雄有時只是一種創造過程，根據各自的需要，而加以塑造
http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/20916?tid=17

Related: History and Politics

Malaysia Highway Speed Trap Locations

2011-09-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

Beware of permanent speed traps! Dunno how true it is but always better to be alert ...

PLUS North Bound (ke Utara)
*Under a bridge at about 456km, Sg Buloh junction.
*Under a bridge at about 459km, Bukit Lanjan interchange.
*Under the overhead restaurant at Sg Buloh.
*Under the last bridge before Sg Besi toll at 309.2km.
*Under the bridge at 296.5km, Bangi junction.
*Under the newly constructed bridge at 289.0km, after Nilai North junction.
*Under the bridge at 286.5km, Nilai North junction.

PLUS South Bound (ke Selatan)
*Below signboard at about 454.6km and 455.2km, Sg Buloh layby.
*Under the bridge after Subang junction at 11.3km.
*Under the bridge at 22km, Bukit Lanjan junction.
*Under the bridge before Mint hotel, Sg Besi Toll. 80km/h only!
*Under the bridge at 302.8km, Kajang junction.
*About 1km south of Bangi junction, both south and north bound outer lanes
*At 296.5km and 297km, Bangi junction.
*Under the newly constructed bridge at 289.0km, before Nilai North junction.
*At 285.5km and 285.8km, Nilai North junction.
*On center divider at 251.8km and 253km after Senawang junction.
*After Alor Gajah junction at 213.9km, next to water theme park.
*Behind the right hand crash barrier at 198.4km.

Elite Central Link East/North Bound
*On left hand side at 4.8km after Batu Tiga/Shah Alam exit
*Under the overhead restaurant at USJ/Hicom junction about 8.5km. 90km/h zone!
*Below the bridge before USJ/Hicom junction at 10.5km.

Elite Central Link West/South Bound
*Under the overhead restaurant at USJ/Hicom junction about 8.5km. 90km/h zone!
*Below the bridge before USJ/Hicom junction at 10.5km.
*After exit from KLIA toll to the airport, below Jalan Pekeliling flyover.90km/h

NKVE East/North Bound
*300m before Jalan Duta toll, 60km/h!
*Behind crash barrier on the left when going towards Jalan Duta toll, at 24.9km, 80km/h!
*Below bridge at Damansara Junction, 17.5km

NKVE West/South Bound
*Behind crash barrier on the left when leaving Jalan Duta toll from KL, at 25.3km and 25.7km, 80km/h!
*From Jln Duta, below the bridge, 23km, 80km/h zone!
*From Jln Duta, at the underpass at Sg Buloh Y-junction, 22km.
*Behind crash barrier at Damansara Junction, 17.7km and 16.8km
*Below railway bridge at 11.2km
*Under the bridge at Shah Alam junction.

Kesas East Bound
*Under the bridge at 44.8km, downhill run after Puchong junction.

Kesas West Bound
*At Sg Besi side of East Bound Toll. Kuala LumpurCity
*Jalan Duta; below the flyover at the Damansara junction, 70km/h zone.

Klang
*Dual carriageway between Klang and Port Klang. Towards Klang direction, at about 13km mile stone. 70km/h only!

East Coast
*Road sign at Karak highway is inadequate especially at Y junction; if you are unfamilar, go slow.
*East bound, downhill run after Raub junction.
*Maran, 60km/h zone.
*Paya Bungor, 70km/h zone.

SPEED TRAPS IN JOHOR South Bound
*Tangkak junction.
*Under the bridge after Yong Peng

North junction
*at 97.3km.
*Ayer Hitam junction.
*Sedenak junction.

SPEED TRAPS IN PERLIS, KEDAH AND PENANG
North Bound
*Around Ayer Hitam in 60km/h zone.
*Before Perwaja Steel.
*Sg Petani junction.
*Between Seberang Jaya junction and Sg Dua Toll.
*PenangBridge at island end.Speed limit 80km/h.

South Bound
*PenangBridgeisland end. Speed limit 80km/h.
*About 2km before Juru Toll Speed limit 90km/h.

SPEED TRAPS IN PERAK
North Bound
*Under the bridge at 197.1km and 198.8km, afterKamunting Junction.
*Under the bridge at 204.3km, after KamuntingJunction.
*Under the bridge at 208km, before Kamunting Junction.
*Under the bridge at 214.8km, before Kamuntingjunction.
*Ipoh Vista Point at about 263km. Speed limit 80km/h.
*Under the bridge at 271km, Ipoh North Junction.
*Under the bridge at 274.4km, Ipoh South Junction.
*Under the bridge at 286.9km, Simpang Pulai Junction.
*Under the bridge at 296km, Gopeng Junction.
*Under the bridge at 352.6km, after Sungkai Junction.
*Under the bridge at 353km, Sungkai Junction.
*Under the bridge at 373km, Slim River Junction.

South Bound
*Under the bridge at 199km, before Kamunting junction.
*Under the bridge at 241.9km, at Kalau Kangsarjunction.
*Under the sign post at 296.1km, before GopengJunction.
*Under the bridge at 297km, at Gopeng Junction.
*Under the bridge at 300km, after Gopeng junction.
*Under the bridge at 308.6km, after Gopeng junction.
*Under the bridge at 372.6km, at SlimRiverjunction.

MOST IMPORTANT IS: DON'T SPEED AND HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY

Good to Have A GPS Device

2011-09-16T02:08:00.000-07:00

My GPS Says You're Taking The Long Way...

Real Estates Projects - Landmark

2011-09-15T02:43:00.000-07:00

First we have the Sepang Gold Coast with a palm tree shape, now we have Hibiscus shape:

Related: http://howtze.blogspot.com/2011/08/real-estates.html
http://www.sepanggoldcoast.com/
http://www.thehibiscus.com.my/

Inflation Nation

2011-09-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to recent skyrocketing inflation, the citizens could no longer afford to eat.

The middle class was starting to starve.

There's an old saying that's used to define the temperament of oppressed people: “Bread and Circuses”...

It dates back to just before the fall of the Roman Empire in 100 A.D., and is derived from the observation that people will put up with nearly all sorts of tyranny and injustice, so long as the mob has food and entertainment.

What's happening across the world is a result of their food becoming too expensive.

Feeling the same pain, just days after the first protests in Tunisia, the riot fever spread to Algeria — where protesters hit the streets, carrying signs that read “We Want Sugar!”

Next to fall, for the same reasons, was Egypt... Then Libya.

You get the point. You hear about it every day.

But what many in the mainstream press fail to realize, is that these protests and riots aren't simply because of a harsh dictator.

Anyone over the age of 30 knows that people like Gaddafi and Mubarak have been in power for decades.

No — what's pushing countries in the Middle East and North Africa over the line is the skyrocketing cost of food, thanks to rampant inflation.

And it's not just the prices of food, oil, gold, silver, and other popular commodities, either...

It's all of them. And it's world-wide.

Over the past year...

Corn is up 76%
Wheat is up 44%
Soybeans are up 24%
Sugar is up more than 55%
And the list goes on...

It's a similar story right now in India, as thousands risk their lives and take to the streets to show their disgust against rising food prices.

NO OTHER FORM OF MONEY WAS ACCEPTED.

The people painfully realized that gold, unlike fiat money, couldn't be printed out of thin air.

The country was Zimbabwe. And their run of hyper-inflation was hardly an isolated incident. Just take a look at these other countries that experienced the same pains in recent years...

Make no mistake — it can and will happen to U.S, too.

Other countries across the world already see it coming. They know that in order to even keep the government running for another day, we're already committed to a vicious cycle of printing our way to oblivion.

The last time we saw a serious inflationary crisis looming was in 1980.

Back then, Fed Chairman Paul Volcker was able to keep it from getting too out of control by raising the interest rates to an astonishing 21.5%.

Of course, back then U.S were also the world's largest creditor nation. Today, they're currently the largest debtor nation.

Related:
The Illusion of Wealth

Campaign and Contests (41-60)

2011-09-13T03:47:00.000-07:00

Stepping into September 2011, the prizes are even more attractive and bigger, that includes a condominium unit worth RM200k+ and even some special items such as a Biodiesel Processor!

60. Win Your Very Own Biodiesel Processor Worth RM 70k with IGEM 2011

59. Win A Condominium, A Honda Accord, or Prizes Worth A Total of RM638,000 with Grand Imperial Group Promotion

58. Win HP Notebook, BlackBerry Torch, HTC Smart Phone, iPad and Panasonic Home Theatre with Bonuslink Ready, Aim, Shoot Contest

57. Win A Belum-Temengor Forest Trip for 2 with Bonus Link Go Green Campaign

56. Win Up To RM15,000 Raya Money with Tesco Watch and Win Promotion

55. Win Up to RM1,000,000 and Daily Prizes with Caltex 75 Years Surprizes Contest!

54. Win A Netbook with BEX-Asia Pre-Registration

53. Win Chery Tiggo and Home Appliances with Carrefour Salam Aidilfitri Promotion

52. Win RM42,000 Worth of Firefly Vouchers with HP Terbang Balik Kampung Contest

51. Win RM5,000 Cash With Petronas Saya Suka Malaysia Contest

50. Win Gadgets with Maybank’s Save and Win Campaign

49. Win Canon Products and Cash with Berjaya Youth Tell A Good Story Competition

48. Win Up To RM1,111,111 with MBF Cards

47. Win A Nissan Sylphy by Test Drive A Nissan

46. Win A Peugeot 308 Turbo with Gimme More via 207SV Purchase

45. Win Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Cash and More with Affin Bank’s OMG Savings Campaign

44. Win Up to RM1.8 Million Cash And Prizes with Colourland Bonanza Buka & Menang 2011 Campaign

43. Win A Brand New Smart Phone with Digi Deep Green Recycling Campaign

42. Win Ultimate Anfield Experience with Standard Chartered Liverpool FC Mastercard

41. Win Sony Cameras, iPods and iPad 2 with TM Open House Contest

2011-09-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

If you have the means, the more precious metals you can stock up on, the better off you are going to be. After all, the first time you are blessed with the opportunity to hold actual real gold coins in your own two hands will change your life.

Physical gold has been the solid monetary foundation of trade, commerce, and sustainable economic booms for almost all of human history.

Again, no one is going to complain about that sort of asset protection.

But while the dollar still has ground, I'm showing everyone I know how to take full advantage of it through a handful of stocks positioned to pay investors several times the gains that their physical counterparts make.

Over the coming months, it could make you extremely wealthy... Just as it has already increased the wealth of other investors more than 237% since November.

You see, while the dollar deteriorates — driving precious metals prices higher — something else happens...

The profits — and share prices — of the companies exploring for and mining those metals takes off disproportionately higher.

And the reason is simple: It costs the same amount to extract these metals, regardless of how high the spot prices are.

For example, a deposit with 1 million ounces of gold could be mined at an operating cost of $200 per ounce, whether gold sells for $300, $500, $1,000 or $2,000 per ounce.

The only difference is the higher the price of the metal, the higher the company's profit margins go. And the higher the share price surges.

In other words, finding the right mining and exploration companies all but guarantees to hand you several times more money than you could ever make by simply buying the physical metals.

Luke Burgess
Investment Director, Underground Profits

Online Campaign : Sugar Cane Juice Theory

2011-09-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

榨甘蔗理论 进行网络推广，是把原本已经花费在传统广告的预算挤出更多效应来：此外，作为虚拟世界的一个管道，它将非常有效地为您的企业做 24/7 、自动化、不间断的推广！

Million Dollar Memo Contest

2011-09-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

Some ideas for reference in promoting local tourism (in this case, the biggest winner is Queensland Tourism Board):

http://www.milliondollarmemo.com/en/about-the-competition

http://www.milliondollarmemo.com/en/news-and-events

From The Edge Financial Daily (Thursday, September 8, 2011)

Tourism Queensland CEO Anthony Haves said Queensland's tourism industry would be the ultimate winners of the Million Dollar Memo.

"When these 20 finalists return to their workplaces, we want them to tell their bosses that Queensland is the best place in the world to reward their starff," he said.

The campaign had been in the works for 18 months and was launched in March. Companies worldwide were invited to compete in the challenge by sending a 60-second video on what makes their companies a great place to work and why Queensland is the ultimate reward destination.A total of 291 entries were received - 70% from the Asia-Pacific - and this was whittled down to a top 70-shortlist and then a final 20.Related news:Tourism Queensland, which launched the award-winning “Best Job in the World” campaign in 2009 that helped promote tourism to the state, is hoping for greater success with its Million Dollar Memo contest launched in March... The contest is part of its global incentive strategy to target corporate clients in the incentive travel segment... http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/media-a-advertising/190053-hla-in-race-for-a1m-in-incentive-travel.html

Sell Gold, Buy Farmland

2011-09-08T01:52:00.000-07:00

A few headlines that seems related:

1. George Soros and Jim Rogers Selling Gold, Buying Farmland

Here’s a great trivia question for you.
What asset has appreciated more than any asset since the year 2000?
Answer: Farmland. 1,200%

A fund controlled by George Soros, the billionaire hedge-fund manager, owns 23.4 percent of a South American farmland venture Adecoagro. Commodities are still the best play for the long term and legendary investor guru Jim Rogers confessed that he has been buying farmland himself... the supplies of food are going to continue to be under pressure. This leads me to conclude that agriculture is going to be one of the greatest industries in the next 20 years, 30 years.

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/metals/1769

2. Bill Gates Just Bought $571 Million of This Stock

Recently, Bill Gates made a series of purchases of a stock - Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE), the world's largest farm equipment manufacturer, a leader in the production of equipment and machinery for the construction and forestry industries, and a top producer of lawn and garden tractors for homeowners. Gates has made purchases of about 7.5 mil shares worth about $571 million.

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/headlines/1805

3. Agriculture’s promising potential

Thailand

... to plant rubber and supply latex to a tyre factory.

China currently consumes one-third of the world’s supply of rubber.

Given promising growth prospects for cars, and by extension tyres, in East Asia in the medium term, should Malaysian plantation companies review their near-total dependence on a single crop for their earnings?

Mexico

Earlier this month, Aeromexico became the first airline to use a blend of jatropha biofuel and conventional aviation fuel to power a long-haul trans-Atlantic commercial flight from Mexico City to Madrid.

Last month, US-based technical standards body, the ASTM, cleared airlines to fly passenger planes with a blend of renewable fuel derived from inedible plants and conventional jet fuel. Additionally, mandatory European environmental requirements have prompted many airlines to start using biofuel, a trend that is likely to accelerate.

US

Worldwide, the market for bio-renewable chemicals will reach US$5 billion (RM15 billion) by 2015, one industry estimate suggests.

Three Singular Facts:

- First, increasing demand for palm oil by widening its usage in new sectors is possible only through more research and development (R&D). Since jatropha and soy oil share some similarities with palm oil, some substitution should be possible.

- Second, R&D in biofuel will create high-tech employment opportunities in universities and plantation companies.

- Third, spending on R&D isn’t a cost that can be dispensed with, but a much needed investment for the future.

Two facts need to be remembered. Although oil palms mature in four years, it takes seven years for the tree to reach prime production. A 20-year time frame is equivalent to three planting cycles.

4. Plantation firms have potential to be large energy players

Plantation firms such as Sime Darby, IOI Plantation and KL Kepong have huge potential to emerge as the country's large energy players given their abundance of raw materials for biomass energy.

The big plantations guys in Malaysia will be the Petronas of the future, but it depends much on the incentives given and the framework set by the government.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=612090

5. 深度旅遊有發展空間

台灣無論在民宿或生態旅遊方面，都建立起極好的口碑，每年在不同的季節吸引外國遊客蜂擁而至，例如每年四、五月間的“客家桐花祭”，滿山白茫茫的油桐花海形成旅遊特點，加上民宿業者引導遊客在繽紛的桐花樹下，參觀當地的人文風情，感受客家人對土地的生活經驗，這種深度旅遊的方式，值得學習與開發。

我國的自然環境得天獨厚，我們的熱帶雨林覆蓋著全國幾乎60%的土地，如此豐富的生態環境乃新加坡甚或其他各國所缺乏的，這種獨特的地理結構帶給我們的特殊自然景觀，曾經受到亞洲旅遊業周刊的推崇，它也是我們發展生態旅遊的最佳條件。東馬如沙巴多山亦多河流溪谷，繁茂的森林裡也是各種野生動物棲身之地。

民宿與生態旅遊不僅可達到休閒減壓目的，同時也能讓遊客在行程中通過各種特別安排的活動，對我國多元文化社會的人文風情、生活習俗有不同的體會和認識，甚至在一些生態活動中，讓遊客進一步瞭解我國的地理環境，提昇對自然與人文資源保護重要性的意識。

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/20841?tid=16

Conventional VS Automated Internet Business

2011-09-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

成本不会因时间增长而倍增。

压力、资源运用不会因为业务增长而呈对比增加。

对的商业策略与营运方式将获得暴增式盈利 (exponential)

2 个月十倍增长！

2011-09-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Results speak for itself:At 5th July 2011, total fans = 1,431

At 7th September 2011, total fans = 1,4311

LIVE results: http://www.facebook.com/redtomatonews

Unfair Advantage: Debt

2011-09-03T01:32:00.000-07:00

While there are never guarantee in the world of money, a legitimate financial education grants you access to the highest returns in the investment world, investments with the lowest risk, and very low taxes, zero taxes in some instances. The first investment is in your financial education. ~ Robert Kiyosaki, Unfair Advantage

Some unfair advantage on taxes in the real world, in our own country ...

In the long run, looking after the wellbeing of those that need help will benefit everyone. Having a layer of super rich, does not translate into a community of high earners. It just means a select few are growing their wealth faster by taking advantage of a lopsided tax system and other biased mechanisms...

If you were to sell any one of these newly acquired property within five years of purchase, you pay a 5% real property gains tax on what you made and still get a RM10,000 discount.

However if you decide to hold on to the property (noting that prices generally appreciate) and sell it after five years, you make a clean profit – that's right, not taxable.

Now compare that to what your friends made – some still made more thanks to the 5%-7% discount. What if the profit was RM100,000 or RM1 million?

We may not have Buffet magnitude billionaires just yet but according to the Malaysian Business we have companies paying RM455.6 million in a board payout with one director being paid RM106 million making all the other high earners look like paupers with RM12 million payouts.

Imagine if they invested their bonus in equities without having to pay tax or bought multiple property at a discount.

If Buffett was Malaysian he'd have paid next to nothing as our capital gains tax is 0% for equities and 5% for real property gains. What does all this mean to the layperson? ...Injecting equity into our tax system ... http://www.thesundaily.my/news/122661

Deflation

2011-09-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

"In the last three years, banks all over the world have printed trillions of dollars, in the hope of saving the world economy. In spite of this massive banking fraud, people continue to try and save money. Saving counterfeit money is insanity…pure stupidity." ~ Excerpt from Robert’s Conspiracy of the Rich bulletin.

What is about to happen in the markets and the economy in 2012 and the decade beyond was practically preordained back in the 1970s and 1980s…

And as you’re about to discover, there’s nothing you or I, or any politician or government, or any team of monetary experts can do to stop it.

As history has shown, these economic trends are virtually set in stone – as certain as the DNA with which we were born.

Some of the greatest fortunes have been made, not in boom times, but in down economies… by people who understood exactly what was going on:

The Kennedy fortune was made this way, buying up cheap companies and assets during depression era America.

Even Warren Buffet launched his career buying stocks on the cheap in the 1970s when nobody else had the stomach for it.

Point is, when you can be confident in where the future is heading – and know with good certainty which markets and investments will be impacted– there’s no limit to how much money you can make.

Knowing the Future Can Make You Wealthy

The secret is knowing what’s coming when -- and preparing yourself.

But the government’s stimulus plan will not work for more than a very short period of time, due to the slowing spending and rising savings of the largest generation in history! That’s why we have been saying: “All the kings horses and all the kings men will not be able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”

What’s more, this “baby boom effect” is being further amplified by the sudden and simultaneous collapse of real estate… and the massive debt amassed in that bubble, and now, in the government’s attempt to avert this “impossible to avert” event.

That’s why I’m here to tell you right now:

What lies ahead will be no ordinary recession.

--------------------------------------------Deflation--------------------------------------------The Greatest Credit Bubble In Modern History Will Continue to Deleverage… Deflation, Not Inflation, Is Just Ahead.

History tells us that most severe downturns and depressions have three phases.

1. A severe crash, like we saw in late 2007 to early 2009 – when the Dow fell 55%, from 14,280 down to 6,440.
2. That’s followed by a bear market rally, spurred by renewed economic from government stimulus. That’s where we are now.
3. The third phase is a final crash and deeper depression, and a deflationary phase that lasts a few years.

Deflation, as the name suggests, is the exact opposite of inflation.

Inflation happens when there’s lots of available credit, free flowing money and strong demand for goods and services. When everyone has access to money through easy loans and fast credit, the demand for “stuff” goes up. And when demand goes up… so do prices.

With deflation, the opposite occurs. There’s less money flowing because credit tightens up, causing money to become scarce. And because people have less money to spend, demand for goods and services go down. And when demand goes down – so do prices.

We have examined all of the great bubble and credit booms throughout history and there are no exceptions:

Once credit bubbles go to extremes they always burst and deflate… resulting in a sudden tightening of money supply (credit)… followed by deflation as massive amounts of debt are written off.

It happened in the 1930s and again most recently in Japan.

And because no government can counteract that kind of overwhelming debt with any amount of stimulus without making its currency next to worthless, it’s likely to happen as this new economic cycle settles in.

Stocks will see it coming first.

We believe markets will peak around the fall of 2011 (delayed a year or so from our earlier estimates thanks to the greatest stimulus spending in history) at around 13,200 or so in the Dow, then fall to around 3,300 to 3,800 between late 2012 and late 2014 .

After the rest will fall in line:

Bankruptcy rates will escalate, followed by a long line of bank failures.

Those banks that are left will be very careful about who they lend to and under what terms. Many will not lend at all, choosing instead to hoard cash while it gains value (i.e., buying power) through deflation.

Most will be very hard pressed to find qualified lenders to loan to, since a) so many borrower’s credit ratings will be destroyed walking away from homes and other loans, and b) further declining house prices will mean there’ll be very little equity to lend against.

Less credit means less money in the economy.

Less money means less demand for goods and services.

Less demand means lower prices and less production.

Less production means more plant closings and more job losses.

More job losses means…

Well, I think you’re getting the picture here. It’s all a domino effect.

Again I’ll say it:

For those who don’t prepare the impact will be devastating.

But if you see and trust that it’s coming, it’s an opportunity to make a lot of money… and we plan to tell you how every step of the way, as I’ll explain in a moment.

It’s also a very positive thing for the economy as a whole longer term.

That’s because deflation helps to “shake out the excesses” much quicker because it encourages a massive restructuring of debt, writing off of losses, trimming back of the supply chain, shifting of market share to the strongest and most efficient companies that can keep prices down in the future, and more.

This chart shows how much debt was eliminated during the last deflationary period of the 30s and 40s – thus paving the way for the greatest prosperity boom the country had ever seen post World War II:

These three ‘economic truths’ I’ve just told you about are the key components of the perfect storm brewing around our economy today:vThe last of the largest generation of spenders in American history – Baby Boomers – leaving his and her peak spending years…

The biggest Credit Bubble of all time… $102 - $122 Trillion in government, corporate, personal and “entitlement obligation” debt – a number that simply can’t be sustained and will have to be deleveraged over the coming decade, much of it through bankruptcy and default – and restructuring of many entitlements that we have come to expect…

The greatest housing bubble in history, which will almost certainly lead to the greatest banking crisis in history… and more personal bankruptcies by everyday Americans and companies than any time in our history.

The impact of these three events all lead to one thing:

A severe tightening of credit… and the write-off off tens of trillions in loans and entitlements…

Which means less money in the system… which means less spending… less demand…falling prices… and ultimately:

Deflation.

Depression.

What Can We Do In Deflation?

The first order of business is to protect yourself and the assets you have. And that means getting out of investments that are designed to perform in an “up” market.

In deflationary times, cash is king. Because unlike what happens during inflation, money actually gains value when there’s deflation. It’s simple supply and demand. Money supply shrinks when there’s less lending and as debts are paid down and written off through foreclosure.

If you’re holding on to real estate – anything you’re not using as your home or that’s not generating good, steady and lasting income for you – sell it now.

Right now it’s about two things:Shedding inflated assets and high-cost debt… and moving stealthily into safer investments and cash – cash you’ll later be able to parlay into outstanding profits as the events of next economic cycle happen.

Long term Treasury bonds will be the first great long term play, likely later this year, then corporate bonds, then stocks, then real estate over time.

1) avert financial disaster and,
2) profit from the many opportunities that arise during periods of profound economic change.

If history has taught us anything, it’s that governments can’t spend their way out of enormous debt – especially the massive levels of debt chocking the US economy today.

Remember, when you include government, corporate, personal and entitlement debts and obligations, we’re in hock for over $100-- $120 trillion!

A lot of money… about $330,000 - $400,000 owed for every man, woman and child in the country.

Can you afford your share? How about half of it? Could you even write a check today for one quarter of it?

You’re not alone.

And we simply can’t print our way out of this like we have in the past.

Over the last two year’s the government has printed $2.3 trillion and look what’s happening already starting to happen:

Prices of hard assets like gold, silver, copper, oil and so on are skyrocketing driving up the cost of transportation, energy and manufacturing.

Food prices are soaring throughout the world because so many U.S. dollars – the reserve currency the world uses to buy many of them -- are flooding the market.

We predicted that this period of post-crisis inflation would happen…

But we simply can’t keep printing money the trillions needed to stimulate or inflate our way out of these massive debts!

And when that realization hits – well, that’s when the other shoe will fall.

Massive amounts of debt will need to be repaid or written off.

Money and credit will dry up.

Demand for all kinds of good and services will fall sharply… followed by falling prices.

And falling prices lead to layoffs and falling wages.

In short: depression and deflation.

http://www.boomandbustinvestor.com/pages/bnb/video/BNB1.php?pub=BNB&code=LBNBM820

成功人士的傳記

2011-09-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

一個小朋友問一位富翁說：「叔叔，你為什麼這麼有錢？」
富翁摸摸小朋友的頭道：「小時候，我爸給了我一個蘋果，我賣掉它，再想方法用低價買了兩個蘋果，後來我又這樣賺了四個蘋果。」
⋯⋯小朋友若有所思地說：「哦…叔叔，我好像懂了。」
⋯⋯富翁說：「你懂個屁阿！後來我爸死了，我繼承了他全部的財產。」⋯⋯⋯⋯

給創業者提個醒，不要癡迷於從閱讀成功人士的傳記中需找經驗，這些書大部分經過了精致的包裝，很多重要的事實都不會告訴你。

例如，比爾蓋茨的書不會告訴你他母親是ＩＢＭ董事，是她給兒子促成了第一單大生意，巴菲特的書只會告訴你他８歲就知道去參觀紐交所，但不會告訴你是他國會議員的父親帶他去的，而且是高盛的董事接待的。

Take successful people as a guide line and learn from them.Not making them your idol and worship them and try to succeed by copying them.Their way of success "might" not work for you.Failure is inevitable to succeed.

Most of the people only see the successful front, what they've failed to see is the failure behind the successful front.Failure is something you need to buy with money, time, heart, blood and sweat, and it's not cheap at all, but it provides you the most valuable lessons that will make you better than before.~ Vincent Cheng via Facebook

Some info of Gates's mother: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Maxwell_Gates
Some info of Buffett's father: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Buffett

Bill Gates Bought Into Deere & Co. - World's Largest Farm Equipment Manufacturer

Recently, Bill Gates made a series of purchases of a stock - Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE), the world's largest farm equipment manufacturer, a leader in the production of equipment and machinery for the construction and forestry industries, and a top producer of lawn and garden tractors for homeowners. Gates has made purchases of about 7.5 mil shares worth about $571 million...http://www.wealthwire.com/news/headlines/1805

Notes from Ah Beng through Facebook: Download this video to watch, a documentary by National Geographic,""Ultimate Factories John Deere".You can see how they build their equipment and turn it into big business. (Thanks!)

Real Estates Projects

2011-08-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

A project to promote the idea of environmental preservation to the public and to offer everyone an opportunity to protect our degrading global environment. Within the 30 acres land is a long house and several semi-detached chalets to accommodate up to 100 people at any one time and a multipurpose hall to accommodate up to 100 people. There is also an organic vegetable garden, a mixed fruits orchard, an ostrich farm, a herb garden, several fish ponds, a lotus pond, a recreational center and a compost area. All visitors will gain valuable experience from a stay.

Titi Eco Farm ... http://www.titieco.com.my/about_en.php

Situated in the thriving Iskandar Malaysia is Horizon Hills, a 1,200 acre integrated residential township, with gross development value of RM3.1 billion is a low-density development spread over 13 residential precincts. A lush gated development complete with a private 18-hole Par 72 designer golf course.

Horizon Hills ... http://horizonhills.com.my/

Committed to turn Mother Nature into an intimate companion, Setia Eco Cascadia also features the Bioswale, a unique ecologically-attuned facility which filters rainwater before discharging it into the drainage system. On top of that, the linear garden concept links the rear gardens of all residences into a network of dazzling green park connectors, providing dwellers with an enhanced experience with nature.

Setia Eco Cascadia ... http://www.cascadia.com.my/the-project.php

24.4 acres leasehold - An integrated mixed-use commercial and residential development comprising:
- 3 Residential Towers
- 3 Corporate Office Towers
- 1 Serviced Apartment Tower
- 1 Retail Podium
- 3 Clusters of Boutique Offices
- 1 Strate Office Tower

First integrated mixed-use commercial & residential development designed for Gold certification under the Malaysian Green Building Index (GBI) standard.

KL Eco City ... http://www.klecocity.com.my/

One South in Seri Kembangan as a massive 17.89-acre project with a gross development value of RM750 million. Its first planned phase will offer 384 units of shop offices built along a street mall concept where work intermixes with play. With built-up areas from 479 - 2,100 sq ft, prices of its office units and retail lots start from RM350 per sq ft and RM750 per sq ft respectively.

Begin with the end in mind ... http://onesouth.huayang.com.my

我要打十个！

2011-08-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Bumped into this interesting ads while checking out Online Campaign : 10 倍增长个案分析 and doing research for More Campaign and Contests based on Concepts Behind Online Campaign:

Do Not Feed The Ducks

2011-08-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Do not feed the ducks ... I was driven to this ... :)

Abduction

2011-08-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

No one believe my abduction story ... :)

Campaign and Contests (21-40)

2011-08-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

There will be more to come when retailers and businesses are looking at options to up sales during economic downtown ... listed below are just some examples.

Win Up To 2,000,000 Cash with Public Bank U Save V Reward Campaign

Win Exciting Rewards with Mastercard Shopathon Campaign

Win Samsung Galaxy SII with GSC Watch and Win Contest

Win 2 Free Movie Tickets with GSC-Hong Leong Credit Card

Win Free Movie Passes with Maybankard Debit Card

Win iPad2 or iPhone4 with Tai Thong Sweetest Snapshot Contest

Win A Shopping Spree Worth RM100,000 and A Chance for Additional RM100,000 Cash with OCBC Mega Magic Moments Campaign

Win A Chance to Shop for Free with Maybankard 2 Cards

Win iPhone, iPad2, Sony Cyber-shot with PB Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 2011

Win iPads and SmartTAGs with BSN Zing PlusMiles Card Happy Driving Promotion

Win A Nissan Teana with Hong Leong FD Promotion

Win A Macau Party Trip with MTV Asia

Win Great Prizes with TM Festive Specials

Win Brand New Perodua MyVi with Public Bank Visa Debit Cards

Win a Car, iPads, iMacs, Laptops and Other Prizes with EUKHost 10th Anniversary Celebration

Win An Ultimate Gateway Tour with Intel Win An Island Promotion

Win A Trip to Jeju Island, Korea with Samsung Double The Deal Contest

Play Cartoon Network Games and Win Prize

Win A SuperStar Libra Trip with Genting Exclusive Deals

Win All-expense-paid trip to Singapore Formula One Race with Proton

Looking at case studies above, there are more campaigns and contests coming up for sure especially during year end and festive seasons.

World Gold Holdings

2011-08-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

The U.S. dollar was among the first to abandon the gold reserve system 40 years ago, as part of a series of economic mandates that came to be known as the "Nixon Shock". Since then, every other major world currency has done the same.

With national economies now running on the fiat capital system, in which money is conjured into existence by governmental decree, there is simply not enough of any precious metal to back up all financial transactions everywhere.

But will this stop minor forays back into a gold/silver-backed system?

Clearly not.

Updated July 2011:

1 - USA: 8965 tons
2 - Germany:3747 tons
3 - IMF: 3103 tons
4 - Italy: 2702 tons
5 - France: 2684 tons
6 - China: 1161 tons
7 - Switzerland: 1146 tons
8 - Russia: 915 tons
9 - Japan: 843 tons
10 - Netherlands: 674 tons

Quoted from a friend's point of view:

From the list, we understand that US and Europe has a stockpile of close to 25000 tons of gold while China and Japan has only 2000 tons. After spending 25 years in stockpiling gold and buying gigantic sum of goods from China and Asian countries with dollar debt notes, the elite capitalist understand that the time to cash out has arrived.

Remember, it is not so much what the predominating trend is, or even what is legally mandated, that's important to bull markets...

As common perception starts to reevaluate gold and silver as currencies rather than commodities, everyone from market makers to amateur investors will do what they always do during times of adversity: They will diversify heavily into this once-fringe market.

New demand will drive up prices, and increasing media coverage of inflating currencies will continue to feed the market.

New production will work overtime to feed demand, sending mining and exploration stocks flying.

But with investors hoarding the metals, there will likely still never be enough available to ever back any major national currency again.

So while planning for a global economic reversal to the gold standard is at best premature and at worst, delusional, the prognosis for this market is pretty clear...

Expect gold and silver to not slow down anytime soon. Another 50%-100% growth is possible over the next 12-18 months. And expect any company involved in exploration, mining, and production to see banner years for at least 2011 and 2012.

Good investing,

Luke Burgess
Analyst, Wealth Daily

Property Launch

2011-08-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Years back, Glenmarie Cove in Klang sponsored potential property buyers a river cruise along Klang River, near the project site. Then, The Mines South Lake Heritage project took similar approach where prospective buyers could get a free lake cruise visiting both North Lake and South Lake at The Mines. Both aims at giving potential buyers a feeling of their "future lifestyle" should they buy the property.

Today, The Mirage Experience by OSK Property bring the launching to another level by providing a breathtaking experience of a lifetime to visitors.

Hot air balloon ride, a cruise on the Putrajaya Lake, Cyberjaya city tour, Street magicians, Clown & balloon sculpture, RSVP required, First-Come-First-Serve basis as "limited seats available".

Pretty impressive, as one of my friend is planning for a hot balloon launching just before I received this special "hot balloon shape" flyer.

Of course, as usual, we have better ideas and strategy to complement the launching. It would stand out from the very normal buffet or street party, right?

Pondering The Future of Energy - Solar

2011-08-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

The CEO of IBM in 1952 said there would never be a market for more than five computers...Right now is 1952 for solar.

Those who recognize that fact will be tomorrow's Bill Gates. The industry is still maturing, reducing costs, increasing efficiencies, and reaching economies of scale.

To dismiss the long-term profit potential is like saying you wouldn't invest in Apple (NASDAQ: AAPLE) in 1985 when it was $1.84.

You'd have been an idiot who missed out on 19,500% gains.

It'd be like saying personal music players would never catch on when they still looked like this in 1975:

One of my favorite charts showing the forecast growth of solar for the next decade:

Just keep that in mind when pondering the future of energy.

The "here and now" perspective isn't always the correct angle to view the situation.

Advances are being made every day.

And it won't be long before solar goes the way of the iPod...

Everyone will have one.

The key is finding the Apple or Microsoft of the solar industry.

Keep your mind open and your profits large,
Nick Hodge
Editor, Energy and Capital

Related:
Solar Envoy - Turanor PlanetSolar
First Solar Boat Expedition Around The Globe
http://www.planetsolar.org/vision.html

Updates on Penang

2011-08-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

A week in review with news related to Penang:

Grants given for George Town restoration and conservation projects
17 August

Some 14 restoration projects within the George Town Unesco World Heritage inscribed zone were given grants worth about RM776,000 from Think City Sdn Bhd.

The grants under Think City's George Town Grants Programme (GTGP) involves projects on physical conservation and restoration, as well as technical assistance and cultural mapping.

Among these projects are the rice mill restoration and conservation project, roof restoration for the Goddess of Mercy Temple at the Kuan Yin Teng Temple, restoration and conservation of the Cheah Kongsi, technical studies for the restoration of boundary walls of the St George's Church, and for the digital art and cultural festival by Badan Warisan Malaysia.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/114008

Music fest on, sponsors sought
18 August (Page 10)

GEORGE TOWN: Tired of waiting for federal funds, the state government has taken the bull by the horns and decided to organise the Penang World Music Festival (PWMF) on its own next year.

"It is said that you cannot put a good man down, so likewise you cannot stop the music from flowing," Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said at a press conference during the launch of the festival at a hotel here.

"Music should not be the victim of politics because music is above it all," he said.

Tickets for the three-day event are on sale and are also available online at www.ticketexpress.com.my

Largest floating book fair opens in Penang on Aug 30
19 August

Logos Hope – touted as the world’s largest floating book fair which carries some 5,000 different books and CD titles - berthed at the Swettenham Pier here today on the first leg of its visit to Malaysian ports.

It will be open for the public from August 30 till September 25.

The ship will be open daily except Monday, from 10am to 10pm between Tuesdays and Saturdays, and 1pm to 10pm on Sundays.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/116644

Lessons

2011-08-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

One day, Gandhi was getting off a train when one of his shoes slipped off and fell onto the track. As the train had started to move, he could not retrieved it, so he removed his other shoe and threw it near where the first shoe fell. Asked why, he smiled gently and replied:"Now the poor man who finds these lying on the tracks will have a pair he can use."

We are here to learn lessons and the world is our teacher. Gain wisdom by reading good books, learn from successful people and share with others. Learn to do everything with love and everything will become easier and attainable.

Gandhi said: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Coincidence with what was learned from Money & You program, "For things to change, first I must change"

1. When there is a will, there will be ways.

A young Malaysian woman who has her feet on the ground, head properly screwed on and so fervent about what she has done and passionate about what she wants to achieve ~ R.Nadeswaran ...
http://samanthatan.co.uk/
http://myasdsfund.wordpress.com/

2. Rome was not built in a day. Nothing happens overnight.

With some 300 million downloads, the addictive game is heading for global domination. However, success doesn't come overnight.

"We built 51 games before Angry Birds so it wasn't like we were an overnight success." said Vesterbacka.

Angry Birds Tale

3. Become PLATFORM. 海纳百川，故成其大

Windows (operating system), Flippa, Apps Store etc.

4. Predictable Success

Rental Basis, Multiple Streams of Passive Income

学历代表过去，财力代表现在，学习能力代表将来。所见所闻改变一生，不知不觉会断送一生。

没有目标的人永远为有目标的人去努力；没有危机是最大的危机，满足现状是最大的陷讲。

下对注，赢一次；跟对人，赢一世。

老板只能给你一个位置，不能给你一个未来，舞台再大，人走茶凉。

Of Tech, Riots, and Privacy

2011-08-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

Social networking devices seem to play a significant role in facilitating an easy way for strangers to come together for the purpose of organizing a protest. As so many protests around the world have been transformed into more aggressive outbreaks of violence and rioting, several questions and concerns now revolve around these modern social networking vehicles.

Mob Robs During Riots

There's a hot new trend in civil unrest, called Mob Robs, when a mob of people swarm into a store and take everything in sight. The store workers become completely overwhelmed and can do nothing to stop it.

A typical Mob Rob:

These mob robs sound frightening similar to the food riots happening around the world. And the really disturbing part is that they're happening more and more frequently...

Teenage 'flash mob' robberies on the rise in the U.S.
The Herald

June 19, 2011 — The same technologies that for years have brought together the mostly benign and goofy "flash mobs," in which groups suddenly break into dance at a mall or stumble around like zombies at train stations, are being used to plan and execute bold robberies.

Police say the suspects select a time and place and enter the store in droves, taking what they want and leaving before security or police can catch them.

Some of the most brazen robberies take place in the light of day and on busy streets despite all the security cameras and the watchful eyes of workers.

How the cell phone jamming works?

It's a classic case of a Catch-22 . Personal freedoms vs. public safety: it'll evolve into a case for the courts to ultimately decide upon.

At the end of the day, social media – like any other tool – can be used for good and for bad. Cars can be used for transporting people to the hospital or for helping robbers make their escape.

Knives can be used to save a life on an operating table or to take a life in a street mugging. But you don't ban cars or knives just because they can be used by bad guys, do you?

Sources:
Don’t shoot the (instant) messenger
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/113996

Cell Phone Service Shut Down to Deter Organized Riots
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/1692

A new American Revolution

2011-08-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

The Fed would wait for the pain to get intolerable and then would reenter with a third round of quantitative easing. Simply said, the Fed will wait for us to beg for the poison that is killing us… more counterfeit money.

The business of America's business had become passing paper around, a process called "securitisation". The financial sector (lending money) contributed 44% of US corporate profits; only 10% came from manufacturing.

Billions of profits from money-lending allowed the finance industry to buy all the politicians it wanted, and keep the media docile. Financial regulation barely functioned and banks were allowed to lend US$35-40 for every US$1 deposit. Managers of the huge pools of unregulated capital called hedge funds had to pay only 15% tax while ordinary workers paid double, or more.

Washington's answer was more debt to cure the problems caused by too much debt. (so we have QE, QE2... check out inflation explained.

Money should not be made on money, but by creating and selling things of value. Bankers once played a useful role in financing long-term capital projects like roads, dams, bridges. They still can do so through the type of Islamic "sukuk" bonds in which banks share risk in projects they are financing and receive equity interest.

But today, much of the west's banking industry has become a parasitic scourge that is bleeding the economies of the US and Europe. The current financial crisis is due to runaway government borrowing, poor banking credit controls, and galloping greed.

The United States will likely remain mired in Japanese-style economic stagnation and deflation until the power of Wall Street is broken. I say this as an economic conservative, private fund manager, and long-time investor. ~ Eric S. Margolis

Needed: A new American Revolution
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/112633

Related readings:
How Japan was taken down: 一个协议击溃一个国家的经济
http://howtze.blogspot.com/2011/06/blog-post_05.html

Online Campaign : 10 倍增长个案分析

2011-08-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

This is what we call Facebook / Social Media Marketing!

Facebook/社交网站/网络推广活动不是简单的 Status Update 或进行一些“欢乐大放送”之类的奖赏活动而已，它是一个有目的、有系列、有策略地进行的商业活动，配合一干的品牌效应、营业目标与跟进发展等工程项目。

只要用对的人、对的策略，它绝对是一个事半功倍的良好投资！

《红蕃茄》网络推广案例

从7月5日至8月16日（两个月内），粉丝从1,431人

有图为证：http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D9vdlHu_ulc/Th4ybL0ZoII/AAAAAAAACT8/QLrWWDjUxDk/s640/1431-RedTomato-Pre-Launch-20110704.jpg

增加至目前的 10,829人（网络即时：http://www.facebook.com/redtomatonews），

大约 ~650% 增长，换句话说：

1。从7月5日开始，至少有多 9,398 个 ( 10,829 - 1,431) 网络社群用户知道《红蕃茄》免费中文报的存在。

2。只要善用网络社群的分享力量，可以有效地聚集市场学里大数法则中潜在客户量。

图解：在
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-72zZr1cKx9E/TgyfJy3W0eI/AAAAAAAACPs/GPswlAnSyWs/s1600/online-campaign-concepts-conversion-rate.jpg
Prospect 一栏

3。用对商业策略，在网络进行自动化品牌与推广活动是一个事半功倍的项目。

在接下来的商业战役中，只要懂得变现（盈利化），风险-回酬率 (risk-reward ratio)将是一个可观的数目。

网络社群系统，一些网络商店系统等，甚至是电子邮件，都可以是“免费”使用的东西。但是，要找到对的团队执行更深层次的商业运作，却不是所谓“低成本”或“免费”的。

运用得当，小小十万的 A&P 预算不止可以很快回本，还可以把整个自动化系统变成一个“生财工具”！

如果一味认为网络都是“免费”或低成本的东西，可能会“偷鸡不成蚀把米！”

反面教材：这应该是只会技术但没能完全整合市场营销与商业策略的“他人”作品：

http://www.facebook.com/yunnammy

这里不作分析，看官自行思考。娱乐付费，学习付费，天经地义。:)

How Tze 浩知

Record Corporate Earnings - PADINI and Public Bank

Creative and Built-In Ads

Serviced Apartments

Serviced Apartment

Trend

Fashion Retail and Real Estates

Johor Premium Outlets

SOPA: The Internet Blacklist Bill

The March of Technology

Kodak and The March of Technology

Amazon: Game Changer for the Publishing Industry

Samsung presents vision for future of consumer electronics, making the world simpler, smarter and more connected

Case Study : Terimee Facebook Fans Page

Lessons From Terimee Online Campaign

活到老， 忙到老？

时间

Real Estates Updates - Sri Damansara and Bangi

Real Estate Related News - Johor

Parkson 2012

The Case of RIM (Black Berry), IBM and General Electric

Some Politics Related Updates

南韩偶像梦工厂

偶像光环的背后，是残酷的行业竞争

Disposable Income 可支配所得

物价上涨10%是如何让穷人越穷，富人越富

Architect

Clinique Mobile and Cleo Cover Girl Search

金融业

Premium Outlets, Augmented Reality, and Hong Kong Rental

Feed In Tariff, Renewable Energy

The Case of Kodak

Politics, 天下乌鸦一般黑?

Fashion Updates

Digital Publishing, Google One Pass, Amazon Kindle

Progress of Digital Publishing

High Tech High Touch

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

Hong Leong Bank

Corporate Journey 2008

Mobile Trading

A Message to Occupy Wall Street

Education And Freedom

Message to Occupy Wall Street

獨木橋和陽關道

The Real Threat of Cyber Terrorism

What Do You Do Online?

The Real Threat of Cyber Terrorism

Face It

Putting A Human Face On Environmental Problems

俊男美女的比赛

Half Time (Retire Young Retire Rich)

Will You Work Forever?

Velocity of Money

Mechanization of Credit

4 Ideas to Help You Offer More Value to Your Customers

Mister Potato and Jacker

Education Trap

Food Security, Food Fear

我和我的阿四

Roller Coaster Ride

Is Buffet full of BS?

Egalitarian

Scoring with The Right Brand

AON and Manchester United

Can You Afford It?

多喝茶没事 没事多喝茶

Cruel to be Kind

我和我的小三

Red Tomato Campaign - 3 months

Till Death Do Us Part?

Are You An App?

迈克尔•戴尔与美国学生创业明星座谈笔录

人气卖家 Power Seller

对话华商领袖郭鹤年 FULL VERSION

Gisele Bundchen, Warren Buffet, and Donald Trump

What’s Happening to Gold?

太极

None Dare Call It Conspiracy

Provoking Thoughts : Cancer treatment is about making money?

活到老，忙到老？

多喝茶没事没事多喝茶