MERINCORP BANK

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:12:00 +0700

A Humorous Bow Hunting Story
by: Patty Pinkerton

A man and his friend were bow hunting elk in the Colorado mountains near Stoner Colorado. They rode their horse's from early morning until late evening. The high mountain terrain was very rough with tree's blown down and large boulders in the path. Their horse's had to step very carefully or chance breaking a leg.

With no sign of any elk the man told his friend that the elk must have all moved to the lower country. They decided to go down and try again the next day. The next morning the man and his friend decided to hunt closer to the town of Stoner.

They hunted most of the morning with no luck, the sky was clear and it was a beautiful day. As they got closer to the black top highway they saw a herd of cow elk. In the middle of the herd was the biggest bull elk you ever saw.

The hunter got down off of his horse and carefully drew his bow and took careful aim. Before he could release his arrow, his friend alerted him to a funeral procession passing on the highway below their stand.

The hunter slowly let off the pressure on his bow, took off his hat, bowed his head and closed his eyes in prayer. His friend was amazed. "Wow, that is the most thoughtful and touching thing I have ever seen. You are the kindest man I know." The hunter shrugged. "Yeah, well, I was married to her for 25 years."

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:10:00 +0700

The Profiles of Some Famous Guitarists
by: Patrick Carpen

Most of us are quite enchanted by the magic of guitar. The mesmerizing tune and sweet tingling of the guitar strings have enamored many a man who has later moved on to become musical legends in their individual niche. There is a roster of famous and successful guitarists who have mastered this enigmatic art of music.

Amongst the many legendary stalwarts, Jimi Hendrix undoubtedly tops the list of profiles of famous guitarists. A genius in its truest sense, the legendary Hendrix was born in 1942. An American by birth, the maestro was a singer and lyricist, and is considered around the globe as one of the most influential and enigmatic personas in the ambit of rock music. One of the milestones in his career was his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival which raised him to instant fame in the United States and was followed by many accolades.

Besides earning a huge name and fame for himself through his forte as a great singer and musician, the legendary maestro also improvised the art of rock music in his own signature way, and he incorporated a number of innovations and techniques into the older forms of rock and jazz music. Quite recently, Hendrix was inducted into the USA's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

The very meaning of rock music becomes insignificant without the mention of B. B. King, the master craftsman in the art of music. An ingenious guitarist and singer-cum-song writer in the American Blues, B.B. King was considered the Third Greatest Guitarist of All Time in the 2003 listing of Rolling Stone magazine.

The legendary musician started his journey in the world of music in 1946, and worked in the local R&B radio channel as a vocalist. However, soon after this he began recording under big names and became a prominent figure among the best musicians in the R&B music scene. Some of his greatest all time hits during this period include, "Whole Lotta Love," "Every Day I Have the Blues," "You Know I Love You," and "Please Accept My Love." Amidst his many achievements as a successful singer and composer, is included his most recent felicitation at the Three Deuces Building in Greenwood, Mississippi, for his maiden in radio broadcasting. Also, a grand memorial in the name of B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center is all set to be inaugurated on September 13, 2008, in Indianola, Mississippi.

Robert Johnson is another of the famous names in the world of guitar and its magic. Born on May 8, 1911, as Robert Leroy Johnson, the veteran guitarist was one of the brightest stars in the entire Delta Blues group. The period between 1936 and 1937 saw him in great guns when he claimed and proved his forte as a brilliant guitarist and lyricist, as well as an awesome singer. Often regarded as the "Grandfather of Rock-and-Roll," Robert Johnson is believed to have been a great influence in the world of rock music, inspiring many legends of the same genre, including Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Black Keys, and many others. Eric Clapton, another legend of the same kind, has called Johnson "the most important blues musician who ever lived."

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:08:00 +0700

Romancing The Stone Film Review
by: Andrew Conway

Romancing the Stone is an American 1984 action-adventure film.Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it stars Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. This film was one of the best adventure/humor movies of the eighties. Not only did it boost the star rating of Michael Douglas, it helped launch Kathleen Turner into stardom. It also was Robert Zemeckis's first box office hit as a director.

The plot of the movie revolves around romance writer Joan Wilder, played by Kathleen Turner, who travels to Colombia to find her kidnapped sister. In time she falls in love with a soldier of fortune [Michael Douglas] and the two become romantically involved as they search for a precious stone which the kidnappers want.

The beginning of the film shows Joan receiving a package from her dead brother-in-law. Soon after the package arrives she gets a frantic call from her sister Elaine[Mary Ann Trainor] informing her that she has been kidnapped and needs the map from the package as ransom. Joan flies down to Columbia but she gets lost on the way to her destination. But eventually she runs into Jack T. Colton [Douglas] and offers him some money if he would help her find her way to Cartagena. He helps her to elude a few unsavory characters who seem to be following her.Oneof these villains just happens to be the leader of the secret police who is responsible for her brother-in-laws death. The other two zany characters are Ralph [Danny DeVito] and Ira [Zack Norman].

Jack uncovers the map that Joan is carrying and after some convincing she agrees to go after the treasure. They agree that after finding the treasure they can then give the worthless map to the kidnappers. After some unbelievable escapes, they eventually find the treasure which turns out to be an enormous emerald called the malevolent. Zolo and Ralph steal it from them but then the Colombian police show up. After getting the stone back from Ralph, Joan and Jack get separated but agree to meet at Joan's hotel in Cartagena, but when Jack doesn't show up, Joan starts to get worried.

She then meets her sister's captors[Ralph and Ira] and turns over the map. They are interrupted by Zolo who knows that the map is worthless. Zolo's men are holding Jack who refuses to disclose the location of the emerald. Zolo uses Joan as bait and tells Jack that if he refuses to disclose the emeralds location he will be forced to feed Joan to the crocodiles. Jack relents and gives up the gem and tosses it towards the crocodiles.Zolo catches the stone but his hand, along with the gem, ends up in one of the crocodiles stomach. A gunfight ensues between Zolo's men and Ira's men. This allows Joan, Elaine and Jack to escape. After a prolonged fight with Zolo's men, Ira and his men escape, but Ralph is left behind.

Zolo catches Joan and Elaine. Joan tries to kill Zolo with his own switchblade,but Zolo blocks the thrown knife with a piece of wood. After Elaine faints from the sight, Joan pleads for Jack's help. He must decide whether to save her or hold onto the croc which has ingested El Corazon. He decides to try to save Joan by scaling a rock wall to reach her. However, he arrives moments after Zolo falls into a pit full of crocodiles. Seeing that the women are safe, Jack leaves to pursue El Corazon once more.

Joan then returners home to New York where she is confronted with lonely feeling towards Jack. She writes a hit novel based on her recent adventures. But one day, as she is returning home she is confronted by Jack,who is wearing crocodile skin boots, waiting for her in a sailboat that is parked on the main street in front of her apartment. It seems that Jack managed to catch the croc who had swallowed the gem. The croc had suffered a fatal case of indigestion from swallowing the gem. The ending is a not so typical love story showing Joan and Jack kissing on the deck of the Angelina, which was named for Joan's fictional heroine, as the trailer that the boat rests on drives off into the streets of N.Y. City.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:58:00 +0700

For Romance Without Any Stress, "Sleepless in Seattle" Is the Cure
by: Ed Bagley

If you were celebrating Valentines Day with a candlelight dinner for two at home and settled in to watch a movie, "Sleepless in Seattle" would be a great choice because it provides a pleasant experience and is already becoming a romantic comedy classic.

Your parents or grandparents experienced a similar story line in the now classic "An Affair to Remember" that was released in 1957 and paired Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Their characters fall in love and agree to meet in 6 months at the Empire State Building in New York.

Sleepless in Seattle, released 36 years later in 1993, pairs Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin and Meg Ryan as Annie Reed. Sam is the recently-widowed father of 8-year-old Jonah Baldwin (Ross Malinger), who calls a nationally-broadcast radio talk show in an attempt to find his lonely father a partner.

A somewhat reluctant Sam talks to host Marcia Fieldstone and thousands of single women across America are suddenly drawn in to Sam's sense of love for his former wife, each wishing she could be as cherished as Sam's next special person. To wit:

Doctor Marcia Fieldstone: Tell me what was so special about your wife?

Sam Baldwin: Well, how long is your program? Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together . . .and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home . . . only to no home I'd ever known . . .I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like . . . magic.

If that dialog does not melt every woman's heart she would need to go straight to "The Wizard of Oz" and receive a new transplant. Soon Sam is getting thousands of letters from wannabe partners, all of which are read by his son Jonah, who decides that "Annie" is the best choice.

Annie is engaged to marry Walter (Bill Pullman). Should she do so she would be making the first great mistake of her life. Walter is a decent enough chap, but Annie is missing any sparks in their relationship because Walter has the personality of an ashtray.

Annie goes to great lengths to meet Sam, flying from New York to Seattle only to discover Sam with another woman, whom she mistakes for a love interest. She never mails a letter she has written to Sam, but her friend does. In it she proposes to meet Sam on top of the Empire State Building.

Sam is not interested in going, but his son Jonah is, so, with the help of his new friend whose parents own a travel agency, he is able to book a flight to the Big Apple and ends up on the observation deck of the Empire State Building looking for Annie. Sam, in a panic, to find his son, follows him to New York. The rest you will have to see.

Hanks is very convincing as a forlorn widower and Ryan was at her peak of being cute and innocent. The chemistry between the two, who only share approximately 2 minutes of screen time together, is great.

The role of Annie was originally offered to Julia Roberts but she turned it town. Kim Basinger, who was also offered the part, turned it down because she thought the premise was ridiculous. Just recently in the news, a youngster in Jonah's peer group did exactly what Jonah did, managed to book flight on a major airline and fly undetected. Life is indeed stranger than fiction.

The screenplay for Sleepless in Seattle was written in part by Nora Ephron, who also wrote "When Harry Met Sally" (another great romantic comedy with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal). Ephron directed the film.

Ephron, David S. Ward and Jeff Arch (who did write the story) were nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay, and the film received another nomination for Best Original Song ("A Wink and a Smile"). Sleepless in Seattle also got Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Actress (Meg Ryan).

Sleepless in Seattle cost $21 million to film and grossed $227 million worldwide at the box office, adding another $65+ million in rentals.

Tom Hanks is the gold standard in acting. He has been nominated for 5 Best Actor Oscars (Big, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and Cast Away) and won twice for "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump". Hanks also has won 4 Best Actor Golden Globes for Big, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump and Cast Away.

His films have grossed more than $3.3 billion. He remains only 1 of 3 actors to have 7 consecutive $100 million domestic blockbusters; the other two are Tom Cruise and Will Smith.

Sleepless in Seattle is viewed by many guys as a "chick flick" but not by me. I consider it an outstanding relationship film with a great story line that proves to be a pleasant viewing experience every time I see it again. If a guy has ever been in love and felt the magic, he will appreciate this film a lot more.

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:49:00 +0700

Skin Care Moisturizer Cream Can Keep Your Skin Smooth and Supple
by: Sylvie Bordeaux

They say beauty is only skin deep, but only a woman knows just how true that is. You can be the prettiest thing in the room, but wrinkled, sun damaged skin can certainly bring your appearance down several notches. Skin care moisturizer cream is just the thing you need to help prevent new wrinkles, reduce the appearance of the wrinkles you have, and help heal sun damaged skin. Whether you struggle with dry skin, combination skin, oily skin, acne, or some other type of skin condition, there is a moisturizer that is made just for you. The only challenge is finding the right moisturizer for you and knowing what to look for. It’s all about getting the details right -- what types of moisturizer are best for you and how often to apply them. Luckily for you, we’ve got the scoop on the best moisturizers for your needs.

Water Based Moisturizers are a No-No

When purchasing moisturizer cream, many women simply do not stop and look at the ingredients. Often women are attracted to a pretty box or a pretty jar with a fancy sounding name without realizing that many of the moisturizers out there contain up to 40% water. Other women make the mistake of going with a water based moisturizer, thinking that water is the most natural moisturizer in the world and that it should do wonders for their skin. Strangely enough, that is not the case. Different all natural ingredients, like Aloe Vera, are better suited for a moisturizer for the face, especially for those looking for anti aging or anti wrinkle benefits. It may not seem like it but water based moisturizers are a recipe for disaster when it comes to dry skin. They dry out your skin even more as opposed to adding much needed moisture.

Consider the Benefits of Natural Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera based creams are different and for those who have only used water based products or for those looking for a change in their present moisturizing routine, this is the best and only alternative. A few of the skin care moisturizer cream products even contain essential fatty acids and other ingredients that actually imitate the natural actions and compositions of your skin. These special ingredients work wonders against drying and breakouts, and makes it easier for the ingredients to be absorbed into the skin. Aloe Vera itself is 100 percent natural, coming straight from the plant of the same name and is known for its healing benefits to damaged skin.

How Often is Too Often?

Depending on your skin and its makeup, you never know how much to moisturize until you figure out what is best for you. If you have normal skin, moisturizing once a day should be sufficient, but if you have dry skin or skin with a condition you may want to consider moisturizing twice daily -- once during the morning hours and once before bed.

Be sure to follow the directions that are specified on the back of moisturizer box or jar for best results and remember that not all moisturizers are created equal. Some of them have specific instructions and are designed to treat different skin conditions so be sure to read the label carefully. Some moisturizers have natural oils, vitamins, lipids, and other ingredients that are designed to smooth and beautify your skin. Be warned that chemicals have been added to other moisturizer creams and these should be strictly avoided.

How do you know which is the best skin care moisturizer cream for you? In all reality, there is no “one size fits all.” Everyone has a different type of skin and unfortunately there is a bit of trial and error that you must go through. You have to find out the hard way sometimes but often you can take shortcuts by getting recommendations from other women with skin similar to yours. Remember though that just because a particular product works for someone else does not necessarily mean that it will work for you. One thing you can be sure of though is that it is pretty hard to go wrong with an aloe vera based moisturizer. Aloe Vera can heal damaged skin, moisturize, and even provide some anti aging benefits as well. Plus it doesn’t dry out the skin like water based moisturizers do...and it should go without saying that dry skin is much more prone to wrinkles than hydrated, moisturized skin.

The benefits of Aloe Vera are endless and no matter what type of skin you have, you should be able to enjoy the benefits of this all natural ingredient that was discovered more than 3,500 years ago and that is still being used today. An Aloe Vera based moisturizer can help give you healthier, more beautiful skin no matter what kind of skin you have and no matter how much sun damage you have.

Be sure to read the label before buying any moisturizer cream and always, always, always demand an Aloe Vera based moisturizer.

Do you hate fine lines?

Do you hate wrinkles?

Do you hate sun spots?

Do you have old acne scars to get rid of?

Do you want to feel beautiful again?

An Aloe Vera based moisturizer cream just may be the way to go and due to its healing properties, Aloe Vera should be something you look for in any skin care moisturizer cream.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:06:00 +0700

Likuidasi Bank Merincorp

Oleh: GE Soewarno
Kontributor: Tri Wibiyanto, Oji, Iman

JAKARTA (Investigator) : Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan (BPK) sebenarnya begitu serius mengkaji soal skandal Bank Merincorp. Kajian dilakukan hampir satu tahun, setelah satu Tim diterjunkan untuk mengkaji soal ini.

Dari kajian itulah, BPK kemudian menyimpulkan bahwa potensi kerugian akibat likuidasi salah arah ini mencapai Rp1 triliun. Lembaga di bawah kepemimpinan Anwar Nasution ini juga secara detil mengkaji aspek hukumnya. Seperti apa kajian yang dilaku, berikut penjelasannya;

Setelah posisi CAR Bank Merincorp minus 22,7%, BPK menilai sebagian besar kredit Bank Merincorp sebesar Rp337 miliar dalam posisi macet. Kemudian saat Bank Exim mengambil alih 26% saham Merincorp milik Sumitomo dan hanya dibeli dengan harga US$1, Bank Exim pada saat itu menanggung risiko atas Bank Merincorp yang dalam keadaan sakit.

Langkah konyol lainnya, masih menurut kajian BPK adalah soal pinjaman Sumitomo kepada Bank Merincorp sebesar US$30 juta, dialihkan ke Bank Exim. Ini artinya, Bank Exim kemudian memiliki kewajiban kepada Sumitomo sebesar US$30 juta. Hal ini, menurut BPK, mestinya tidak perlu terjadi. Karena Sumitomo kemudian terhindar dari tanggung jawab akibat kondisi Bank Merincorp yang sakit. Dan ini merugikan Bank Exim/Mandiri.

Bank Sumitomo, menurut BPK mendapat keuntungan berganda. Pertama , US$30 juta akibat Bank Exim mengambil alih potensi kerugian yang mestinya ditanggung Bank asal Jepang itu. Kedua, Risiko macet placement Bank Exim di Bank Merincorp sebesar Rp229 miliar dan US$40 juta. Dan ketiga, membayar kewajiban Bank Merincorp kepada pihak ketiga sebesar Rp163 miliar.

Begitupun ketika terjadi konversi Bank Exim menjadi modal kerja Bank Merincorp. BPK menilai, langkah itu melanggar Pasal 2 dan pasal 3 UU No. 3 Tahun 1999 Jo UU No 20 Tahun 2000 tentang Tindak Pidana Korupsi. Karena, menggunakan aset Negara di luar kewenangan.

Kebijakan ini, menurut BPK, juga melanggar prosedur. Karena tanpa izin dari pemegang saham. Dan ini menguntungkan Bank Sumitomo.

Begitupun soal Money Market Bank Exim kepada Bank Merincorp sebesar Rp299 miliar, dan pinjaman valas Bank Exim kepada Bank Merincorp sebesar US$40 juta, menjadi modal Bank Merincorp, yang saat itu dalam keadaan bangkrut. Akibatnya Bank Exim setidaknya mengalami kerugian sebesar Rp299 miliar dan US$40 Juta.

Hal yang sama, menurut BPK juga terjadi akibat novasi atau pengambil alihan US$30 juta hutang Bank Merincorp kepada Sumitomo. Mestinya, masalah ini menjadi risiko Bank Sumitomo. Tapi malah diambil alih oleh Bank Exim.

Dari serangkaian transaksi tidak sehat itu, Bank Sumitomo mendapat keuntungan langsung sebesar US$30 juta dan keuntungan tidak langsung sebesar Rp80,7 miliar dan US$10,8 juta, akibat terhindar dari potensi kerugian yang sudah diambil alih oleh Bank Exim/Mandiri.

Keuntungan lain, menurut BPK, Bank Sumitomo menggunakan aset Bank Exim sebesar Rp299 miliar dan US$40 juta. Kebijakan ini jelas BPK telah melanggar prosedur penggunaan aset bank, melanggar kewenangan komisaris dan direksi.

Soal novasi sebesar US$30 juta, menurut BPK, telah melanggar prosedur untuk membuat hutang kepada pihak ketiga untuk kepentigan khusus. Sementara soal pemberian kredit kepada Bank Merincorp oleh Bank Mandiri, di samping melanggar prosedur bank, juga melanggar prinsip kehati-hatian dan BMPK.

Semua kelalaian itu, jelas BPK, telah melanggar pasal 2 dan pasal 3 UU No 3 Tahun 1999 Jo UU No 20 Tahun 2000 tentang Tindak Pidana Korupsi.

Ketua BPK Anwar Nasution kepada Investigator, melalui sambungan telpon membenarkan audit BPK terhadap kasus likuidasi Bank Merincorp. ”Tugas BPK mengaudit. Proses hukum selanjutnya, kita serahkan kepada yang berwenang,” jelasnya.

Bisnis Biasa
Sementara itu analis finansial dari Insight Investment Manajement Iggi H Achsien menyatakan belum tentu pada likuidasi Bank Merincorp terjadi pelanggaran hukum. ”Bisa jadi, kerugian yang muncul akibat prosedur bisnis biasa. Kalau ini yang terjadi, maka keputusan manajemen tidak bisa diproses secara hukum,” jelasnya.

Menurut Iggi, potensi kerugian dalam proses likuidasi Bank Merincorp tidak sampai Rp1 triliun. Dalam hitungannya, potensi kerugian itu hanya US$30 juta, minus US$6,1 juta, minus recovery dari penagihan aset, baik loan maupun non loan.

Di tempat terpisah, Direktur Utama CBC Denny Daruri meminta agar penyidik juga mengusut kredit macet di Bank Merincorp. ”Harus dilihat siapa yang ngemplang kredit itu. Dia juga harus bertanggung jawab,” katanya.

Menteri Negara BUMN Sofyan Djalil ketika dimintai tanggapannya soal ini menyatakan mendukung agar kasus ini dituntaskan secara hukum. ”Ini bagian dari menegakkan good corporate governance,” katanya.

Masalahnya, kalau kasus korupsi ini begitu gamblang merugikan negara, kenapa Kejaksaan Agung masih bungkam? Usulan Denny Daruri agar KPK ambil alih kasus ini menjadi sangat relevan. Kita tunggu langkah berani KPK…

Ditulis dalam Skandal Likuiditas Bank Merincorp

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:00:00 +0700

(merincorp) skandal likuidasi bank merincorp

Oleh: GE Soewarno
Kontributor: Tri wibiyanto, Oji, Iman

JAKARTA (Investigator) : Dari aspek penanganan hukum, skandal likuidiasi Bank Merincorp, sungguh teramat istimewa. Karena hingga kini kasus ini belum tuntas dan dibiarkan menggantung. Kejaksaan Agung pada awal 2006 memutuskan untuk menghentikan sementara kasus ini. Dihentikan tanpa Surat Perintah Penghentian Perkara (SP3).

Sangat berbeda kalau kasus itu menyangkut orang kecil, miskin dan dekil, yang mencuri sepeda motor. Tidak hanya langsung diproses dan divonis, dalam penanganan kasus hukum terkait ‘wong cilik’, hukum begitu buas dan tegas.

Bisa jadi penanganan kasus ini berbeda karena calon tersangkanya Dirut Bank Mandiri dan mantan Bankir Profesional, Agus Marto dan Robby Djohan. Intinya, di hadapan mereka hukum bisa lebih lentur dan lembek kayak lemper.

Kasus ini mulai diusut pada Februari 2005. Saat itu Jampidsus Kejaksaan Agung yang masih dijabat Hendarman Supandji, –sekarang Hendarman menjadi Kepala Kejaksaan Agung (Kajagung). ”Kasus ini memang sudah ada di meja saya. Tapi karena banyak kasus yang menumpuk, sampai sekarang belum kami tangani.”

Baru pada Mei 2005, kejaksaan Agung mulai menengok kasus ini. Kejaksaan Agung perlu waktu tiga bulan untuk mulai melangkah. Bandingkan dengan pencuri ayam yang langsung dipopor bedil saat itu juga. ”Berkas Merincorp sudah saya limpahkan ke Jamintel,” tegas Hendarman saat itu.

Tapi, sejak kasus ini masuk ke Jamintel, perkembangan skandal Merincorp seperti ditelan bumi. Pada November 2005, hanya selang enam bulan sejak ‘dipelajari’ Jamintel Kejaksaan Agung, Bank mandiri membagi-bagi sejumlah uang kepada para penyidik di Kejaksaan Agung atas nama hari raya Idul Fitri.

Apakah, pembagian uang ini terkait dengan penghentian sementara kasus Merincorp? Wallahu’alam. Tapi kenyataannya, pada awal 2006 Kejakgung menyatakan kasus Merincorp tidak ada masalah. Kejaksaan menghentikan penyidikan kasus ini.

Ketua Tim Penyidik Jamintel saat itu di bawah komando Renny Ariyani. Sekarang dia adalah Kajari Rangkas Bitung Propinsi Banten. Di tangan dialah, kasus Merincorp terhenti begitu saja. Sumber Investigator di Kejaksaan Agung menceritakan, Renny ambil peran besar terhentinya penyidikan likuidasi Bank Merincorp.

Dicegat di Kejari Rangkas, Renny enggan berkomentar. ”Tanya saja ke Kejaksaan Agung,” katanya sambil terbirit masuk ke mobilnya.

Tiba-tiba Pelupa
Kepala Kejagung Hendarman Supandji akhir pekan lalu, saat di cegat Investigator mengaku lupa dengan kasus ini.”Saya lupa dengan kasus ini sudah teralu lama,” katanya.

Jampidsus Kejaksan Agung Marwan Effendy juga enggan menjelaskan. ”Saya belum tahu perkembangan terakhir. Saya lupa. Nanti saya pelajari dulu,” katanya sambil ngeloyor pergi.

Kapuspenkum Kejagung BD Nainggolan, ketika ditanya soal kelanjutan kasus likuidasi Bank Merincorp juga kayak sakit gigi. “Saya tidak tahu.”
bahkan Nainggolan menyatakan, bahwa soal it bukan tugas Kejagung. ”Ini bukan tugas saya,”ujarnya.

Begitupun ketika ditanya aliran dana Rp70 juta yang mengalir ke tim pemeriksa Kejagung, Nainggolan menyatakan,”Wah saya tidak tahu. Terima kasih atas informasinya.”

Direktur Utama Crisis Banking Center (CBC) Denny Daruri meminta agar Kejaksaan Agung serius membuka kembali kasus ini. ”Ini penting agar hukum mampu berbuat adil. Siapa yang merugika negara harus bertanggung jawab,” tegasnya kemarin.

Bagi Denny, kasus ini strategis karena dampak ekonomi dan kerugian negara besar. Ia mengusulkan jika Kejaksaan Agung tidak mampu bertindak,”Saran saya KPK segera ambil alih kasus ini.”

Lalu apa sikap Menteri BUMN Sofyan Djalil soal ini? Dan bagaimana kajian soal likuidasi Bank Merincorp dari aspek keuangan? Bagaimana pula BPK menghitung besarnya kerugian dan pasal-pasal mana saja yang dilanggar?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:58:00 +0700

(merincorp) Istana Tahu Skandal Ini

Oleh : GE Soewarno
Kontributor : Tri Wibiyanto, Oji, Iman

JAKARTA (Investigator) : Surat itu sampai ke meja Ibu Negara Kristiani Bambang Yudhoyono pada 20 September 2006. Bersampul cokelat, pada bagian depan tertulis ‘Kepada Yth. Ibu Negara Hajjah Kristiani Bambang Yudhoyono. Istana Kepresidenan Jakarta. Jalan Veteran No. 36 Jakarta Pusat.

Dokumen setebal 5 centi meter itu tertulis dengan jelas nama pengirimnya; Siska J Kadi. Pada bagian akhir isi surat itu, juga jelas tertulis nama Siska sebagai pengirim dengan jelas plus alamatnya. Istana menulis surat tanda terima tertanggal 20 September 2006.

Pada hari yang sama, bu Ani –sapaan akrab Kristiani- mendapat pesan singkat dari seseorang begini; ‘Saya sudah kirim data-datanya Bu Ani.’

Selang sehari, SMS itu berbalas begini; ‘Saya sudah baca surat Ibu. Karena ini menyangkut direksi BUMN, dan saya tidak punya kewenangan untuk itu, surat ibu saya teruskan ke menteri yang berwenang.’

Surat itu kemudian mengalir ke mana-mana. Sumber Investigator di Sekretariat Negara menceritakan, surat itu tidak hanya mengalir ke Menteri Negara BUMN yang saat itu masih dijabat oleh Sugiharto. Tapi juga ke Presiden, Wakil Presiden, Yayasan Cikeas, Sekab dan Sekneg.

Surat inilah yang kemudian membuat heboh manajemen Bank Mandiri. Karena, saat itu, Sugiharto sebagai karib dekat Agus Marto, melalui timnya menyampaikan surat itu ke Agus.

Surat itu, wajar saja membuat heboh manajemen Bank Mandiri. Karena isinya memang membuat pening manajemen. Di luar soal skandal Bank Merincorp, surat itu juga berisi soal Kinerja Bank Mandiri yang jeblok, penyimpangan Program Pensiun Dini yang dinilai tidak transparan.

Isi surat itu juga menyangkut soal aliran dana ke penyidik Kejaksaan Agung, Mabes Polri, Polda Metro Jaya, Polda Jatim dan beberapa Hakim. Dan soal corporate culture Bank Mandiri yang dinilai mulai rusak.

Dalam soal Kinerja, misalnya, surat itu menjelaskan begini; ‘Keuntungan Bank Mandiri pada semester I 2006 hanya mencapai Rp800 miliar, dengan asumsi keuntungan semester II sama dengan semester I, ini berarti keuntungan yang dicapai pada 20006 masih jauh jika dibandingkan dengan keuntungan yang diperoleh Bank Mandiri pada 2004 sebesar Rp5,2 triliun.

Sebagai informasi tambahan, masih menurut surat itu, ‘Pendapatan bunga dalam semester I 2006 lebih kecil dari biaya bunga. Pendapatan bunga sebesar Rp5,471 triliun, sementara biaya bunga sebesar Rp7,910 triliun. Pendapatan bunga hanya ditolong oleh pendapatan dari obligasi rekapitalisasi pemerintah sebesar Rp5,707 triliun.

Dalam soal skandal Bank Merincorp, surat ini malah mengungkapkannya begitu gamblang soal dugaan suap begini; Sebagaimana ibu ketahui, saat ini Bank Mandiri sedang diperiksa di Kejaksaan Agung RI terkait berbagai kasus dugaan tindak pidana korupsi, salah satunya adalah kasus Bank Merincorp. Terdengan kabar bahwa kasus tersebut dipeti-eskan oleh oknum-oknum Kejaksaan Agung setelah mereka menerima sejumlah uang dari Bank Mandiri karena Bp Agus Martowardojo tersangkut di dalam kasus tersebut.

Saya awam mengenai masalah hukum, terlebih lagi hukum pidana. Namun saya percaya penjelasan tertulis secara kronologi mengenai masalah tersebut sesuai dengan lampiran surat saya ini dapat digunakan untuk dilakukan penelitian yang lebih mendalam, (lampiran 6).

Sejumlah orang dekat Sugiharto memang kemudian mencoba mendesak agar kasus ini diungkap tuntas dan diteruskan ke kejaksaan. Lendo Novo, staf khusus Sugiharto saat itu cukup konsisten mendorong agar skandal ini diungkap tuntas.

Tapi, sikap Sugiharto saat itu jelas. ‘’Asal Agus Marto berhasil meningkatkan kinerja Bank Mandiri Soal Bank Merincorp akan ‘diamankan.’ Terkait dengan soal ini, mantan Meneg BUMN enggan menjelaskan. Tiga kali SMS yang dikirim tidak berbalas.

Calon Gubernur BI
Yang menarik sebenarnya cerita soal proses pancalonan gubernur BI oleh presiden. Terpilihnya Agus Marto sebagai calon Gubernur BI bukan perkara sederhana.

Saat itu, Presiden dan Wakil Presiden memang sedang mencari figur calon Gubernur BI yang dinilai bisa diajak bekerja sama dengan pemerintah. Pemerintah merasa BI, sejak menjadi institusi yang independen sering berseberangan dengan pemerintah. Terutama soal indikator makro seperti angka pertumbuhan, inflasi dan nilai tukar rupiah.

Makanya dalam pencalonan Gubernur BI, baru sekali ini SBY-JK kompak mencalonkan Agus Marto yang kemudian dipasangkan dengan Raden Pardede.

Sumber Investigator di Sekretariat Negara menceritakan begini; Pilihan Agus adalah pilihan kompromistis. Ketika Istana menghendaki Gubernur BI yang lebih bisa diajak kerja sama, pilihan Agus menjadi tepat.

Di samping soal komitmen Agus yang selama ini nyaris bisa dikendalikan, Agus dinilai punya kelemahan terkait dengan kasus Bank Merincorp. Bahkan, masih menurut sumber itu, baik SBY maupun JK, saat memanggil Agus,”Keduanya menanyakan soal kasus Bank Merincorp.’’

Dan ini yang gawat, untuk menutup-nutupi kasus Bank Merincorp, Istana kemudian memerintahkan Kejaksaan Agung Hendarman Supandji membuat jawaban soal kasus Bank Merincorp dari aspek hukum. Sumber Investigator di lingkaran satu Agus Marto membenarkan itu.

Kejaksaan Agung Hendarman Supandji saat dicegat Investigator pekan lalu juga enggan berkomentar. “Saya lupa,’’ katanya singkat.

Agus Marto, sejak menjadi calon Gubernur BI pun langsung membentuk tim khusus untuk menangkal isu-isu negatif, salah satunya ya soal Bank Merincorp itu. Keberadaan tim yang bekerja hampir 24 jam ini dibenarkan sumber Investigator di lingkaran Agus Marto.
Juru bicara kepresidenan Andi Alfian Malarangeng membantah aliran surat dan soal pencalonan Gubernur BI. Andi mengaku tidak mengetahui perihal dokumen skandal likuidasi Bank Merincorp yang pernah dikirim oleh Serikat Pekerja Bank Mandiri ke Ani Yudhoyono. “Sebaiknya anda tanya langsung kepada serikat pekerjanya saja. Ada buktinya tidak (tanda terima),” kilah Andi.

Andi mengaku, dirinya tidak mengetahui masalah tersebut. Apalagi Ibu Ani Yudhoyono adalah Ibu Negara di mana fungsinya sebagai Ibu Negara adalah mendampingi kegiatan-kegiatan kenegaraan. “Saya tidak tahu masalah tersebut, Ibu Ani Yudhoyono adalah Ibu Negara, fungsinya ya sebagai Ibu Negara. Kalau yang Anda tanyakan itu urusan pemerintahan,”kata Andi.

Sementara, Andi juga mengaku tidak tahu menahu saat proses pencalonan Agus Martowardojo oleh Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. “Saya tidak tahu masalah tersebut, yang saya tahu adalah tugas presiden menurut Undang-undang adalah mengajukan calon gubernur BI,” kilah Andi.

Penyidikan Macet
Lalu sejauh mana kasus ini masuk dalam penyidikan kejaksaan? Kenapa penyidikan dihentikan tanpa SP3?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:56:00 +0700

(merincorp) Sampai Kapan Mereka Tetap Bungkam?

oleh : GE Soewarno
Kontributor: Tri Wibiyanto, Oji, Iman

JAKARTA (Investigator) : Nota ini bersifat rahasia, dari Group Legal Bank Mandiri tanggal 25 Oktober 2005. Pada Nota bernomor CHC.LG/LIT.095/2005 ini, ditandatangani oleh Kepala Group Legal Ridzki Junaidi.

Sumber Investigator di Bank Mandiri menceritakan, Ridzki adalah orang kepercayaan Agus Marto. Di tangan Ridzki pula, semua dokumen soal likuidasi Bank Merincorp disimpan.

Yang menarik dari Nota yang dokumen aslinya diperoleh Investigator ini, setidaknya dua hal; Pertama, tujuan dari Nota ini, soal Permohonan Biaya Humas Dalam Rangka Hari Raya Keagamaan. Intinya, Group Legal meminta persetujuan Direktur Corporate Secretary, HC & Compliance Bank Mandiri untuk menyetujui memberikan ‘perhatian’ (kata perhatian dalam tanda petik ini, kami kutip sesuai dengan aslinya-red), kepada sejumlah Penyidik Kejaksaan Agung, Mabes Polri, Kapolda Metro Jaya dan Kapolda Jatim, uang sebesar Rp467 juta.

Kedua, –dan ini yang gawat–, pada bagian kiri atas Nota itu tertulis memo begini; ‘Litigasi (bergaris bawah) : Mohon untuk segera diproses dan didistribusikan dengan baik dalam minggu ini (kata minggu ini diberi garis bawah tebal dan dobel). Upayakan hari Kamis sudah done.’

Selanjutnya catatan Memo itu menambahkan pula hal terkait likuidasi Bank Merincorp, begini; ‘Khusus team Merincorp, untuk distribusi, dihold & bicarakan.’

Kutipan akhir pada memo ini menunjukkan bahwa, Bank Mandiri tidak hanya ‘membereskan’ kasus likuidasi Bank Merincorp secara administrasi. Tetapi juga, patut diduga kuat, melakukan ‘pemberesan’ terhadap para penyidik di sejumlah institusi hukum.

Sebagai catatan, riset yang dilakukan Investigator menunjukkan bahwa dua bulan sebelum aliran dana itu menggelontor, Kejaksaan Agung sedang giat mengungkap kasus likuidasi Bank Merincorp.

Robby Melempar
Lalu, apa tanggapan Robby Djohan, sebagai orang yang paling banyak terlibat dalam skandal ini? Kepada Investigator, Robby selalu menghindar. Tiga kali menghubungi telpon rumahnya, hanya seorang perempuan yang menerima. Seolah sudah disetel, perempuan itu selalu menjawab,”Bapak keluar.”

Begitupun ketika Investigator menyambangi kantornya di lantai 25 Graha Niaga. Sekretaris Robby hanya meminta Investigator meninggalkan pertanyaan dan alamat kontak. Setelah sejumlah pertanyaan Investigator kirim, selang dua minggu, Robby tidak juga membalas surat itu.

Akhirnya, melalui sambungan telpon, Robby mau menjawab, meski dengan ogah-ogahan. Itu terjadi pada 5 Mei 2008 pukul 07.00. Jawab Robby,”Saya tidak ingat itu sudah sepuluh tahun yang lalu.”

Telepon kemudian terputus. Setelah beberapa saat tersambung lagi, Robby menyatakan,”Sebaiknya anda bicara saja dengan Agus Martowardojo. Dia kan yang masih di sana. Jadi masih berhubungan dengan Bank Mandiri.”

Tapi kami perlu penjelasan resmi anda? Robby hanya berujar begini; “Tanyakan saja pada PR (Public Relation) Bank Mandiri. Saya tidak tahu perkembangannya, apakah masalah Bank Merincorp itu sudah selesai atau belum atau masih digantung,” ujar Robby sambil menutup Telpon.

Agus Panik
Memburu Agus Martowardojo dalam kasus Bank Merincorp, laiknya perburuan seru. Ini terjadi karena, semua pihak yang terkait dengan kasus ini mengunci rapat bibirnya.

Head Corporate Secretary Bank Mandiri Mansyur Nasution juga idem dito. Tiga kali dicegat, Mansyur tiba-tiba menjadi pejabat yang super sibuk. Biasanya Mansyur begitu ramah dengan wartawan.

Dalam satu acara konferensi pers yang digelar manajemen Bank Mandiri, kepada Investigator, Mansyur hanya menyatakan,”Wah..Saya sibuk.” Minggu depannya, setelah dicegat kembali, Mansyur meminta agar Investigator mengirim daftar pertanyaan kepada Humas Bank Mandiri. Dua minggu setelah daftar pertanyaan dikirim, Mansyur tidak juga menggubris semua hal yang ditanyakan.

Begitupun Agus Marto. Dua kali dicegat di kantornya, dengan bergegas Agus hanya menyatakan,”Hubungi humas. Saya ada acara,” katanya sambil berlalu ke mobilnya.

Investigator akhirnya berhasil mencegat Agus pada 8 Mei 2008 di Jakarta Convention Center. Saat itu sedang berlangsung The Asia Pasific Conference And Exhibition (Apconex) 2008. Acara ini digelar Perbanas.

Agus meski bersedia meladeni reporter Investigator Tri Wibiyanto, pada akhirnya hanya emosi yang meledak di depan publik. Saat itu, Agus sedang berbincang dengan Sigit Pramono, mantan Dirut BNI.

Investigator pun menyalami Agus –Ia menjabatnya dengan lemah–, ”Ini soal likuidasi Bank Merincorp pak,”Sergah Investigator. Raut muka Agus langsung meregang. Memerah. Agus hanya diam. Sementara matanya tajam menatap ke sekeliling. ”Saya sudah mengirim surat kepada Bapak tapi belum ditanggapi.”

Agus rupanya gusar. ”Siapa anda!,” kata Agus sambil berbalik dan bergegas keluar. Nada bicara Agus meninggi. Investigator tidak mau kalah sigap. Agus terus dipepet. Sikut Agus bergerak mendorong. Benturan fisik tak terhindarkan.

Agus mengelak keras. Tapi Investigator terus memepetnya.”Ehh..Saya terima surat itu banyak, mana saya tahu surat dari anda!” Agus terus nyerocos. ”Bapak jelaskan saja kasus Merincorp. Kenapa anda ambil alih saham Sumitomo.”

Wajah Agus makin meregang. Semakin memerah. ”Anda ini siapa! …Anda ini Siapa,” tanya Agus ketus. “Sumber kami menyebutkan, Anda dapat untung banyak dari kasus ini?”

Atas pertanyaan itu, Agus tidak menjawab. Tapi malah menantang. Katanya,”Kalau mau tulis, tulis saja!” Agus menegaskan itu dengan mata melotot. Tajam, sebelum masuk ke mobil Alphardnya, sambil membanting pintu.

Iskandar, Humas Bank Mandiri yang menyaksikan kejadian itu, kemudian berujar,”Sudahlah mas. Tadi kan dia ngomong kalau mau tulis ya tulis saja.”

Robby Djohan dan Agus Martowardojo, selama ini sebenarnya dikenal luas sebagai pejabat publik yang ramah terhadap media. Dalam banyak acara Bank Mandiri, keduanya selalu akrab dengan jurnalis yang hadir.

Tapi dalam banyak kesempatan pula, tiap kali keduanya ditanya soal skandal Merincorp, sikap yang muncul sangat kontras. Bisa jadi, skandal ini bagi keduanya adalah ‘cacat’ yang bakal menghantuinya seumur hidup.

Langkah mereka dalam skandal ini memang susah dinalar. Sebagai bankir profesional, berprestasi sebagai CEO bertangan dingin, tapi saat menangani Bank Merincorp, keduanya seperti bankir amatiran yang mengabaikan prinsip profesionalisme dan mengabaikan aspek risiko.

Istana Tahu
Lalu, bagaimana ‘Istana’ tahu persis soal skandal ini? Dan kenapa SBY JK tetap nekat mencalonkan Agus Martowardojo sebagai calon Gubernur Bank Indonesia?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:53:00 +0700

(merincorp) Ketika tim "pemberesan" bank merincorp bekerja

Oleh : GE Soewarno
Kontributor: Tri Wibiyanto, Oji, Iman

JAKARTA (Investigator) : Untuk menangani kasus likuidasi Bank Merincorp, manajemen Bank Mandiri membentuk Tim ‘Pemberesan’. Dokumen yang diperoleh Investigator menunjukkan, Tim juga menyimpulkan proses likuidasi ini bopeng-bopeng, banyak penyimpangan.

Tim di bawah komando Ibnu Mangkusubroto. Sebelum pensiun, Ibnu menjabat sebagai salah satu Direktur di Bank Syariah Mandiri (BSM), anak usaha Bank Mandiri. Satu saat, konflik antara Dirut Bank Mandiri Agus Martowardojo dan Ibnu terjadi. Apa yang terjadi saat itu? Sumber Investigator di kalangan Bank Mandiri menuturkan begini;

Ibnu sempat menjadikan kasus likuidasi Bank Merincorp sebagai senjata pamungkasnya. Masih menurut sumber itu, Ibnu sempat membisiki Agus Marto bahwa,”KPK mulai bertanya soal Merincorp.”

Sayang, baik Agus Marto maupun Ibnu lebih suka bungkam ketika ditanya soal itu. Ibnu tidak menjawab telpon dan SMS yang investigator kirim. Sementara, Agus yang dicegat dalam satu acara pameran menolak berkomentar. ”Saya sibuk,” tandas Agus sambil bergegas ke mobilnya.

Dokumen yang diperoleh Investigator, pada bagian-bagian tertentu akan ditampilkan secara utuh. Ini agar publik berkesempatan untuk menilai sendiri, apa yang terjadi dengan likuidasi Bank Merincorp di internal manajemen Bank Mandiri. Hasil kajian Tim yang dinahkodai Kadiv. IB-FI Iskandar Zulkarnain, –Sekarang Iskandar adalah Direktur Keuangan Bulog– dan Kadiv. CCC Roy A Ilham, yang tertuang dalam Nota No. CRF/072-CL/1999 tertanggal 23 Desember 1999.

Dokumen itu didahului dengan penjelasan berikut; Dalam rangka rekapitulasi PT Bank Merincorp (BM) salah satu hal yang perlu ditindaklanjuti adalah reroute pinjaman sebesar USD30 juta dari The Sumitomo Bank Limited, Japan (SBL) yang semula diberikan langsung kepada BM menjadi melalui PT Bank Mandiri. Sehubungan dengan hal tersebut perlu dilakukan analisis mengenai penyedia kredit SBL tersebut dari Bank Mandiri kepada BM. Dengan ini kami sampaikan pembahasan kami sebagai berikut:

Kemudian dalam kata pendahuluannya, tim kajian itu menyebut hal-hal berikut; Pertama, PT Bank Merincorp (BM) adalah salah satu anak perusahaan PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) yang pada saat ini sahamnya dimiliki melalui PT Pengelola Investama Mandiri (PIM). Sebelumnya BM merupakan anak perusahaan eks legacy Bank Exim dengan kepemilikan sebesar Rp37 miliar (74%) sementara sisanya sebesar Rp13 miliar (26%) dimiliki oleh The Sumitomo Bank Limited, Japan (SBL).

Kedua, Krisis yang melanda Indonesia mulai tahun 1997 memberikan pengaruh memburuknya kondisi BM sebagaimana kondisi perbankan di Indonesia. Berdasarkan financial review Bank Indonesia tanggal 16 Nopember 1998 (posisi Maret 1998 dengan subsequen event sampai dengan akhir Oktober 1998), BM termasuk dalam kategori B dengan CAR sebesar -22,71% sehingga wajib mengikuti program rekapitalisasi. Rasio CAR ini semakin memburuk karena per 31 Desember 1998 rasio tersebut menjadi sebesar -31,14% sehingga BM memerlukan tambahan modal sebesar Rp336.879,4 juta untuk mencapai CAR 4%.

Ketiga, sesuai dengan surat dari Yasuji Sumitomo, GM SBL tanggal 25 Februari 1999 yang menegaskan hasil pertemuan antara Yasuji Sumitomo dengan Robby Djohan pada hari yang sama, pada intinya menyatakan hasil pertemuan tersebut sebagai berikut: Pertama, Bank Exim akan mengambil alih 26% saham milik SBL yang akan menjadikan BM 100% anak perusahaan Bank Exim. Kedua, penentuan harga saham tersebut ditetapkan berdasarkan prosentase kepemilikan SBL dikalikan dengan nilai net worth sehingga nilainya sebesar US$1. Ketiga, pinjaman SBL kepada BM sebesar US$30 juta ke Bank Exim/Bank Mandiri menjadi medium atau long term loan. Sementara penempatan Bank Exim sebesar US$40 juta akan dikonversi menjadi penambahan modal disetor. Keempat, SBL akan mengupayakan negosiasi dengan Tokai Bank dan Sakura Bank untuk memperpanjang pinjaman kepada BM. dan kelima, Robby Djohan selaku Direktur Utama Bank Mandiri akan menyampaikan kepada BI komitmen untuk mengupayakan agar BM tetap going concern dan tidak termasuk bank yang akan dilikuidasi.

Keempat, pPada 23 April 1999 diselenggarakan pertemuan Dewan Komisaris dan Direksi Bank Exim yang dihadiri oleh Robby Djohan, Binhadi dan Direksi Bank Exim yang memutuskan hal-hal sebagai berikut:
a. Memenuhi kebutuhan minimum CAR 4% BM dengan cara:
- Konversi money market Bank Exim untuk bantuan likuiditas BM sebesar Rp299 miliar
- Konversi pinjaman valuta asing antar bank sebesar USD40 juta dengan kurs Rp8.700 atau ekuivalen Rp348 miliar.
- Konversi pinjaman ex-Subordinated loan sebesar Rp1,53 miliar.
b. Bank Exim agar menyusun usulan kepada SBL untuk merestruktur pinjaman BM kepada SBL sehingga terms and conditions-nya dapat menunjang restrukturisasi Bank Exim terhadap BM.

Kelima, rekapitalisasi BM telah dilaksanakan pada tanggal 23 April 1999 yaitu Bank Exim sebagai pemegang saham 74% menambah setoran modal sebesar Rp648,53 miliar untuk memenuhi CAR minimum sebesar 4%. Sebagai bagian dari rekapitalisasi dan sesuai dengan kesepakatan pemegang saham (stakeholders agreement) SBL sebagai pemegang saham 26% tidak melakukan penyetoran tambahan modal, namun menjual sahamnya sebesar Rp13 miliar yang dinilai sebesar US$1 kepada Bank Exim. Di samping itu, SBL mengalihkan pinjaman sebesar US$30 juta yang semula diberikan langsung kepada BM menjadi pinjaman yang disalurkan melalui Bank Exim (dan selanjutnya setelah merger melalui Bank Mandiri) dengan jangka waktu 10 tahun dengan persyaratan yang lunak.

Keenam, pada 23 September 1999 telah ditandatangani Novation and Supplemental Agreement oleh tiga pihak yaitu The Sumitomo Bank Limited Singapore Branch, PT Bank Merincorp, dan PT Bank Mandiri (Persero). Dengan adanya perjanjian novasi tersebut, Bank Mandiri terhitung sejak tanggal tersebut mengambil alih dari Bank Merincorp semua kewajiban dalam masing-masing loan agreement atas Bank Merincorp sejak tanggal novasi tersebut.

Tim, kemudian merumuskan tiga masalah hasil kajian sebagai berikut; Pertama, sejak penandatanganan perjanjian novasi kredit sebesar US$30 juta oleh ketiga pihak pada 23 September 1999, Bank Mandiri mengambil alih peran SBL sebagai lender kepada BM dan sekaligus peran BM sebagai borrower kepada SBL. Kedua, perjanjian novasi kredit tersebut seharusnya langsung diikuti dengan penandatanganan perjanjian kredit Bank Mandiri kepada BM sebagai dasar hukum yang mengatur hak dan kewajiban masing-masing pihak sejak tanggal penandatanganan perjanjian novasi kredit tersebut. Dan Ketiga, dalam rangka penyelesaian aspek-aspek dalam perjanjian kredit Bank Mandiri kepada BM, mengingat BM adalah bank (lembaga keuangan) maka sesuai dengan ketentuan dalam credit policy perlu dicover dengan pemberian kredit line dalam bentuk fasilitas kredit/loan dari Bank Mandiri kepada BM.

Dalam pembahasannya, Tim kemudian menganalisis beberapa bagian kebijakan likuidasi itu. Pada analisis keuangan, Total Net Worth BM per 30 Juni 1999 positif sebesar Rp51,55 miliar. CAR BM yang per 31 Desember 1998 masih negatif 30,99% namun per 30 Juni 1999 CAR telah positif 10,75% atau tergolong Sehat. Sementara, total Asset BM pada tahun 1998 naik sebesar 6,22% dibandingkan tahun 1997. kenaikan total asset pada tahun 1998 disebabkan adanya kenaikan kredit sebesar Rp360,5 miliar atau 63%.

Berdasarkan laporan keuangan publikasi per 30 Juni 1999 (unaudited) aktiva produktif yang tergolong diragukan dan macet besarnya Rp37,5 miliar atau 6,8%. Rasio tersebut menunjukkan bahwa per 30 Juni 1999 Kualitas Aktiva Produktif (KAP) dinilai dari Aktiva Produktif yang diklasifikasikan tergolong Kurang Sehat. Sedangkan ditinjau dari cadangan aktiva produktif yang wajib dibentuk rasionya sebesar 100% atau tergolong Sehat.

Sementara pada aspek ROE dan ROA, pada 1998 masing-masing adalah negatif 116,9% dan negatif 52,3%, sedangkan dalam tahun 1999 ROE dan ROA (setelah disetahunkan/annualized) masih negatif, masing-masing rasio adalah negatif 1.154,23% dan negatif 158,42%. Besarnya rasio ROA yang negatif tersebut Tim menyimpulkan rentabilitas BM ditinjau dari ROA tergolong Tidak Sehat.

Rasio efisiensi yaitu Operating Expenses to Operating Income pada tahun 1998 besarnya 322,6% atau tergolong Tidak Sehat dan sampai dengan 30 Juni 1999 besarnya rasio adalah 1.268% atau tergolong Tidak Sehat. Tim menilai, adanya suntikan modal dari Bank Exim pada bulan April 1999, sedikit membantu likuiditas Bank Merincorp. Hal ini terlihat pada rasio interbank asset to interbank liabilities per 30 Juni 1999 sebesar 1.035%. namun jika dilihat dari LDR yang besarnya 520,31% mencerminkan likuiditas BM tergolong Tidak Sehat.

Tim juga menganalisis, dampak dari fasilitas kredit kepada BM, sebagai berikut; Pertama, dengan adanya pengalihan, utang kepada SBL yang sebelumnya adalah kewajiban BM menjadi kewajiban Bank Mandiri dan risiko BM diambil alih oleh Bank Mandiri. Sehubungan dengan hal tersebut, maka diperlukan adanya fasilitas kredit (Loan) kepada BM.

Kedua, salah satu dasar keputusan untuk pemberian kredit adalah kondisi keuangan bank yang bersangkutan. Saat ini kondisi keuangan BM tergolong Kurang Sehat, hal ini terlihat dari beberapa key ratio seperti ROA dan ROE yang negatif, kemudian rasio Operating Exp. To Operating Income dan LDR tergolong Tidak Sehat. Namun CAR dan rasio Interbank BM per 30 Juni 1999 tergolong Sehat. Sedangkan KAP per 30 Juni 1999 tergolong Kurang Sehat. Dan ketiga, berdasarkan hasil FIRSS terlihat scoring BM adalah tergolong dalam Sub Investment Grade dengan score 121 atau rating all/Substansial Risk sehingga berdasarkan formula perhitungan credit limit yang dapat diberikan maksimum hanya sebesar Rp3 miliar (FIRSS, FICR dan CLC terlampir).

Tim menilai ada beberapa risiko yang bakal menjadi beban Bank Mandiri; Pertama, risiko Bank Mandiri dengan adanya transaksi novasi kredit ini antara lain: Kewajiban kepada pihak luar (SBL) menjadi kewajiban dan tanggung jawab Bank Mandiri dan Reroute menempatkan dana pada BM yang kondisi keuangan Kurang sehat dan dalam limit yang terlalu tinggi. Kedua, risiko kemungkinan terjadi pelanggaran BMPK (SE BI No. 31/177/KEP/DIR tanggal 31 Desember 1998 bahwa BMPK kepada anak perusahaan atau pihak terkait maksimum 10% modal bank) mengingat kondisi Bank Mandiri saat ini, kecenderungan penurunan modal mungkin terjadi.

***Aspek Hukum***
Lalu, bagaimana Tim menilai dari aspek hukum? Begini; Ditinjau dari aspek hukum, saat ini posisi Bank Mandiri sangat lemah, hal ini disebabkan:
Pertama, meskipun novasi kredit telah ditandatangani dan efektif sejak 27 September 1999 akan tetapi tidak dibarengi dengan perjanjian kredit pemberian fasilitas kredit kepada BM, sehingga hutang Bank Mandiri kepada SBL sebesar USD30 juta tidak terbukukan menjadi piutang Bank Mandiri. Kedua, fasilitas yang akan diberikan kepada BM adalah fasilitas kredit atau loan yang bersifat committed dan mengikat. Ketiga, apabila telah tersedia perjanjian kredit, maka secara legal Bank Mandiri mempunyai hak penagihan kredit kepada BM.

Tim kemudian menyimpulkan hasil kajiannya sebagai berikut; Pertama, penyediaan fasilitas kredit Bank Mandiri kepada BM adalah semata-mata mengadakan tertib administrasi terhadap pengalihan fasilitas SBL kepada BM yang merupakan kelanjutan dari kesepakatan pemegang saham BM (eks legacy Bank Exim dan SBL), karena sampai saat ini fasilitas tersebut belum terbuku karena belum adanya perjanjian kredit antara Bank Mandiri dan BM. Kedua, meskipun hanya merupakan reroute tidak tertutup kemungkinan Bank Mandiri mengambil margin atas bunga kredit. Terms and conditions Bank Mandiri kepada BM kemungkinan sama seperti terms and conditions SBL kepada Bank Mandiri, tetapi bisa juga berbeda khususnya dalam tingkat bunga.

Kemudian, Tim mengusulkan hal-hal berikut; Pertama, perjanjian novasi antara Bank Mandiri dan SBL, maka perjanjian kredit ke BM harus diselesaikan dan diefektifkan. Kedua, untuk tertib administrasi agar piutang kepada BM atas dialihkannya hutang dari SBL kepada Bank Mandiri menjadi tercatat dengan tertib, maka harus dibuat perjanjian kredit antara Bank Mandiri dan BM.

***Dokumen Lain***
Dari Dokumen lain, Investigator menemukan jejak bagaimana Bank Mandiri tidak hanya mencoba ‘membereskan’ skandal ini memalui pendekatan Adminstratif, tapi juga membentuk ‘Tim Khusus’ untuk melakukan ‘Pendekatan’ kepada sejumlah penyidik….

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:50:00 +0700

(merincorp) Kisruh Internal Bank Mandiri

Oleh : GE Soewarno
Kontributor: Tri Wibiyanto, Oji, Iman

JAKARTA (Investigator) : Agus Martowardojo, sebagai Direktur Utama Bank Mandiri, boleh saja bergeming. Seolah mega skandal likuidasi Bank Merincorp sudah kelar. Tapi fakta yang berseliweran membuktikan sebaliknya. Cerita di bawah ini adalah fakta tak terbantahkan.

Kisruh internal manajemen Bank Mandiri adalah wajah bopeng yang mencoba terus ditutup-tutupi. Tapi ibarat membungkus kudis, lama-kelamaan busuk juga. Cerita ini dimulai dari tingkah satu karyawan Bank Mandiri Siska J Kadi.

Satu pagi, tepatnya pada 28 Mei 2007, lobi depan Bank Mandiri begitu sejuk. Tapi tidak di ruangan Heri Gunardi, Group Head Wealth Management Bank Mandiri. Suasana gerah menggerus kesejukan AC yang menggeber pada 15 derajat celsius.

Hadir dalam ruangan Heri, Ratmoko Hadi, Kepala Departemen dan Ade Hasballah dan ya itu tadi Siska. Saat itu, Heri memang sedang menjalankan tugas mulia; Bagaimana caranya agar Siska batal hadir di RUPS Bank Mandiri yang digelar hari itu.

Saat itu, Siska yang sedang melenggang hendak hadir ke RUPS, diseret Heri ke ruang kerjanya. Ia kemudian diinterogasi. ”Siska…tatap mata saya. Saya juga bisa marah sama kamu,” tandas Heri nyaris berteriak sambil mendekatkan matanya yang memelotot ke wajah Siska. Tipikal anak tentara, Siska saat itu bukannya mengkeret, tantangan Heri pun dilayani. Ketegangan memuncak. Siska dan Heri bersitatap dalam hitungan depa. Keduanya memelototkan mata.

Tantang Siska,”Kenapa saya harus takut pada Bapak, kalau Bapak mau marah silahkan, itu hak Bapak.” Heri pun membalasnya dengan lebih ketus,”Gara-gara kamu,” Telunjuk Heri meluncur ke muka Siska,”Kalau kamu datang ke RUPS hari ini, jabatan saya dan Ratmono bakal dicopot. Mengertilah Siska.”

Kemarahan Siska pun memuncak. Ia raih telpon genggamnya. Dalam hitungan detik, ia tersambung dengan Komisaris Bank Mandiri Muchayat. ”Saya disandera, tidak boleh hadir di RUPS Pak Muchayat. Karena Group Head saya takut kehilangan jabatan.”

Suasana makin tegang. Heri rupanya tidak mau kalah gertak. Ia pun mengontak Group Head Human Capital Mandiri Kresno Sediarsih. ”Siska lapor ke Komisaris,” ujar Heri gugup. Siska pun berdiri, dan…,”Braak,” Ia menggebrak meja sebelum ke luar ruangan.

Lalu, apa kaitan Siska dengan RUPS? Sebegitu bahayakah, sehingga seorang Group Head harus sampai ‘menyandera’ Siska agar tidak hadir di RUPS itu?

Cerita ini terjawab dan dimulai setahun setelah Agus Martowardojo menjabat sebagai Direktur Utama Bank Mandiri. Rupanya, setelah setahun menjadi panglima di bank pelat merah itu, banyak ketidakberesan manajemen. Seolah terpanggil untuk ikut membenahi kinerja Bank Mandiri, Siska pun berkirim surat ke Agus. Dua kali. Dan dua kali itu pula surat Siska tidak bersambut.

Merasa kesal tidak diperhatikan, surat pun melayang ke Ibu Negara Ani Yudhoyono. Lengkap dan detail. Dokumen itu juga diperoleh tim Investigator. Isinya memang simpel. Dua hal yang membuat gerah manajemen Bank Mandiri adalah kasus gratifikasi dan skandal likuidasi Bank Merincorp.

Data yang melayang ke bu Ani –sapaan akrab Ani Yudhoyono– juga dilengkapi dokumen asli bersifat rahasia dan aliran dana dengan bukti kuitansi ke sejumlah penyidik, serta surat menyurat manajemen terkait dengan dua kasus itu.

***Jadi Gerah***
Hal yang wajar kalau kemudian manajemen Bank Mandiri jadi kegerahan. Bagi Agus Marto, surat Siska ibarat palu godam yang menghantam mukanya. Betapa tidak, saat itu, Agus lagi pusing oleh urusan kredit macet (NPL) Bank Mandiri yang mencapai Rp25 triliun.

Manajemen kemudian membentuk tim untuk mengaudit secara khusus Siska. Ia pun diganjar tidak menerima insentif tahunan dan kenaikan gaji. Sejak itu, perlawanan Serikat Pekerja Bank Mandiri makin masif. Solidaritas meluas. Mereka mengancam mogok masal. Manajemen jadi kisruh. Tapi kasus itu terhenti oleh sikap Agus Marto yang keras melawan serikat pekerja dengan keputusan pemecatan.

Skandal likuidasi Bank Merincorp juga memunculkan perilaku aneh manajemen Bank Mandiri. Pada RUPS terakhir, 17 Maret 2008, sebagai perusahaan yang tercatat di Bursa Efek Indonesia (BEI), keluar aturan tata tertib yang mengingkari prinsip keterbukaan. Karena dalam tata tertib RUPS ada klausul khusus soal Bank Merincorp hanya dibacakan saja dan tidak dibuka tanya jawab.

***Digerus Krisis***
Sebenarnya, sejauh apa skandal ini terjadi? Sehingga hingga kini proses likuidasi Bank Merincorp masing menggantung?

Cerita ini dimulai pada 1997, ketika krisis moneter mendera kawasan Asia dan menggerus Indonesia. Dan Bank Merincorp menjadi salah satu bank yang terkena dampak langsung dari krisis itu.

Bank Merincorp adalah bank hasil patungan antara Bank Exim (74% atau Rp37milyar) dan Sumitomo Bank Limited Jepang, yang menguasai 26% saham atau Rp13 Milyar. Karena sebagian sahamnya dimiliki asing (Sumitomo), bank ini tidak masuk program rekapitulasi oleh Negara. Sehingga program rekapitulasi harus dilakukan oleh pemegang sahamnya.

Pada 23 April 1999, Direksi BI menggelar pertemuan dengan manajemen Bank Merincorp. Pertemuan dipimpin Iwan R. Prawiradinata. Dalam pertemuan itu, review BI terhadap Bank Merincorp, per 31 maret 1998, menunjukan rasio kecukupan modal (CAR) Bank Merincorp minus 14,24%, dan masuk golong B. Untuk mencapai CAR 4%, Bank Merincorp perlu disuntik Rp204,5 milyar.

Satu tahun kemudian, kondisi Merincorp terus memburuk. Per 31 maret 1999, CAR Merincorp minus 48,55%. Saat itu kerugian operasional mencapai Rp256,4 milyar. BI memasukkan Bank Merincorp pada posisi C. Dan untuk memenuhi CAR 4% ( ketentuan kesehatan bank ) diperlukan tambahan modal sebesar Rp527,4 miliar.

BI kemudian melayangkan surat ke manajemen Merincorp. Pada surat No.30/31/Dir/UPwBI/Rahasia, tanggal 15 Maret 1999 itu, BI meminta pemegang saham Bank Merincorp untuk menyuntik modal, untuk mencapai CAR 4%, paling lambat 21 April 1999.

Tapi, sampai batas waktu yang ditentukan, pemegang saham Merincorp ternyata belum mampu memenuhi kewajibannya. Maka sehari setelah batas waktu itu dilanggar, pada 22 April 1999, BI memberi batas waktu hingga pukul 17.00. Dan untuk kali kedua, pemegang saham Merincorp kembali tidak mampu menyetorkan modalnya.

BI untuk kesekian kalinya mengundang pemegang saham Merincorp. Hadir dalam pertemuan itu, Direktur BI Iwan R. Prawiranata, Deputi Kepala Urusan BI Mustamir Bakri, Pengawas Bank Eksekutif BI Ketut Sanjaya dan Pengawas Bank Senior BI Anggar B. Nuraini.

Sementara dari Bank Merincorp, hadir wakil pemegang saham Heru R. Azimada, Komisaris Utama Irvan Prawiranata, Komisaris Purwo Junanto, Direktur Utama Agus Sukarna, dan Wakil Dirut Agustaman.

Dalam pertemuan itu, manajemen Bank Merincorp menyatakan, Robby Djohan sebagai Direktur Utama Bank Mandiri dan Komisaris Utama Bank Exim menjelaskan bahwa pemegang saham Bank Merincorp telah menyatakan bersedia menyetor dana Rp527,4 miliar. Setoran itu akan dilakukan pada 23 April 1999. Saat itu, BI menegaskan, jika ingkar janji lagi, BI akan mengambil langkah likuidasi sesuai ketentuan dan perundangan yang berlaku.

Sebelumnya, pada 25 Pebruari 1999, Dirut Bank Mandiri Robby Djohan telah mengirimkan surat No 254/DIR/99 ke BI dan surat No253/DIR/99 kepada Ketua Badan Penyehatan Perbankan Nasional (BPPN). Kedua surat itu mengharap agar Bank Merincorp tidak dilikuidasi/dibekukan izin operasinya. Saat itu Robby berdalih, pemegang saham saat itu sedang mengkaji pola restrukturisasi Bank Merincorp.

Pada 29 Februari 1999, Robby pun melobi Sumitomo di Manila. Hasil pertemuan itu kemudian dilaporkan ke Menteri Keuangan bahwa Sumitomo sangat keberatan bila Merincorp dilikuidasi.

BI, kemudian pada 27 April 1999 menyampaikan laporan ke Ginanjar Karatasasmita, Boediono, Tanri Abeng dan Rahardi Ramelan, soal kesanggupan pemegang saham Bank Merincorp untuk menyetor modal. BI saat itu juga meminta pemerintah tidak menutup Merincorp. Berdasarkan usulan Robby Djohan dan penjelasan BI, Pemerintah kemudian membatalkan rencana pencabutan Bank Merincorp.

Mulai muncul masalah ….Audit BPK menunjukkan bahwa likuidasi Bank Merincorp telah merugikan negara mencapai Rp1 triliun.

Ditulis dalam Skandal Likuiditas Bank Merincorp

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:37:00 +0700

(merincorp) Kerugian Negara

Oleh : GE Soewarno
Kontributor: Tri Wibiyanto, Oji, Iman

JAKARTA (Investigator) : Lalu, di mana keterlibatan Agus Martowardojo dalam skandal ini? Begini ceritanya; Pada 23 April 1999, pemegang saham Bank Merincorp memenuhi janjinya untuk menyetor modal.

Saat itu, Direktur Utama Bank Exim Agus Martowardojo, Direktur Heru R. Azimada, Komisaris Utama Bank Exim Robby Djohan dan Komisaris Binhadi, telah menandatangani surat No Direksi/089/Rhs. Surat yang ditujukan kepada Direksi Bank Merincorp, berisi soal setoran modal sebesar Rp648,53 miliar.

Setoran itu dilakukan melalui tiga skim. Pertama, konversi money market Bank Exim untuk bantuan likuiditas Bank Merincorp pada 23 April 1999 sebesar Rp299 miliar. Penempatan Bank Exim ini telah dilakukan pada tanggal 23 April 1999, berupa Bilyet Giro BI No. GA733796 untuk kredit rekening Bank Merincorp di BI, rekening No. 522.946.000.

Kedua, konversi dari pinjaman valas antar bank di Bank Merincorp yang termasuk dalam Surat Sanggup No.M52.906160 sebesar US$40 juta dengan kurs Rp8.700 atau ekuivalen sebesar Rp 348 miliar. Ketiga, konversi dari Pinjaman ex sub loan yang termasuk dalam Surat Sanggup No.52.906308 sebesar Rp1,53 miliar.

***Mulai Runyam***
Kasus ini mulai runyam, ketika tiba-tiba Sumitomo ogah menyetor modal ke Bank Merincorp. Dan terjadi deal-deal yang tidak masuk akal antara Robby Djohan dan Yasuyuki Kimoto, Director and General Manager International Planing Departement Sumitomo Bank Limited, di Manila.

Dan pada tanggal 26 Mei 1999, Bank Exim kemudian menerbitkan surat No DIREKSI/231. Surat yang ditandatangani oleh Direktur Utama Bank Exim Agus Martowardojo dan Direktur Heru R Azimada ini, kemudian dikirim ke pihak Sumitomo. Surat yang merupakan respon hasil pertemuan Robby dengan pihak Sumitomo ini berisi rencana restrukturisasi Bank Exim terhadap Bank Merincorp.

Pertemuan antara Agus Marto dan Sumitomo kembali digelar di Manila. Dan pertemuan itulah yang memicu terjadinya serentetan skandal likuidasi Bank Merincorp. Karena, hasil pertemuan itu memutuskan hal-hal krusial.

Keputusan itu; Pertama, untuk dapat memenuhi CAR 4% sesuai dengan kondisi terakhir Bank Merincorp, Bank Exim menyetujui untuk melakukan setoran modal sebesar Rp648,53 miliar dengan melalui tiga skim dan sudah dijalankan sejak 23 April 1999.

Kedua, secara mengejutkan, Bank Exim mengambil alih 26% saham Sumitomo di Bank Merincorp dan membelinya dengan harga super murah hanya US$1. Ketiga, –dan ini langkah yang mengundang banyak tanya–, pinjaman dari Sumitomo kepada Bank Merincorp sebesar US$30 juta dialihkan menjadi pinjaman Sumitomo kepada Bank Exim.

***Langkah Restrukturisasi***
Sejak pengalihan itu, dan Bank Exim kemudian melebur bersama beberapa bank lain menjadi Bank Mandiri, langkah restrukturisasi Bank Mandiri pun digelar.

Setelah bergabung menjadi Bank Mandiri, RUPS Bank Exim memberikan persetujuan untuk mengalihkan penyerahan atas sebagian asset selain kredit (non loan asset) milik perseroan, dengan cara; Pertama, dalam bentuk tanah/bangunan asset diserahkan kepada PT Pengelola Harta Tetap Mandiri. Sementara dalam bentuk penyertaan modal saham Perseroan di beberapa perusahaan, pengelolaan asset diserahkan kepada PT Pengelola Investama Mandiri (PIM). Bank Merincorp menjadi salah satu asset yang dikelola PT PIM.

Dalam lampiran Perjanjian Pengalihan Penyertaan Saham hasil notulen RUPS, di sana dibahas soal Bank Merincorp. Di mana tercatat jumlah angka cadangan di Bank Exim sebesar Rp648,5 miliar. Angka cadangan itu digunakan untuk menutup net tangible asset, yang dalam book value telah diperhitungkan nilainya menjadi nol.

Sementara itu, novasi kredit sebesar US$30 juta yang telah ditandatangani dan berlaku efektif 27 September 1999, ternyata tidak langsung dibarengi dengan perjanjian kredit pembelian fasilitas kredit kepada Bank Merincorp. Sehingga hutang Bank Mandiri kepada Sumitomo, tidak terbukukan sebagai piutang Bank Mandiri.

Penjelasan ini tertuang dalam nota No.CRF /072-CL/1999 pada 23 Desember 1999 atas rekomendasi Kepala Divisi IB-FI Bank Mandiri Iskandar Zulkarnain dan Kepala Divisi CCC Bank Mandiri Roy A Ilham. (Selengkapnya baca edisi besok, 23 Mei 200 8)

Selanjutnya Panitia Kredit Bank Mandiri yang terdiri dari; SPV Internal Banking Cholil Hasan, EVP Risk Management I Wayan Agus Mertayasa, EVP Finance and International Edwin Gerungan, Chief Credit Officer Agus Martowardojo, Robby Djohan, Dirut dan Komisaris Utama Binhadi, mengesahkan novasi kredit sebesar US$30 Juta tersebut.

Dalam rapat tersebut, Binhadi sempat memberikan catatan dalam penandatanganan nota bahwa pengambilalihan ini melanggar BMPK. Dan pada akhir 2000, manajemen Bank Mandiri, kemudian menghapusbukukan pinjaman oleh Bank Mandiri kepada Bank Merincorp sebesar US$30 juta.

***BPK Bergerak***
Mencium ketidakberesan dalam proses likuidasi Bank Merincorp, BPK pun tidak tinggal diam. Satu tim kemudian diterjunkan untuk mengaudit proses likuidasi ini. Dari hasil audit BPK memaparkan, pengelolaan kredit Bank Mandiri Semester I tahun Anggaran 2003-2004 menyebutkan, novasi hutang Bank Merincorp sebesar US$30 juta kepada Sumitomo tidak sejalan dengan tujuan restrukturisasi dan melanggar AD/ART perseroan.

Dalam pertemuan antara Direksi dan Komisaris Bank Merincorp dan BI pada 3 Juni 2002, karena keuangan Bank Merincorp terus memburuk, BI secara resmi memutuskan bahwa Bank Merincorp berada dalam pengawasan khusus.

Selanjutnya PT PIM selaku pemegang saham Bank Merincorp, mengirim surat ke BI, No DIR/64/2002 tanggal 27 Mei 2002. Surat itu menyatakan bahwa PT PIM tidak dapat memberikan tambahan modal sehingga akan dilakukan self liquidation terhadap Bank Merincorp.

BI kemudian melayangkan surat balasan pada 5 Juli 2002. Surat No 4/86/DPwB2/PwB23 intinya menyetujui rencana PT PIM, dengan syarat; Pertama, mendapat persetujuan dari Bank Mandiri dan Menneg BUMN untuk melaksanakan self liquidation.

Kedua, surat kuasa dari Bank Mandiri kepada PT PIM untuk melaksanakan self liquidation PT Bank Merincorp. Ketiga, surat pernyataan dari Bank Mandiri untuk tetap menjamin penyelesaian permasalahan PT Bank Merincorp baik di bidang Finansial maupun yuridis.

Untuk memenuhi persyaratan BI, direksi Bank Mandiri yang terdiri dari Dirut ECW Neloe dan Direktur I Wayan Pugeg, pada 20 September 2002 telah menandatangani surat No. DIR.HSS/250/2002 yang ditujukan kepada Menteri Negara Badan Usaha Milik Negara. Intinya, permohonan untuk melakukan self liquidation Bank Merincorp.

***Semua Dihapus***
Yang menarik, dalam surat tersebut, Direksi Bank Mandiri, menyebut potensi kerugian apabila dilakukan Self Liquidation. Kerugian yang dihitung pada posisi Agustus 2002 itu antara lain; Pertama, berdasarkan kas atau dan setara kas yang tersedia per 31 Agustus 2002 sebesar US$20,19 juta dan Rp5,344 miliar, pinjaman exchange offer US$13,5 juta serta dana masyarakat kurang lebih Rp5,4 miliar dan biaya likuidasi sebesar Rp10,1 miliar. Sedangkan sisanya sebesar US$6,1 juta dapat dipergunakan untuk membayar pinjaman kepada Bank Mandiri.

Sementara itu, dana setoran awal/rekapitalisasi yang dilaksanakan pada 23 April 1999 sebesar Rp648,53 miliar telah dihapus buku sebelum merger. Langkah ini untuk menutup kerugian Bank Merincorp pada saat itu, sehingga tidak menimbulkan kerugian baru bagi Bank Mandiri.

Pinjaman dari Bank Mandiri (novasi) sebesar US$30 juta yang telah dihapus buku di Bank Mandiri pada bulan Desember 2000 dapat segera dibayar sebesar US$6,1 juta sedangkan sisanya kemungkinan tidak dapat terbayar, sehingga sebagian akan menjadi hapus tagih, juga akan diupayakan penagihan kredit intra compatible sebesar Rp295,9 miliar serta kredit extra compatible Rp600 miliar walaupun recovery net-nya cukup rendah.

Menteri Negara BUMN Laksamana Sukardi pada 22 Oktober 2002 dalam surat balasannya No: S-712/M-MBU/2002 kepada Direksi Bank Mandiri menyatakan setuju dengan likuidasi Bank Merincorp, tapi dengan syarat; Pertama, hutang PT Bank Merincorp kepada PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) sebesar US$30 juta perlu diupayakan semaksimal mungkin untuk dapat dikembalikan kepada PT Bank Mandiri melalui cash settlement dan tetap mengupayakan optimalisasi hasil penagihan recovery kredit extra compatible dan intra compatible.

Laksamana juga mensyaratkan, likuidasi harus dilaksanakan sesuai dengan peraturan UU yang berlaku dan hasilnya harus dilaporkan kepada Menteri BUMN. Dalam perjalanannya, akibat persyaratan yang berat tersebut, hingga kini, likuidasi Bank Merincorp belum bisa dilakukan.

***Kajian Internal***
Kajian Internal yang dilakukan manajemen Bank Mandiri juga menyebutkan langkah restrukturisasi Bank Merincorp banyak menyisakan masalah. Lalu dari mana BPK menghitung kerugian negara yang mencapai Rp1 triliun…..

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:58:00 +0700

I Can Do It! 7 Tips for Teaching Your Children Self Reliance
by: Dr Robyn Silverman

Most parents are trying to stay clear of the label "helicopter parents," because they don't want to be seen as the type of mother or father who hover and "overprotect." The most powerful parents have realized that when their children have the opportunity to make mistakes, they gain an invaluable opportunity to learn from those mistakes.

It's developmentally appropriate for children to become more and more independent, self reliant and responsible as they age. It can be challenging for parents to know when to step back and let their children try something on their own. After all, from the time their children were babies, parents have spent years meeting many to all of their child's needs.

Striking a balance between allowing your children to do tasks for themselves and helping them when they seem to need or want is a talent of very powerful parents. This balance allows their children to thrive because they feel more confident in themselves while still feeling supported and properly mentored.

How can we instill self reliance and responsibility into our children?

(1) Allow your children to make some decisions: Even young children can make sound decisions if you give them a few select choices. Do you want to wear the red shirt or the blue shirt? Would you like a peanut butter sandwich or a cheese sandwich? As children get older, you can allow them to make more important decisions with little to no guidance. They can determine things like which Fall sport they'd like to play, if they need a tutor for math, and which friends they'd like to spend time with each day without needing much, if any, input from parents. While it's tempting to make these kinds of decisions for your older children, they need to stand on their own two feet—after all, their decisions are often correct!

(2) Encourage your children to try tasks on their own: While it's often quicker and more skillfully done when we do it for them, children need to engage in tasks on their own if they're ever going to learn how to do them well. Laundry, shoe-tying, and making the bed are great places to start with young children. Older children can handle more complicated tasks such as cooking, preparing their own lunch, and doing their own homework.

(3) Model responsibility and self reliance: Parents have many responsibilities—let your child see them and hear about them! Say out loud; "This screw seems a little loose, I'll go get the screwdriver and tighten it" or "I have to plan our weekly menu for dinner; let's see...Monday night we'll have..." When children see you making decisions, taking initiative, and displaying self reliant behaviors, they will engage in similar behavior.

(4) Be your child's coach rather than his sage: When your child asks you questions about how to do something or what to do in a certain situation, sometimes asking questions is more important than providing answers. "What do you think you should do? How would you feel if you chose X? What would happen if you did Y instead?" These questions can unlock the answers in your own child's brain so the next time he's in a similar situation he'll be able to call on his own experience and judgment to make a decision.

(5) Be a good support system: Sometimes this means cheering them on from the sidelines and other times it means encouraging them to try again. Of course, when children truly need your help, they should know that they can count on you. If you teach them to ask for help when they really need it (when something seems unsafe or too challenging), they should know that you will be there to assist them. Children who know that they can count on their parents when they really need it feel better about taking risks and the possibility of making mistakes.

(6) Provide them with responsibilities: Chores are great for teaching children how to be self reliant as well as how to work as a team. After teaching them how to do the chore properly, let them give it a try with some assistance, if needed. You can even work on a checklist together which helps to break down the task into easy, age-appropriate chunks. For example, (a) Take the clothes out of the dryer, (b) Separate the clothes by family member, (c) Match up all the socks...and so on. When we provide children with ways to help out the family, we give them opportunities to build responsibility, self confidence, and self reliance.

(7) Encourage healthy risk-taking: Assure your children that making mistakes is OK. The most important thing is that s/he tries! Most things are not done perfectly the first time—even when you're an adult. It doesn't mean "the end of the world" and there is no reason to be embarrassed. Watching our children make mistakes can be challenging. We may want to rush to their aid to shield them from impending failure or disappointment. However, when parents do this, they rob their children of some very powerful tools; self confidence, stick-to-itiveness, and of course, self reliance.

Your children are relying on you to teach them how to approach the world. Sometimes that means they have to watch you to learn how to approach the task. But other times that means, you must watch them from the sidelines and encourage them to figure it out on their own.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:51:00 +0700

Discipline - Be Clear, Be Firm, Be Consistent
by: Helen Williams

Children learn best by being given clear, firm and consistent direction from parents who are clear, firm and consistent in their approach.

How to Discipline Children by Being Clear:

Firstly find and maintain clarity within yourself and then follow through on simple, clear instructions. Clarify for your self what being clear means.

It is about being plain, obvious, and understandable in a clear, short sentence that explains exactly what you mean.

It isn't about maybe this or maybe that.

Often parents have no idea that they chop and change their minds within minutes. To become clear about your own patterns of behavior, observe yourself and ask for your partner's help in this.

"We are going to tidy up your toys in five minutes", is clear and direct. Follow this with,

"Please help me tidy up your toys now" and it means just that.

Be firm with yourself about this. It doesn't mean soon, or later, but now.

I have seen parents give out this simple instruction, then become distracted themselves by a television program, conversation or magazine. What their children observe is parents saying one thing and doing another and this gives a much distorted message. Multiplied over many times each day, is it any wonder that children cease to follow simple instructions?

How to Discipline Children by Being Firm:

Firstly find and maintain firmness for yourself and then follow through with firm clear directions in a firm, clear tone.

Clarify for your self what being firm means.

To be firm is to be certain, definite, and determined. It is also being loving, kind and calm.

It means saying no and meaning no, or saying yes and meaning yes and sticking to it. It's about now being now. How often does your no become perhaps, later, maybe giving in, next time, soon, or alright then? This is a very common fault in how to discipline children and again it leads to numerous mixed messages for children.

Resolve within yourself and with your partner's help to ascertain how often you are both easily swayed into changing your decisions. Are you allowing your children to manipulate you? Imagine how simple your life will become when you are clear and firm within yourself.

It is every child's right to KNOW they can trust their parent's boundaries. So firstly, become firm with your own boundaries and then apply this to your parenting discipline.

"It is bedtime, (bath time, meal time) in five minutes" is a clear direction. Now follow through on this.

Giving the direction in a calm, clear, firm tone of voice helps your children to understand that you mean what you say. Being firm is about being in control of both yourself and the situation.

How to Discipline Children by Being Consistent:

Firstly find and maintain consistency for yourself and then follow through with a firm, clear, consistent approach.

Clarify for yourself what being consistent means.

To be consistent is to be reliable, dependable and constant.

These words immediately convey comfort don't they?

Let's look at the opposite of being consistent. Contradictory, unpredictable, changeable. That's definitely lacking in comfort and safety.

So how do you want to be seen by your children?

To begin with it can seem quite time consuming to concentrate on clear, firm, consistent guidelines. Be aware that this is very true. It takes concentrated effort and time to change old habits to new ones, but if you maintain consistency, you will be very surprised how quickly new patterns of behavior are formed.

Parenting Discipline In Summary: With parenting discipline we are teaching our children how to have self control, self discipline and to become self reliant, so they are able to make good choices for themselves.

The only way children can learn to do this is by being given the opportunities for this learning.

This means not over protecting them, or doing everything for them, but maximizing their opportunities to learn through personal experience and observation, even when this means making mistakes.

Can you see the opportunities here to change some of your own patterns of behavior into superior ones?

Clear, firm, consistent parenting is quality parenting. You learn to trust your own responses and your children are surrounded by your loving constancy.

This is the recipe for creating a happy, well adjusted family.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:48:00 +0700

I Think I Can. I Think I Can. Can I?
by: Michele Wahlder

I think I can. I think I can. Can I?

Your mental train ticket to self-empowerment

We all find ourselves at certain points in our lives holding first class tickets to negative mental trains of thought. Michele Wahlder (MS, LPC, PCC), a two-time cancer survivor and Dallas, Texas-based Certified Life Coach and Psychotherapist, has placed thousands of people on the right track to self-empowerment via a plan she calls the 5 C Process. The journey challenges individuals to:

One

Clarify Current View – Where are you now- honestly?

Conscious awareness of your current view is the first step in becoming the best you can be. Getting clear about how your life aligns with your values, talents and unique gifts is vital to your happiness. You need to know where you are in order to learn where you want to go.

You can clarify your current view by completing a review of eight life areas. Be honest with yourself about how happy are you with your profession, finances, health and overall well-being, primary relationships, personal development, spirituality, environment, hobbies, etc.

Two

Connect with Your Highest Vision – Where do you want to be?

Example: A client of mine, a yoga instructor, decided she was happy teaching but wanted to contribute to the world on a larger level. She wasn’t happy with the quality of the yoga clothing that was accessible to her and her fellow yogis. Her vision was to design and create fun, hip and timeless yoga clothes using eco-conscious fabrics.

You have to get really clear about what you want. It is crucial that you connect to your highest vision of yourself because you can’t create it unless you are clear about what it looks like. If you don’t have a vision of where you want to go or what you want to be, you will most likely NOT get there. To quote Henrietta Klauser, “If you have a connection to what you want, take the next step and write it down.” If you don’t have any idea about what you want, or how you want to be in life to bring about greater happiness, begin looking through magazines and create a Vision Board/Collage of what attracts you. You may also want to consider getting an outside perspective from a friend or a professional coach. I take my clients through a guided imagery that gives them a glimpse of what their future could look like. There are also books that can help guide you. Just get help assessing your talents, divine gifts and abilities and then determine how you want to use them more fully in the world. We can’t help others as fully, if we are not aware of how we can best serve. So instead of thinking of it as selfish to engage in knowing yourself better, I would suggest you consider it selfish to hold back and not be the best you can be. Only in this way, can we help the world and others.

Three

Create Inspiring Goals – How will you get there?

Example: My client created a tiered plan of what needed to happen step by step – outer goal. All of this was influenced by her inner goal of keeping a measured pace and a balanced life. Her goal was to enjoy the process.

You have to create a plan and take specific actions to get you from where you are now to where you want to be. When most people write goals, they just write a list of action steps, usually external actions. I believe it is more powerful to have inner and outer goals. An outer goal is what you want. For instance, you might think, “I want a new house”. An inner goal is more focused on the how. How will a new home benefit me and my family? Will it offer more common gathering areas, a larger kitchen so that we can cook together, etc.? How can I appreciate what I have now until I get this home? How can I make this a joyful experience rather than a stressful one? If you can not be grateful for what you have now, then when you get a new home, it will only create very short-term happiness for you. Then, you will be focused on the next external illusion of happiness. For 2008, I suggest taking at least three of the life areas I mentioned earlier and jot down how you couldbenefit from living your highest vision in each area. Next, add action steps toward your desired achievements along with completion dates.

Four

Clear Obstacles – How will you remove obstacles in your way?

We all have dreams and visions for our life, but frankly, there are many things that can get in the way. The two most common obstacles I see with my clients are:

The inability to say NO— In order to bridge the gap from your current view to your highest vision, you have to make room for what “Could Be”. If your life is full and you want to add more of the things that are truly important in your life, you should start the change process by making room first. You must say no to some things in your life, so you can say yes to what is most important. You have to give up the destructive habits, behaviors and activities to make room for new ones.

A metaphor would be a water hose watering a flowering plant. The water in the hose is your life force and the flowering plant is what you are trying to grow in your life. If the water hose has leaks, it will not have enough water or life force/energy to reach its desired outcome or vision (to grow the plant into full bloom). Examples of leaks might include toxic friendships, unrealistic expectations, watching too much television, eating sugar, overspending, negative relational patterns with your spouse or working on an outdated job.

Example: A client’s obstacle here was that her 8- year-old daughter needed caring for and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to be a good mother plus jumpstart a successful, new business. We remedied this issue by getting clear on the proper definition of a good mother. Also, practically speaking, she needed help picking up her daughter from school. So she got her husband to assist her in this area so she would have time to create this new business.

Negative self-talk—Research shows we have approximately 50,000 internal messages we say to ourselves daily. We are constantly walking around having conversations with ourselves. And it is what we say that makes all the difference in the overall quality of our lives.

Example: I was once in Starbucks, and I watched this woman spill her coffee while reaching for a sugar packet and I heard her say out loud, “I’m so stupid. I can’t believe I did that.”

Now, I just happen to hear her, but this is an example of something you might say internally as well. You might think, “No big deal. I say things like this to myself all the time.” Well, IT IS A BIG DEAL as our subconscious hears these messages and acts on them as if they were real. Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t want someone else saying to you.

Think of self-talk like mental fuel. Now, imagine filling your car with dirty water. We all know you wouldn’t get very far. Now, take that same car and fill it with high quality gasoline. You’ll most likely reach your destination. It is the same with people and the words we use. If the words are negative and toxic, we will sputter along with low energy and our performance suffers. If our words are positive and tender, we will feel confident, energized, encouraged and will most likely meet our goals faster and easier. Here are some key things to remember if you ever find yourself preparing to board the train of BAD self-talk:

B– stands for belittling self-talk. Stop telling yourself, “I am not good enough.” If your dream is to have a healthy self-confidence, which of the following examples is more likely to get your there:

A. “I’m so stupid. I can’t believe I did that.”

B. “Whoops, mistakes happen.”

Can you see how the Answer B is much kinder?

A – stands for awfulizing. Stop predicting a future filled with gloom and doom, and dwelling on scary thoughts. If you dream of obtaining a career you love, which of the following will move you closer to your vision:

A. “I did terribly on my interview, I’ll never find a job I like.”

B. “I will answer that question on past employment differently next time and I will ace it! I know I will one day have the job I love.”

Can you see how Answer B places you in the mindset of a successful job search?

D – stands for deceiving. This is when you deceive yourself into thinking you are a victim, and that other people are to blame for your circumstances. If we want a happy relationship which will of the below responses will aid in achieving this goal:

A. “If my spouse would only do more around the house, then I would be happy.”

B. “I can and will choose happiness today, no matter what my spouse does.”

Answer B is the right choice, wouldn’t you agree?

S – stands for shoulding – This is when you give yourself a lot of shoulds, musts, and ought tos, then beat yourself up for not living up to unrealistic standards. Say your dream is to be in top physical condition, which will further that:

A. “I should have eaten a salad for lunch instead of that big ol’ hamburger. I’m such a pig!”

B. “I could have eaten a salad, but I chose not to. Tomorrow I will make healthier choices.”

The second choice is so much more inspiring, don’t you think?

Five

Commit to Action – Are you willing to do what it takes?

The final step of the 5 C Process is to commit to action. How many times have we all made plans and never carried them out, or started off excited and lost motivation? No one ever does anything great alone. We all need encouragement and support from others including an accountability partner who is willing to help hold the vision of the person you want to be. In the previous example of my client, her biggest negative self-talk was how to be a good mom and a good business woman. Her thoughts were, “If I don’t pick up my child every day from school, I am a bad mother.” Instead, we replaced it with, “Picking up my child from school daily is not what makes me a good mother. I am, indeed, a fabulous mother.”

Here are the four action steps that have been proven to help you eliminate your negative self talk:

• Become aware of your negative messages –listen to voice in head

• Stop! You have to stop immediately if you find yourself dwelling on any negative thoughts

• Replace negative thoughts with a kinder alternatives

• Practice. It takes a commitment of time in order to turn a pattern of negative thinking into a more positive train of thought.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:44:00 +0700

Manifestation Exercise # 11 - Discovering the Hidden Positives Behind The Negatives
by: Janeen Clark

This is a good exercise to use when you want to discover what is really going on behind the scenes of your negative experiences. There is something positive beyond them - you just need to discover what it is.

You see, your higher self sees beyond time and current circumstances. It knows your “true intentions“, even if you are unaware of them consciously, and it will do everything in its power to match you vibrationally to that thing you are “truly” wanting.

For instance, if your higher intention is safety and security and something comes up that will jeopardize that safety and security (even if you are unaware that it will jeopardize it at the time) it is not at all surprising that obstacles will suddenly appear to prevent you from making a mistake.

Quite often we can misinterpret this obstacles as negative things happening to us or it is just us “not getting what we want when we want it” but there is a little more to it than that.

The following story is an example:

My husband and I were living in a house we bought in Staten Island when we first got married. At the time we bought it, we were both working full time in Manhattan, and while we were making just enough to afford it, there was no extra money.

After a couple of years we decided we wanted to have a baby, but realized that there was no way we could continue to pay for the house if I quit working to stay home to take care of the baby (which I really wanted to do) nor could we afford a full time sitter under the circumstances.

So we decided the only logical solution was to sell our house in New York and have a house built in Southern New Jersey about an hour and a half away. The houses there were much cheaper and we could afford to live there on one salary. We were leaving friends and family behind, but we couldn’t see any other choice.

This was when we ended up making one of the most ridiculous mistakes we could have ever made (or so we thought). Instead of taking the money from the sale of our Staten Island home and putting it into an escrow account to be used for the down payment on the new house we were having built, we made the mistake of giving the money directly to the builder. This builder then proceeded to skip town with it; leaving us with no house, no money to buy another one and no way to find him. By the time this all occurred I was already six months pregnant. Now to say I was despondent was putting it mildly!

We had no choice but to get ourselves an apartment in Staten Island and pray that we would hit some kind of lottery, because with only my husband working it would take years to save up enough money for another down payment. On top of that, the housing boom hit which put $200,000 homes into the half million dollar category! Talk about watching your dream get further and further away from you!

Now you see, I truly do believe that everything happens for a reason, but at the time, I truly couldn’t figure this one out. We were both good and honest people; we had worked hard and had saved every penny we could and now it was all gone in one fell swoop.

Even though I had already starting learning about the law of attraction, this was a really tough one for me to overcome. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t seem to get past the resentment I felt towards the whole situation. Which of coarse kept me in the situation even longer.

Eventually I started getting back into studying, meditating and looking forward instead of back. It was no easy climb, I assure you. But I started my own online business and put all my energy into focusing on bringing more money in as opposed to staying focused on what we had lost.

Now this is when things got interesting. During the time this was all happening, my mother met a really great guy she was getting serious with. He had his own house in Pennsylvania and she eventually found herself spending more time there then she was in her own house in Staten Island. She didn’t want to sell her house because she still wanted a place to be able to come back to when she visited us or my brother.

So she made us a deal. If my husband and I would take over all the expenses of the house (the mortgage was paid off years ago, so it was just taxes, insurance and the utilities), we could live there as long as we wanted. We only needed to leave the guest room open for her anytime she wanted to visit. Talk about a no-brainer!

The part that strikes me funny though (and what inspired this article, by the way) is that I just came across my old law of attraction journals and read what I had written years ago right before I had sold my own Staten Island home.

It is the list of intentions I wrote to Universe about what I was choosing to create for my future. This is what it said:

I choose to live in a beautiful house I can easily afford
I choose it to be in a great neighborhood
I choose to be surrounded by good friends and neighbors
I choose it to be located in a great school zone

There were some other minor things, but that was the gist of it. What amazes me looking at it now is realizing that I never stated that I had to own the house, or that I was going to have the perfect house built, or even stated that it was going to be a beautiful house in New Jersey; though I know at the time that I wrote the list that that was the direction we were headed because we were already in the process.

All I know is, I am glad that Universe took me at my word and I am very happy that in this case I wasn‘t more specific, because I couldn’t have foreseen how much better this situation would work out for me.

You see, in the time that it took for all these things to occur, the property taxes in the area of New Jersey that I was going to move to has since tripled! If I was living there now it would be costing me more than I was originally paying for my first Staten Island house that I couldn’t afford. It would have been a constant financial struggle, even if I had found another full time job out of the house.

Not to mention how easily the other things on my list fell into place. I am living in a great neighborhood, I am already surrounded by good friends and neighbors because I have known them most of my life growing up here and my son is in the same excellent school zone I was in!

The point is, quite often we don’t realize when we are right in the thick of what we perceive to be a negative situation, that there is something for our greater good beyond it.

We get so focused on cursing the darkness in the tunnel that we forget to look for the light at the end of it.

So here is the exercise for you. It comes in two parts with a bonus at the end if you really want to get into it..

Part One

Think back and write down all the times when what you thought was a negative situation turned into a positive one.

For instance:

When you had to cancel vacation plans due to work or lack of money and found out later they had a hurricane that week.
When you missed your flight due to bad weather and then found out the plane you were supposed to be on got stuck on the tarmac for 7 hours and you were at least in a comfortable airport with a bar and a bathroom!
When you didn’t get a job you thought you wanted and ended up being available for a better one.
When the person you wanted to call you never did, and you ended up meeting the “one” because you were single.
When you missed making the perfect investment, only to find out the company tanked and you would have lost a ton of money.

You get the idea. These things happen all the time. Writing them down helps reaffirm to you that Universe (or your higher self, if you prefer) does in fact have your best interests at heart. If you have a hard time coming up with anything, think about every good thing in your life right now and backtrack. Believe me, you will start to see many ways these things couldn’t have come to you if you had indeed gotten what you originally asked for.

Part Two

Start looking for the light at the end of your tunnel by asking What If? What If The Reason I Haven’t Gotten What I Want Yet Is Because….? Start stretching your mind with ideas of what your higher self might have in store for you that you just haven’t realized yet.

For example:

What if (I didn’t get this position) because a better one is waiting for me.
What if (the reason the deal on buying the house fell through) was because the roof is about to collapse this winter and it would have cost me a fortune I wouldn’t have.
What if (the reason he/she hasn’t called me for another date) was because they are total psychos and my higher self knows better than for me to get involved with them.
What if (the reason the car broke down today when I had somewhere really important to be) was because I would have been involved in a major accident if I had been on the highway today.
What if (the reason I can’t afford the ski trip right now) is because I would have broken my leg on the slopes.
What if (the reason I am stuck on the absolutely slowest line in the store) is because if I left earlier I would run into someone I really don’t want to see right now.

Really stretch your imagination. The fun part of this exercise is that it can help soothe you through disappointment. But the most important part happens later when you prove yourself to be right and you indeed confirm that your higher self has your best interests at heart. That’s when you begin to trust that everything is happening in exactly the right order.

Now for the Bonus Part if you really want to get into it.

Step Three

Try to find your true “hidden intention” as opposed to what you think that you want.

For instance, with my Jersey house. I originally thought my intention was to have this beautifully built house in New Jersey. But in truth my “hidden intention” was just to live in a beautiful house I could afford. This was obvious by how I wrote my intention on my list. After struggling financially in our first house, security was really all I was looking for and just hadn’t realized it. It wasn’t until after I received it that I noticed the blessing it really was.

Maybe in your case, your “hidden intention” was to find someone who really cared about you and was interested in the same things you are. You might have originally thought you were going to find this with a person of the opposite sex but instead you found it in the new best friend you made six months ago and you just haven‘t realized it yet.

So start enjoying and appreciating that friend that Universe sent you in answer to your request and watch how that higher vibration will automatically attract the opposite sex person you are also wanting. Heck! It might even be through that friend.

We are happily such complicated creatures. So much lies below the surface we aren‘t even aware of. But the daily discovery of these things is what makes life so fun and interesting.

Just the fact that you are reading these types of articles means you are already on your way to discovery.

So start looking for the positives that await you in your future. If something you are going through appears negative at the moment, it simply means you haven’t yet discovered the place your higher self is leading you to.

Don’t get discouraged, don’t give up and don’t curse the darkness. Start taking the first steps now to finding the light at the end of your tunnel.

Happy Creating!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:42:00 +0700

Advice to King Dave of the Isle of Man
by: Louis Rosas-Guyon III

To HM King David of the Isle of Mann (or Man), cousin to Queen Elizabeth II, come forth, I, your Not-So-Humble Servant to render such Wisdom as I can…

For about ten minutes today, David Howe, a 38 year old businessman from Maryland commanded the front page on FoxNews.Com with the story of his Coronation. In 2006 some Brit genealogist called to tell him that he might have a claim to the throne of the Isle of Mann (or Man). So, he filled out the right forms and sent them to Her Majesty's Stationary Office which after a 90 day review period approved his Royal application. Apparently they sent him a crown, a royal robe and a spoon. Some Kings get swords, others get scepters, but David gets a spoon.

My favorite part of the story is the reaction from the people of the Isle of Man, which I think can best be summed up as: "Who?" The elected government of the Isle of Man is probably still laughing themselves senseless. They are so disrespectful of their new King that the official government website has no mention of his coronation. Well King David, it looks like you'll need to stage an invasion to enforce Your Royal Rights. I recommend you look into some the old laws on how to execute traitors. That's how you get medieval on their butts.

The best part about this story is that HM (that's His Majesty, to you) King David has a lovely website. On his home page under an enormous picture of him, he details his efforts to provide aide for the poor AIDS afflicted children of Insert African Nation Here. Even Americans know you cannot be a Royal unless you have some charity to support. Especially useful are those charities that show you pictures of starving children. Those work best of all. Good choice there, Your Majesty. You hit that nail right on the head.

But if you do a little digging into the Royal website you find his Royal Pedigree. You know, like they do with dogs. Not only does he include his family tree proving his Royal Title, but he also proves that he is a cousin to the Royal Family of Great Britain. Wow, he's cousins with the Queen! Let's get something straight; I'm no genealogist but it seems to me when you cast such an enormous net (like the Cousin's Net), you are probably also related to Cher, Bill Clinton and Dick Cheney. I recommend that you lose the whole Cousins thing. Let's agree that you are only allowed to be a Royal Cousin if they invite you over for tea.

Also, if you take the time to look at his Pedigree you may notice that he has achieved his gentle rank through marriage. Now, that is perfectly legitimate. But, does that mean he's Royal by insertion? If so, then good job King David! I always heard you were supposed to pull your Sword out of the stone. It just goes to show that you cannot trust legends. But it might damage your macho image, so I would dump that webpage too.

Now, there's the matter of Royal Revenue. Until you conquer your island you can't collect taxes. But I have solved that for you! Just sell Knighthoods! There are tons of obnoxious idiots who would pay dearly for a title. I would add a web store and sell them that way. Between the money you can make from titles and the cash that will come in from your charity, you should have a pretty nice war chest.

To invade, you will need an army. And let's face it, no regular mercenary army will do. You need to show your subjects that you mean business and will not tolerate anything but total loyalty. For that mission, I can only recommend Blackwater. It might take up some of the money for the African kids, but you can always pay them back later.

Anyway, I hope you look charitably on Your Servant for his Words of Wisdom and that Your Majesty remembers to send me money when you use any of these ideas.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:40:00 +0700

Brainwave Entrainment” Can Help You Dramatically Improve Your Mental Abilities!
by: Sonika Gandotra

I am a great fan of Stephen Pierce and recently I came across his website in which he talked about Brainwave Entertainment. I think it will be worth while to disseminate such a crucial piece of information with people who are interested in good health.

I have just taken the few facts from this website in this article for everybody,s benefit:

Recently, professionals in the areas of psychology, neurology, medical health and self-help have begun utilizing the power of brainwave entrainment in their work with patients.

What is brainwave entrainment? It is a relatively young but rapidly growing field that involves the study of how altering brainwaves naturally can allow people to easily enter states of increased intelligence, creativity, relaxation, pure energy and more!

Here’s the science behind this incredible breakthrough: The brain is made up of billions of brain cells called neurons, which communicate with each other using electrical signals.

All of these neurons sending signals at once produce a large amount of electrical activity commonly called a Brainwave pattern, because of its “wave” or cyclic-like nature.

Researchers and scientists have found that different bands of brainwaves are associated with different mental states. For instance, the brainwaves of a sleeping person are much different than the brainwaves of an individual who is wide awake.

Years of research has shown that brainwaves not only provide insight into an individual’s mind and body, but they can be stimulated to actually change that person’s current state.

By causing the brain to produce or decrease specific types of brainwave frequencies, it is possible to bring about a large variety of mental states and emotional reactions.

How does this work? “Entrainment” is a principle in physics, where two cycles synchronize naturally with each other in order to work more efficiently. Entrainment is applied to chemistry, astronomy, electrical systems and much more – but can also be applied to the brain.

When the brain is provided with a stimulus, through the ears, eyes or other senses, it emits an electrical charge in response. This is called a Cortical Evoked Response. These electrical responses travel throughout the brain to become what an individual sees and hears.

When the brain is given a consistent, repeating stimulus, such as drum beats or flashes of light, the brain responds by synchronizing, or entraining, its electric cycles to the external rhythm. This is commonly called the Frequency Following Response (or FFR), and it can be used to effectively alter the brainwave pattern of the audience.

This I personally realised after listening to the scientifically proven Beta Brainwave Entertainment to understand that we have an all access pass to the high performance peak state that our world’s greatest achievers know intimately.

The EEG visual shown at the beginning of this article was taken while observing the effects of Beta Brainwave Entertainment on an independent listener. This visual reading not only proves that Beta Brainwave Entertainment works, but powerfully demonstrates how quickly your mind can be optimized and your cerebral functioning accelerated.

The Baseline (left-side) illustrates the listener’s brainwave activity prior to listening to Brainwaves. The Beta Increase (right-side) shows the considerable increase in beta activity after just 20 minutes of listening to Beta waves.

Brainwave research on cognitive performance has pointed to the mid Beta brainwave frequencies as the zone to create a super focus mental state, intellectual endurance, and optimize your brain to handle intensive task with high levels of mental stamina.

As you listen to your brainwaves will be entrained into the Beta brainwave zone and have you mentally fine tuned for success.

If you have ever dreamed of realizing your full potential and receiving all the benefits that will help you to quickly and easily unleash your mental powers and achieve your dreams. Listen to this audio and you will:

Sharpen your mental focus, attention, and concentration
Enhance your thinking speed and clarity
Improve your ability to remember and recall information
Increase your mental energy and alertness
And much, much more

you can be experiencing acute concentration, accelerated cognition and amazing mental states that the most focused and zoned achievers on the planet know.

Think of the tremendous impact this could have on your life! and improving your mental efficiency could:
Help you excel in your career
Improve the quality of your life
Improve your marriage
Make you more content
Make you more confident
And much, much more!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:37:00 +0700

Acne Fact and Fiction! Do Stress, Facials and Concealer's Help to Promote or Reduce Acne Breakouts?
by: Stephen M. Seabrook

What is Acne? People have differing opinions as to what acne really is. So, what exactly is acne? Do a couple of occasional but recurring zits qualify as a case of acne or do you have to have a lot of zits?

Believe it or not, the answer is that occasional pimples or zits do not constitute a true case of acne. Although zits do seem to have the ability to appear almost instantaneously and at the most inopportune times like picture day, prom night, spelling bees, sporting events, dates, and special award ceremonies, they are not a true acne outbreak.

The dictionary defines acne as "an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands, characterized by comedones and pimples, especially on the face, back, chest, and, in severe cases, by cysts and nodules resulting in scarring."

The anatomical definition of sebaceous glands is: "small subcutaneous glands usually connected with hair follicles. The follicles secrete an oily semi-fluid matter, composed in great part of fat, which softens and lubricates the hair and skin."

Real acne outbreaks are actually a disease of the skin. However, the great news is that acne is treatable. Although it can be very embarrassing, cause great emotional distress, and lower your personal self-esteem for a period of time, acne is not fatal.

There are new and effective treatments being sought by researchers and great advances have been made in the treatment of acne in the last few years. Years ago, when a person had acne, they were pretty much stuck with the problem. There were very few treatments available and the medical profession didn't even consider acne a disease.

It was long thought that acne was the direct result of a diet that was too high in fat and/or sweets. That is no longer the case. Acne is most often associated with puberty and the onset of pre-teen and teenage years but it can and does develop in adults as well. When acne does finally heal, there can be permanent scars left (from picking and popping) that are unsightly and cause patients to suffer long term emotional distress and low self- esteem.

New and very effective skin resurfacing treatments have been developed over the last several years that have, if not completely removed acne scars, at least diminished their appearance and severity.

Acne Fact or Fiction:

You can hear a lot of tall tales about acne today, so let's take a look at the fact or fiction of acne. It is always better to be well armed with factual information so that you don't get fooled by the fictional facts that surround acne.

Fictional Fact #1: Acne is caused by a lack of sexual activity.

Factual Fact: Acne and sexual activity are two entirely separate issues. One has no bearing on the other. Hormones secreted during puberty and young adulthood does have a bearing on acne. They also have a bearing on sexual arousal and activity. However, acne has no bearing on sexual activity nor does sexual activity have any bearing on acne.

Fictional Fact #2: People have acne because they are dirty.

Factual Fact: Dirt has no part in acne. Dirt is dirt. Acne is acne. One has nothing to do with the other. Acne is a build up of oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria. Dirt isn't involved. Keeping the face clean can and will help to prevent clogged pores but dirt does not cause acne.

Fictional Fact #3: Dermatologists can cure acne.

Factual Fact: Dermatologists can TREAT acne. They can help to alleviate the symptoms and help to clear up the pimples, black-heads, and white heads. They can prescribe antibiotics and topical ointments, lotions, and creams that will help but there is no cure at this time for acne.

Fictional Fact #4: Acne is simply a skin problem.

Factual Fact: It's true that acne affects the skin but it can also affect the way a person sees himself or herself. Acne and the scarring it can leave behind may cause a sufferer to become depressed and develop low self-esteem, both of which can lead to larger and more complex life socialization problems. Acne sufferers need the loving support and reassurance from their family and friends.

Acne and Stress:

Can stress actually cause acne? There is ample evidence available to suggest that stress can most assuredly cause an acne breakout or make an existing breakout worse. Our bodies are highly developed chemical laboratories that produce all sorts of stuff.

At puberty, our body begins to produce an abundance of male hormones and this happens in both boys and girls. This overproduction of male hormones can happen at other times in life besides puberty; for example, when a girl or woman starting or stops taking birth control pills.

These male hormones cause the bodies sebaceous glands to shift into overdrive and begin producing sebum. The sebum then travels up hair follicles, clogs the pores and begins the acne development cycle. However, male hormones are not the only cause for the sebaceous glands to begin producing an overabundance of sebum. When we become extremely stressed or overly emotional, our bodies react by causing the adrenal glands to produce a substance known as Cortisol, which is released directly into the bloodstream. Then the chemical chain reaction continues as the sebaceous glands release sebum, the sebum travels up the same hair follicles, clogs the pores and acne develops.

The physical changes in the body can cause exactly the same chemical chain reaction as the emotional changes in the mind. The mind/body connection is very real. Maybe some of it really IS in your head. If that's the case, there is help available to help people deal with the acne that is caused by stress. Reducing stress will just naturally reduce sebum production by the sebaceous glands and reducing sebum production will help to alleviate an acne breakout. Therefore, when you learn to reduce and control you stress levels, this part of the chemical chain reaction is minimized.

It really it isn't any different than restoring a hormonal balance to your body that reduces sebum production. So, in the final analysis, both factors that cause excessive sebum production should be addressed. Solving one problem might help; however, solving both problems could eliminate acne altogether.

Acne Facials:

If you are part of the 95 of the population who suffer from acne, you have more than likely seen TV or print media advertisements for acne facials. Have you ever wondered if there is anything to the claims that their manufacturers make?

In general, the answer is yes! Most acne facials are very effective, pretty much worth the price, and can be used in conjunction with your usual acne fighting regime. They won't necessarily replace any part of what you are already doing; but, rather enhance the overall effects.

You can find acne facials in most health stores, at many cosmetic counters, and online. As a matter of fact, you can probably complete a better comparison of available products online than you can anywhere else.

Most of these acne facial products provide for a three-step program. The first step is a complete facial cleansing. The next step is a steam massage. The final step is a facial mask. The first two steps are designed to prepare the face. The steam massage softens the black heads and the white heads to remove toxins from your skin. The facial mask serves to remove the dead skin cells from the face and to moisturize it as well. The overall effect of the acne facial is a very relaxing, calming, and cleansing experience. It just plain feels good. Anything that helps to calm and sooth your stress can't be bad because we all know that acne is aggravated by high stress levels. Acne facial masks can be used in addition to other parts of your acne prevention and treatment regime or you may find that the facial can, in fact, actually replace some things that you are currently doing.

Acne Concealer's:

One of Newton's laws of physics laws says that, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." That law of physics spills over into a lot of our life situations. For example: A young woman gets a zit and wants to cover it up. The cosmetics industry has a multitude of products designed to do just that. Okay, that's a little far out there but you get my point.

The acne pimples, whether they are white heads or black heads should never be picked at or popped. If they are popped or picked, it can and normally does result is a scar that is much harder to get rid of than the actual pimple, black head or white head. Popping a pimple is not going to make it go away. In fact, popping a pimple is only going to make the acne worse.

Still when you get a zit, you have to go out and face the world so you are looking for ways to make your skin look clear. You want to disguise the zit and make it as unnoticeable as possible. Here is where the cosmetic industry can help. There are a multitude of products designed to make a zit less noticeable. You don't want to use a product that just adds to the problem by adding additional oil to already oily skin. So, you do need to remember, that when you use a cover product to make the zit less noticeable, you need to totally clean the product from your skin immediately when you return home.

Some of the better known as well as more effective cosmetic concealer's on the market today are:

1. Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Concealer: This product produces a smooth matte appearance and was designed specifically for covering acne blemishes as well as for covering Rosacea and dark circles under the eyes.

2. Flawless Skin by Prescriptives: This product will not aggravate acne but will supply a medium to full coverage and it contains SPF 25 for protection from the sun.

Don't let acne control you; but rather, become smart and learn how to control the negative influences in your life that create a positive situation for acne to develop!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:35:00 +0700

Various Types of Ghosts
by: Sean M.Clarke

You have read volumes about ghosts and have browsed hundreds of websites to devour more information on ghosts, but have you ever wondered how many types of ghosts there are? The fact is that there are various types of ghosts out there and all these are minutely described and documented by the Spiritual Science Research Foundation (SSRF).

The Spiritual Science Research Foundation has undertaken extensive research on ghosts in order to demystify this widespread phenomenon and help people in recognising and treating the adverse effects caused by ghosts through proven methodology according to the science of Spirituality.

At the outset, it is important to note that while we use the phrase ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) as a collective noun to cover the entire gamut of negative energies, there is a vast difference between the lower order ghosts and higher order ghosts such as subtle sorcerers (maantriks) from the sixth and seventh region of Hell. They differ according to their spiritual strength. Ghosts primarily use their spiritual strength to harm humanity.

The generic types of ghosts as identified by the Spiritual Science Research Foundation in ascending order of hierarchy as well as power and strength are:

• Common ghost
• Demons
• Black serpent
• Female goblin
• Jaakhin
• Witch
• Spirit
• Subtle sorcerer

The Hierarchy among Ghosts

There is a hierarchy among ghosts which is based on their spiritual power or strength. Ultimately all ghosts are controlled by subtle sorcerers (maantriks).

Basic shape and form of types of ghosts

The spiritual principle that word, touch, form, taste, smell and its associated energy coexist is also true with ghosts. Depending on their type of energy, they take up generic forms. These forms can however change, depending on what the ghost is trying to achieve. For example, if the ghost is trying to intimidate, it will take up an intimidating form, whereas if it is trying to fool a spiritual healer it may take a form of an angel or a positive energy. They can also take the form of our departed ancestors thus misleading psychics and the people who come to psychics to enquire about departed relatives. This is true in almost all cases.

How does one become a Ghost in the first place?

When a person dies only his physical body ceases to exist. His subtle body however continues to exist and moves on to the other regions of the Universe. Some of these subtle bodies become ghosts. Most ghosts have unfulfilled desires such as cravings for sex, alcohol, revenge, etc. or derive pleasure out of exerting control over and tormenting humans and other subtle bodies. The subtle body of a person after physical death is defined as a ghost if their characteristics and intentions match the above. There is no special process as such which they go through to become a ghost.

How does a Ghost become a particular type of Ghost?

The main reason behind a person becoming a certain type of ghost is due to their predominant personality trait and their predominant thought at the time of death. For example people involved in adversely affecting humanity at large are more likely to become subtle sorcerers (maantriks). On the other hand excessive worldly desires and constantly thinking ill about others may culminate in one becoming a Common Ghost (Bhoot) after death.

Summary

The most reliable way of reducing the risk of being affected or possessed by the various types of ghosts, is undertaking spiritual practice as per the 6 basic principles of spirituality. Spiritual practice and spiritual healing remedies, coupled with personality defect removal and eradication of ego are the tools to access supreme protection from God that insulates one from the attack of ghosts as well as helps us proceed to higher regions in the afterlife.

Visit SSRF’s website to explore more on the salient features of the various types of ghosts, view subtle drawings and pictures of various types of ghosts and discover how they can affect our lives:

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:34:00 +0700

The Healthful Benefits of Troll-Caught Albacore Tuna
by: Steven Stallard

If you have been curious about the heathful qualities of tuna, canned tune in particular, one tuna stands above the rest: Troll-Caught Albacore Tuna

Why is Troll-Caught Albacore Different?

Unique Population.

Troll-caught albacore are smaller, younger, and richer in flavor than the older albacore harvested in the tropical waters of the Pacific. Troll-caught albacore come exclusively from cold Pacific waters. These differences in environment and age result in differences in composition. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch calls the troll-caught albacore fishery healthy and sustainable.

Rich in Omega-3s

These are the essential fatty acids, unique to seafood, that boost heart health, reduce the chance of sudden cardiac mortality, improve blood fat levels, are essential for infant brain and neural development, and are linked to improvements in several inflammatory and immune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Because troll-caught albacore are rich in fat, they contain more omega-3s than any other canned tuna. Fresh troll-caught albacore offer 2-3 times more heart-healthy omega-3s than most other fatty fish. Two servings of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids is recommended by the American Heart Association (AMA).

Common Albacore vs. Troll-Caught Albacore

Common canned albacore or "white meat" tuna, the kind found on supermarket shelves, comes from tropical Pacific waters. During processing, nearly all the fat is lost. Common canned albacore is almost fat-free, but has very little omega-3 fatty acids. In contrast, Pacific troll-caught albacore are younger fish from colder, northern waters. Troll-caught albacore are handled to retain their fat with all its healthful omega-3s. That's why troll-caught albacore tastes juicy and rich and has all the health benefits of these special omega-3 fatty acids.

The question arises about the standard light/white meat tuna we find on out grocery store shelves?

Light meat tuna comes from different species of tuna, usually skipjack or yellowfin tuna. But no distinction among species appears on the labels of canned light meat tuna. The flesh color is usually slightly darker than albacore. These fish, like tropical albacore, come from warm waters and are rich in protein, but have less fat and omega-3 fatty acids than troll-caught albacore.

Where to Find Troll-Caught Albacore

These delicious fish are available fresh in the Pacific Northwest during the harvest season, July through September. Some frozen troll-caught albacore can be found in food markets. Canned gourmet-style troll-caught albacore is available from specialty markets and at some farmers' markets. Today, troll-caught albacore tune can be purchased online from specialty packers and food stores. It can be identified by the nutrition label with "3 grams fat/serving" in contrast to the usual "1 gram" of fat.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:32:00 +0700

Pizza Making Tips and Tricks
by: Sean Lannin

A lot of factors influence will influence the results of your pizza making efforts. Primary among these factors are the pizza ingredients and pizza equipment used. The following are some pizza making tips and tricks that you can apply for the best homemade pizza.

Pizza Ingredients

The pizza ingredients that you use depend on the type of pizza that you wish to make. Moreover, you usually have to prepare three sets of ingredients: one for your pizza crust, another for your pizza toppings and another set for your pizza sauce,

" Pizza crust recipes: usual ingredients and tips

Flour is a definite necessity when making pizza crust. The usual ingredient in making the basic pizza dough is wheat flour, although whole wheat flour is also used by some. For a firm, elastic pizza dough, you'll want to use flour with moderately high gluten content (this is also known as hard flour).

The gluten is formed when water is added to the flour and it is a crucial part of the pizza's structure. Thus, when you make pizza crust, it is best to use bread flour or flour with especially high gluten content (check the label) which has enough gluten content for pizza making purposes. However, people who have celiac disease or those who prefer a low carb pizza crust usually opt for flour with low gluten content. Some even make gluten-free pizza in the belief that it is healthier. In any case, it is advisable to use premium-grade flour milled from first-grade wheat; the flour, moreover, should have quality protein (the flour and water mixture should be very easy to handle) and should be able to absorb a lot of water without becoming soggy and limp.

Yeast is another requirement in making the pizza base. The yeast is the leavening agent and it helps the pizza dough rise as well as helps the dough achieve elasticity (so you can stretch it into pizza rounds without breaking). Yeast and its fermentation, furthermore, give the pizza crust its distinct flavor. Unless you are using the instant dry yeast variety, you should mix yeast with warm water then let the mixture stand for around ten minutes before you use it in your pizza dough mixture. Furthermore, the best, yeasty flavor is achieved by leaving the pizza dough to rise for several hours after kneading.

The other dry ingredients that basic pizza dough has are salt, sugar, baking powder (if you need more leavening than what the yeast can provide), and dry milk. The salt is necessary to create the slightly salty taste of pizza crust which provides a great contrast to the pizza sauce flavor. Sugar, on the other hand, is added to add a slightly sweet taste to the crust as well as to facilitate yeast activity and to yield a browner pizza crust. Do not add a lot of sugar. Powdered milk or milk solids, on the other hand, adds to the dough's bulk, adds flavor and nutrients to the pizza dough as well as gives strength to the pizza dough's structure even if such is over-fermented. Use the non-fat variety especially if you are making low fat pizza.

The liquid ingredients include water and oil. Water is necessary for gluten generation and for activating yeast. Use slightly acidic as well as slightly hard water for best results. To ensure standard water pH, you can use distilled water (which has neutral pH) or tap water (which is usually slightly acidic, especially in cities). Oil, on the other hand, serves well to lubricate the dough for easier handling. Use extra virgin olive oil if you want it to serve more than just lubricating purposes; extra virgin olive oil also has a distinctive flavor. Olive oil, moreover, is healthy for it has lower saturation than other types of oil.

If you prefer, you can use egg white or egg yolk in your pizza dough. The egg white helps strengthen pizza dough whereas egg yolk helps soften dough. As such, you can use either depending on the type of crust you want to make. Add egg yolk, for instance, if you need to make your pizza dough softer. If you will use eggs, don't forget to reduce the amount of water in your pizza crust recipe.

You can also add flavorings like garlic powder to your pizza dough. You can even use herbs on your dough to give it a distinct flavor. Use sourdough starter, on the other hand, if you want to make sourdough pizza.

" Pizza toppings: usual ingredients and tips

There's not much you should know about pizza toppings. The ingredients are pretty much up to you and should depend on the type of pizza you are making. However, there are certain techniques to preparing your pizza toppings. For one, you should use fresh Mozzarella cheese when making your pizza. Moreover, you should not put the cheese on top if you need to bake the pizza for a long time; you'll end up with burnt cheese this way.

The usual pizza toppings include pepperoni, sausages, ground beef, ham, canned tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, bacon, ham, various types of cheese, and olive oil. Other toppings include shrimp, salmon, chicken meat, anchovies, fruits, artichokes, etc.

" Pizza sauce: usual ingredients and tips

The usual pizza sauce recipes have tomato sauce. Flavor is enhanced by adding garlic and onions (whether powder or sautéed) then ground meat, salt, pepper and other usual pizza spices such as basil and oregano. Typically, tomato-based sauces are thick. On the other hand, you can make a thin pizza sauce by mixing oregano and basil with olive oil. The fastest way of making pizza sauce is by using canned pizza sauce.

You must remember to apply pizza sauce with a light hand. Thick sauce must be carefully added on top of the pizza toppings. Thin sauce must be gently rubbed over the pizza. Excessive use of pizza sauce can lead to excess moisture and thus a limp pizza.

Pizza Equipment

You can cook your pizza using a pizza pan or bake it directly on a pizza stone. If you are going to use a standard oven without a pizza stone, then stretch your pizza dough into the desired thickness on your pan, add your toppings and pizza sauce, preheat your oven and bake according to your pizza recipe. If you are using a pizza stone, cut your pizza dough, use one of the portions and stretch it into a pizza round of your desired thickness. Add your desired toppings and your homemade pizza sauce, load the pizza on your wooden peel (pizza paddle) then place said pizza round on top of the pizza stone. The pizza stone, at this point, should have been kept hot in the oven for at least an hour.

It is best to use a pizza stone for baking pizza. This leads to a crispier pizza crust for two reasons. First, it absorbs run-off and excess moisture. Second, it distributes heat from the oven evenly; thus, the pizza crust is uniformly cooked all over.

Naturally, if you want to make deep dish pizza, you have to use a pizza pan. On the other hand, you can pre-bake your deep dish pizza crust, add toppings and sauce then finish baking your pizza on a pizza stone.

A good oven with a timing device and a temperature monitor is also necessary for precise pizza baking. A wooden spoon, on the other hand, should be used for mixing the pizza dough to prevent sticking. Use a marble countertop when kneading dough for the same purpose.

After using your pizza equipment, clean each piece carefully according to the manufacturer's instructions.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:27:00 +0700

All About Pizza
by: Sean Lannin

The term pizza covers a lot of territory. If you want to learn all about pizzas, then you should have a bit of a background on pizzas: specifically the history of pizza, pizza origin, pizza facts, and even pizza trivia such as who invented pizza. The subject also delves into the different types and styles of pizzas. The varieties currently existing defy any attempts at enumeration. Thus, most people who attempt such a task stop at a broad categorization of pizza types according to certain attributes such as crust thickness, crust elasticity, crust baking and cooking procedures, toppings, etc. Aside from general, historical or trivial information, other things are of interest to the pizza lovers. For instance, homemade pizza enthusiasts would like to know certain tips and tricks for making pizza. This includes pizza making techniques, the best pizza crust recipes, pizza toppings, homemade pizza sauce, etc. Some other interesting topics will be frozen pizza dough and where best to attain them, what are the criteria for choosing the, what are the methods for preparing them, etc.

It must be obvious that this article is a mite ambitious for wishing to tackle something entitled "all about pizza." However, an attempt is definitely warranted, so here goes.

Some pizza facts and trivia

Accounts of pizza history always begin with the origin of pizza. This one might as well follow the same tack. We have to thank any civilization or race that baked flat bread on hot stones or stone ovens for pizza, for almost certainly, bread like the focaccia was the "mother of the pizza crust." However, the invention of the pizza is more properly attributed to the Neapolitans - the people of Naples, Italy who were baking and making pizza crust topped with tomatoes, oil, and Italian herbs, and spices. This rudimentary and traditional Italian pizza was common peasant fare in Naples. If you want an individual originator and inventor of pizzas, however, then you won't be wrong if you cite Rafaelle Esposito - a native of Naples; he modified the basic Neapolitan pizza recipe and came up with three variants that added mozzarella cheese to the rudimentary Italian pizza toppings.

Now, if you are looking for some topics for small conversation, then you must remember the following trivia. One note of caution, though; you shouldn't blurt these out just to anybody or you'll sound decidedly corny and geeky. Make sure you're talking to someone interested in pizzas before you use the following trivia as conversational gambits.

" Most people in the United States love pepperoni; the least liked toppings are anchovies.

" Pizza was called (and is still called) tomato pie and pizza pie in certain parts of the States.

" The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in New York.

" The pizza industry is worth more than 30 billion dollars in the United States alone and Americans consume around three billion units of pizza every year.

" New York pizza is traditionally plain. Supposedly, New York pizza is unique because of the acidity and hardness of the water in New York. New Yorkers therefore claim that only in New York can you make real New York Pizza.

(New Yorkers must admit, however, that if water is the unique characteristic of New York pizzas, one who uses water adjusted for hardness and acidity to reflect New York water conditions, adds all the usual New York pizza ingredients and toppings, follows all the procedures strictly but makes the pizza in New Jersey can conceivably make an authentic, New York style pizza. But such an assertion, some would say, is just plain cheek.)

Pizza types and pizza styles

The first step to a great homemade pizza is determining what type of pizza you wish to make. After all, different types of pizza have different attributes and thus call for different types of pizza base, pizza toppings and cooking techniques. Would you like to make an authentic Italian pizza, a New York style pizza, a California style pizza, or a Chicago style pizza?

Italian pizza is generally lean, although when you add cheese, its fat level generally rises in proportion. There are various kinds of Italian pizza, too. There are Neapolitan pizzas, of which there are two general types: the marinara and the Margherita. There are various combinations of these as well. Authentic Italian pizza, moreover, is supposedly baked on wood-fired or even coal-fired, stone ovens.

New York pizza, as abovementioned, is generally plain. The mainstay of New York pizza is mozzarella cheese - fresh mozzarella cheese to be precise. One can add garlic, different types of cheeses, anchovies, shrimp, etc but these are usually optional. The pizza dough recipe for traditional New York pizza, on the other hand, calls for high-gluten flour. The result is firm, usually thin, chewy pizza.

The California style pizza is generally known for gourmet flavors. You can say the California pizza has countless variations. The pizza crust, in this case, is light, crisp and generally well risen. The toppings can be out of this world - generally California pizza makers experiment a lot with all kinds of meat, sea food, breakfast dishes, and vegetable for the toppings.

The Chicago style pizza, on the other hand, is generally crusty and very filling. They are characterized by their raised edges; imagine a pre-baked apple pie crust where you can place the fillings on top. Chicago pizza is usually meaty (some variants come stuffed with cheeses and meat layers) and it is eaten with a knife and fork.

You can also start by deciding on the flavor you want. Do you want to make a cheese pizza, a vegetarian pizza or a fruit pizza? Perhaps you want to make a low fat pizza, a low carb pizza, a healthy pizza? Sourdough pizza is also another variant.

Take your pick among your many options. Once you have decided, choosing the recipe would be much easier. If you have decided on an Italian pizza, for instance, then find your Italian pizza crust recipe, your Italian pizza sauce recipe and the overall Italian pizza recipe that will give you a list of toppings and pizza preparation procedures for making an authentic Italian pizza. For an easier time of it, you can opt to use Italian-style frozen pizza dough then just follow the Italian pizza recipe that you've found.

Some pizza making tips and techniques

Hand tossing will help you minimize the lumps in your pizza dough. However, this should be done only after sufficient pizza dough kneading. This process lets your pizza dough develop into the right kind of consistency - that which is suitable for stretching and hand tossing. Hand tossing, however, is not advisable for thick pizza crust varieties.

If you want a crisp and firm pizza that retains its structure even when the moist toppings are added, you can bake the pizza crust before you add the toppings and the pizza sauce. However, for thin pizza crusts, baking the crust after the toppings and sauce have been added is sufficient. For uniform baking and crisping of the crust, use a pizza stone or a pizza screen.

Finally, remember that the protein content of your flour will influence the end product. High-gluten flour will lead to a crisp but chewy crust. Gluten-free flour, however, may lead to very soft dough; additives may have to be used to give the pizza dough strength.

Quick pizza crust recipes and easy homemade pizza recipes of all kinds and style are easily available online. There are tips for baking and preparing frozen pizza dough, making your own pizza dough, preparing the ingredients for the best pizza crust recipe, etc. All you need to start making your very own pizza recipe is an internet connection, a good source of basic pizza recipe, great pizza equipment, your imagination, and lots of time and resources for experimentation.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:25:00 +0700

The Battle of the Browsers – The History and the Future of Internet Browsers
by: Nicholas C Smith

With Internet Explorer 8 now available, can Microsoft hope to retain market dominance over fierce open source rivals such as Mozilla's Firefox or the feature packed Opera web browser. Can history give us a clue to what the future of web browsers/browsing might hold? How did Netscape Navigator go from having a dominant 89.36% market share of all web browsers in 1996 and yet only 3.76% by mid 1999?

Let us take a journey that will begin long before even the intellectual conception of Internet Explorer, that will glance at its long defeated rivals, examine the current browsers available and will end with a prediction of what the future of browsing will offer us – and which browser(s) will still be around to offer it.

People often think that Internet Explorer has been the dominant web browser since the golden age of the internet began. Well for a very long time now it has indeed been the most popular browser and at times been almost totally unrivalled. This was mainly a result of it being packaged free with Microsoft Windows, in what some would later call a brutal monopolisation attempt by Microsoft. The last few years however have heralded the arrival of new, possibly superior browsers. Mozilla's Firefox has been particularly successful at chipping away at Explorers market dominance. So where did it all begin, and why were Microsoft ever allowed to have a hundred percent market dominance?

Origins

The truth is they never did have total dominance, but at times they have come very close. Microsoft actually entered the Browser Battle quite late on. Infact a man named Neil Larson is credited to be one of the originators of internet browsers, when in 1977 he created a program – The TRS-80 - that allowed browsing between “sites” via hypertext jumps. This was a DOS program and the basis of much to come. Slowly other browsers powered by DOS and inspired by the TRS 80 were developed. Unfortunately they were often constricted by the limitations of the still fairly young internet itself.

In 1988, Peter Scott and Earle Fogel created a simple, fast browser called Hytelnet, which by 1990 offered users instant logon and access to the online catalogues of over five thousand libraries around the world – an exhilarating taste of what the internet, and web browsers, would soon be able to offer.

In 1989 the original World Wide Web was born. Using a NeXTcube computer, Tim Berners-Lee created a web browser that would change how people used the internet forever. He called his browser the WorldWideWeb(http://www., which is still likely to sound familiar to internet users today. It was a windowed browser capable of displaying simple style sheet, capable of editing sites and able to download and open any file type supported by the NeXTcube.

In 1993 the first popular graphical browser was released. Its name was Mosaic and it was created by Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina. Mosaic could be run on both Unix, and very importantly, on the highly popular Microsoft Windows operating system (incidentally it could also be used on Amiga and Apple computers). It was the first browser on Windows that could display graphics/pictures on a page where there was also textual content. It is often cited as being responsible for triggering the internet boom due to it making the internet bearable for the masses. (It should be noted that the web browser Cello was the first browser to be used on Windows – but it was non graphical and made very little impact compared to Mosaic).

The Browser Wars - Netscape Navigator versus Internet Explorer

Mosaic's decline began almost as soon as Netscape Navigator was released (1994). Netscape Navigator was a browser created by Marc Andreessen, one of the men behind Mosaic and co-founder of Netscape Communications Corporation. Netscape was unrivalled in terms of features and usability at the time. For example, one major change from previous browsers was that it allowed surfers to see parts of a website before the whole site was downloaded. This meant that people did not have to wait for minutes simply to see if the site they were loading was the actual one the were after, whilst also allowing them to read information on the site as the rest of it downloaded. By 1996 Netscape had almost 90% market dominance, as shown below.

Market Share Comparisons of Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer from 1996 to 1998

....................Netscape.......IE
October 1998..........64%.........32.2%
April 1998............70%.........22.7%
October 1997..........59.67%......15.13%
April 1997............81.13%......12.13%
October 1996..........80.45%......12.18%
April 1996............89.36%.......3.76%

In these two years Netscape clearly dominated the internet browser market, but a new browser named Internet Explorer was quickly gaining ground on it.

Microsoft released their own browser (ironically based on the earlier Mosaic browser which was created by one of the men now running Netscape), clearly worried about Netscape's dominance. It was not so much the worry that it would have a 100% market share of internet browsers on their Windows operating system, but more the worry that browsers would soon be capable of running all types programs on them. That would mean foregoing the need for an actual operating system, or at the most only a very basic one would be needed. This in turn would mean Netscape would soon be able to dictate terms to Microsoft, and Microsoft were not going to let that happen easily. Thus in August 1995, Internet Explorer was released.

By 1999 Internet explorer had captured an 89.03% market share, whilst Netscape was down to 10.47%. How could Internet Explorer make this much ground in just two years? Well this was down to two things really. The first, and by far the most important was that Microsoft bundled Internet Explorer in with every new copy of Windows, and as Windows was used by about 90% of the computer using population it clearly gave them a huge advantage. Internet Explorer had one other ace it held over Netscape – it was much better. Netscape Navigator was stagnant and had been for some time. The only new features it ever seemed to introduce were often perceived by the public as beneficial for Netscape's parent company rather than Netscape's user base. (i.e., features that would help it monopolise the market). Explorer, on the other hand, was given much attention by Microsoft. Regular updates and excellent usability plus a hundred million dollar investment would prove too much for Netscape Explorer.

2000 – 2005

These years were fairly quiet in the Battle of the Browsers. It seemed as if Internet Explorer had won the war and that nobody could even hope to compete with it. In 2002/2003 it had attained about 95% of the market share – about the time of IE 5/6. With over 1000 people working on it and millions of dollars being poured in, few people had the resources to compete. Then again, who wanted to compete? It was clearly a volatile market, and besides that everybody was content with Internet Explorer. Or were they? Some people saw faults with IE – security issues, incompatibility issues or simply bad programming. Not only that, it was being shoved down peoples throats. There was almost no competition to keep it in line or to turn to as an alternative. Something had to change. The only people with the ability and the power to compete with Microsoft took matters into their own hands.

Netscape was now supported by AOL. A few years prior, just after they had lost the Browser Wars to Microsoft, they had released the coding for Netscape into the public domain. This meant anybody could develop their own browser using the Netscape skeleton. And people did. Epiphany, Galeon and Camino, amongst others, were born out of Netscape's ashes. However the two most popular newcomers were called Mozilla and Firefox.

Mozilla was originally an open sourced project aimed to improve the Netscape browser. Eventually it was released as Netscape Navigator 7 and then 8. Later it was released as Mozilla 1.0.

Mozilla was almost an early version on another open source browser, Firefox. With it being an open source the public were able to contribute to it - adding in what features it needed, the programming it required and the support it deserved. The problems people saw in Internet Explorer were being fixed by members of the open sourced browser community via Firefox. For instance, the many security issues IE 6 had were almost entirely fixed in the very first release of Firefox. Microsoft had another fight on their hands.

2005 – Present

Firefox was the browser that grew and grew in these years. Every year capturing an even larger market share percentage than before. More user friendly than most of its rivals along with high security levels and arguably more intelligent programming helped its popularity. With such a large programming community behind it, updates have always been regular and add on programs/features are often released. It prides itself on being the peoples browser. It currently has a 28.38% market share.

Apple computers have had their own browser since the mid 1990's – Safari - complete with its own problems, such as (until recently) the inability to run Java scripts. However most Apple users seemed happy with it and a version capable of running on Windows has been released. It has had no major competitor on Apple Macs, and as such has largely been out of the Browser Wars. It currently holds a 2.54% market share and is slowly increasing.

Internet Explorer's market share has dropped from over 90% to around 75%, and is falling. It will be interesting to see what Microsoft will attempt to regain such a high market share.

Opera currently holds 1.07%.

Mozilla itself only has a 0.6% market share these days.

The Future of Web Browsing

Web browsers come and go. It is the nature of technology (if such a term can be used), to supplant inferior software in very short periods of time. It is almost impossible for a single company to stay ahead of the competition for long. Microsoft have the advantage of being able to release IE with any Windows using PC. That covers over 90% of the market. They also have the advantage of unprecedented resources. They can compete how they wish for as long as they wish. So there is no counting IE out of the future of web browsing.

Safari is in a similar position, being easily the most popular Mac web browser. Its long term survival is dependant upon Apple and the sale of their computers.

These are the only two browsers that are almost guaranteed another five years of life, at least. Firefox may seem like another candidate, but the public is fickle, and one bad release, or if it seriously lags behind the new Internet Explorer 8 for long, could easily see its popularity quickly descend into virtual oblivion.

However, it seems likely community driven browsers, such as Mozilla and Firefox, will be the only types of browser capable of competing with the wealthy internet arm of Microsoft in the near future.

As for web browsing itself, will it change any time soon? Well it already has for some online communities. For example, if you want to buy clothes you could try entering an online 'world' creating an online virtual You to go from 'shop to shop' with, looking at products and trying/buying what you see. Some 'worlds' allow you to recreate yourself accurately including weight and height and then try on things apparel such as jeans to give you an idea of how you would look in that particular item.

Will 'worlds' like this destroy normal web browsers such as IE ? - It seems unlikely. Traditional web browsers provide such freedom and ease of access that it is hard to see any other alternative taking over. However they are part of the new, 'thinking out of the box' wave of alternatives that some people will find attractive, and really who knows what the future will bring.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:21:00 +0700

Can Data Breaches Be Expected From Bankrupt Mortgage Lenders?
by: Tim Maliyil

The stock market is in a tumult. Actually, it has been for about a year, ever since the subprime fiasco (anyone take a look at Moody's performance over the past year?) Now that that particular issue has been beaten to death, other mortgage related issues are cropping up. Most of the stuff covered in the media is financial in nature, but some of those mortgage related issues do concern information security.

It's no secret that there are plenty of companies in the US that discard sensitive documents by dumping them unceremoniously: leave it by the curb, drive it to a dumpster, heave it over the walls of abandoned property, and other assorted mind boggling insecure practices. In fact, MSNBC has an article on this issue, and names numerous bankrupt mortgage companies whose borrowers' records were found in dumpsters and recycling centers. The information on those documents include credit card numbers and SSNs, as well as addresses, names, and other information needed to secure a mortgage.

Since the companies have filed for bankruptcy and are no more, the potential victims involved have no legal recourse, and are left to fend for themselves. In a way, it makes sense that companies that have filed for bankruptcy are behaving this way. (Not that I'm saying this is proper procedure.) For starters, if a company does wrong, one goes after the company; however, the company has filed for bankruptcy, it is no more, so there's no one to "go after." In light of the company status, this means that the actual person remaining behind to dispose of things, be they desks or credit applications, can opt to do whatever he feels like. He could shred the applications. He could dump them nearby. He could walk away and let the building's owner take care of them. What does he care? It's not as if he's gonna get fired.

Also, proper disposal requires either time, money, or both. A bankrupt company doesn't have money. It may have time, assuming people are going to stick around, but chances are their shredder has been seized by creditors. People are not going to stick around to shred things by hand, literally.

Aren't there any laws regulating this? Apparently, such issues are covered by FACTA, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, and although its guidelines require that "businesses to dispose of sensitive financial documents in a way that protects against 'unauthorized access to or use of the information'" [msnbc.com], it stops short of requiring the physical destruction of data. I'm not a lawyer, but perhaps there's enough leeway in the language for one to go around dropping sensitive documents in dumpsters?

Like I mentioned before, inappropriate disposal of sensitive documents has been going on forever; I'm pretty sure this has been a problem since the very first mortgage was issued. My personal belief is that most companies would act responsibly and try to properly dispose of such information. But, this may prove to be a point of concern as well because of widespread misconceptions of what it means to protect data against unauthorized access.

What happens if a company that files for bankruptcy decides to sell their company computers to pay off creditors? Most people would delete the information found in the computer, and that's that-end of story. Except, it's not. When files are deleted, the actual data still resides in the hard disks; it's just that the computer's operating system doesn't have a way to find the information anymore. Indeed, this is how retail data restoration applications such as Norton are able to recover accidentally deleted files.

Some may be aware of this and decide to format the entire computer before sending it off to the new owners. The problem with this approach is the same as deleting files: data recovery is a cinch with the right software. Some of them retail for $30 or less-as in free. So, the sensitive data that's supposed to be deleted can be recovered, if not easily, at least cheaply-perhaps by people with criminal interests.

Am I being paranoid? I don't think so. I've been tracking fraud for years now, and I can't help but conclude that the criminal underworld has plenty of people looking to be niche operators, not to mention that there are infinitesimal ways of defrauding people (look up "salad oil" and "American Express," for an example). An identification theft ring looking to collect sensitive information from bankrupt mortgage dealers wouldn't surprise me, especially in an environment where such companies are dropping left and right.

The economics behind it make sense as well. A used computer will retail anywhere from $100 to $500. The information in it, if not wiped correctly, will average many times more even if you factor in the purchase of data recovery software. Criminals have different ways of capitalizing on personal data, ranging from selling the information outright to engaging in something with better returns.

Is there a better way to protect oneself? Whole disk encryption is a way to ensure that such problems do not occur: One can just reformat the encrypted drive itself to install a new OS; the original data remains encrypted, so there's no way to extract the data. Plus, the added benefit is that the data is protected in the event that a computer gets lost or stolen. However, commonsense dictates that encryption is something ongoing concerns sign up for, not businesses about to go bankrupt. My guess is that sooner or later we'll find instances of data breaches originating from equipment being traced back to bankrupt mortgage dealers.

The stock market is in a tumult. Actually, it has been for about a year, ever since the subprime fiasco (anyone take a look at Moody's performance over the past year?) Now that that particular issue has been beaten to death, other mortgagerelated issues are cropping up. Most of the stuff covered in the media is financial in nature, but some of those mortgagerelated issues do concern information security.

It's no secret that there are plenty of companies in the US that discard sensitive documents by dumping them unceremoniously: leave it by the curb, drive it to a dumpster, heave it over the walls of abandoned property, and other assorted mindboggling insecure practices. In fact, MSNBC has an article on this issue, and names numerous bankrupt mortgage companies whose borrowers' records were found in dumpsters and recycling centers. The information on those documents include credit card numbers and SSNs, as well as addresses, names, and other information needed to secure a mortgage.

Since the companies have filed for bankruptcy and are no more, the potential victims involved have no legal recourse, and are left to fend for themselves. In a way, it makes sense that companies that have filed for bankruptcy are behaving this way. (Not that I'm saying this is proper procedure.) For starters, if a company does wrong, one goes after the company; however, the company has filed for bankruptcy, it is no more, so there's no one to "go after." In light of the company status, this means that the actual person remaining behind to dispose of things, be they desks or credit applications, can opt to do whatever he feels like. He could shred the applications. He could dump them nearby. He could walk away and let the building's owner take care of them. What does he care? It's not as if he's gonna get fired.

Also, proper disposal requires either time, money, or both. A bankrupt company doesn't have money. It may have time, assuming people are going to stick around, but chances are their shredder has been seized by creditors. People are not going to stick around to shred things by hand, literally.

Aren't there any laws regulating this? Apparently, such issues are covered by FACTA, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, and although its guidelines require that "businesses to dispose of sensitive financial documents in a way that protects against 'unauthorized access to or use of the information'" [msnbc.com], it stops short of requiring the physical destruction of data. I'm not a lawyer, but perhaps there's enough leeway in the language for one to go around dropping sensitive documents in dumpsters?

Like I mentioned before, inappropriate disposal of sensitive documents has been going on forever; I'm pretty sure this has been a problem since the very first mortgage was issued. My personal belief is that most companies would act responsibly and try to properly dispose of such information. But, this may prove to be a point of concern as well because of widespread misconceptions of what it means to protect data against unauthorized access.

What happens if a company that files for bankruptcy decides to sell their company computers to pay off creditors? Most people would delete the information found in the computer, and that's that-end of story. Except, it's not. When files are deleted, the actual data still resides in the hard disks; it's just that the computer's operating system doesn't have a way to find the information anymore. Indeed, this is how retail data restoration applications such as Norton are able to recover accidentally deleted files.

Some may be aware of this and decide to format the entire computer before sending it off to the new owners. The problem with this approach is the same as deleting files: data recovery is a cinch with the right software. Some of them retail for $30 or less-as in free. So, the sensitive data that's supposed to be deleted can be recovered, if not easily, at least cheaply-perhaps by people with criminal interests.

Am I being paranoid? I don't think so. I've been tracking fraud for years now, and I can't help but conclude that the criminal underworld has plenty of people looking to be niche operators, not to mention that there are infinitesimal ways of defrauding people (look up "salad oil" and "American Express," for an example). An identification theft ring looking to collect sensitive information from bankrupt mortgage dealers wouldn't surprise me, especially in an environment where such companies are dropping left and right.

The economics behind it make sense as well. A used computer will retail anywhere from $100 to $500. The information in it, if not wiped correctly, will average many times more even if you factor in the purchase of data recovery software. Criminals have different ways of capitalizing on personal data, ranging from selling the information outright to engaging in something with better returns.

Is there a better way to protect oneself? Whole disk encryption is a way to ensure that such problems do not occur: One can just reformat the encrypted drive itself to install a new OS; the original data remains encrypted, so there's no way to extract the data. Plus, the added benefit is that the data is protected in the event that a computer gets lost or stolen. However, commonsense dictates that encryption is something ongoing concerns sign up for, not businesses about to go bankrupt. My guess is that sooner or later we'll find instances of data breaches originating from equipment being traced back to bankrupt mortgage dealers.