Malaysia - Scandal and Issues

French ban on Red Bull (drink) upheld by European Court

2009-11-12T09:12:00.002+08:00

Health concerns over the Red Bull energy drink were fuelled yesterday after Europe's highest court upheld a French ban on the product.

The fizzy drink has been linked to several deaths and some experts have criticised its high levels of caffeine and other stimulants.

Red Bull is Britain's best-selling energy drink, with 213 million cans consumed last year. It has been dubbed the 'clubbers' drink', and is often mixed with vodka. The popular adverts claiming that Red Bull 'gives you wings', have led to the brand being described as 'the Porsche of soft drinks'.

It contains caffeine, vitamins, and sugar which, the company claims, kick-starts the body's metabolism and keeps people alert. But France has refused to authorise its sale, along with other vitamin-fortified foods such as Danone yoghurt and Kellogg's cereals.

The European Commission (EC) challenged France's ban after manufacturers complained it was inhibiting imports.

In a ruling yesterday, the European Court of Justice upheld the main part of the EC challenge, ordering France to lift the ban unless it could prove the health risks. But the court said that the French government did have a right to ban Red Bull.

The judges said that a study by the French Scientific Committee on Human Nutrition found that Red Bull contained excessive caffeine. The committee also raised concerns about the drink's other ingredients - taurine, an amino acid the company claims can 'kick-start' the metabolism - and glucuronolactone, a carbohydrate.

The EC's Scientific Committee on Food conducted a study last year, and found that while caffeine levels in energy drinks were safe, more studies were needed to assess the dangers of taurine and glucuronolactone.

While other toxicology experts had concluded that the caffeine levels in Red Bull are safe, France had a right to ban the drink on the advice of its own experts, the court said.

One can of Red Bull contains 80mg of caffeine - equivalent to one cup of coffee. Three years ago, Ross Cooney, 18, from Ireland, died after he shared four cans of Red Bull and played in a basketball match.

An inquest into his death ruled that he died from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.

Lyndel Costain, a dietician, said: 'The problem with caffeine is that the effects can vary, so it is difficult to say what is a safe level. High levels of caffeine can be dangerous for people with high blood pressure or anxiety disorders. Not much is known about taurine and glucuronolactone, but high levels of them could affect the body.'

Red Bull - which sells 1.6 billion cans worldwide - said yesterday that its product was safe.

A spokeswoman said: 'Red Bull will continue to be sold in 100 countries worldwide.' She added: 'No authority in the world has ever discovered or proven an unhealthy effect in or from Red Bull.'

Only France, Denmark and Norway have banned the drink. Britain's Committee on Toxicity investigated Red Bull in 2001 and found that it was safe, but warned pregnant women against it because high caffeine intake has been linked to a risk of miscarriage.

An EU ruling which comes into force this year means that Red Bull and other energy drinks will have to carry 'high caffeine content' warnings. An urban myth that taurine was made from bull's semen has only added to its popularity.

Safety fears Ross Cooney, 18, was a healthy basketball player, but died in 2000 just hours after drinking Red Bull.

The student from Limerick, Ireland, died after sharing four cans of the drink with friends before a basketball game.

At his inquest, the coroner called officials from the Austrian-based company to give evidence about their product. They said that no adverse effects had been proven in connection with the drink.

The inquest jury later ruled that the teenager had died as a result of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, but called for an inquiry into high-caffeine energy drinks.

A Brazilian study found that those who mix Red Bull with alcohol may be drunker than they think they are - the energy drink may mask the alcohol effect.

-- How good are these energy drinks?
-- The Perils Of Mixing Energy Drinks With Alcohol
-- Scientists Close In On Taurine's Activity In The Brain

Written by - Christian Nordqvist

To Soya/Tofu lovers: Females MUST READ...

2009-10-26T13:40:00.001+08:00

Dear All,
       All Males     -     PLEASE  pass this info to ALL your female friends...     It may save their lives!. Something to take note of. This is my true story, nothing altered.   These are facts, as they relate to my experience, my opinions based on what I have read and felt.   I am relating them to warn other young health-conscious women who are unwittingly harming themselves.
  One of the changes I wanted to make was to eat healthier.
  I bought soya muffins, miso soup with tofu,soybeans, soybean, sprouts, etc.     All the literature in all the health and fitness magazines said that soya protected you against everything from heart disease to breast cancer.   It was the magical isoflavones, the estrogen-like hormones that all worked to help you stay young and healthy.   I looked great - I was working out all the time, but my menstrual cycle was off.   At 20,   I started taking birth control pills to regulate my menstrual cycle.
  I began to get puffy, it was as though I was losing my muscle tone.   I began to suffer from depression and getting hot flashes.    I mistook all this for PMS since my periods were irregular.   By the time I was 25, my periods were so bad,   I couldn't walk.   The birth control pills never made them regular or less painful so I decided to stop taking them.
  At 27, my gynecologist found two cysts in my uterus.   Both were the size of tennis balls.    I went through surgery to have them removed and thank God they were benign.   The gynecologist told me to go back on birth control pills.    I didn't.    In 1998, he discovered a lump in my breast.   Again, I went through surgery and again it was benign.
    Thinking I had a tooth infection I went to the dentist who told me that teeth were not the problem.
  At this point I could feel a tiny nodule on the right side of my neck.    I told my mother I had thyroid trouble.   She thought I was being silly.   No one in the family suffered from thyroid trouble.   Going on a hunch I saw a specialist who diagnosed me with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.   After a series of tests he told me it was cancer.   My fiance and I sat stunned.   We were not prepared and I was so scared.   We scheduled surgery right away.
   They found a tumor at my right lobe composed of irregular cells and another smaller tumor growing on the left, so the entire thyroid was removed.   They told me that after undergoing radioactive iodine I would be safe and assured me that I could live a long life.
  I never once thought it could be all the soya I had consumed for nearly ten years.     After all, soya is healthy.    I came upon a web page that linked thyroid problems to soya intake and the conspiracy of soya marketed as a by-product of the vegetable oil industry.   This was insane, after all, the health and fitness magazines had said nothing about soya being harmful.
  She informed me that soya was the culprit.   She had a hysterectomy due to cysts and other uterine problems.   A few months later another acquaintance who had consumed soya came down with thyroid cancer.
  What was going on?
    What mimics estrogen in the female body, SOYA!     But I never suspected soya because until now I never once found a single article that stated soya could be dangerous.
      I think this is the reason that women with thyroid cancer often develop breast cancer later. My co-worker is big into soya and I see her losing hair and gaining weight despite a walking workout during her break and after work, and apples and oranges for lunch.   She just had cysts removed from her uterus too. I warned her to stay off soya.    I referred her to websites but until it is on the evening news on all four networks, women will suffer. Since the thyroidectomy, I do not touch soya, haven't for two years.
Dear readers,
    There are so many young girls who are consuming soya because they think they are taking care of themselves, and women taking soya because they want to be healthy.     It is so unfair that the information about the dangers of soya isn't more widely circulated.   It is sad.

AVOID KERINCHI LINK on WET DAY!

2009-10-08T09:26:00.002+08:00

AVOID KERINCHI LINK ON WET DAY!!!! Im urging u! *Please don’t forward my email with my email, remember to remove my email address 1 st Thanks!* J
I had an accident at Kerinchi link yesterday at 630am, Im fine don’t worry I just want to warn every1 to avoid this highway especially on WET DAY!

Well, I was suppose to meet up some friends for a waterfall trip. So I was coming from RTM building, going towards to Damansara, I know there is a curve so I try to press on the brake to slow down a little. But I still lost control at the dangerous curve, the road was wet and just too slippery. See below photo, when I drove on this curve, my car got skidded and my tyre hit the right divider (bang!) Then I saw this wira which had the same accident before me, so I tried to avoid it and controlled my steering driving to the left, I kept trying to press on my car brake but my car just lost control, my god! After that, my car tyre hit the left divider (another big “bang”!) and it jus stopped and cant move at all, engine was still working.

After I get down from my car and crossed over to the right divider, 1 motorcyclist skidded and fell from his motor bike, everyone screamed at him, asking him to get up quickly before any car come and hit him LLL My heart nearly fell out! Huh………….. Then another car got skidded and hit the dividers, so I know how my car got skidded and hit the divider. In total I saw 3 cars and 2 motorbikes had the same accident with my own eyes, real scary, before me, another 3 cars had experienced the same accident! GOSH!!! 1 kancil lady said she only drive 60 per km!

I scream every time when I see any vehicle skidded and hit the divider, almost every car got skidded! Some so lucky because they were driving very slow or their car has good traction control feature, so jus skidded without hitting the dividers, must be slower than 60 per km I guess! GOSH! The 1 st photo was taken at abt 645am.

Please don’t use that highway ON WET day, 2 of my friends were driving slowly at the same curve but their car got skidded too! But thank god they didn’t hit the divider. I was on average speed as I know this dangerous curve and I use this highway quite often but never on a wet day. L

Another fren told that his fren had the same experience few month ago, same curve on a wet day too!

Well, this is such a bad road condition! And I had to pay RM300 road compound! How can I complain about Kerinchi link??? I will spread this via facebook too! Can I write a letter to the star??? Im doing it for those car who drove slowly but still had the accidents! No motorcyclist was escape!! None of them! I only saw 2 motorbikes and both skidded and motorcyclists fell down in the middle of the road! How dangerous!

I saw this CRV car in the workshop just now, the poor lady owner had the same accident, same spot as me, at 5am ++ yesterday, now she is in the hosp and she hurt her back bone L pray that she will recover very soon! I urge u guys to ban this highway, PLEASE! Kerinchi link is such a irresponsible highway management co.! This must be a known issue long ago right? What are they thinking about?

Luckily I didn’t drive that fast right? I did slow down (u hv to believe me L ) as I know where is the curve!

See my car body stil very pretty!!!! Unbelievable!

The tyre arm broken!

Please urge ur friend and family to avoid this highway, especially on WET DAY!

Alcohol treated like soft drinks

2009-10-07T07:58:00.002+08:00

THE report “Truancy a problem among pupils” (The Star, Oct 1) didn’t come as quite a shock to me, as the issue has been a long and hard battle to fight.
What’s shocking was that “consumption of alcoholic drinks” was among the top of the list, and even smoking probably comes after that.
As alcoholic beverages can easily be bought at even the 24-hour convenience stores and supermarkets, it looks like more and more youths would be able to consume them.
I have seen Malay teenagers (in school uniforms) going into the non-halal section in a hypermarket, looking for alcoholic drinks and grabbing some bottles and cans the moment they spotted them.
To make things worse, they just nonchalantly brought the drinks over to the counter, and the cashier didn’t even bat an eyelid when scanning the bottles and cans.
Nobody bothered to check for their identification or stop them while they were in the section.
Alcoholic drinks are now treated like soft drinks by youths, and if one is seen consuming it, then he or she is often labelled as ‘cool’.
I shudder at the thought of a future of alcoholic youths should the situation worsen.
BIBI,
Rembau.
Source: The Star

PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT

2009-09-29T08:15:00.001+08:00

Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents your office staff, your friend, everyone you meet.

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:
It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It should go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around...

After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there ....

This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is fantastic. Would also be useful for any other emergencies, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone. eg: A lady has suggested to her husband that he carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and she doesn't hear him. He can activate the car alarm and then she'll know there's a problem.

Please pass his on even IF you've read it before. It's a reminder.

Don't drink water that left in the car

2009-09-16T12:11:00.000+08:00

Bottled water in your car.....very dangerous, woman!!!!This is how Sheryl Crow got breast cancer. She was on the Ellen show and said this same exact thing.

This has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels in breast cancer, especi ally in Australia .

A friend whose mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer said that the Doctor told her: women should not d rin k bottled water that has been left in a car.

The doctor said that the heat and the plastic of the bottle have certain chemicals that can lead to breast cancer. So please be careful and do not d rin k bottled water that has been left in a car, and, pass this on to all the women in your life.

This information is the kind we need to know and be aware and just might save us!!!! The heat causes toxins from the plastic to leak into the water and they have found these toxins in breast tissue.

Use a stainless steel Canteen or a glass bottle when you can!!!Please inform all ladies you know.

GPS (IMPORTANT) - PLEASE READ !!!

2009-08-27T10:28:00.001+08:00

This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology - GPS
A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football match. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans.

Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.

When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house.

The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean up the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

MOBILE PHONE

I never thought of this.......
This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card,wallet...etc... Was stolen.

20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text Asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago.' When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn.

The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby,Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc.... And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back. Also, when you're being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.

IT'S MINE AND YOUR DUTY TO PASS THIS ON

2009-07-31T10:16:00.003+08:00

I know this is horrific to read and see, but if it helps to stop child abuse, we must all pass it on.

BLUE RIBBON AGAINST CHILD ABUSE

My name is Sarah
I am but three,
my eyes are swollen
I cannot see .

I must be stupid,
I must be bad,
what else could have made
my daddy so mad?

I wish I were better,
I wish I weren't ugly,
then maybe my Mommy
would still want to hug me.

I can't speak at all,
I can't do a wrong
or else I'm locked up
all the day long.

When I awake I'm all alone
the house is dark
my folks aren't home.

When my Mommy does come
I'll try and be nice,
so maybe I'll get just
one whipping tonight.

Don't make a sound!
I just heard a car
my daddy is back
from Charlie's Bar.

I hear him curse
my name he calls
I press myself
against the wall.

I try and hide
from his evil eyes
I'm so afraid now
I'm starting to cry.

He finds me weeping
he shouts ugly words,
he says its my fault
that he suffers at work.

He slaps me and hits me
and yells at me more,
I finally get free
and I run for the door. He's already locked it
and I start to bawl,
he takes me and throws me
against the hard wall.

I fall to the floor
with my bones nearly broken,
and my daddy continues
with more bad words spoken.

'I'm sorry!' I scream
but its now much too late
his face has been twisted
into unimaginable hate.

The hurt and the pain
again and again
oh please God, have mercy!
oh please let it end!

And he finally stops
and heads for the door,
while I lay there motionless
sprawled on the floor.

My name is Sarah
and I am but three,
tonight my daddy
murdered me.
There are thousands of kids out there just like Sarah. And you can help

It sickens me to my soul, and if you just read this and don't pass it on I pray for your forgiveness, because you would have to be one heartless person to not be affected by this email. And because you are affected, do something about it!! So all I am asking you to do is take some time to send this on and acknowledge that this stuff does happen, and that people like her dad do live in our society, and pray for child abuse to wither out and die, but also pray for the safety of our youth.

Please pass this poem on as a Blue Ribbon Against Child Abuse because, as crazy as it might sound, it might just indirectly change a life.

*~*~* AGAINST CHILD ABUSE*~*~

Beware of EPF scandal - Please take care of your hard earned money

2009-04-30T15:05:00.001+08:00

This is a scheme to cheat our hard earned EPF money.

When EPF migrated to the computerised system, they simply THROW AWAY ALL OUR NOMINATION CARDS.

They are TOO LAZY TO MANUALLY ENTER OUR DETAILS into the computerized system.

They claimed that the data is lost due to new computer migration from one system to another.

EPF must have asked a monkey to do the job, that's why the data is lost.

But interestingly, only nomination data is lost.

Where there is no nomination record and when a contributor dies and no one come forward to make a claim; after some years, someone will divert the money

to another account and eventually sapu the money into their own pockets.

This is true... Pls have it check out! I went to KWSP and found out my benefiaries gone too! So I have to provide a NEW nomination.

Some even have all their data missing! Better check it out before it is too late.

For easier process, pls bring along original and a photocopy of IC...this could be done immediately with a confirmation copy for ref.

No wonder there are a lot of ' Unclaimed ' over past 10 years! Suggest we better random check every year. Please check your EPF norminations! EPF

changed to new system on 31/12/2006, guess the conversion missed out the beneficiary file.

I went yesterday with my wife and shock to find out that both our a/cs do not have any beneficiary. We are very sure that we had personally gone to EPF

office together and updated our record and now all the records are gone.

Reason given by the officer was ' Saya pun tidak dapat jawab lah, munkin sudah sampai masa kamu check sendiri'.

Two of my friends went to check after receiving my email also found the same answer - No record.

Please inform your friends & colleagues - strongly advise to check your EPF records ASAP!

Important - new drug targeting young people

2009-03-03T08:41:00.000+08:00

This is a new drug known as 'strawberry quick'.

There is a very scary thing going on in the schools right now that we all need to be aware of.

There is a type of crystal meth going around that looks like strawberry pop rocks (the candy that sizzles and 'pops' in your mouth). It also smells like strawberry and it is being handed out to kids in school yards. They are calling it strawberry meth or strawberry quick.

Kids are ingesting this thinking that it is candy and being rushed off to the hospital in dire condition. It also comes in chocolate, peanut butter, cola, cherry, grape and orange.

Please instruct your children not to accept candy from strangers and even not to accept candy that looks like this from a friend (who may have been given it and believe it is candy) and to take any that they may have to a teacher, principal, etc. immediately.

Pass this email on to as many people as you can (even if they don't have kids) so that we can raise awareness and hopefully prevent any tragedies from occurring.

Horrible story!

2009-01-23T15:15:00.000+08:00

I ordered a Club Sandwich and a Sprite in a restaurant somewhere in Malaysia . When I finished half of the sandwich I sipped a sprite. But it didnt taste like an ordinary sprite I used to drink. So I sipped once more, but it still tasted the same. It tasted like a sprite mixed with some kind of oil. I called the clerk and asked him if the sprite was expired.. He said it was just delivered today. So I asked him to taste it. Then he also found that something was wrong with it.

Both of us were wondering for a while. Then I got to look inside the straw. There were a lot of tiny black round things that looked like eggs. So I cut the middle of the straw lengthwise to have a better look.. Yuck. There were a lot of tiny black round things in it. I suppose they were eggs of cockroach. About 1000 eggs were there. Then I began to check all the other straws in the straws case one by one. Almost all of them contained black eggs that seemed to be either the cockroach eggs or excretions.

After the incident I began to check all the straws in the restaurants and fast food chains that I had gone to. Almost of all the straws contained the same black eggs. Especially the darker the colors of straws, the more black eggs were found. In black straws, extreme amount of black eggs were found. It was found out that it's because the cockroaches live (hatch eggs and excrete) in the dark places.

* 80% or more restaurants in the malls use red or black colored straws.

SO NEXT TIME.... BE CAUTIOUS... CHECK THE STRAW BEFORE YOU PLACE IT INSIDE THE DRINKS.

Toll Gate Operator

2009-01-22T14:25:00.002+08:00

I had to go to some place in Desa Pandan yesterday afternoon. Of course the road that I used was KESAS Highway. The story I'm about to tell started upon reaching the Toll Gate near Awan Besar . It happened after I handed to the Toll Operator my payment for using that expensive highway - RM 2.20..

Me : " Resit, pliz... "
Toll Operator : " Err, bang, resit takde la... "
Me : " Mcm mana boleh takde pulak...? "
Toll Operator : " Erm, saya TERTEKAN kelas 4.... harga dia lain... "
Me : " Kelas 4??? ".... (sambil tercari-cari where I could find any clue about Kelas 4...)

Ah, there it is, just right in front of me...

All of the sudden,

Toll Operator : " Bang, nah amik la... saya bagi 'change' " (handing me RM1.10)
Me : (automatically accept the notes with blank expression, shut my window close and bye-bye)

At first, I said to myself, " Hey, at least I pay half, itu sudah Untung.... "
Until I realize the actual plot done by the Toll Operator... Damn it, I forgot his name from the name tag!!!

Like what old folk said - Selagi tak kena batang hidung sendiri, selagi itu kita tak sedar.
Now I know that there is some basis of a few allegation towards the Toll Operator. Even one of my friend refuse to work as Toll Operator due to this sinister plot.
Apparently, most of them vowed not to disclose this wrongdoing to other people and unanimously doing it without any guilt.

So how much do the Toll Operator actually earn from this broad day light robbery in their own employer's premises. Let say that every time the Class 1, 2 and 3 pass through the gate and the Operator press the Class 4 for Taxis...

One Car - Class 1 - Loss - $1.10
One Lorry - Class 2 - Loss -$ 2.20
One Lorry - Class 3 - Loss - $3.30

If the Operator manage to get 100 vehicle for every class in a period of 8 working hours a day.

Class 1 $1.10 x 100 = $110
Class 2 $2.20 x 100 = $220
Class 3 $3.30 x 100 = $330
Total = $660.00 per day!

Assuming he/she work for 5 days a week or 22 days a month.
Total = RM 14,520.00 per month
Not including his/her own monthly salary....
Wow!! that's more than 3 times fold of normal engineer's salary.

And that's only for one operator... how about other operators that did the same thing?!

The above calculation may vary for different lanes. I bet that the one who works in Lorry Lane may be doing this and have joyous time for sucking hundreds everyday from this system. Those who stay in normal car lane, might be getting less as he/she can only deduct from Class1 to Class 4 only.

All the above is just my say. My pre-assumption. Not base on actual, except from yesterday short experience. We heard a lot that some make money being toll operator and lived luxuriously, but some suffer due to low wages.

Nevertheless, Kesas was known years ago for having bribery scandal involving the Petrol Station operator. Those days, for example, there are only BP and Caltex near Awan Besar dan Awan Kecil. Now there are Petronas and Shell some more. Yes, the culprit were charged with Bribery, only that he was caught red-handed with concrete proof. How about others??? for instance the toll operator.

Government had to pay the toll company for the toll hike although the toll company keep on making profit.
21. Samy announced in September 2006 that the government paid compensation amounting to RM38.5 billion to 20 highway companies. A RM380 million windfall for 9 toll concessionaires earned solely from the toll hikes in 2008 alone;

Taken from anonymous from forwarded email...

I wonder, if the Toll Company are really "TELUS" in their operation and maintenance cost, while the operator are honest in doing their duty, how much million can be saved and enjoyed by toll company in term of PROFIT.

If the projection is high, there is no need for Government to spend more on subsidy or compensation towards the Toll Company.

If the profit is enough to cover the company's interest, then also, there is no need to increase the toll price anymore....

If just the Toll company can setup a system to prevent their toll operator to manipulate the "classing" system for their own personal benefit.. then the toll company can benefit better from toll collection.

I myself are so disgusted with certain TOLL OPERATOR .

As for the readers, please do your part in preventing this to happen. By hook or by crook, we had to use highways. At least the money we spent for the services, goes to the maintenance and operation of the highways... not to the selfish operators!

What say you ????

WARNING FROM POLICE RAJA-DI MALAYSIA

2008-10-22T13:10:00.002+08:00

Hello Friends,
Do be careful as due to the economic downturn, people are desperate and coming out with lots of different ways to rob you. Take care. Pls be careful all, especially the ladies. What a sad world we live in....:

Please read - notice on car (not a joke) Warning....! !!!
Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public parking area. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home, it was a receipt for gas. Luckily my friend toldme not to stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the car.

Then we received this email yesterday:
'WARNING FROM POLICE - BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE
NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS' (NOT A JOKE)

Read up everyone!
Please, keep this circulating. .. You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside.. You start the engine and shift into Reverse. When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window.

So, you shift into Park, unlock your doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car.

And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car. So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!

BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women. A purse contains all kinds of; personal information and identification documents, and you certainly do NOT want this fall into the wrong hands.
Please keep this going.

Bank Negara Malaysia Raided Four Companies on Suspicion of Conducting Illegal Deposit Taking & Money Laundering Activities

2008-10-14T09:01:00.001+08:00

On 13 October 2008, Bank Negara Malaysia raided Buluhmas Enterprise Sdn. Bhd., Jazmeen (M) Sdn. Bhd, Noradz Travel & Services Sdn. Bhd., and Eastana Farm Industries Sdn. Bhd. under Section 25(1) of the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (BAFIA) 1989 and Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act (AMLATFA) 2001. Section 25(1) of BAFIA 1989 prohibits any person from receiving, taking, or accepting deposits without having a valid license, whereas Section 4(1) of AMLATFA 2001 prohibits any person from engaging in, or attempting to engage in, or abetting the commission of money laundering activities.

The raids were conducted at the premises of the companies in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan following complaints received from members of the public. Relevant assets and documents of the companies were seized for purpose of the investigation.

Any person or company who commits an offence under Section 25(1) of BAFIA 1989 shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding RM10 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or to both. Any person or company who commits an offence under Section 4(1) of AMLATFA 2001 shall on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding RM5 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to both.

Members of the public are advised to be cautious of investment schemes promoted on the internet, through phone calls or through seminars conducted by individuals or companies that are not licensed or authorized by Bank Negara Malaysia to accept deposits or to conduct foreign currency dealings. A list of all licensed institutions that accept deposits is available on Bank Negara Malaysia's website at www.bnm.gov.my.

How to know if the milk products made in China or Taiwan

2008-10-08T10:56:00.001+08:00

With more and more milk products from China and Taiwan having problem. We really got to check where the things are produced. Here is a way to differentiate Taiwan made products and China made products : by looking at first three digits of its Bar Code.

If the 1st 3 digits are 690, 691 or 692 - China made
If the 1st 3 digits are 471 – Taiwan made

Open the windows after you enter your car

2008-09-24T12:08:00.002+08:00

According to research done by a U.C., the car dashboard, sofa, air freshener will emit Benzene, a cancer causing toxin (carcinogen).

In addition to causing cancer, it poisons your bones, causes anemia, and reduces white blood cells. Prolonged exposure will cause Leukemia, increasing the risk of cancer. May also cause miscarriage.

Acceptable Benezene level indoors is 50 mg per sq. ft.

A car parked indoors with the windows closed will contain 400-800 mg of Benezene.

If parked outdoors under the sun at a temperature above 60 degrees F, the Benezene level goes up to 2000-4000 mg, 40 times the acceptable level.

The people inside the car will inevitably inhale an excess amount of the toxin. It is recommended that you open the windows and door to give time for the interior to air out before you enter.

Benzene is a toxin that affects your kidney and liver, and is difficult for your body to expel.

How to acheive good vision during heavy downpour, while you are driving.

2008-09-11T10:09:00.000+08:00

It works ! Try this out to see for yourself!

We are not sure how effective it is, just try this method when it rains heavily. This method was told by a Police friend who had experienced and confirmed it.... it is useful...even driving at night. Most of the motorists would turn on HIGH or FASTEST SPEED of the wipers during heavy downpour, yet the visibiilty in front of the windscreen is still bad...

Thus, in the event you face such situation, just try your SUN GLASSES ( any model will do), and miracle... All of a sudden, your visibility in front of your windscreen are perfectly clear, as if there is no rain...

Try it yourself and share it with your friends... Make sure you have a pair of SUN GLASSES in your car, you are not only helping yourself to drive safely with good vision, but also you might save your friend's life when driving in the rain...

Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan was a student leader at Uniten

2008-07-01T09:59:00.003+08:00

Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the man who is accusing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy, was a student leader at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) for the 2006/2007 term.

The 23-year-old Saiful wrote in a reply in a blog a few months ago that he opted out of the university due to poor results and it would take another two-and-a-half years to complete his electrical course, something he did not want. He wrote that although active in student politics, he harboured ambitions to become a pilot. He took up the electrical course as he was offered a scholarship.

Saiful described himself as someone who liked to make friends, “regardless if they were ministers, opposition leaders, gangsters or even road sweepers.”

Sodomy allegations against Anwar Ibrahim

2008-07-01T09:58:00.000+08:00

Malaysiakini has published in Aide alleges sodomy: Report lodged that Anwar Ibrahim has been accused, AGAIN, of sodomy, but this time by his personal aide Saiful Bahari.

According to the Star Online 23-year old Saiful made a police report against Anwar yesterday evening at around 5:45 pm.

Bloke alleged he was sexually assaulted on last Thursday inside a luxury apartment in the city. I wonder why there is a need to describe the apartment as 'luxury'?

He also claimed it was not the first time that Anwar had sexually assaulted him. The Star also reported he is being treated at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

KL police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman confirmed the existence of such a report, and that the alleged victim has been medically examined. But he stated that no arrest will be until the investigation is completed.

Needless to say, the PKR and Pakatan Rakyat people are in turmoil, deep discussions and strategising for the worst outcome. Anwar will hold a press conference today.

However last night or rather, early this morning, at the unholy hour of 1:25am, Anwar issued a press statement asserting the report lodged against him was a complete fabrication.

His statement in full (from Malaysiakini):

"The police report lodged against me earlier today is a complete fabrication. I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress. This is clearly a desperate attempt by the Barisan Nasional regime to arrest the movement of the Malaysian people towards freedom, democracy and justice.

"The report has been organised by interested parties to attack me in retaliation for evidence I have recently obtained implicating IGP (inpector-general of police) Musa Hassan and the AG (attorney-general) Gani Patail in misconduct including fabrication of evidence in the cases launched against me in 1998-1999. This vile attack will not prevent me from releasing this dossier to the public.

"I urge the Malaysian people to stand against the repressive forces that will be unleashed by the government in the coming days and weeks. We expect the media, the judiciary and the police force to all come under the direct and unchecked control of the executive.

"My fellow Malaysians - we took a bold step forward on March 8 towards a new dawn for freedom and justice for all of our citizens. This people's movement for change must go on with all of our strength and conviction."

kaytee’s take:

I personally don’t believe the allegations against Anwar, unless of course he is completely mad and utterly stupid, which I know he isn’t.

However, I am not surprised. I believe it’s a tit for tat attack, to put Anwar and his supporters on the defensive.

UMNO has been under siege from Anwar and his cohorts for the last 4 months where the de facto one has been attempting to destabilise the AAB government through a virtually continuous taunting campaign on party defections, quite irresponsible cheap shots at the government's removal of more fuel subsidy, and a series of unsubstantiated attacks on Najib, etc.

Sometimes the best form of defence is attack, and I believe the sodomy accusation is just that. The aim is to take the wind out of Anwar’s sail, to put him on the defensive, to derail his destabilising campaign.

So, the optimum attack would be to use a tested formula, that of tarring Anwar with the evils of sodomising assaults.

Afterall, apart from some Malaysians still harbouring suspicions against Anwar on the issue of sodomy, many like to believe such bullsh*t. There is a willing audience just waiting to be captives to such salacious rumours, rendered more plausible by a police report being lodged by Anwar's own aide.

Whether Anwar really has the dirt on Patail and the current IGP is still unknown but it could well be his reactive counter attack as well, to explain why the police report has been made.

In reality, there is a dearth, nay, absence of credibility on both sides. Both parties are favourably inclined towards mud racking bullsh*t - basically scumbag territory. Mana adanya mentali Dunia Pertama di politik Malaysia?

As an example, the series of attacks on Najib, ranging from highly publicised rumours to fake photo on an alleged French dinner to the recent tap dancing ('I have been reliably informed ...') Statutory Declaration about Rosmah being at the murder scene to ‘supervise’ or be ‘completely satisfied’ with the laying of C4 on Altantuyaa (as if she knew what was technically acceptable or she even wanted to turun padang) had been so farfetched and highly implausible to most people except the PKR ‘true believers’.

Many also seem to forget that there is a court case on the murder of Altantuyaa in progress, with 3 accused under trial, but WTF, they aren’t politically important. So the campaign has been to get Najib implicated in the murder, one way or another!

As I said, I am not surprised by the stakes being raised. The players on both sides are jacking up the ante. And the strategy of the play?

The Malaysian old time favourite of “Fling enough poo and surely some will stick”.

Coincidentally, in my satirical post Statuesque Declaration, an Anon said:

"KT, can Anwar be at better place other than Mongolia, perhaps an honorary ambassador to US but stationed in California or Louisiana, can join the annual Mardi Gra[s] maa ..."

I replied: "look Anon of 11:08 PM, tho' I am known as a critic of Anwar I only do so on the basis of his track record, performance, conduct and policies/promises as a politician and a public figure, but not his private life or what he was alleged to be - I have never nor will ever use that to rubbish him."

And to conclude, I don’t believe in the sodomy allegations against Anwar Ibrahim in the same manner that I don’t believe in the contents of RPK’s Statutory Declaration.

Mat Rempits rule Malaysian Roads

2008-06-23T08:31:00.001+08:00

Posted by: fairviewfromfar

It is so sad to acknowledge that those Mat Rempits rule Malaysian Roads without any fear for the police. Why? Only recently I found out after chatting with few friends of mine, Mat Rempits are fearless and have no respect for anyone. They are high on drugs.

But who are they and why do they behave like that? They are a group of restless youth and their background are NOT of those uneducated people. Some are executives, son of successful businessmen, son of Datuks and many son of policeman. I recall an incident when the father caughta Mat Rempit, happened to be his son and he let him go (with disappointment I hope).
We always read that after a night of operations, the police will confiscate the bikes, but after the "you know what transaction happen" those Mat Rempits are on the roads again endangering others. Can the authority be firm enough to take the bike away for goods? No Bike, No Mat Rempit.

All major cities in Malaysia are no longer safe. Sorry, Kuala Lumpur's safety is far worst than Jakarta or Manila. Mat Rempit should be put into jail, cancel their license and take away their bikes... for good.

Tips on Filling your Vehicles...

2008-06-06T14:31:00.002+08:00

This is a Message received from a friend: I don't know what you guys are paying for petrol... but here in Durban, we are also paying higher, up to 47.35 per litre. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every litre.

Here at the Marian Hill Pipeline, where I work in Durban, we deliver about 4 million litres in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline.

One day is diesel; the next day is jet fuel, and petrol, LRP and Unleaded. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 litres.

ONLY BUY OR FILL UP YOUR CAR OR BIKKIE IN THE EARLY MORNING WHEN THE GROUND TEMPERATURE IS STILL COLD. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

WHEN YOU'RE FILLING UP, DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER OF THE NOZZLE TO A FAST MODE. If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low,middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS IS TO FILL UP WHEN YOUR TANK IS HALF FULL. The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated, so that every litre is actually the exact amount.

ANOTHER REMINDER, IF THERE IS A FUEL TRUCK PUMPING INTO THE STORAGE TANKS, WHEN YOU STOP TO BUY, DO NOT FILL UP - most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! LET’S SHARE INFORMATION AND BENEFIT ALL, FOR THE BETTER OF MANKIND.

WARNING! Crimes Expected to Increase after sharp Fuel Hike

2008-06-06T11:07:00.000+08:00

Posted by: miniaturz
While the sharp fuel hike has serious economical implications, I think we should all be even more alert now because I expect crimes to increase rapidly.

[1] You can expect more Mat Rempits to go about robbing the public because these individuals do not earn much from fixed jobs , and with the sharp fuel hike causing inevitable price increase in all goods, Mat Rempits will definitely need more cash for the various expenditures!

[2] Expect more house break-ins and robberies. Expect an increase in snatch-bag cases. Expect more thefts and robberies on public transports.

[3] I'm not sure if this is going to increase rape cases, but I believe some individuals who doesn't have money for other form of entertainments will start finding other things to do, crimes included - so to all the girls and women out there, please be even more alert to prevent possible rape cases.

[4] As more people turn to Ah Longs for borrowings, an increase in payment defaults will definitely occur as the borrowers find it harder to pay the Ah Longs back. So to Dato Michael Chong of MCA, I think you're going to need more assistants. You might also want to consider shifting your office to The Star's office so that the reporters need not waste time goin to your office since it's going to be a daily affair publicising Ah Long cases soon.

[5] Expect foreign criminals to get even more violent coz whether they are foreign or local, they also need more money to spend. And when they find their crime takings dropping severely, it is the innocent victims who are going to feel the full brunt of their wrath.

[6] Social ills and vice is going to increase rapidly. Chinese Dragon Ladies can expect more competition from local women ( and guys ). So to all the parents, better watch out what your daughters ( or sons ) are doing coz if you're not giving them more pocket money, they are going to get it via other means if they need to spend the money badly.

Paying real price for fuel, but not real price for Cars

2008-06-06T11:06:00.000+08:00

Posted by: nanoeric
I welcome the move to reduce the subsidy on petrol, though understanding that we malaysians have to suffer as a result of the hike.
Now, my point is "Are we paying the real price for cars?" Especially imported Cars?
I do urge Government to reduce taxes on cars with lower fuel comsumption and carbon emission. Toyota and Honda have been doing great with it. Why not allow their hybrid cars to be imported at a cheaper price?
I "have confidence" that proton won't be affected as mentioned by our deputy Prime that they can compete locally and globally. Let's prove it

Why Malaysian Super League does not attract audience

2008-06-04T11:51:00.001+08:00

Posted by: miniaturz
FAM officials and State FAs are always wondering why our MSL is not attracting audience while EPL drives football fans crazy.

If you look at the successful leagues - EPL, Italian Seria A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundeslige and Japanese J-League, they all have 2 factors in common - strong and far-sighted football administration set-up and very successful national football teams which has made impact either at the World Cup or Olympics.

When you have stars from a successful national team playing in your own league, fans will be interested to see how to perform for club sides. When you have foreign stars from successful national teams playing in your league, you know ESPN will pay you big bucks just to telecast your league matches live to the world.

Malaysia on the other hand is trying to "advertise" its league with unknowns who are struggling to beat even South East Asian minnows, and FAM is wondering why many fans prefer the EPL to the MSL.

Get your equations right - build a successful national team that at least qualify for a major tournament and the fans will start watching the local league - no need for fancy names and all.

MUST READ - Car insurance claim void

2008-05-22T11:37:00.001+08:00

CAR INSURANCE CLAIM VOID... PLEASE READ STORY. BEWARE!!!

This is a real story, my nephew told me, & I would like to share with all of you. Be careful, if u hv the habit of sending yr car for car wash or similar matter (car jockey etc) while in shopping complex...

Two weeks ago my nephew sent his Toyota Harrier for car wash in the car park of Bangsar Shopping Complex while he had an appointment there. He handed the car keys to the car wash people n left the car park for his appointment.

After the appointment he went to collect his car, & the car wash people told him that his car had been collected. How CAN??? After a prolonged argument without any results, he had no choice, but to make a police report... n follow up by insurance claim...

Insurance company rejected his claim 'cos the reason is the car was not stolen, the point of contention was why did he hand over the car keys to someone unknown, n why did he not wait there till the car washing was finished...? ??

So, be careful next time. If u really need to send yr car for car wash, better stay there and wait for yr car, if not, this may happen to you...
ALWAYS GET AN OFFICIAL RECIEPT LIKE YOU DO WHEN YOU SENT YOUR CAR FOR SERVICING AT HONDA, PROTON, TOYOTA ... DON'T PLAY THE FOOL.

Pls forward this msg to your all your friends to warn all of them...

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

Thank you for the Information.

I am a Senior Manager with MCIS ZURICH and confirm that if you hand
over the keys of your car for someone to take care example :- Car
Wash, Car Park and on your return if the Car is 'taken' away,
Insurer will not pay for the 'Loss'.

Regards,
K.Arumugam
Regional Manager
GBD Region 2
MCIS ZURICH INSURANCE BHD
Wisma MCIS ZURICH
Jalan Barat , 46200 Petaling Jaya

DID 03 7652 3810
Fax 03 7954 4287