Lampe Berger

IS A SCAM!!!!

Holy lot, some of you might not have heard of it but for those who have, I hope you have found out about the truth. I don't really care how much good it does for your health (so they claim)

It's actually a type of aromatherapy thingy. I believe that initially it was really meant to be a healing product of some sort but when it came to Asia, it transformed itself into a MLM (Multi-level Marketing a.k.a. scam, ponzi scheme, pyramid scheme) machine. Remember Amway or Cosway? Let's hope Elken not turn into one either.

My mom tried putting one in my room when I had difficulty breathing or my allergy (which I found out was actually hayfever) hit.

IT DIDN'T FREAKING WORK!!!!

Even my mom stopped using it already after discovering that it doesn't work.

To all you lots who are members of the group, I would advise you to pullout as far as possible. Forget about the money you put in, there's no way you could get that back now. And please stop all those unethical pulling of new members. You're actually destroying their life for all you know it.

There are a few blogs you can read:

• Anti Lampe Berger
• Lampe Berger Help
• Lampe Berger Truth
  

The last I heard there were 2 big issues:

• Lampe Berger was listed on the Securities Commission's list (Investor Alert issued in fact) and taken out shortly after that.
• I heard the latest scam is for a member to pay a certain amount (on top of RM30k+) and they would be enrolled in a twinning programme with some college in Australia. Upon completion can get some diploma of some sort.

There are of course noteworthy things to take form here:

• Their marketing strategy is perfect, and they aim people's greed and emotions. I would say it's the most powerful persuasion marketing technique ever.

If you still wonder why I say this is a scam, consider this:

• What kind of business promises you that you would earn 6-figure salaries within a short period?
• What kind of business makes money with a product that doesn't garner as much revenue to pay for those 6-figure salaries?

If you really want to donate these people, you might as well donate it to me to fund Project MORSEHack. I can personally guarantee you that you will never see your money ever again (same with Lampe Berger) but at least you know that your money will be put to good use for the next generation. Treat it as charity ok?


So readers, be smart or be f**ked. Ok? No other way.





Sheesh Lampe Berger.

I challenge you Lampe Berger, come sue me for defamation and let's make this a big court case.

New initiative - Project MORSEHACK

I am starting a new initiative in improving students' computer access in schools all around Malaysia. I've just thought up a plan and thus this plan is still in at the earliest possible stage and it might not even occur depending on how things go here in UK.

Here is the plan and it is not copyrighted, so just copy it and make it happen if you think you can. Feel free to send in comments, no matter how destructive/constructive it is, I just want you to speak and tell me whether something is right/wrong.

Don't ask me how I got the name.

PROJECT "MORSEHACK"

Objective: To recycle old computers which could possibly end up in poorer countries as junk and install them in schools all around Malaysia.

Plan:

• We need to obtain old unwanted computers mainly through donations.
• We need a team of volunteers to
• Fix the computers
• Build the computers together
• Transport the computers to schools
• Do some extra-coding
• We need to set minimum specs for computers, I am thinking in the line of processors running below 1Ghz and with 256Mb of RAM etc.
• The computers will be installed with Strictly Open Source softwares:
• OS: Ubuntu Linux
• Office: OpenOffice
• Browser: Mozilla Firefox
• We need to get some funding to start the project off, a place to act as our warehouse, a method of transportation and a philosophy that would keep us working.
• We need to think of a sustainable income source to fund the running of the project, still we strive to be non-profit.
  

The Idea: Build the systems, give to schools, get students to maintain with our help, get students to start hacking the system. I feel that by exposing them to linux(the OS for hackers), we would be able to let them explore the real world of computing and possibly make us the next "nerd" nation.

To make things interesting, I also propose to include in classrooms a common slogan for all the schools under the MORSEHACK project. I have in mind:

See it, Hack it, Fix it

Pretty corny yea? Anyway let me know your suggestions either by leaving a comment here, or an email to me at bosslepton@yahoo.com.

Currently I need to get some information from all of you:

• What is the situation in the local schools like in terms of IT and computing?
• Are there enough computers allocated by the Ministry of Education to schools already?
  

Spread the word. For a brighter tomorrow. For more info on similar initiatives, visit freegeek. Remember it's strictly non-profit, how much are we going to get anyway?

Let's start planning, who's with me?

Asia's Richest Woman

So what if you are Asia's richest woman? Nina Wang worths a whooping US$4bn according to the report. I'm a very sceptical person when it comes to declaring a person's value, particularly in Malaysia where a lot of the rich are not in the rich list because they don't list their companies in the public stock exchange. Even so, nobody should doubt that Nina Wang has a lot of fortune.

We all know the story about how her husband was mysteriously abducted a few years before he was pronounced dead *officially*. It's a drama I tell you.

After his death, Nina fought against her father-in-law for the fortune of her deceased husband. Initially she lost the battle and the fortune was awarded to her father-in-law, on the basis that she forged her husband's will.

We all know the rest of the story, when in 2005 the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal overturned the verdict in her favour. How she managed to convince the court, I don't know, but it was a hell of a ride for snatching the fortune.

Also another thing I found amusing when I read this article is this:

Ms Wang’s culinary preferences were similarly unpredictable. She and her late husband were reputed to entertain guests at McDonald’s, an unusual choice of eatery for Hong Kong’s super-rich. Filets-O-Fish were her favourite. [Source: FT.com]

Believe it or not? That's what I call thrifty, or rather kiam siap. Nonetheless, they managed to build that empire with this, so there must be some truth in it. Another couple in the class of Ingvar Kamprad.

As they say, money knows no owner.

But then again, they also say you can't bring your money into your grave. RIP Nina.

p.s. Fight for 6 years, spend money for 1 year plus, GAME OVER.

Reference:

1. Asia's Richest Woman, Nina Wang, dies, Tom Mitchell, FT.com, 4 April 2007.
   

There's no age boundary to blog

I kid you not, check out Real Lao Zha Bor.


She's my grandmother's age and blogs from her apple MacBook. I'm neither laughing nor is this an April Fool's joke.

She's even featured on a chinese newspaper here.

Auntie I respect you. Maybe I should really consider setting up a blog for my grandma.

Question: Do I have enough patience if my grandma asks me to type out all her chants(经) online, hmmm I don't know, maybe not?

Altantuya: Son's DNA test

I refer to Howsy's question about Altantuya son’s DNA test: is it out yet?

Well, in fact he did direct the question to Susan Loone and here is her response: Altantuya: What happen to the DNA test?

The biggest twist after reading the post is this line:

......And while they (DNA experts, Interpol, whatever) saw her son, they did not take
blood samples from him. Instead, they took it from her mother, Mrs. Shariibuu........

Questions to ponder:

• Why did they take the DNA samples of Altantuya's mother (Mrs. Shariibuu) instead of those of her ailing son?
• Did Bernama lie about taking the son's DNA?
• If Altantuya met Baginda in 2004 and her son is borned in 2003, who is his REAL father?
• Why aren't any of these published in the papers? Cover ups?
• What is the real motivation in the murder case?

I think the single biggest question that everybody wants to know is:

WHO IS THE FATHER?

Thumbs up to howsy and susan on the update.

Related Posts:

• Altantuya son’s DNA test: is it out yet?
• Altantuya's Son DNA Test: So, Is It Out Yet?
• Altantuya lagi......

Expensive Medicines in Malaysia

That's right, check out the percentage of mark-up of the drugs we Malaysians are paying for, courtesy of News Straits Times. Although I don't really know how much an average Malaysian pay for a cinic visit(I would say around RM40?), for those who visited hospitals would surely know the pain when you rake out those cash(or credit cards) from your wallet when you have to pay.

Dr Zaheer said most countries had pricing regulations and some, like France and Italy, even regulated drug prices directly through a price control mechanism.

In the United Kingdom, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority monitors prices through the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, which controls the prices of branded prescription drugs. [Source: New Straits Times]

This would most certainly be a good move for the country. I know that before I visit the clinic, I want an estimated figure how much the whole diagnostic and medicine will cost. I know of people who end up stranded in hospitals calling for friends' help just because they didn't bring enough money when they have at least RM200 in their pockets.

Do you have any experience of this sort, please share your experience.

Is this another reason why we need an increase in our national health budget? But I think in this case, we have to tackle the problem of unethical doctors and pharmacists right?

I'm not discouraging all of you aspiring doctors to stop pursuing a career in medicine, or even in pharmacy(my sister studies pharmacy). It's just not right for somebody to rake too much profit from other people's sufferings.

References:

1. Why Malaysians pay more for medicines, Audrey Dermawan, New Straits Times, 28 March 2007.
   

Related Posts:

• National Health Budget
• Why Malaysians pay more for medicines, Alan Tan ZS
  

Pay peanuts, get monyets

A classical case of "Pay peanuts, get monyets" philosophy:
I would say this move is too little, too late. When you contaminate the river with some algae, don't be surprised if the whole river becomes algaeland. Not even the cleanest of cops will be able to live through their lives with the puny pays they receive unless they receive some other forms of income.

It really pains me to admit that the police force is corrupted, and it is really unfair to put all the blame on them. After all, we rakyats are the people paying the bribe, that makes us more guilty of the said crime. I have to admit I'm one of the sinned.

When news broke out last year exposing the peanuts cops are receiving as salaries, many voiced their concerns. It even reached our hearts when the story of a young indian police officer who strived so hard to obtain a Master's degree from a well-known university in the UK to come back only serve as a policeman and receiving such little pay. Surely, many should already anticipate this move, but why only now did they decide to take some action.

Even now, PSD has still yet to carry out its initial study. The question is when will we expect the loyal servant of the country to receive what they deserve?

Asked if it would be before the tabling of the 2008 Budget, he (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) said: “Not necessarily.” [Source: The Star]

How long does it take to assess the cost?

The current salary of a police constable is RM690 while the starting pay for an officer with the rank of inspector is RM1,100. [Source: The Star]

I heard that an intern working in one of the Audit firms (PWC, E&Y, Deloitte, KPMG, Accenture) in Malaysia earns RM500 a month, excluding mileage claims. Bottomline is

If you pay peanuts, you get monyets!!!

p.s. I'm not saying algae is totally useless, read "Uses of algae" in the Wikipedia entry.
p.p.s for gods sake, please pay the cops with proceeds from savings we get from the petrol price drop.

References:

1. Cops set for pay rise, Mazwin Nik Anis, The Star, 28 March 2007.
2. Algae, Wikipedia.
   

Word of the day: Catch-22

It's about time we move out of the SPM zone and leave what's history as history. We shall return later when the JPA scholarship awards are being handed out. (Lots of juicy stories I'm expecting)

The word of the day today is Catch-22. I was actually looking at Infernal Rambling's article on “Converting to Islam and Back". A very eye-catching story if any of you are interested. It raised the ever unresolved question of which court, the Syariah or civil, should be superior to the other. One can obtain more information about the case here, as reported by NST.

Here is one of Datuk Gopal Sri Ram's view:

"The wife is therefore in a catch-22 situation. But she has a recourse under a provision in the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act," he said, adding that Subshini could apply to the Syariah Appeal Court to exercise its supervisory and revisionary powers to make a ruling on the legality of the husband’s application on grounds that the syariah court lacked jurisdiction and that she was a non-Muslim. [Source: NST]

At first, I was thinking. What does catch-22 mean? Forgive me if you already know the answer but my command of English is not as powerful as most of you out there.

What do you do when you come across something you couldn't understand? I WIKI it up.

Turns out that catch-22 is.......

........a term, coined by Joseph Heller in his novel Catch-22, describing a general situation in which an individual requests something, but the very act of requesting it seems to obviate the justification for the request (rightly or wrongly). [Source: Wikipedia]

Still, I couldn't grasp the meaning of this, and continued to look at the examples. Here are some:

1. The chicken or the egg: Which came first? There wouldn't be a chicken without an egg. There wouldn't be an egg without a chicken. This is a catch-22 situation.
2. The graduate: A graduate couldn't get a job because he doesn't have the necessary work experience. He also couldn't get work experience because he couldn't get a job. He's in a catch-22 situation.

So this is catch-22, I never knew that. Hmmm.....

Back to our news. Why is the lady in a catch-22 situation as commented by Datuk Sri Ram?

Another judge, Datuk Hasan Lah explained.....

Hasan said the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 gave Subshini the right to apply to the High Court but the civil court could not issue a stay order (under the Specific Relief Act 1950) on matters involving the syariah court. [Source: NST]

Catch-22 it is!!!!! Eureka!!!!! So learn it, catch-22, a very useful word.

I'm still particularly interested in how they are going to resolve this matter.

References:

1. Converting to Islam and Back, johnleemk, Mar 14, 2007.
2. Catch-22(logic), Wikipedia.
3. Non-Muslim spouse must seek remedy in syariah court, V.Anbalagan, Mar 14, 2007.
   

Need motivation? Think you're very unlucky?

Think again!
Surviving on RM1 a day[Source: The Star]

........M. Manivannan, 15, faces similar financial difficulties. He said he once starved for two days surviving on just sips of coffee because he did not want to ask anyone for money......

This always make me wonder what would become of me if I were in the same position. We should consider ourselves fortunate. Ironically, I read this article after I had a glance at Pak Lah's : Abdullah waiting for 'feel good' factor to get even better.

Weird eh? To think that one person is concerned with the 'feel good' factor while the other has to think of ways to survive day to day.

Points to ponder:

1. Why buy the Airbus ar? Isn't it better to provide money for the poor to at least get some decent education?
2. How can YOU survive on RM1 a day, with the current inflation rate in Malaysia.
3. "Sometimes, their parents want to pay us with jewellery or money that they have borrowed from Ah Longs." <------ not everybody borrow from Ah Long just to gamble ok?
4. What can us fellow Malaysians do to ensure everybody gets a decent standard of living? Or at least, decent education for a person who couldn't afford it?
5. Just TELL ME god dammit, how to help? Oi government, do something about this la.
   

Forum-ing

*Just taking a little bit of time off from work and surfed around.

I came across this rather interesting forum. Ignore the rather annoying "hello" smilies advertisement and look at this specific topic on Malay Billionaires.

Well things were pretty speculative around there, good thing it's not in a blog that these things get published in, otherwise we would have more than 3 bloggers ending up in court right this instant.

So according to the speculation, it says that we are missing out my fellow Kedahan Encik Al-Bukhary, Encik Zainuddin, Encik Nasimuddin, and Encik Saad from the list. Well, actually Encik Al-Bukhary is on the list, so better get your facts right.

According to the writer, these gentlemen are not in the list because

1. Much (if not all) of their assets are still privately held.
2. In contrast to ethnic Chinese billionaires who love to flaunt wealth, Malay billionaires prefer to keep a low profile. It’s the racial trait of Malays.

Although I have to agree on these, I have to add another reason, as most Malaysians would know, sometimes the flow of money in Malaysia goes into the untracable. Well it's your judgement anyway.

The thing that annoys me as I was reading the replies to this article is that the Chinese starts a mini war with the Malays, or I would say pro-chinese vs pro-malays. (How come no Indian join in the fight)

Things boiled down to a point where the pro-chinese would claim that the Malay has no history to be proud off and then the pro-malay retaliates by giving examples of Petronas, TNB etc etc.

Now, questions to be asked guys.

1. Excluding GLCs which I have to agree that are dominated by malays, are there any good companies in Malaysia that is run by malays? So pro-malay, your argument a bit faulty, but it doesn't matter.
2. The pro-chinese keeps bragging about chinese achievements internationally. Dude, to be fair, it's better that we distinct Malaysian chinese and don't take the achievements of China chinese or even American chinese as our own. (Me chinese also ok?)
3. Does this all really matter?

Why can't we stop arguing about such minor things and start focusing and progressing together(meaning malay+ chinese + indians) and achieve something as a Malaysian? Pointless argument dudes, I've always believed that the reason we are not going to achieve Vision 2020(sorry Tun Mahathir) is that we really have problems with unity. And until this can be resolved, we won't proceed to anywhere really.

Take a time to ponder, it's not a race issue. It's a national issue, and while we are bickering, other nations might be doing their best to overtake us already.

Don't believe me? Check the facts.

Bottomline, walk the talk(the correct way).

Baby Gloom

Cops arrest stepfather of student who gave birth

An update to my previous post on Baby boom, it seems this is going to be blown into a case of incest rape. This is to my disgust. But I still maintain my stand that the baby is innocent.

Smart tunnels? Not so smart eh?

Smart tunnel can withstand quakes

Ok I live on rumours, I admit. It's just so amazing that people live their lives on rumours which nobody can prove right or wrong really. But as RPK said in one of his articles a long time ago, rumours in Malaysia most often turns out to be true in the end. Why so? Well, nobody would start spreading rumours if there weren't at least something to base it on right?

Anyway, back to the point. I'm pretty sure most of the KL residents would know about the much publicised SMART tunnel. Another news today says that it can withstand earthquake. Here's a wiki article on the SMART tunnel. Well, it is in fact a major construction, so major that it made Discovery Channel's Extreme Engineering programme which I love to watch so much.

SMART tunnel stands for "Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel" and it is supposed to prevent KL from facing any flash floods like it did a few years back. Remember the time when the parking lots under Dataran Merdeka got flooded? I suppose this is a good project for the city and for the citizens as well.

One question remains, why so expensive? That's RM1.8 billion my friend, hardly matching the loss of the recent KLSE slump but nevertheless still expensive. I believe there coud be a way to cut its cost somehow. Only that they wouldn't bother doing so because it's gonna either the public or the government who would be paying anyhow.

So the rumour is this. I was told but I forgot from whom that the TBM(Tunnel Boring Machine) used to construct the SMART tunnel, the Tuah from the north side and Gemilang from the south side, couldn't be taken out of the tunnel after it's completion of the work. The cutting wheel of each TBM contains something akin of diamonds, possibly the hardest substance there is on earth. So what should you do when you can't take those machines out? Simple solution, they drill deeper and store it there, for it to rot.

Now how much money is that? I blame that on bad planning, not an unusual phenomena in Bolehland.

Not so SMART afterall eh?

Baby boom?

Girl gives birth to baby in school

IPOH: A Form Four student, who complained of abdominal pains, excused herself from taking part in sports activities only to secretly deliver a baby girl at her school.

She delivered the baby at 1.30pm yesterday at the sick bay of her school in Manjung, about 90km from here. The baby, with its umbilical cord still attached, was found dead in a bag belonging to the student.

These kind of news don't even shock the public anymore. And that's how it's supposed to be. The growing issue of labelling students having premarital sex has put them in loads of unnecessary pressure. I mean imagine this pressure is not there, wouldn't it be better for that extra life to be there. Whereas now, the poor baby didn't even get to see daylight.

Consider this. Life is always about money isn't it? The general argument is that they can't afford to have babies because they can't even make money yet. Oh yea, I've seen lots of people younger than me leaving school and working their ass off. Although they said it was more fun in school when you don't have to face life's problem THAT early, working to pay for the family IS ALWAYS WORTH IT. Wouldn't you think so?

Have a happy life people. Love your life, love your family and treat others as how you would like to be treated.