Sunday, October 14, 2007

Shenzhen Nail House

The owner of the well publicised Shenzhen Nail House, Cai Zhuxiang, has finally received the payment as requested. A reported amount of between 10 million and 20 million yuan (US$1.3 million to US$2.7 million) has been paid for that piece of land being occupied by Cai's building by Kingkey Group, the developer for that piece of land. Was it a pure business transaction or ransom against the developer by the land owner? Earlier, lower compensation was rejected and the owner held on to their property while their other neighbours had sold off their interests. Patience pays? Or ransom pays?

Right after the transaction has been publicised, the tax collector from the Luohu district office called up to demand for tax payment for the sum gained. Not only that, extortion phone calls came in asking the owner to withdraw the money from the bank. What a country!

Thought of Becoming an Astronaut?

Tags: Astronaut, Potential

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Sudan Has Split

Oh no! Sudan's unity government has split after South Sudanese representatives claimed that a number of deadlines that were supposed to have been accomplished are still outstanding.

Due to that, the South Sudanese representatives have walked out of the unity governmnet that was established after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Deal (CPA) signed two years ago between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the northern National Congress Party (NCP).

Amongst the deadlines stated in the CPA:-
* boundary demarcations between the north and south;
* the redeployment of northern troops from the south to be implemented; and
* chance to reshuffle its minister in the unity administration.

Must show my boss this situation. Definitely I'm not going back there with this latest outcome. I have already been through the tension once during the first 2 weeks of Aug 2005 and I don't need another to refresh my memory. It really did shake me. Lots of us were really affected then in terms of emotion / psychologically.

The government has stated that SPLM's pull out was only a tactical ploy to get the government to the discussion table.
Tags: Sudan, South Sudan, Comprehensive Peace Deal, Sudan People's Liberation Movement, SPLM, National Congress Party, Demarcation

Friday, October 12, 2007

Scam Emails

I wonder how often do you receive emails where the sender told you that after scanning through a number of names or info they have gotten (however little), they have chosen to deal with you on a financial transaction.

I do receive at least 5 each week in my yahoo email account. I would say that a majority or 99% of such emails are mentioned to have come from the Africa continent.

I'm talking about millions of US Dollars that are involved here. These people would, on the account of tiny weeny bit of my info, were so willing to trust me. All these emails would state that they would transfer all the money held up by their local banks or central banks or local governments and would like you to represent them as a foreign partner/next of kin to claim that amount.

Of course, just before they agreed to transfer that authority or money to you, they need some advance money from you as ALL their funds were held up and running short of it or the advance money from you would be used to pay off those officials involved.

The best of all - there would be some naive fellas out there in this world who would be so obedient in parting with their money. What do you call this? Naivety? Careless? Greedy? Stupid?

In USA, the average amount lost to such scams came up to US$3,000 per person conned. A monthly average of 800 people would fall for it. US Postal Inspection Service, through intelligence, has rounded up at least 77 scammers with the help of other countries' enforcement units. Scammers were arrested in Netherlands (60), Nigeria (16), Canada (1). More are being monitored. The US government has produced a website to counter such scams - FakeChecks (really like the website design, interesting way of telling people). FakeChecks has a Fraud Test section where it would help you to determine how authenticate was that email you have received.

In Malaysia, it's happening everyday and could even con/cheat a greedy Malaysian fella just via a SMS message. Malaysia Boleh indeed.

I have in my yahoo email this 2 scam emails:-
1) From: Franka Egondu (ffeegdunkaiiii@hotmail.fr)
He has US$6,300,000 for me (of course I get a percentage of it if I help). An Ivory Coast citizen of 22 yrs old and the bank won't release to him this amount because he's too young and won't be able to handle it.

2) From: Ahman Joseph (ahman.joseph1@yahoo.co.uk)
He has US$3,500,000 (70% for me as commission). Marketing Manager of the Westminister Horseracing Club London. From his business research, he could get his supplier to supply to me in Malaysia and would get his company to deal with me. Apparently, company suspected hanky panky and didn't want him to deal with his supplier directly. Since he didn't want his company to find out actual price, he's getting me to act as another supplier in Malaysia and charge his company at a higher price.

With the above 2 transactions done, I would be filthy rich for sure. Can quit my current job too. You game for it? Don't laugh ok? There are people who have fell for it.

Reading: Scammers luring Americans with fake check schemes - Reuters
Tags: Scam Email, Cheat, Con, Fraud, US Postal Inspection Service, FakeChecks

Selamat Hari Raya

I would like to wish all my muslim friends and blog readers "SELAMAT HARI RAYA" or "EID MUBARAK". Maaf Zahir dan Batin.
Tags: Selamat Hari Raya, Hari Raya, Eid, Eid Mubarak

Getting to Know the Blog Readers

I don't mind getting to know my blog readers. Met a group of them recently (them as a group and me alone). From the Site Meter, I can see that many readers from overseas countries, it'll be nice to know you as well.

I knew some came from my church or office and the rest are unknown to me except for those listed in my blogroll. Sometimes during those free time at home, I'll just run through who else will frequent my blog at my blog tracker. Yikessssssss!!! Who's that at number 474 at the picture below? The Royal Malaysia Police paid a visit during one of those days.......hehehe

For that matter, I'm trying to get a group of bloggers to come along to blog about an upcoming Songwriting Competition. The producer wanted the bloggers to promote their event. We don't have to be musically inclined just as long as you can blog with the pictures that you'll be snapping away. This coming 27 Oct is a photo session/boot camp for those artiste/bands where they'll receive consultation on various issues to ensure stage performance is good.

Of course we won't be seeing songwriters sitting at a desk writing their music piece/score page by page lah. We would be seeing the final piece already.

At this event, we can meet one another apart from being able to mix around with potential famous songwriters or artiste/bands. If interested or wanted to find out more, please email me at jonash1@yahoo.com (entitle the email as "Star Maker").

And if you have a skype, yahoo messenger or msn messenger, we can chat as well.
Tags: Star Maker, Songwriting Competition, Blog Readers, Site Meter, Blogroll, Blog Tracker, Royal Malaysia Police

Thursday, October 11, 2007

7 For Our Irish Friends

Paddy was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn't find a parking place.

Looking up to heaven he said, "Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Mass every Sunday for the rest of me life and give up me Irish Whiskey!"Miraculously, a parking place appeared.

Paddy looked up again and said, "Never mind, I found one."

******************

Father Murphy walks into a pub in Donegal, and says to the first man he meets, "Do you want to go to heaven?"The man said, "I do, Father."The priest said, "Then stand over there against the wall."

Then the priest asked the second man, "Do you want to go to heaven?""Certainly, Father," was the man's reply. "Then stand over there against the wall," said the priest.

Then Father Murphy walked up to O'Toole and said, "Do you want to go to heaven?" O'Toole said, "No, I don't Father." The priest said, "I don't believe this. You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?"

O'Toole said, "Oh, when I die, yes. I thought you were getting a group together to go right now."
******************

Paddy was in New York. He was patiently waiting and watching the traffic cop on a busy street crossing. The cop stopped the flow of traffic and shouted, "Okay, pedestrians."

Then he'd allow the traffic to pass. He'd done this several times, and Paddy still stood on the sidewalk. After the cop had shouted, "Pedestrians!" for the tenth time, Paddy went over to him and said, "Is it not about time ye let the Catholics across?"
******************

Gallagher opened the morning newspaper and was dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had died. He quickly phonedhis best friend, Finney.

"Did you see the paper?" asked Gallagher. "They say I died!!" "Yes, I saw it!" replied Finney. "Where are ye callin' from?"
******************

An Irish priest is driving down to New York and gets stopped for speeding in Connecticut.

The state trooper smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car.He says, "Sir, have you been drinking?" "Just water," says the priest.

The trooper says, "Then why do I smell wine?" The priest looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord! He's done it again!"
******************

Walking into the bar, Mike said to Charlie the bartender, "Pour me a stiff one - just had another fight with the little woman." "Oh yeah?" said Charlie, "And how did this one end?"

"When it was over," Mike replied, "She came to me on her hands and knees." Really," said Charles, "Now that's a switch! What did she say?"

She said, "Come out from under the bed, you little chicken."
******************

Flynn staggered home very late after another evening with his drinking buddy, Paddy. He took off his shoes to avoid waking his wife, Mary.

He tiptoed as quietly as he could toward the stairs leading to their upstairs bedroom, but misjudged the bottom step. As he caught himself by grabbing the banister, his body swung around and he landed heavily on his rump. A whiskey bottle in each back pocket broke and made the landing especially painful.

Managing not to yell, Flynn sprung up, pulled down his pants, and looked in the hall mirror to see that his butt cheeks were cut and bleeding. He managed to quietly find a full box of Band-Aids and began putting a Band-Aid as best he could on each place he saw blood.

He then hid the now almost empty Band-Aid box and shuffled and stumbled his way to bed.

In the morning, Flynn woke up with searing pain in both his head and butt and Mary staring at him from across the room.She said, "You were drunk again last night weren't you?" Flynn said, "Why you say such a mean thing?" "Well," Mary said, "it could be the open front door, it could be the broken glass at the bottom of the stairs, it could be the drops of blood trailing through the house, it could be your bloodshot eyes, but mostly..... it's all those Band-Aids stuck on the hall mirror.

Tags: Jokes, Funny, Humour, Irish Jokes, Irish, Irish Whiskey, Heaven, Catholics, Obituary, Band Aid

Pattaya International Fireworks Festival

Pattaya is definitely firing up its presence internationally. Covid19 has hit many nations really hard and Pattaya wasn't exempted from ...