Handicap Driver Being Taken Advantage

Looks like Malaysia has many 'handicap' drivers (pun intended). The way they parked their cars render them to be mentioned as such. Taking advantage of the services provided for the real handicap people is really too much.
Related post - Handicap Driver
Tags: Handicap Driver, Car Park

Malaysia Slow in Responding to Tainted Milk Products

Malaysia's two main dairy products companies have issued statements with regards to the tainted milk / dairy products in China.

Nestle Malaysia Berhad - assures consumers and customers that all its products are safe for consumption. Mentioned that its powder based dairy products in Malaysia are sourced from Europe, Australia and New Zealand and USA.

Nestle headquarters in Switzerland - expresses confidence that none of its products in China is made from milk adulterated with melamine.

But it did qualify its statement with this paragraph -
In general terms, melamine is found throughout the food chain across the world in minute traces which do not represent any health risk for consumers. There is a generally accepted tolerable daily intake of melamine in food in the EU (0.5mg/kg of body weight/day) and in the US (0.63mg/kg of body weight/day). The lowest level of melamine traces which can be measured by commonly-used testing equipment (2 ppm) is 20 times below these internationally-recognised safety limits. In other words, based on this 2 ppm value, a three year-old child would have to consume over 40 litres of milk every day to exceed these safety limits.

Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad - gave assurance that products ranging from powders and liquid are safe for consumption and free from melamine contamination.

Both Tesco and Carrefour in Malaysia are still awaiting for directives from the Ministry of Health. As blogged earlier, there was nothing mentioned in the said ministry's website.

Latest product that could be affected is Mengniu's brand, Monmilk.

Reading: Supermarts to start clearing shelves - Star
Related post - Food Linked to China's Milk Scandal
Tags: Malaysia, Milk Product, Dairy Product, Mengniu, Monmilk, Nestle Malaysia Berhad, Nestle, Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad, Melamine Contamination, Tesco, Carrefour

Food Linked to China's Milk Scandal

For your information, the following items have been recalled in Singapore due to China's milk scandal:-
1. M&M
2. Snickers
3. Mento's Yoghurt Bottle
4. Dove Chocolate
5. Oreo Wafer Sticks
6. Dutch Lady Sterilised Milk
7. Wall's All Natural Mango
8. Mini Poppers Ice Cream
9. Magnum Ice Cream
10. Moo Sandwich Ice Cream
11. Mini Cornetto
12. You Can Ice Cream

Those products confirmed by Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority ("AVA") as being tainted with melamine are:-
1. White Rabbit Creamy Candy
2. Yili brand Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection
3. Dutch Lady brand Strawberry Flavoured Milk

With effect from 19 Sept 2008, AVA has suspended the import and sale of all milk and milk products from China which include milk, ice-cream, yoghurt, confectionery such as chocolates, biscuits and sweets as well as any other products containing milk from China as an ingredient. As a precaution, consumers are also advised not to consume any milk or milk products from China.

In Malaysia, dairy products imported from China such as confectionary that contain milk, chocolate, chocolate milk, white chocolate and other foods that contain milk have been banned. But when you logged into Malaysia's Ministry of Health's website, there is no reference on this ban on dairy products. Even the department involved, Food Quality and Safety Department, has nothing on it.

How do you expect Malaysians to be updated on which food to avoid? Rely on the mainstream media (pun intended)?
Tags: China, Milk, Milk Product, Dairy Product, Singapore, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, AVA, Ministry of Health, Food Quality and Safety Department

Concept Ice Vehicle Built by Lotus

Malaysian-owned sports car maker, Lotus, has engineered a new creation known as the Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle. Its main purpose is to run on ice.

A one seater vehicle measuring 4.5m long and 4.5m wide with a weight of 350kg. Designed and built by Kieron Bradley, a former Formula One chassis designer but now with Lotus.

People has created nicknames for this vehicle already - Ice Buggy ....... Ski Buggy

I don't mind the name, just get me one.








It has an ice penetrating radar. Seems very hi-tech.
This vehicle was created in aid of the Moon Regan Transantartic Expedition team in South Pole. Meaning - it's not for commercial sale. After they have finished the expedition, the team will keep maintain the vehicle for me.
It runs on the E85 Bioethanol fuel, an environment friendly fuel.

Reading: Ice buggy takes 84mph route to the South Pole - Times Online

(Pictures source: Autoblog)
Tags: Lotus, Ice Buggy, Ski Buggy, Concept Ice Vehicle, South Pole, E85 Bioethanol, Kieron Bradley, Formula One Chassis Designer, Moon Regan Transantartic Expedition

Best Angles to Take a Picture

I'm sure photographers courted by the National Geographic organisation will do such thing in capturing the best pictures for readers to view.

Car racing enthusiasts will go all out to capture the best picture of a moving rally car.

A picture to be remembered for the rest of the life.

ahhhhhh was he taking the car's undercarriage or something else?

Yeap, you have to go beyond your comfort zone or even engage in dangerous situation to capture a certain scene.








To ensure that you are not within the view of the enemy, this is a safe bet.















My number one salutation goes to this guy (or girl?).
Tags: Best Photo Angle, Photography

Malaysia's Broken House

Once upon a time, three sworn brothers built a house together. There were three bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a garage and a small courtyard.

"They could not be reconciled to move out from the house but they would have no backbone if they stay!" The sworn brothers were young and enthusiastic. They were having a common vision and goal. Thus, they were happy living together even they were poor and had to share the living room, dining room, garage and courtyard.

The house was expanded later and more people lived in the house. They had to build more bedrooms within the limited space. As more people were living together, there were more disputes.

Power corrupts a person, this is an irrefutable truth. The eldest brother's power and influence grew greater, which meant that the status of the other two brothers were getting lower.

What made the two younger brothers could not stand was the size of their bedrooms. The three sworn brothers each occupied a bedroom of equal size at the beginning. But the eldest brother's room became larger and larger while the other two brothers' became smaller and smaller in order to make ways for new tenants. Eventually, they had difficulties even to turn around in their tiny rooms.

At the same time, the originally shared living and dining rooms, as well as the courtyard had become the eldest brother's "personal zones". The second and third brothers would have to ask for the eldest brother's permission if they wanted to use the rooms and courtyard.

Also, the eldest borther bought himself more cars that occupied the whole garage and he even built another huge garage in the courtyard. As a result, the other two brothers had to park their old cars outside the house.

Recently, heavy wind and rain caused leakages in the half of a century old house. The eldest brother just ignored the leakages as usual. Over the years, the second and third brothers were the one who paid for property taxes, water and electricity bills. Thus, the eldest brother would not have to worry about the repairs, too.

The question was, the damage caused by the wind and rain was too great. The two younger brothers could not help but to complain about it, requesting the eldest brother to bear some of the responsibilities. Otherwise, they could not stand it any longer in the house.

Unexpectedly, the eldest brother said: "It's not your business whether to repair the house. Don't forget that the house is mine."

What a bolt from the blue! The two younger brothers looked at the broken house and thought hard about their identities and statuses.

They could not be reconciled to move out from the house but they would have no backbone if they stay!

What would you do if the situation applies to you?

(Extracted from Sin Chew Daily)
Tags: Sworn Brothers, Broken House

AIG Insurance in Trouble

American International Group Inc ("AIG"), with 89 years of history, is in deep financial problem back in USA. The Federal Reserve Board is pumping in US$85 billion to safeguard its operations otherwise it could be the worst corporate bankruptcy incident. With the fund injection, USA government will have a 80% stake in AIG. This fund injection, available for two years, is only to assist AIG to meet its obligations.

In the midst of financial chaos, AIG has to issue a press statement to cool down the concerns of policyholders and annuity holders.

Back home in Malaysia, AIG's presence has been localised since 1 June 2008. A local company by the name of AIG General Insurance (Malaysia) Berhad has taken over the general insurance operations from AIG, the American Home Assurance Company but would still remain as a subsidiary of AIG. Those days they were famously known as American International Assurance ("AIA").

Does AIG Malaysia has to issue a press statement to inform their policyholders that they are still financially sound? Why do I ask this question? Because AIG has ran out of cash! Rumour has it that AIG will be drawing funds from their overseas subsidiaries.

I remembered when I was approached by AIG Malaysia's insurance agent, they would proudly present to me that AIA (those days lah) is the number one in the world and Malaysia and did mention that their worldwide assets at hand exceeds US$xxx billions, larger than a number of countries' assets.

For now, they can't mention the assets as AIG has been completely wiped off and if not for the US$85 billion fund injection, AIG would have been liquidated.

American Home Assurance Company Singapore has seen policyholders / investors queuing up to cash out / redeem their insurance policies and investment products. Better safe than never approach? To allay fears, Monetary Authority of Singapore has issued a press statement to that effect.

In the first place, how could so many USA financial institutions got themselves into such deep shit? I thought they have the best corporate practices as being boasted all the time but now, American citizens aren't sure whether their banks could safeguard their savings kept with the banks. Who will be next?

Hopefully this unfortunate financial situation will not jeopardise their sponsorship for my favourite club, Manchester United ....... hehe

Reading: AIG rescue at hand, government to take stake - Reuters
Reading: AIG Employees on Edge as Once-Safe Company in Turmoil - Insurance Journal
Reading: Is Your Insurance Safe With AIG? - Wall Street Journal
Tags: AIG, AIA, American International Group Inc, American Home Assurance Company, American International Assurance, Corporate Bailout, Corporate Bankruptcy, Federal Reserve Board, Monetary Authority of Singapore