Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Allah’s messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him)!

The Allah’s messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him)!

The Allah’s messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him)!

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 02:09 PM PST

Muhammad, a consistent protector of minority rights — Moh Yasir Alimi FEB 5 — During this month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims are celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was born in the sixth century in the middle of a culture of ignorance, when people fought because of their tribal affiliations and religious [...]


Being older, I can be rude...

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 09:35 AM PST

I was a bit hesitant to post this joke, but Shahrizat has given me the encouragement since I am older than both Najib and her...

Shahrizat called Najib one day and said, "Jibby, I have a plan to win back our kampung folk for GE13!"

"Great Shari, but how?" asked Najib.

"We'll get some plain baju and slippers, like most kampung people wear, then stop at the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) in Gemas and pick up a nice-looking cow.

Then, we'll go to a nice old country kedai kopi and show them how much admiration and respect we have for the hard working people living there." So they did, and found just the place they were looking for in Gemas.

With the cow in tow, they walked inside and stepped up to the counter. The kedai kopi owner took a step back and said, "Hey! Aren't you Najib and Shahrizat?"

"Yes we are!" said Shahrizat, "And what a lovely town you have here. We were visiting the NFC and Jibby here suggested we stop and take in some local colour."

They ordered a round of teh tarik for the whole shop and started chatting up a storm with anyone who would listen.

A few minutes later, a grizzled old farmer came in, walked up to the cow, lifted up its tail, looked underneath, shrugged his shoulders and walked out.

A few moments later, in came another old farmer. He walked up to the cow, lifted up its tail, looked underneath, scratched his head and left the shop.

For the next hour, a dozen farmers came in, lifted the cow's tail, and left shaking their heads.

Finally, Shahrizat asked, "Why did all those old farmers come in and look under the cow's tail? Is it some sort of custom?"

"No, no," said the kedai kopi owner. "Someone's out there running around town, claiming there's a cow in here with two assholes!"

Link

a walkway that is 6x the price of a condo!

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 09:31 AM PST

i refer to the post by my fellow CJ, thomas, entitled 'KL's fully air-conditioned walkway gets thumb up'. please read it first. (of which the photo here was taken from there).

 

i really wonder do we need a walkway that is air-con? to me, it is kind of ridiculous to have an air-con walkway as the name suggest, it is merely a WALKway. you walk on it, then you walk AWAY from it. are you going to linger on the walkway for 15 mins or 1/2 an hour? no, right. it's just for you to walk past… then why should it be air con. on second thought…. maybe it's good to have air con so that one day when i'm in KL, walking about, feeling hot and tired, i can use the walkway, go up there and remain there for 1/2 hr to rest because of the air-con. hmm… why they didn't provide seats? they might as well turned the air-con walkway into, you know like the highway rest area for express bus and vehicles travellers – this is a walkway rest area for foot passengers. 

 

anyway do you know this walkway is built by petronas? do you know how much it cost? a cool RM100 million all add up! petronas paid RM3,307 per sq ft of the pedestrian walkway – almost SIX times the per sq ft of a six star condominium in mont kiara! yessiree! and let's not talk about housing scheme for the poor – with that kind of amount, thousands of houses could be build for the poor!

ok the  arithmetic  of RM3,307 psf comes from syed akbar of outsyed the box blog. here i CnP his post for you to read for yourself his findings (but without the comments).

————————————————

Here is the news from The Star


Cool way to get around KLCC and Bukit Bintang in pedestrian walkway

excerpts:
==A fully air-conditioned RM100mil pedestrian walkway linking Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) and Bukit Bintang, two major retail and tourism spots here, is open now.

The walkway includes a 562m long and five-metre wide elevated walkway ..with escalator and staircase entry and exit points at strategic and convenient locations.

The project was financed by Petronas under its social contribution programme.

It links the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre to Impiana KLCC Hotel, and the hotel to the Pavilion bridge crossing at Bukit Bintang.==

Folks, RM100 million is a mind boggling amount of money for a 562 metre long walkway.

Lets do some arithmetic : 562m x 5m = 2810 sq. metres. One sq. metre = 10.76 sq feet. So 2810 sm x 10.76 sq ft = 30,235 sq ft.

Petronas has paid RM100.0 million / 30,235 sq ft. = RM3,307 per sq foot (psf) of pedestrian walkway !! Ayo Mama. That is a lot of money.

I do some development work too. Lets do some comparions:

A medium sized bungalow house in KL and the Klang Valley should have a built up area of about 5,000 sq ft. (Smaller than that is Semi-D already). So Petronas' 30,235 sq. ft pedestrian walkway has the floor area of about six medium sized bungalow houses only. Bukan lah besar sangat pun.

The price of a 5,000 sq. ft. bungalow house in say 6000 sq feet of land in non prime areas in the Klang Valley like Country Heights, Kajang (not in Bangsar, Damansara Hts or Kiara ok) should be around RM2.5 – RM2.8 million. This means the psf selling price of the bungalow is about RM500 – RM560 per sq foot. of built up house area.

Six such bungalows (30,000 sf total built up area) can be bought for between RM15.0 – RM16.8 million. This would include land cost, fairly up market fixtures and finishings, at least six bathrooms each and even a jacuzzi in the master bath.

Lets also compare some condominium selling prices in upmarket areas in KL. Here are some psf condominium prices in Kiaramas and Bangsar.

1. KIARAMAS SUTERA penthouse & deluxe units at Mont Kiara 4,000sf. Few units fr RM1.5M onwards.

My comment : This works out to about RM375 only per sq ft.

2. SENI MONT Kiara. Brand new 6star. 19th flr 3541 sqft. 4+tv room+1. Rent RM9K or sale RM750/ sqf. Negotiable.

My comment : Wow, this is 6 star, brand new and it is selling for RM750 per sq foot and NEGOTIABLE.

3. BANGSAR MENARA Bangsar. Extensively renovated unit on lower floor. 1650sf. Modern fitted kitchen, brand new bathrooms, ceiling etc. Move in condition RM1.15m ono ..

My comment : this works out to about RM700 per sq ft.

In comparison Petronas has paid RM 3,307 psf of pedestrian walkway – almost SIX times the psf price of a six star condominium in Mont Kiara.

I dont think Petronas suffered any land acquisition cost (it is elevated above the road). Yes the construction is elevated, light weight steel box girder. The walkway is designed for pedestrians, not cars, buses or lorries. This means the load bearing structures should be fairly light (hence it should cost much less).

I dont think it is paved with 916 gold either. And there are no Jacuzzis provided in case the ever increasing number of KL's vagrants who do populate some of the other walkways at nite, want to take a bath or have a water massage.

Petronas paid RM100.0 million or RM3,307 psf for a 30,285 sq. ft. pedestrian walkway. If you ask me, this type of costing is worse than the lembu condo. Someone had a very early Christmas.

Facebook facing four main challenges

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 09:17 AM PST

According to Bearemy Glaser of Morningstar...

Four Things Not to 'Like' About the Facebook IPO
"Facebook has a solid business right now, but keep these weaknesses in mind before getting too excited."

Excerpt:

Display Advertising
"Facebook is a display advertising business. Mark Zuckerberg may write about his goal of bringing everyone together and making government more responsive to its citizens, but for investors, Facebook's purpose is to drive traffic to look at ads on the site. Advertising is essentially the only thing that makes any money for Facebook. This isn't exactly a new business model. For 15 years now, Yahoo (YHOO) has been trying to drive users to its universe of sites to show them ads.

So in order for Facebook to grow its top line, it needs to either realize higher ad-sales rates or increase the reach of its site. Both are tricky propositions..."

How Much Can You Sell Your Users?
"People with Facebook pages are not just the firm's users; they are also the product being sold to advertisers. The firm's core pitch to the advertisers that are filling up its coffers is that it knows an incredible amount of information about individual users, and that Facebook can serve up targeted ads that are likely to make an impact on buying habits..."

Google
"Google appears to be the largest competitive threat to Facebook. The two firms are similar in many respects. They may get their user data in different ways (search versus social networking), but they both are trying to use that data to serve up targeted ads.

And now Google is making a big push into social networking, too..."

Corporate Governance
"Corporate governance is not the sexiest part of most offerings, but it really does matter. It might not be apparent anytime soon, but handing over total voting control of Facebook to Mark Zuckerberg, even though he only has a 28% economic interest, is not shareholder-friendly..."

"Facebook is Zuckerberg's baby, and he is unlikely to seriously consider any takeover offers years down the line, even if they would be the best thing for common shareholders. Look at what happened at Yahoo. Founder Jerry Yang's insistence on remaining a stand-alone company meant that the firm spurned a lucrative Microsoft (MSFT) deal that would have created tremendous value for Yahoo shareholders. And Yang only owns a very small slice of the firm!..."

More:
http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=535846


Link

Kita memerlukan siasah, 'ambience' politik dan imej negara yang baru

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 07:04 AM PST

Sejak saya menyertai Parti Tindakan Demokratik (DAP) pada 8hb Januari yang lalu, saya agak sibuk juga berjumpa dengan ramai rakan-rakan lama yang saya sudah lama tidak temui. Setiap hari ada sahaja beberapa panggilan talipon dari sahabat-sahabat lama ini, ada yang sudah dua puluh tahun tidak bersua. Mereka berjumpa untuk bertanya khabar setelah mendengar berita yang saya sudah meninggalkan UMNO untuk melalui wadah baru perjuangan setelah menyepi hampir dua dekad.

Sesungguhnya selama saya kesaorangan di rumah bersama cucu-cucu, saya sempat berfikir dan membuat 'soul searching' secara serius tentang isu-isu politik yang berbangkit dalam negara kita ini. Saya memerhatikan lagak dan laku pemimpin-pemimpin melalui TV yang kebanyakkannya adalah dari mereka yang saya kenal sejak berdekad-dekad dahulu yang kini sudah menjadi pemimpin, tidak dapat memahami dan menyelami perasaan ahli-ahli UMNO dan rakyat amnya.

Ramai di antara mereka yang berjumpa dengan saya itu adalah ahli-ahli UMNO serta pemimpin diperingkat rendahan seperti ketua-ketua bahagian UMNO serta jawantankuasa mereka. Ada juga pemimpin peringkat yang tinggi memanggil bertanyakan kenapa saya menyertai pembangkang sedangkan saya telah menyertai UMNO selama empat puluh tahun, lebih lama dari mereka sendiri.

Pertanyaan-pertanyaan ini saya jawab hanya dengan meluahkan satu dua baris ayat jawapan. Yang paling selalu saya jawap ialah, UMNO sudah hilang identitinya samasekali. Saya sudah tidak mengenali UMNO lagi. Parti yang di sebut sebagai UMNO itu sudah tidak rupa UMNO lagi. UMNO hanya tinggal pada nama tetapi tidak ada rohnya lagi. UMNO ibarat kucing dengan tikus. Dulu kucing makan tikus tetapi kucing sekarang takut pada tikus. Kadang-kadang saya menjawab dengan bertanya satu soalan; kenapa saya mesti kekal dalam UMNO? Apabila soalan itu dijawab barulah saya boleh menjawab soalan kenapa saya menyertai DAP.

Pemimpin-pemimpin sekarang tidak memahami apa itu UMNO sebelum mereka menyertai parti itu. Sampai sekarang mereka tidak memahami apa itu UMNO dan mereka jugalah yang menjadi pemimpin parti itu dan mentadbir negara dengan cara yang kita lihat sekarang. Mereka menganggap menyertai UMNO dan seterusnya menjadi Menteri dan sebagainya itu merupakan perkara yang 'ultimate' bagi mereka tetapi mereka tidak pernah berusaha untuk menjaga apa yang terkandung dalam BAB3 Perlembagaan Parti itu.

Dosa terbesar UMNO ialah membantutkan daya pemikiran orang Melayu. Orang Melayu tidak dibenarkan berfikir diluar kotak tetapi dalam masa yang sama mereka beretorik supaya orang Melayu menjadi bangsa yang global. Bercakap yang benar didalam UMNO itu merupakan kesalahan dan kita tahu yang UMNO hanya bergantung kepada kuasa pinjaman yang diberikan rakyat sahaja. UMNO tidak mampu mempertahankan diri dengan menunjukkan kerja baik dan membangun.

Ini disebabkan imej parti itu yang sudah terlalu tercemar dengan rasuah serta penyalahgunaan kuasa yang keterlaluan. Maka satu-satunya jalan untuk mempertahankan diri ialah dengan membuat segala perkara yang lazim dilakukan oleh pihak-pihak yang 'desperado'. Dimana-mana rasuah, baik dalam kerajaan atau dalam parti. Wang ringgit merupakan satu-satunya cara bagi mereka untuk mempertahankan diri, semuanya hendak dibeli. Jiwa dan perasaan pun menjadi bahan dagangan. Saya amat runsing melihat apa yang akan terjadi kepada bangsa saya yang dijadikan sebagai 'political prostitute' dengan membayar setiap perkhidmatan terutamanya semasa pilihanraya hampir tiba ini.

Bagi saya perkara ini wajib dihentikan kerana yang akan terbantut daya pemikirannya ialah orang Melayu sendiri. Orang Melayu sudah begitu lesu, tidak berdaya berfikir secara jelas kerana jiwa mereka telah ditawan dan dikurung tanpa boleh berbuat sesuatu untuk kemajuan masa depan mereka. Mereka telah diasah yang boleh menjamin masa depan mereka ialah UMNO sahaja.

Tetapi UMNO itu sendiri sedang menghadapai saat kematian kerana penyakit yang tidak boleh diubati seperti rasuah, rendah diri serta tunduk kepada tekanan yang dilakukan oleh mereka yang telah digaji dan diupah untuk menjaga mereka. Rakyat tidak boleh berbuat sesuatu yang bertentangan dengan kehendak pemerintah yang diberikan mandat oleh rakyat itu sendiri.

Pemimpin-pemimpin UMNO tidak dapat menerima bahawa parti itu sudah tidak UMNO lagi kerana UMNO yang sebenarnya tidak bersifat seperti yang kita lihat pada hari ini. UMNO sudah menjadi parti yang 'clueless' dan tidak lagi berdaya walaupun hanya untuk menentukan arah tujuan perjuangan partinya.

Pemimpin-pemimpin dan ahli-ahli UMNO tidak 'abreast' dengan keadaan baru yang menyelubungi pemikiran dan kehendak semasa rakyat yang baru. UMNO tidak sedar yang rakyat mahu hidup aman damai dengan jiran tetangga dan tidak mahu lagi terkongkong dengan perasaan rasis yang menebal. UMNO masih memainkan perasaan dan sentimen perkauman. Ramai yang telah membabikan saya kerana menyertai DAP tetapi tidak mahu mengenalpasti kenapa ramai orang Melayu sedang berjinak-jinak dengan parti itu selain dari berjinak-jinak dengan PAS dan PKR.

UMNO tidak mahu berkorban dengan mengikuti kehendak rakyat yang dahagakan sebuah kerajaan yang telus dan terhindar dari rasuah besar-besaran. Rakyat sedang mencari penyelesaian terhadap 'capital flight' secara haram yang telah mencecah kepada jumlah melebihi satu trillion ringgit. Rakyat tidak berpuas hati dengan kedudukan yang kelima terbesar jumlah kehilangan wangnya ke luar negara.

Rakyat mengharapkan UMNO yang telah diberikan mandat oleh rakyat untuk mentadbir dengan baik dan jujur, tetapi UMNO tidak juga mahu melakukan kebaikan itu. Maka kebanyakan rakyat sedang menyelesaikan keresahan mereka dengan memberikan sokongan kepada parti lain yang diharapkan dapat memperbetulkan keadaan yang menjijikan ini.

Sikap 'cepat tangan' pemimpin UMNO pada hari ini menyebabkan ramai rakyat yang sudah tidak lagi percaya kepada UMNO. Rakyat sudah mempunyai persepsi yang 'conclusive' terhadap UMNO sebagai parti yang tidak mempunyai seorang pun pemimpin yang boleh dipercayai. Setiap projek kerajaan mesti ada sebahagian dari keuntungan kepada pemimpin yang mengetuai kementerian atau jabatan yang mereka ketuai.

Persepsi buruk ini sudah menjadi stigma yang tidak boleh dibuang lagi. Saya selalu bermimpi untuk memulakan sebuah negara yang baru dengan siasah baru dan ini hanya boleh dilakukan oleh seorang yang berkemampuan dan yang tidak mempunyai 'baggage' dan berpengalaman dalam mentadbir dan mempunyai kemampuan politik yang tinggi. Saya tidak berhenti berdoa agar Tuhan mendatangkan seorang pemimpin yang berkemampuan untuk membetulkan keadaan yang sudah menjadi keresahan rakyat keseluruhannya.

Yang penting, keadaan politik yang tidak menentu ini mesti ditinggalkan dibelakang untuk kepentingan rakyat semua kaum dan negara amnya.

The Invincible Super-Crony

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 03:30 AM PST

This super-crony seems invincible. With 52 big guns pointed at him by very powerful adversaries he had deceived, he is still standing his ground and is not worried. One of the big guns is ready to fire a big cannonball worth more than RM500 million. He couldn't care less. What superpowers can he possess which [...]


1CARE a truly frightening prospect

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 02:45 AM PST

TAK NAK 1CARE! http://www.facebook.com/taknak1care?sk=wall Healthcare "reforms" called 1Care for 1Malaysia are upon us and it's a truly frightening prospect. The BN government has been selling 1Care in the MSM throughout 2011, describing it it glowing terms without giving away any details at all. A concerned citizens group called #taknak1care managed to get hold of some [...]


Beware the 1Care system 2 (Video)

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 02:45 AM PST

New housing development near radioactive dump site?

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 02:12 AM PST

(Location map courtesy of The Star)

Road works are being carried out by a housing developer, at a site which is roughly after Papan, on the left side of Ipoh-Lumut Highway, before the 'Existing access road' shown on the map. I think it is too close to the 'Disposal site' as mentioned in the map, for comfort.

Each time I drive past the completed housing project on the right, I wonder why it is still mainly unoccupied. I like the apparent cozy location which is next to a hill, suitable for living away from the busy town centres of Lahat, Pusing or Batu Gajah. Is it because of its proximity to the radioactive dumpsite?

SPNB (Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd) is the developer of the above completed project known as Lahat Indah, which is located away from the 'Disposal site', across the Ipoh-Lumut Highway, on the right, after the 'Existing access road' shown on the map. The project has been issued with CFO, and according to SPNB website, the project has 128 unsold units which range from Rm100,000 (24 Single-storey terrace houses (20'x65'); 45 units from Rm110,000 (20'x70'); 48 units from 120,000 (22'x70'); 4 units from Rm145,000 (Single-storey semi-detached (35'x80'); 6 units from Rm165,000 (40'x80'); and a solitary unit of single-storey bungalow (no land area mentioned) going for R322,816!

Agama atau peribadi?!

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 12:20 AM PST

Utusan: Nik Aziz tidak sedar keadaan diri sendiri Anwar dan Israel — Awang Selamat 5 JAN — Seperti biasa, Ketua Pembangkang, Anwar Ibrahim akan menafikan apa sahaja yang diperkatakan setelah ia menerima kritikan ramai dan menjadi kontroversi. Bukan sekali tetapi sudah acap kali. Untuk 'menyelamatkan diri', media pula dipersalahkan. Terbaru, kenyataan Anwar dalam wawancara dengan [...]


1 Care in its ‘final stages’

Posted: 04 Feb 2012 07:58 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — Putrajaya's controversial 1 Care scheme, which critics claim will tax citizens and businesses monthly to foot the country's growing healthcare bill, has already entered its "final stages", Health Ministry officials told a pharmaceutical seminar last month. This is despite the ministry's repeated denials and assurance to the public that it [...]


1Care: What ails Malaysia’s health care system?

Posted: 04 Feb 2012 07:56 PM PST

Aliran joins hands with fellow Malaysians in their collective concern with regard to the proposed '1Care' scheme to restructure Malaysia's health care system – a move that would definitely exact a heavy toll on their physical as well as financial health. Supposedly based on the UK National Health Service (NHS), the 1Care scheme is said [...]


10 nabbed over Lim and Bersih posters

Posted: 04 Feb 2012 05:19 PM PST

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/2/5/nation/10680611&sec=nation (5/2/2012)
KUALA LUMPUR: Ten people were nabbed for putting up posters that deride Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and two top officials of the Bersih 2.0 coalition at Taman Tun Dr Ismail here. The 10 were arrested a few hours after the posters were found pasted at several bus stops early yesterday.
"We have recorded their statements and are taking the necessary action on this matter," said Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid. He was not able to give details of the time the vandals were arrested, saying he had just returned from abroad and had yet to get more information on the matter. All the 10 men had been released on bail, he added.
The posters depicted images of Lim, Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevaasan and national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said, who is Bersih 2.0 co-chairman. The posters depicting Ambiga and Samad displayed the words lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and trans and a caption that suggested a vote for Ambiga is a vote for free sex. The posters depicting Lim carried a Nazi swastika symbol and a caption that he is a racist.
Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, whose constituency covers TTDI, said neighbours woke him early yesterday to tell him about the posters. "I was also informed about them via Facebook, Twitter and e-mails," he added.


DAP unfazed by Guan Eng, Ambiga 'hate' posters

Posted: 04 Feb 2012 05:18 PM PST

Photos by DAP TTDT
Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/188280 (4/2/2012)
DAP says the "hate" posters against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and public figures Ambiga Sreenevaasan and A Samad Said, found in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) this morning, will only make the people despise the perpetrators more.
"We forgive them whoever are responsible. The more they do it, the more people will despise them," said DAP MP for Segambut Lim Lip Eng. Lim through his Twitter reported that the offensive posters were "posted all over TTDI this morning".
One set depicts Guan Eng calling him 'anti-Malay', while the other depicts Bersih chairperson Ambiga and poet and national laureate Samad Said and reads "Vote Ambiga, Vote for free sex".
"We urge TTDI police to announce openly who the culprits are, because the police should be able to easily identify them through the many CCTV recently installed in TTDI under Najib's transformation programme," tweeted Lim.
The MP said in a statement later today that the posters were found at bus stops, public telephone booths and plastered over old posters along Jalan Datuk Sulaiman and Jalan Burhanoddin Helmi in the Kuala Lumpur suburb under his constituency. He expressed "disgust" at the intolerant, racist and politically-motivated posters. "Some cowards had put these posters overnight with an intolerable message (on it) as told to me by my TTDI supporters. "Upon checking in the later part of the morning this message has been torn off," said Lim.
Escaped cops' notice
He said it was a surprise that the police had not known about the exercise of putting up the posters, that took place along two main roads in the area and that must have taken a considerable amount of time. "A quick count of the posters measuring 1ft by 2ft confirmed that quite a substantial amount of money had been spent on this exercise," he added.
Lim slammed the perpetrators for such an act in a multiracial neighbourhood and on the eve of Prophet Muhammad's Birthday tomorrow.
"I suspect that the purpose was to create discord and suspicion. "I strongly urge the police to investigate and nab the culprits involved as this neighbourhood is one that is proud of the diversity of its residents and any racial discord intended shall not be tolerated. "It would be a shame if these posters are to remain any longer than the time they have been up," he said.
Related news: DAP MP slams anti-Guan Eng, Ambiga posters
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/dap-mp-slams-anti-guan-eng-ambiga-posters/


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