Social Hypocrisy- Needing It

As we grow old, we must embrace the nuances of social hypocrisy.

Many people nowadays shun social gatherings because they are absolutely tired of listening to ego tripping by those who claim to be materially successful in life.

A  friend related about an incident where someone joined a table of diners only to start talking about his new purchase of a Mercedes. The table crowd suddenly excused themselves and melt away.

However, we cannot do this all the time. We must accept those who we consider our friends in spite of all their bragging, warts and all. A soft humming 'yeah' now and then will help to to neutralize any lopsided conversation. Do not engage and the topic will die a natural death.

Also, changing topics will help to diplomatically shut off the naked pursuit of one upmanship.

Condom Conundrum in China

It's funny that it has never been an issue before.

But now it has reared its humorous head.

As the story goes, some expatriates from Europe and Africa has complained to Shanghai Daily that they are always embarrassed about "ill-fitting" condoms in the city as almost all of them are designed to a standard Asian size and will may not fit them.

Chinese condom suppliers including Durex, Jissbon and Okamoto only supply condoms  with a common size suitable for Chinese men – their target consumer group.

Condom supplier Jissbon reported that the company had received complaints from some foreigners about Chinese condoms that are sometimes a little bit tight for them. They will not supply any bigger size as this group is not their target market. Moreover, they did sell XL sizes before but could not make much profit from doing so

Moreover high delivery costs for condoms mostly manufactured in Thailand has been a negative factor to marketing operations.

Most  condom makers also are persuasive with their argument that it is cost effective to produce condoms of the same size rather than variants of many sizes.

For expatriates in China, it looks like they have to import correct size condoms on their own......

The Prawn Letdown

Yes, this has got to be one of the bad years for AGM goers.

As the economy is expected to show unimpressive growth for the remainder of the year, cautious companies are cutting down on door-gifts.

Here,KAF sticks out like a sore thumb. They whittled down qualified door-gift shareholders to those with a minimum of 1000 shares. This is a bad call as the trade-able lot on Bursa KL is only 100 units. I think the BOD is being ' nasty'. Compared to KAF, Gentings which allowed door-gifts at 100 share-holdings seems to be adorable angels!

Then here we have the fabled Analabs. After giving goodies in the form of kilos of prawns to shareholders over the last few years, this waste-water treatment company gave nada this year! The share-holders who came all  the way to Shah Alam must have been downright flabbergasted at this. Analabs- surely another company  which will go down the annals as a miserable penny pinching company!

Well, we do hope other companies will not cut down on their door-gifts.

If you have to, then pretty please-increase your dividend payout!

Funside of Thailand's Flood

There is always the funny side to things, no matter how bad.

These pictures tell the rib-tickling stories.

Enjoy!

KAF-All By Themselves

KAF Seagrott-Campbell will hold its AGM on 10 November 2011.

So, they put out an administrative note. Only shareholders having a minimum of 1000 shares who attend the meeting will be given a door-gift. This is worse than Genting Berhad which stipulates that only holders of tradeable lots of 100 shares could be given door-gifts!

So all KAF shareholders having less than that magic bullet number of shares will go home empty if they turned up for the AGM on 10 November 2011.

In the past, all attending shareholders will get door gifts and car park endorsements.

I guess it is going to be one quiet meeting  for KAF this year and many more of the same to come in the ensuing years

To the Board of Directors of KAF --enjoy your meeting sama-sama and bersyiok sendiri, fellas!

Jolly Ole' Jobs

These cartoons are really a dig at Jobs and the world.

Stevie will be sorely missed in the technology world!

Have fun!!

Hot Potato Topic!

This is the hot topic for those interested in the quagmire of Malaysian politics. These days, no place is it

debated more than in the coffee-shops, be in the urban or rural landscape.

So when do you think the general election will be held now that ‘Goody Budget 2012’ has been announced and proclaimed much to the chagrin of the people? Remember, conditions apply!

A couple of issues will have to be addressed first besides logistics and procedural matters.

The most important will be the unity of UMNO and its Barisan Nasional comrade parties.

Objectively, looking at UMNO, its weakness will be that of leadership. Can the PM amicably dislodged the current 'warlords' in the various states namely Perlis and Trengganu?

What about UMNO led states which may go into 'hung' status such as Perak and Negeri Sembilan.

Pessimists also see attrition of seats in the bastion states of Johor and Pahang. Looks like the BN safe states are Malacca, Johor and Pahang.

As for Pakatan-led states, Kelantan and Penang are good as gone. Even Kedah and Selangor are not push-overs

Across the sea lies Sabah and Sarawak. Expect more urban seats to be lost. This could be upsetting if semi-urban areas go the other way too!

Will UMNO's next annual general election be a boon or bane for Najib? If he can get new faces in to

replace the faces of yesteryears, there could be a good chance of getting new voters to vote BN. If the old faces remain in place, then things may not be too rosy in the face of the best predictions.  The same goes for the constituent parties of BN.

As for  these BN parties, time is not on their side. Gerakan is so bashed up;it is as good as gone. MCA is going, silently down the chute. Unlikely to see a last man standing. MIC- it may hope to fare better than 2008 but not great surprise if it remains status quo. SUPP- Silence of the Lambs.Sabah-nothing left, is there?

Timing is the next issue. Fresh after the feel-good budget, will the people warm up to the BN.

The earliest they can get the promised goodies is in January 2012. Let us look at the laundry list of goodies to see whether they are better than palatable. The most important thing is "terms and conditions apply".

I think the civil servant and the uniform personnel such as the army and the police has been somewhat appeased. They got a full one month bonus. The pensioners are less unhappy. More is in the offing for those in service, though most of these will only see the light of day after  GE13. Right now, the civil servants can dream......and hope.

For the students who are getting a windfall of RM100. Most are not voters. So, the effect on GE is remote.

Let us now turn to those who are going into college life, matriculation and Form 6. Some are voters, some are re not. Again, not every  one of the would be voter goes into tertiary education to get this RM200 book voucher. It is an exclusive one off gift that many would not access especially if they go into the job market.

Health care for the silver-haired above 60 years old? Nah, they are only getting the registration fees gratis. For the others from diagnostics, consultancy to pharmaceuticals, they still need to pay the going rate.

The gift of the anti-cancer vaccine for our ladies-good one. Those who are already passed their menopausal phase--nada!

Public transportation half-fares for the senior citizens-looks good at first. After analysis, appears it is exclusively urbane in characteristic. So only those in the Klang Valley can enjoy. As for the others-so solly!

As for the RM500 per household one-off hand-out for household income below RM3, 000, nothing is for sure................ We await the details to see how lucky we can be. Jackpot?

Employers are voters. The 13% unbudgeted EPF contribution will be looked at with disdain! Some

likelihood anger may be shown through the ballot box!

Whatever the procedures and criteria for the handouts, it has to be in January 2012 and possibly

through Pos Malaysia or Bank Simpanan Nasional. Assuming it takes 30days for the rush to draw down on the goodies, the earliest possible date for the GE will be after the Chinese New Year (CNY). Remember CNY is in the last week of January in 2012!

Logistics? There was news on the appointments of polling personnel. Until more news come our way, let us assume it is a matter of course. As for the polling stations, politics is the art of the possible. It can be held at anytime regardless of the school time-table!

The economy-it will go into bitter mood in the next 6 months as European and US markets shrink

 their demand for exports. Commodity producers must brace for the worst! So, Malaysia has to batten down as well!

Demography of the voting public is salient. This is dependent on place and age. BN should be okay in constituencies where postal votes are concerned. As for the new voters, it is anyone’s guess. However, if the new-bloods are more attuned to Bersih type of sentiments, they could vote against BN.

Lastly, the much talked about Parliament Select Committee to review election practices. They can only wrap up after April. This could be quicken and hasten. Same old-same old issues. So no big issue to get the recommendations in sooner.

Let me re-hash on the points once more.

• UMNO and BN-Still not out of the woods. UMNO’s candidate selection will be messy pre or post UMNO AGM.

• Budget 2012-Generally good and bad depending whether you are a public servant or not.

• Logistics- not a problem though weather and festivities could be a consideration.

• Economy- very serious problem. The earlier the GE is called, the better for BN.

• Demography- can work for or against. The issue of new voters-young blood can be anti-establishment.

• Parliament Select Committee- a non-issue

Therefore my guess-GE will likely be called from mid February to May 2012 or BN will have to go for the full term.

The Cruellest Cut!

s

Pension Short-changed---how sad!

Yes, it was an ex- PM that promised  full pension rights be accorded with a salary revision implementation ions ago.

Then he dropped a clanger. Economy was not good in 1996 and so cannot implement. When the economy recovered he conveniently forgot about it.

Yes, the one-off payment of RM1, 000 has be great for pensioners this year. We have to thank the current PM.

And about the 2% pension increment beginning 2013, it is just a wee droplet in the mighty ocean of runaway inflation. Would not even dent! Boo-Hoo!

So, yes-we are grateful, I grant you that but more justice need to be done.

While Cuepacs is negotiating a pay review for 1.27 million civil servants, the pensioners’ plight should also be considered as pensioners are also affected by the rising cost of living.

The Cheras Pensioners Association, in its 11th appeal letter to the government, requested for the implementation of the revised pension formula for calculating pension based on the full period of service, which was approved by the government in 1996 but was withheld because of the economic downturn. Mudah lupa!

Fifteen years have gone and the pensioners are still waiting. They are not asking for anything new or extra, but just that the promise made 15 years ago be fulfilled.

A total of RM943 million was allocated for pensions adjustments in 1995 and 1996 and subsequently approved by the government in 1996.

During the one-year waiting period, the cost of pension payments has been reduced by nearly 50 per cent because about 10 major government departments have been privatised.

Moreover, nearly 60 per cent of pensioners awaiting implementation of the revised pension formula are dead and the remaining 40 per cent are sick.

The time is overdue for the government to fulfill its promise made 15 years ago.

Are we waiting for Godot?

Sundry Evolution

Some are really funny. LOL!!!!!

Having the balls to..........

Yes, well put.

Woe is Me As Ipaid

Yes, always the case. Agree?

Ringgits from Santa Najib

Abridged from Lee Wei Lian( Malaysian Insider)

As an election budget, Budget 2012 announced on 8 October contained no great surprises though there were benefits galore for the people. No, no great departure in terms of policy shifts. It was a very safe budget to rein in election votes.

There was no deep structural reforms but a slew of selective liberalisations, incentives and cash grants to target groups.

Direct cash assistance, continued subsidies and expansion of government backed budget shops were the favoured tool to help with the cost of living hoping to ease the pain of the people in the midst of inflation woes.There was also no reduced taxes or widespread liberalisation of business and import licenses to boost competition.

As expected, 17 services subsectors were liberalised in terms of foreign equity, the major ones including the oil and gas sectors, retail sectors and financial sectors were not. Foreign banks were still fettered with restrictions in the scope of services they can provide and in terms of the number of branches they can open.

In terms of the long term transformation agenda, the main issue could be that Malaysia traditionally prefers quantitative rather than qualitative measures. While there were tax incentives and cash allowances for primary and secondary schools, none of them appeared strategic enough to boost the quality of the country’s education institutions into the top tier in the world.

Strategically the PM pulled off a nice touch by announcing tax incentives for contributions to all places of religious worship and all types of schools which should help him score significant points with Malaysia’s religious and ethnic minorities.

There were also little to no widespread fiscal reforms and incentives for Malaysian businesses to become more efficient and price competitive apart from the 17 services subsectors.

The most significant measure in the budget was the introduction of an exit system for underperformance in the civil service which could eventually shrink the government’s wage bill and boost government productivity and effectiveness although the budget expenditure for salaries rose from RM49.9 billion in 2011 to RM52 billion in 2012.

“A flexible remuneration system will be introduced to retain or terminate civil servants based on performance,” said Najib.

The prime minister also managed to keep on the path of deficit reduction by committing to cut the budget deficit to 4.7 per cent from 5.4 per cent.

All in all, a good band-aid budget.

For smokers and drinkers, it's another year of tax reprieve. Let's have a Guinness,then!

Dynamic Confusion

The last month was just utter bedlam.

It didn't matter whether you were a buyer or a seller or even a hedger.

Thing are just incomprehensible.

With the European zone in a virtual debt crisis day after day no thanks to the Greek situation; the American debt implosion and also the American carry-on trade brought about by a rising US dollar,one just cannot fathom the consequences of any decision.

What you bought cheap yesterday takes a new low today. It even dives.

If you had sold, it may rise well before you can catch it back the next day.

For those with some cash, perhaps it is a good time to buy selectively on the Bursa KL.

Stocks like Sime Darby, PPB, Public Bank and Genting Bhd are great stocks if you can hold on to them.

Spot the Kitty within 10 seconds

If not, you need an eye check, pronto!

Day or Night, Moon or Sun?

Guess......

The Authentic 'Understand a Woman' book

What a laugh!

Not Widely Seen Photos

Yes, I have not seen these and so perhaps for many,it could also be the first time.

The History of the Coke Bottle

                                                           
McDonald's First Outlet

   Titanic Before the Tragic Voyage

                                                              

Titanic at the Ocean Bottom

Berlin Wall Comes Down

First Computer

President Kennedy at the Mortuary