Wilmar International, the world’s largest listed plantation company, said yesterday it was looking into media reports that it had colluded with tax officials to obtain fraudulent tax refunds.
Two Indonesian newspapers, quoting Indonesian lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo from the Golkar Party, said Singapore’s Wilmar had received or was due to receive total “questionable” tax refunds worth 3.6 trillion rupiah (US$385mil) over the three years from 2007 to 2009.
”We are aware of the report, and we are looking into the matter,” a spokesman for Wilmar said, without elaborating.
The Jakarta Globe and the Jakarta Post reported Soesatyo as saying that the initial allegations were contained in an internal tax directorate report that said Wilmar manipulated its financial statements and then cooperated with someone in the tax department to approve the rebates.
The Indonesian tax office was not immediately available for comment outside normal business hours.
UBS analyst Andreas Bokkenheuser said in a research note that if the reports were substantiated the amounts would have a material impact on Wilmar’s earnings.
”The total restitutions of US$385mil for 2007-2009 accounts for 21% of our full-year net profit estimate. Under Indonesian tax law, the Tax Directorate can impose a penalty of up to four times the outstanding amount,” he said.
Wilmar, which has oil palm plantation assets in Indonesia and Malaysia and plans to start a sugar plantation business on Indonesia’s Papua island, is owned by Malaysia’s Kuok Group.
The allegation came as the country’s tax authority vowed it would continue a tax investigation into Indonesian coal miner PT Bumi Resources, in what is seen as a litmus test of the government’s commitment to reform.
Bumi Resources is owned by the family of Golkar party chairman Aburizal Bakrie.
So,what price integrity and high ideals? It's over to you, captains of industry as the ball is in your court!
All Angela Merkel did was to issue an "Achtung" warning to halt the potential contagion effect from the miracle-less Greek gods at Germany's financial borders. And they all fell, euro, stock markets,commodities and global confidence.
Let us read this Reuters filing today.
"The euro fell to a fresh four-year low today after Germany moved to sharpen financial regulation, driving down commodities and Asian stock markets as investors stampeded out of riskier assets.
Asian stocks fell sharply, as did industrial metals, on worries that the German ban on naked short-selling of some securities, coupled with strengthening financial regulation in the United States, would derail the global economic recovery.
High-yielding currencies like the Australian and New Zealand dollars also fell.
“Germany just switched off the financial lights in Europe,” said a senior forex trader at a European bank in Singapore.
Naked short sales of euro-denominated government bonds, credit default swaps based on those bonds, and shares in Germany’s 10 leading financial institutions will be prohibited, a spokesman for Germany’s finance ministry said.
The euro slipped as low as US$1.2143 on trading platform EBS, its weakest level since April 2006 and taking it losses so far in 2010 to more than 15 per cent. It later recovered slightly to around US$1.2193.
The MSCI index of Asia-Pacific shares outside of Japan was down 1.74 per cent at a three-month low at 384.36 points. It has fallen almost 4.0 per cent since the start of the week.
Japan’s Nikkei average fell 1.65 per cent to a three-month low on the regulation worries and as the weak euro dragged on exporters.
“Germany’s move to regulate naked short selling has heightened uncertainty about the trading environment of financial markets, leading investors to avoid risks,” said Yumi Nishimura, deputy general manager at Daiwa Securities Capital Markets.
The Australian dollar fell to an eight-month low at US$0.854, with charts suggesting more losses as investors dumped high-yielding currencies. The kiwi was down 0.6 per cent at US$0.6854 Australian shares also hit an eight-month low.
London three-month copper dropped US$135 to US$6,565 a tonne, or over 2 per cent. Zinc prices in Shanghai fell more than 5 per cent, while London nickel fell 4.7 per cent on the fall in the euro.
Crude oil futures fell to a seven-month low, reflecting falls in other markets.
US Treasuries gained on a flight to safety. The yield on the benchmark 10-year note eased to 3.33 per cent from 3.49 per cent late two days ago.
Gold also gains on safe-haven bid. Spot gold rises US$5 an ounce from New York’s close to US$1,224.7.
I think this poem borders on the realm of nursery rhymes, and should never have been selected for inclusion into the literature component for English in the PMR. I think the Ministry of Education should be more discerning in future and select poems that truly reflect positive values.
In this poem which is of unknown origin, it tells of the mischief in us when we were young ones. Afraid of punishment, we always refuse to admit anything whether of commission or of omission. So this poem tells about the character called Mr. Nobody who does not exist. He is just being mentioned as the fall guy and must take all the blame around the house as if he truly exists in every house.
Let us look at the poem again.
There are four stanzas.
Let us look at the kind of mischief done by Mr. Nobody .
In Stanza 1.
·He cracks plates.
In Stanza 2.
·He tears books.
·He does not close doors properly.
·He pulls off shirt buttons.
·He scatters pins.
·He never oils the door which squeaks.
In Stanza 3
·He puts damp wood upon the fire.
·He muddies and soils the carpets.
·He mislaid the newspapers.
·He also tosses the papers around.
In Stanza 4
·He leaves finger marks on the door.
·He leaves the blinds unclosed.
·He spills ink.
·He leaves his books lying all over.
He did most of these nasty things. He also failed in his responsibility to do some chores. These included not oiling the squeaky doors, leaving the blind unclosed that will fade the house curtains and leaving his boots everywhere in the house.
Interestingly, no one has ever seen Mr. Nobody. Yet he is described as a small and quiet person.
When we read this poem, we can reflect the childhood days where oftentimes we behave irresponsibly and like to point fingers at others. We have yet to grow up, take responsibilities and admit our mistakes or own up to our failings.
So, the moral of the story is that everyone must be responsible; for that truly will be a sign that you have grown up.
Celery is being touted as a natural Viagra according to Judy Garman, BHSH, Walter Gaman, MD and J. Mark Anderson, MD, co-authors of the book Stay Young: Ten Proven Steps to Ultimate Health.
On May 12, Asylum, a lifestyle blog for men, gave the low-down of how celery helps men get down: “androstenone is a steroid that is found in human sweat.
It gives off a scent, or sex pheromone, that makes men more attractive. Because the cytoplasm of celery contains androstenone, eating it can actually increase the human levels of the steroid and the pheromone-secretion level.”
Celery provides a more convenient on-the-go option compared to Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner who promoted pork as the “new” natural Viagra from experience not science in January. Apparently celery can also intensify climax by upping “the amount of ejaculatory fluids.”
Gaman recommends that men don’t run out and buy carts full of celery, rather a guy should “work out, have a nice warm shower, chomp on a few sticks of celery, brush his teeth and then head out the door smelling good.”
The book touts these ten “life-changing” steps to “staying young:”
This is a primer for students taking the PMR examinations this year. It is also useful for those students doing early revision in Form 2. These questions are a great quiz test of your capability to comprehend the three poems.
Have fun!
POEM A: LIFE’S BRIEF CANDLE
There are 12 questions in this section. Answer all questions.
1.The following symbol represents life
a)poor player
b)strutting on stage
c)stage acting
d)story telling
2.Which symbol tells us life is short?
a)brief candle
b)an idiot’s tale
c)lighted fools
d)all our yesterdays
3.The poem is about the persona’s ideas of
a)listening to a tale told by his jester
b)watching a stage play
c)making loud sounds in life
d)life and death
4.The brief candle shines
a)perpetually
b)for a short period of time
c)for a painfully long time
d)for a single unit of time
5.By saying, “Out, out, brief candle’‘, the persona desires to
a)blow out his candle
b)go to bed
c)wants to die
d)change his candle
6.In the poem, what is moving at ‘a petty pace’?
a)people
b)time
c)fools
d)shadows
7.According to the persona, death is
a)inevitable
b)dusty
c)painful
d)sudden
8.The word,’ tale’ means
a)nothing
b)idiot
c)fury
d)soundtrack
9.The persona is feeling very
a)moody
b)angry
c)impatient
d)unhappy
10.The last syllable refers to the
a)last stress on a word
b)last stress in a sentence
c)last breath we take
d)last word we say
11.The word; ‘fury’ can be replaced with
a)sights
b)effects
c)anger
d)hairy
12.The fools are reminded about
a)death
b)acting
c)dust
d)sounds
POEM B: THE DEAD CROW
There are 15 questions in this section. Answer all questions.
1.Where is the dead crow?
a)at the clinic
b)in a drain
c)by a drain
d)near the clinic
2.An old man was
a)taking care of a sick baby
b)having trouble breathing
c)looking for his crow
d)looking for medicine
3.In stanza 1, ‘we’ refers to
a)the poet and the baby
b)the poet and the crows
c)the old man and the baby
d)people in general
4.The clinic is crowded in the
a)evening
b)morning
c)afternoon
d)at night
5.The persona describes the country as
a)dirty
b)rich
c)unsafe
d)undeveloped
6.In the second stanza, the persona says he has
a)many fools as friends
b)grandchildren
c)forests and land
d)politicians and money
7.The people suffer from
a)noise pollution
b)air pollution
c)moral corruption
d)mental illnesses
8.In stanza 1, the following were seen except
a)a sick politician
b)a sick baby
c)an sick old man
d)a dead crow
9.The persona wants the fools to
a)get out of the forests
b)go into the forests
c)stop cutting the trees
d)stop cutting grass
10.In the second stanza, what is the wish of the persona?
a)more grandchildren
b)more forests to log
c)a clean environment
d)less crows
11.The clinic is crowded with
a)sick babies
b)disorganised nurses
c)sick people
d)tired doctors
12.The word, ’gasping’ means
a)grabbing
b)grasping
c)panting
d)ranting
13.The old man and the baby are sick because of
a)bird flu
b)dirty environment
c)asthma
d)food poisoning
14.In stanza 2, what is said about the rivers?
a)they are sluggish
b)they are dirty
c)they are muddy
d)they have dried up
15.The persona is against the
a)cutting of grass
b)the cutting of trees
c)the cutting of hedges
d)the cutting of taxes
POEM C: THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREE
There are 15 questions in this section. Answer all questions.
1.The persona will live in a cabin made
a)of clay and bricks
b)of clay and small twigs
c)of wood and zinc
d)of coconut trunks and leaves
2.The glade is full of the sound of
a)stormy winds
b)buzzing bees
c)red breasted birds chirping
d)water lapping aloud
3.The bean rows will provide the persona with
a)berries
b)food
c)fruits
d)strings
4.The persona wants to go in haste to
a)the town he works
b)Innisfree to live there
c)a nearby lake for a holiday
d)the shore to feel the sea breeze
5.How is noon described in the poem?
a)all glimmer
b)all twinkle
c)a purple glow
d)veiled and misty
6.The lake water in Innisfree sounds
a)peaceful
b)stressful
c)dreamy
d)splashing
7.The persona will live on the lake isle
a)with his girlfriend
b)with his wife
c)with his children
d)alone
8.At what time will the persona hear the birds flying home to the isle?
a)At dusk
b)at midnight
c)at noon
d)at dawn
9.The persona can hear what kind of sounds at the shore?
a)loud
b)low
c)crackling
d)irritating
10.What are linnets?
a)fireflies
b)beetles
c)bats
d)red breasted birds
11.Which word tells you that the persona’s wish to go to Innisfree is strong and urgent?
a)I will arise
b)go now
c)deep heart’s core
d)for always
12.Veils of the morning refers to
a)a clothing item
b)faint mist
c)thick haze
d)opaque smog
13.The song of singing is made by
a)songbirds called linnets
b)buzzing bees
c)lapping waters
d)crickets
14.Where is the persona as he longs for Innisfree?
In journeying through life, many things will happen to us. We are amused by many things. We sober up on others. Oftentimes,we reflect on the more important ones and we meditate deeply on some of them.
Journaler 0203 will chronicle the milestones of the author's life in 2009, the crossroads where decisions had to be made, times when he reflected on things past and his vision for the immediate future. So come; journey with him and have fun reading his entries!
