Budget benefits bus and taxi operators but not commuters
There were not many incentives offered for LRT and KTM commuters as Budget 2012 only provided 50% discounts for senior citizens. This should be quite a cost of concern as one should be aware that not everyone takes taxis and buses. This was the first time that taxi drivers were given much attention in the national level. Read more
So, is Budget 2012 an ‘Election Budget’?
Najib said that Budget 2012 was very much an inclusive one as it would benefit most people from all walks of life. But would this mean that he is now making people happy so that they will vote to BN when the next general election comes? Would this mean that Budget 2012 is indeed an election budget as it was designed to draw support? Would this mean that Budget 2012 is the way to ‘buy votes’ for General Election 13? Only he knows. Read more
Hishammuddin’s remarks on ‘making mountains out of molehill’ is irresponsible and insensitive
This came after the investigation was carried out by the Health Ministry and complaints made by some 11 doctors whose clinics were operating in the hospital. Read more
What middle-income Malaysians want in Budget 2012?
But then again, there is this other issue that one must consider where if the government is to give out goodies too freely, it might be counter productive and put the economical progress at risk. Hence, the prime minister must be careful when giving out anything in Budget 2012.
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Indomie banned in Taiwan, should Malaysia ban it too?
Why was it pulled off the marts?
According to the Taiwan’s Centre for Food Safety, they have tested the noodles and found that they contained 2 preservatives which are benzoic acid and the methyl p-hydroxybenzoate, both of which are banned for food. These preservatives however are allowed to be used in cosmetics as they are only applied externally. Apart from Taiwan, the preservatives are also banned in Europe and Canada which could cause vomiting while taking too much of it would cause metablic acidosis. The reason vomiting happens is because the substances create too much acid in the body which would be damaging in the long run. Read more
Education Ministry wants 200,000 foreign students by 2020, good move or potential social disaster?
Although the intention seemed noble and makes a lot of sense, one must be aware that it could give rise to many new problems. This could range from new african scams to those who are here not to study.
Measures in place, but are they fully utilized?
The government is gearing up for the foreign students and to make Malaysia into an international educational hub. To do this, they have to ensure that the infrastructure and the system are in place. Every week we read of new private colleges being awarded ‘University status’, which means that they can now offer their own degrees. Read more
Controversy over web ‘assets’
After death, web ‘assets’ are often tangled in cloud.WHEN you die, does your Facebook account die with you? Or that online photo album? What about your iTunes playlist, blogs or tweets?
Laws in the United States and elsewhere are vague on the fate of digital rights to online accounts after death, leading to complications and legal wrangling for survivors who want access to the online services of the deceased.
Legal experts say it’s unclear who owns what in the Internet “cloud”, and that in some cases the user agreement for email or social networking sites terminates when a person dies.
“The underlying asset is still owned by you but the access terminates on your death. The same can be said about emails.” Read more
Case of women becoming easy prey in online love scams – should the government do something?
While a lot of cases involve people from all walks of life, a large portion of those who mastermind such scams were Africans and many were actually Nigerians who were either studying or living in Malaysia. One case involved a woman who was in her early 50s and separated from her husband. She fell victim to the scam of a Nigerian who claimed to be a British Army Brigadier-General who was posted to the Middle East. She got to know him through a social networking site meant for singles who cheated her off nearly half a million ringgit. Read more
Should the consumer be ‘punished’ to pay the 6% tax imposed by telcos?
6 % Telco Prepaid Tax for Malaysian
The recent announcement that prepaid users and those who are buying the starter packs of prepaid cards will be subjected to the 6% service tax. Apparently, this tax was previously absorbed by the telcos (telecommunication companies) but the move will soon be revoked and the 6% tax will then be channelled back to the consumers. This means that for every RM10 that you buy, you only get RM9.40 air time. If you top up RM100, that is RM6 gone. Read more
Petknode – owners apologize, but it was money they were after
Petknode Pet boarding
Mention the name Petknode and you will get the impression or an image of a ‘Hell Hotel’ for cats. The pet hotel sprung into the limelight recently after the premises were found to have kept more than 300 cats over the Hari Raya holidays without feeding them with food and water. As a result, 13 cats have died due to the situation. To be fair, Petknode had a good reputation as a pet hotel and many thought that their cats would be in good hands under the care of the store owners Shahrul Azuwan Adanan and Yushairi Khairuddin. What the owners did not know was that the store owners too had to celebrate Hari Raya too. And in the end, it was the cats who suffered.
