Wishing everyone happy chinese new year

Hope you like this from Kee Thung Chye....
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WordPress 3.8

New changes are now added to the WordPress platform. ... Speed to be much more cleaner and making appearance over the www Moor efficient and faster.

WordPress 3.8 “Parker”
http://wordpress.org/news/2013/12/parker/

2013 World University Ranking

The top Malaysian university in Asia is Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Check this out with the link below and the ranging is 87 bit no where to be seen if view from world ranking.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/regional-ranking/region/asia

Dennis Hong: Making a car for blind drivers | Video on TED.com

Check out Dennis Hong on Ted.com - his talk was about Making Cars for Blind Drivers....

Dennis Hong: Making a car for blind drivers | Video on TED.com

Dennis Hong is the founder and director of RoMeLa -- a Virginia Tech robotics lab that has pioneered several breakthroughs in robot design and engineering.

Full bio and more links

US preacher warns end of the world is nigh: 21 May, around 6pm, to be precise

Wonder this is something true or not.....

Harold Camping.... preached the end-times would come in 1994 but never did arrive, now preached again the end-times that certain to come in 2012....

 Something to read about....

The end of the world is nigh; 21 May, to be precise. That's the date when Harold Camping, a preacher from Oakland, California, is confidently predicting the Second Coming of the Lord. At about 6pm, he reckons 2 per cent of the world's population will be immediately "raptured" to Heaven; the rest of us will get sent straight to the Other Place.

If Mr Camping were speaking from any normal pulpit, it would be easy to dismiss him as just another religious eccentric wrongly calling the apocalypse. But thanks to this elderly man's ubiquity, on America's airwaves and billboards, his unlikely Doomsday message is almost impossible to ignore.

Every day Mr Camping, an 89-year-old former civil engineer, speaks to his followers via the Family Radio Network, a religious broadcasting organisation funded entirely by donations from listeners. Such is their generosity (assets total $120m) that his network now owns 66 stations in the US alone.

Those deep pockets were raided to allow Family Radio to launch a high-profile advertising campaign, proclaiming the approaching Day of Judgement. More than 2,000 billboards across the US are adorned with its slogans, which include "Blow the trumpet, warn the people!". A fleet of logoed camper vans is touring every state in the nation. "It's getting real close. It's really getting pretty awesome, when you think about it," Mr Camping told The Independent on Sunday. "We're not talking about a ball game, or a marriage, or graduating from college. We're talking about the end of the world, a matter of being eternally dead, or being eternally alive, and it's all coming to a head right now."

Mr Camping, who makes programmes in 48 languages, boasts tens of thousands of followers across the globe, with radio stations in South Africa, Russia and Turkey. After 70 years of studying the Bible, he claims to have developed a system that uses mathematics to interpret prophesies hidden in it. He says the world will end on 21 May, because that will be 722,500 days from 1 April AD33, which he believes was the day of the Crucifixion. The figure of 722,500 is important because you get it by multiplying three holy numbers (five, 10 and 17) together twice. "When I found this out, I tell you, it blew my mind," he said.

Recent events, such as earthquakes in Japan, New Zealand and Haiti, are harbingers of impending doom, he says, as are changing social values. "All the stealing, and the lying, and the wickedness and the sexual perversion that is going on in society is telling us something," he says. "So too is the gay pride movement. It was sent by God as a sign of the end."

Mr Camping, who founded Family Radio in the 1950s, grew up a Baptist. Many of his strongly held views – he does not believe in evolution and thinks all abortion should be banned – are relatively commonplace among America's religious right.

Critics point out that this isn't the first time Mr Camping has predicted the second coming. On 6 September 1994, hundreds of his listeners gathered at an auditorium in Alameda looking forward to Christ's return.

"At that time there was a lot of the Bible I had not really researched very carefully," he said last week. "But now, we've had the chance to do just an enormous amount of additional study and God has given us outstanding proofs that it really is going to happen." 

Mr Camping's argument has convinced Adam Larsen, 32, from Kansas. He is among scores of "ambassadors" who have quit their jobs to drive around America in Family Radio vehicles warning of the impending apocalypse. "My favourite pastime is raccoon hunting," Mr Larsen told CNN. "I've had to give that up. But this task is far more important." 

Nomination for your EPF savvings

NEW EPF RULES?

                                
If ONE (1) of your Nominees in the EPF Nominees list dies, automatically the whole arrangement (EPF Nominees list) is VOID ..
Meaning if, you only put in One (1) name & unfortunately he/she dies before you - automatically EPF will channel your EPF money to trustee of AMANAH RAYA upon your death.
Even though if you have few names in the EPF Nominees list, - the whole arrangement is VOID & none of the individual names left in the EPF Nominees list will get their portion & automatically EPF will channel your EPF money to trustee of AMANAH RAYA upon your death.

Piece of advice - if any of the your Nominees in the EPF Nominees list dies, please do immediately approach the nearest EPF counter & present the Death Certificate of the individual & register your NEW / LATEST Nominee in the EPF Nominees list + NEW / LATEST percentage .

If, you & the other party (maybe spouse) involved in the same misfortune (accident / illness) that caused death to both yourself / spouse please, please, please alert your siblings / relatives / parents to immediately approach the nearest EPF counter & share the information within 3 days to AVOID all EPF money to be surrendered to trustee of AMANAH RAYA .

Upon surrender to trustee of AMANAH RAYA, your children will have to battle the money thru 3 channels;

Majlis Agama

Pejabat Tanah

Mahkamah

The normal period via above 3 channels usually takes 2-3 years (except if you have inside/tip top connection) at Amanah Raya.

Tech Risks to Watch in 2011

The constant innovation indigenous to the technology industry may make the idea of risk management seem difficult and sometimes impossible. While challenging, tackling technology risk is not all that different than addressing possible exposures in other industries: Awareness and active involvement in risk management procedures are key. Understanding the potential risks that technology businesses face can help you keep clients better informed and help them consider ways to potentially mitigate those risks and limit costly exposures. Here are some of the key risks that your clients are likely to come across more frequently in 2011.
Everyone goes mobile. Smartphones are no longer the restricted realm of tech savvy professionals or young hipsters. Expect mobile broadband services to become even more mainstream this year, and more consumers to have an iPhone, Android or Blackberry in their pockets. And, as use of mobile Internet increases, so does the risk of security threats. With personal information like bank account numbers being readily transmitted through cell phones, that information can be stolen by an identity thief taking advantage of network vulnerabilities. As vendors of smartphones and related equipment work to develop more secure devices, both individuals and organizations need to take control of their data and be cautious of what they share on mobile networks.

Cookie crumbs. Cookies, seemingly innocuous data collection tools often employed by web advertisers to learn more about their audiences, may see new life in 2011. Data aggregators compile personal information from such cookies, including details such as name, birth date, Web site preferences and even Social Security number, from multiple sources, to assemble sophisticated consumer profiles. With new technologies like the persistent ever-cookie becoming popular, it may be more difficult for Web sites to discover their existence and even more difficult for consumers to get rid of them. Web sites that inadvertently host these cookies need to take particular notice, as the Federal Trade Commission now deems Web site hosts accountable not only for their own data collection, but also for third-party data tracking.
Breakthroughs in medicine. New technology isn't restricted to just computers. Each year, new breakthroughs in medical science change the way doctors administer care and improve the lives of patients around the world. With biotechnology, medical devices and pharmaceuticals poised to continue to grow exponentially in 2011, companies in these industries can expect their risks to grow in kind. Research and development, clinical trials and the production process need to be considered carefully when assessing any products being developed for human medical care, as they can expose companies to significant liabilities.
To the cloud. An emerging trend often discussed in 2010, the concept of cloud computing will likely continue to gain steam this year. By outsourcing certain parts of an organization's technology to a third party, a company can potentially see great cost savings and greater flexibility when it comes to IT services. But outsourcing the functionality does not translate to outsourcing the associated risks. Data compliance and integrity, while seemingly in the hands of the cloud provider, need to be tightly managed by the originating company. If the data stored in the cloud is breached, both parties could potentially be held liable, which makes it imperative that companies audit exactly how cloud providers are managing their data.
Solar heats up. Energy costs for traditional fuels — coal, oil and natural gas — continue to rise rapidly. Look for renewable energy sources, particularly solar power, to see greater demand this year. A spike in investment in solar development in emerging economies, like China and India, also suggests growth to come in the sector. With solar power comes a unique set of risks, from the production of the photovoltaic cells to the actual installation of the finished panels. As demand for renewables grows, these types of risks will need to be considered and managed appropriately.
The only guarantee in the technology industry is that it will continue to grow and change, with new tools available to improve our lives and the ways we do business. But with new technology come new, unknown risks. By continuing to be vigilant, staying abreast of current trends and using a bit of common sense, technology risks can be managed and appropriately addressed before they become costly losses.

More Expenses for Migrant Workers

Minister say migrant worker who do not buy insurance/settle hospital bills will not get work permit renewed...

It is shocking that the Malaysian government is asking that migrant workers themselves, not their employers, to pay for their own Foreign Workers Hospitalisation and Surgical Insurance. The exception being employers of domestic workers, and those in the plantation sector. I believe that this is discriminatory - and there is no justification why not all employers are required to pay.

Secondly, are not migrant workers already covered by the Workmen’s Compensation Act 1952 (amended 1996)., which provide today coverage not only for accidents that happen at the workplace, but for all accidents anytime. The coverage also covers the cost of treatment, hospitalization, etc... and if what is provided for in is inadequate, possibly also by reason that migrant workers are charged 1st class rates at government hospitals and healthcare facilities, then the appropriate action would be to amend these laws to update the coverage so that it is sufficient to cover the exorbitant rate Malaysian government charges all foreigners, including migrant workers.

Since all forms of accidents are covered, and certainly all other forms of workplace related illness are covered, all that remain are sickness that are not workplace related. But, given that most migrant workers also stay in accommodations provided by their employers, hence employers should also be responsible to cover the cost of treatment of illness caused by close human contact and/or proximity, any which is by reason of poor accommodation conditions. Hence, rather than insisting on another insurance, it may be best to just expand the scope of the insurance already existing under the Workmen’s Compensation Act 1952 (amended 1996)..

If it is an industrial accident, are we saying that the worker is supposed to pay for it - and not the employer? This is absurd - for logically and reasonably, if it is an industrial accident, then the employer is duty bound to pay all monies to ensure immediate treatment, surgery, etc...

What is interesting is that migrant workers have no choice, and they are forced to buy this insurance only and not some other. And, if they do not, then their work permits will not be renewed... Why do they have the choice to buy some other insurance?

Now, if their outstanding bill is not settled, their work permit will not be renewed. Is the Minister talking about present 'outstanding bill', or future outstanding bill? Why should migrant workers suffer for the failings of an employer. An errant employer who may no longer need the services of a migrant worker, despite the fact that the initial agreement may have been for a couple of years more can simply not settle the medical bill - and the worker's work permit will not be renewed, and he will be sent back to the country of origin prematurely. [Some say, why can't the worker fight and claim for breach of contract...the short answer is money and the fact that any court/tribunal needs the complainant/claimant to be physically present for the case to proceed, and a migrant worker with no work permit do not have the right to stay legally in the country...]. On a platter, the government of Malaysia has just handed errant employers another method to wrongfully and unjustly get rid of the worker when their services are no longer needed.

Liow said that any outstanding hospital bill must be settled by the foreign worker concerned or his employer before a work permit can be renewed.

Another matter of concern, was the assertion that migrant worker needing medical attention need ONLY to produce his passport. But, this is a problem because in most case employers and/or agents illegally hold on to the passports of migrant workers. And despite the fact that the Malaysian law requires the migrant worker to be able to produce his/her passport on demand, failing which it will be an offence, resulting usually in immediate arrest, detention, etc.. - the Malaysian government shows no political will to stop this wrong. Passports are used like leashes to 'control' migrant workers.

"These foreign workers only need to produce their passport at the registration counter," Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Friday.

I have knowledge of one case, where a worker who got injured in an industrial accident lost the usage of his fingers which could have been re-attached by surgery because the employer took time getting the passport and the required deposit to the hospital. Speed sometimes is essential for saving lives, limbs, etc - and it is hoped that Malaysian doctors and hospitals will not just stand by and see migrant workers die, or lose the opportunity of using one's hand by reasons like not having their passport, not having some medical insurance, not having enough money for deposit/treatment. Have we in Malaysia lost our humanity?

And the proposed insurance will cost the worker RM120, and the maximum coverage is RM1,000 according to the Bernama report attached. I just met a women migrant worker in Penang that took home about RM200 monthly wages, and so I wonder whether there is really any more money available to pay for insurance. Further, lowest deposit for a migrant worker who need to be warded is RM400, and if it was a surgical case, it is RM800-00. Operation charges can range from RM50 to RM3,000 depending on the type of operation. Ultrasound cost RM100. Radiology charges range from RM50-RM600. Lab charges range from RM5 to RM100 depending on the type of tests, and usually there will be quite a lot of tests needed. So, really do we think that RM1,000 coverage is sufficient? I believe that there are certain that there are other insurance policies in the market that provides better coverage...

It is also wrong to impose a new obligation to buy insurance on migrant workers already here and working in Malaysia. It could be done for new migrant workers - who then at least the opportunity whether they do want to come work in Malaysia or not.

Personally, I am of the opinion that all medical and healthcare charges should already have been borne by the Workmen’s Compensation Act 1952 (amended 1996) that now provides 24 hour coverage to the migrant worker. If the provisions do not provide enough payment for medical treatment at government healthcare facilities, then the Act needs to be amended. If sickness, i.e. not work related ailments and/or occupational diseases, are not covered maybe the scope of coverage should be covered. If there is be any additional insurance, then rightly it must be the employer who pays for it, and also for any medical charges over and beyond the coverage of the said insurance policy. If there outstanding medical bills, it must be the employer that is penalised by way of a fine or being 'blacklisted' from being to employ new migrant workers, the present migrant worker's work permit must never be held as ransom until outstanding payments are made. We are talking about human beings here - not some car or motorcycle.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- Employees covered by the Foreign Workers Hospitalisation and Surgical Insurance Scheme need not pay a deposit or produce a guarantee letter to be admitted to a government hospital.

"These foreign workers only need to produce their passport at the registration counter," Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Friday.

This followed the implementation of the Foreign Workers Health Insurance Protection Scheme on Jan 1 which provides for cashless admission, he said in a statement.

The insurance scheme provides coverage of up to RM1,000 with premium payment of RM120 a year.

Liow said that employers of plantation workers and housemaids are required to finance the insurance policies while other foreign employees must pay for themselves.

The foreign workers are given three months to buy the insurance policies.

"For this group, the premium payment imposed by the insurance company will be based on the remaining period of validity of the work permit," Liow said.

"Those who fail to do this (buy insurance policies) will not be allowed to renew their work permits."

Employers who advance premium payments for their workers must seek permission from the head of the manpower department to deduct from employees' salaries.

Liow said that any outstanding hospital bill must be settled by the foreign worker concerned or his employer before a work permit can be renewed.

Liow said that 17 companies have agreed to take part in the scheme, 11 of them from Jan 1.

The 11 are AXA Affin General Insurance Bhd, Berjaya Sompo Insurance Bhd, Jerneh Insurance Bhd, Kurnia Insurans (Malaysia) Bhd, Malaysian Assurance Alliance Bhd, MUI Continental Insurance Bhd, Progressive Insurance Bhd, RHB Insurance Bhd, The Pacific Insurance Bhd and Tokio Marine Insurance (Malaysia) Bhd.

Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Bhd, QBE Insurance (Malaysia) Bhd, Overseas Assurance Corporation (M) Bhd and Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Bhd will start their policies on Feb 1 while Oriental Capital Assurance Bhd will begin theirs on Feb 15.

-- BERNAMA- Bernama, 7/1/2011, Foreign Workers With Insurance May Enter Hospital Without Deposit

Vietnam cleans up the insurance market

Here is something of interest.... to me that's it, but who knows, maybe you are also interest in.

Vietnam cleans up the insurance market

The draft law on the amendments and supplements to the Business Insurance Law has been completed before being submitted to the NA for approval at the forthcoming meeting from October 20 to November 27. The Ministry of Finance said that these amendments are necessary to heighten the responsibilities and mandates of state agencies, businesses and customers and create a healthy insurance market.

Representatives from the Vietnam Insurance Association said that the amendments and supplements to the Insurance Business Law will overcome any shortcomings in Vietnam’s insurance market, creating an equal playing field for all insurance companies.

Difficulties in bidding procedures

One of the articles to be amended this time is whether or not to apply bidding procedures on insurance products. Will the captive insurer model be prohibited or have stricter provisions. A representative from a major insurer in Vietnam said that if the regulations on providing insurance services have been carried out under proper bidding procedures, this would have helped Vietnam’s insurance market become healthier.

The draft law on insurance businesses stipulates that all groups and corporations will have to use bidding procedures in a public manner. Deputy Director of the Petro Vietnam Insurance Company (PVI), Vu Van Thang, said that every product should be put for tender as some domestic insurance companies do not have the capacity. Therefore, bidding procedures could cost more money and take longer.

However, an insurance expert emphasised that bidding procedures are necessary as at least 30 percent of insurance fees will be reduced. In addition, a public tender will offer opportunities for many other insurance companies to take part and more choice.

The National Assembly’s Economic Committee said that the activities of insurance services have not been regulated under bidding regulations over the past few years, leading to a lack of transparency in the insurance market.

Businesses’ insurance products under groups and corporations have been restricted in which insurer they can choose, leading to an unhealthy situation in the insurance market. Currently, Vietnam has more than 10 groups and corporations which have subsidiary companies (or captive insurers) offering insurance services. With the advantages of operating in their sectors, these captive insurers have more opportunities to get insurance contracts.

The re-insurance department at the PVI said that the establishment of specialised insurance companies by major corporations are an international practice and comply with Vietnam’s trend for international integration. Many big oil and gas companies in the world such as BP, Petronas, Talisman, Huyndai and Samsung also have subsidiary companies specialising in the insurance field.

A representative from PVI said that the use of captive insurers have helped groups recoup part of their investment capital and increase the efficiency of their operations.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Insurance Association said that the captive insurance model have been applied by many financial institutions in developed countries. However, these groups are private and often offer reasonable insurance rates. In Vietnam, these corporations belong to the State.

An insurance expert calculated that the rates for insurance contracts of captive insurers have often been higher than in the market. Meanwhile, 90 percent of the total insurance fees from these companies have been re-insured with international reinsurance companies.

The PVI said that captive insurers are fully aware of the parent companies’ business operations and mechanism for providing financial support.

However, a major insurance company in Vietnam does not agree with PVI. The company said that before PVI, many companies such as Bao Viet and Bao Minh had assumed these tasks and they are internationally recognised as prestigious re-insurance companies.

The NA’s Economic Committee reported that many economic groups and corporations have captive insurers, leading to a lack of competitive edge and transparency. A representative from the Vietnam Insurance Association said that the NA Standing committee has asked these groups to submit detailed reports on the captive insurer model and its financial operations. – VOV

BYO Image Search Lab - Idée Inc.

Hi, this great stuff

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Don't say I did not tell you so.....

Skeptic in Qatar: Takaful

Skeptic in Qatar: Takaful

Filling up the gas tank using MyKad?

When visiting gas stations to fill up the tank, make sure you have your MyKad with you come May 2010.

Without MyKad, your cash or credit card will not get you even a single drop of petrol!

I have no idea whether we will also need to swipe our MyKad to buy sugar, cooking oil and the like in the future.

The Malaysian government may be the only one in this world that needs to verify a buyer's identity before he fills up his petrol tank.

This reminds me of communism, where the people needed to show their identifications when buying a loaf of bread.

But then that was an era long gone.

At a time when ASEAN states and China are opening up their markets towards one another, I have no idea the policy of selling petrol on identification is meant to show off MyKad's multiple functions, which even many developed countries pale in comparison, or to stop foreigners from buying cheap petrol here.

If we are doing it just to show off the multiple functions of MyKad, then we should rightly feel proud, as a pocket-size MyKad can accommodate at least eight different functions.

Any data, from personal particulars to whether the cardholder is suffering from VD as well as his wealth and other private details, will be unreservedly exposed with a MyKad reader.

This is of secondary importance, and the worst thing is that there is no product assurance on the extremely vulnerable MyKad chips.

Imagine you are in a hurry for work, school, or some business meeting, but having an empty tank in front of a gas station MyKad reader that refuses to accept your identification.

JPN urges the public to replace their chips if found damaged, showing that such a possibility is very real.

Imagine half the country's population rushing to JPN to replace their MyKad just to fill up their petrol tanks, and the additional burden on JPN's side.

If the new policy has been a counter-measure against foreign car owners who have poked the loopholes in the earlier policy of allowing foreign-registered vehicles to fill up their petrol tanks only within 50km from national borders, and up to 20 litres before leaving the country, then it is by all measures a very poor contrivance.

Foreign vehicles, especially those from Singapore, have brought much bigger economic benefits to this country than the profits they have sneaked away from our petrol allowances.

Inconveniences experienced at petrol pumps will only drive them away.

If we do this merely to stamp cross-border smuggling activities, then the anti-smuggling squads should work a lot harder to check their activities instead of transferring the hassles to motorists across the nation.

It is necessary for us to prevent foreigners from enjoying our petrol allowances, but not to spend huge sums of money acquiring MyKad readers and inconvenience motorists! 

Acknowledgment: (By TAN POH KHENG/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)

EARN S$ SPEND RM

As Malaysia's younger workforce entry-level pay drifted down towards the poverty line, more and more Gen-Y workforce are being driven down south in search of employment that provide them with Singapore dollars.... With Sing$, then only they find it worthwhile living the frugal life to save and then spend them back home during the holiday breaks. It is definite more strategic than working hard in Kuala Lumpur, lives frugally but at the end of the day cannot even save a hunderd ringgit a month! But in Singapore, many of these Gen-Y graduate workers have proven despite the higher costs of living comparatively, save more effectively if they share room with their colleague in some lower costs HDB flats.... What they cannot even save a hunder ringgit they can save up to S$200 a month! Wow! Converting back to RM, this is nothing less than RM450.... We have to realise, in Singapore, only accomodation and owning a car are on the higher side compared to that in KL but most of the other things, the costs are relatively lower if we do not work on any currency conversion - this means the MRT is cheaper, food is cheaper, bus is cheaper, entertainment is cheaper... blah, blah blah...

But most of all you get the good old savings for your future and GOOD SECURITY - you don't get mobbed on public road.... and much better hygiene everywhere! True therefore, numerous of my younger friends and colleagues had or are in process of migrating their working lives down south....

What does this relates in the more strategic sense? Yes, Malaysia is going to be a country that is a net exporter of young graduate workforce, especially from the insurance industry, mostly to Singapore, Hong Kong, Gulf nations and some third world countries.... Why? Malaysian corporations cannot afford to pay - simple as that! Why again? They are too short sighted - getting the short term gains forgoing the longer and more strategic aspect for the long term benefit to the country! No one is thinking long term for the country now - they just want to make the bucks faster to realise their investment better. Was this because no one trust the economy of the country or was it all about our joker politicians?

Is this phenomenon damaging for Malaysia? YES, Without the most capable younger workforce, it would eventually create a brain drain and therefore a subsequent vacumm in the years to come.

No wonder Najib, our PM is working towards beefing up the nation to attain the status of a higher income earning nation, and not continues to live under the banner of low costs. Looks like it is going to be an uphill task!

Care to throw your shoes at your boss? Perhaps the Bank Governor?

Muntadhar al-Zeidi, the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush is now a well known man.In Geneva recently he was greeted by the Swiss with rounds of applause - it was a hero's welcome on Monday 19 October 2009. At the conference he repeated his allegations that he was severely tortured, including with electric shocks, during his none months of detention!



But this is now history, his reception in Switzerland was noteworthy unlikely those that were given when he was just released from prison back in hi home country. Yes! They said he is now famous as there are now more engagement for him, either to write or invitation to talk... Much money are involved especially gifts coming from the wealthy Arabs and an opportunity to spearhead the a foundation to support suffering Iraqis. What an achievement now compared to the days before he hurled his shoes at the President of USA.

Is that how people can become famous and improve their status financially?

I supposed so.... You can try throwing your pair of shoes at your boss during some important functions especially where all the press people are around. I am sure you can be famous! You could became famous if that's be the Bank Governor while she is delivering some speeches to foreign guests! You may end up being called to lead a group of deprived insurance workforce - deprived of promotion and reasonable increament... merely getting a 1% to 3 % increament year in year out! As you throw you shoes - but do remember, throw slippers will do as you are not famous and wealthy enough to buy a good pair of working shoes - you know your shoes may be confiscated as an evidence in court! After throwing do make enough loud noices and shout on top of your voice - shout whatever reason you think is approprite - make sure the people around don't think you are a sicko...oooo otherwise you end up in Tg. Rambutan serving hard times for nothing!

Nevertheless, I think you should end up famous.... if you act as if there are important political message to be sent in the slipper throwing incident... Yes you may be the next CEO or perhaps able to write a sell-out ebook! But then, do be prepare to be put into the lockup and suffered for a couple of months.... out of a job and so on! You must presevere so that you can get where you want ot go.....


Care to throw your shoes or slippers at your boss?

Story about the Economics that we all can understand

It was summertime in some small coastal european village. The place looks deserted and gloomy in the air. Troubled economic times have left everyone in debts. The town folk live entirely on credit!

One day, a tourist comes to town. He goes to the only hotel and put USD100 note on the reception desk, and ask to inspect the rooms to see whether if any is suitable for him.

While the tourist is checking the rooms, the hotel proprietor grabs the money and runs to pay his debts to the grocer. The grocer takes the money and runs to pay his debt to the farmer. The farmer takes the money and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his pesticides and fuel.

The supplier of the pesticides and fuel takes the money and runs to pay the town prosstitutes who in those difficult times, has been servicing her clients on credit. The prostitute the runs to the hotel and pays off the USD100 that she owed for the rooms she rented when she brought her clients there.

The proprietor of the hotel then places the USD100 note back onto the reception desk. Just then the tourist came back and tells the proprietor that those rooms were not suitable, grab the money and left.

The town folks certainly have improved after this chain of activities. Although no one earned any money and yet the entire town is now out of debt!

Well....don't stare blank? What is wrong with that?

If we continue to emphasise on English for Science and Maths, we will be like Filipinos

Incredible....if that be the word when Zulkifli Noordin, the MP for Kulim Bandar Baru told the press that Malaysian would be like Filipinos working as maids or low-costs foreign workers one day, if we continue to put too much emphasis on english proficiency. Filipinos who took pride in their ability to speak english has only succeeded in exporting many maids....so what is so good about english? He quipped...

Don't quite understand him, what has Filipinos being maids got to do with our nation using english for Science and Maths! What I think he meant was with english as the medium of instruction the rural boys just cannot cope. Since the rural boys are the majority of the malays and if they are not able to cope then the repercussion is bad for the country as a whole. Nevertheless he has over reacted just like the urbanites who had reacted "badly" to the "Back to BM" decision over the last couple of days. However we cannot be stopping those brighter students from moving forward and then moving to university studies overseas just because we need to cater for those in the rural areas...is that correct? What the real solution is all about options. If the rural groups are not able to cope, then they should put emphasis on BM to get them there if they are able to get where they wanted to go....Leave english as the option intact so that there can be future comparison.

Hold it....I would be most happy if this PKR MP is just talking about the better side of "Back to BM...". He distastefully went on insisting that the government should bring back the Jawi thing - writing BM in jawi! He categorically states "Romanising the Malay language has made the people illiterate in Jawi and therefore in Al-Koran". But wait, he seemed to be telling everyone that english is no good and BM is still not good enough; but Jawi is the solution...Damn him if we have to learn this Jawi thing....we gone through hell when we were young. Why not he propose to the government to adopt Jawi as the medium of instruction for everything!

Just take a look at his educational background:

Saya, ZULKIFLI BIN NOORDIN, dilahirkan di Kg. Carok Bemban, Batu 42, Baling, Kedah pada 19 Februari 1962.

Mendapat pendidikan awal di Ashby Road (English) Primary School, Ipoh. Bersekolah menengah di Anderson School Ipoh dan King Edward VII Taiping. Pra Universiti di Maktab Tentera Di Raja, Sungai Besi sebelum melanjutkan pengajian ke New Zealand. Pengajian A-Level di Pakuranga College, Bucklands Beach, Auckland dan akhirnya memasuki Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand di antara 1982-1986.

Wah! With so much of english language education to get him till todate, he is now telling his country men that we should go back to Jawi....

If you want to vote for him.....I cannot imagine!
Remember

Into your new job....

I was having dinner with some of my Gen-X friends or are they bordering the Baby Boomer generation? Sam was telling me about an interview with one of the candidates, a fresh graduate, that he offered him a starting pay of RM1,600. The guy requested for an additional RM200, so Sam retorted that he has to prove to him that he deserves the additional sum. The poor chap tried to demonstrate his capability by explaining what he actually done for his univ and his many achievements. Sam however did not gave him a damn insisting that what a person learns in univ is nothing but just education and academics.....and a piece of paper to show, he would have to unlearn (ie. bring him back to earth) the person before teaching him all over again to achieve success in this very competitive world. Wait, he then requested the poor chap to show him how to fax 5 pieces of papers to another party. The poor chap actually took more than 25 mins to do just that! Sam then explained to him that is why he must learn from him.....and the best part for him as Sam hammered home the point...."that's way you have not learn anything yet about the real world....!"

I told Sam that he is abit weird and tha fax part was nothing but an off beat thing not suitable for this era...the industry actually don't need a fax anymore. We now scan the documents to the desktop, save the images and then email to the party concerned. This process would help kill two birds with one stone....that's how the gen-Y world is all about.

KS agreed that Sam is indeed outdated....but he was equally shy when his subordinate (a Gen-Y) told him that he need not print his email including attachment piece by piece and then scan the document into his desktop for archiving....what he can do is just print the emails with cute.pdf (a free software) into a pdf image file. He was amaze how things have changed....and it has to take a fresh graduate to tell him how to do it!

There you go....those gen-Y graduates do deserve the additional RM200....it is theirs to keep.

Cheers....

On Fathers' Day

On fathers' day, I spent time writing my blog on "Spirit of Fathers" for the www.malaysianinsurance.com weblog and creating a banner-logo for my blogging site: www.malaysiainsurance.info (malaysia insurance entrepreneurs). Let see whether this logo looks good over at blogger.com:

Do take a tour of my blogging site, it is basically blogging about everything technical about our insurance industry. I would also hope my readers would support the site by contributing ideas and original write up. Just register your and then you will be given a password through your email account, just log in and write your ideas out and load. Write great ideas and things down actually help you to learn better - Don't believe, try and you should know what I meant.

Just now I had dinner with my kids, they dictated what to eat but of course I have the first rights - to choose the restaurant, otherwise they are certain to opt for KFC, McDonald or Kenny Rogers.... Thai food it was! However, when it comes to ordering - they insisted on creamy butter crabs, steam fish, lala and of course all those exotic drinks..... but the pricing is reasonable. The restaurant name is "Thai Food" and located along the road on the way to Teratai.... to get to the place, just get to the only Shell station in Teratai - it is nearby.

It is good feeling knowing that the kids are growing up well, their studies are more or less in line with what normal parents would expect. The institution of family is very important otherwise it is very difficult for us to work and achieve high level of performance at work.

Mandatory discount for direct motor insurance customers

It's a dog eat dog world out there.....they said. Indeed it is true, agents have been discounting motor premium to their customers all this while in order to compete with one another, snatching and enticing customers creating a war path that eventually caught up with them. While aggressively transacting motor biz which is supposed to be done on Cash-before-cover, agents still continue to buck the Insurance Act and its regulations. Late settlement of premium is still rampant and money continues to be owed and this is not without the indirect blessing from the marketing staff of the insurance companies. Things had been abit lacking in controls as insurers inclined towards market and marketing driven rather than underwriting sensibly with growth that they can understand and digest.

With the implementation of the Risk based Capital this Jan 2009, Kurnia Insurance emerged as a clear casualty of their many years of aggressive motor portfolio growth. I would'nt wish to speculate whether their predicament is a result of their yester years' sins or not, but the loss ratio is rising....fast it seems. The main culprit it seems hitting the industry came from the motor thirdparty bodily injury (MTPBI).

The loss ratio for MTPBI for the industry has blown up to 272% out of a approx. RM380 million worth of Act premium written in 2007. Because this ratio has suddenly gone crazy, actuary tends to stare at this development and have to bring this in as a major factor in their computation of the loss development and actuarial analyses. Thus, most companies that write substantial % of motor portfolio have to contend with the fact that the case reserves in combined is just not enought to meet such actuarially calculated ultimate claims amount. The result is therefore reflected in the actuarial assessed Incurred but not reported reserves, culminating in more provision of claims reserves to satisfy the Central Bank. When you have to foot out a RM10 million or RM30 million to feed your balance sheet, thie is going horrendous especially when the world is facing an economic melt down.

So who is it to blame? The industry lose money, fingers start pointing and the following are the collection of reasons or scrap goat......? They said - > 30 years the tariff was not review, the courts are not only slow with the litigation process, they are bad with their awards, lawyers are crooks - they drived the costs up thru their inefficiency, there are just too many people who work as ambulance chasers, loading of the third party premium is inadequate......and the story goes on..... are all these fingering reasons the cause of it....well, you decide.

Off the General Insurance association goes to the Central bank and try working their way to get the removal of the premium cap. naturally the Bank rejected and this was after being squeezed with premium discounts for direct customers......citing two main reasons: that the industry needs a new distribution channel, ie. direct walk in (if this is a channel??) and internet-based channel, which I gladly agree; and the other reason being removal of certain profit commission barriers so that such commission can continue to be paid out annually to the agents.

Therefore, a little bit here and there, squeeze here and there, every where.....and we have arrived. Soon enough we should see Insurance companies giving out motor premium discounts to walked in customers as well as internet based transactions to the detriment of the agents.

But then can the agents blame the insurers for their predicaments? After all the insurers are trying to save their profit commission for the more profitable agents and to save their butts having being affected by the RBC and the 75% confidence level actuarial computation....it is only human if we all lose some and win some. Actually agents have to rethink about their future.....and one of the main agenda that I can think of is to collectively work towards a representative body so that the agents can be properly represented in this industry. But what can we said when most of the sizeable agents are still owing their principals a big chunk of premium.....especially on the non-motor portoflio. How can the agents get to be in a stronger position when premiums owed run in hundred of millions nationwide? Perhaps ti is going to be extremely difficult and to an extent mind blogling....not until we see a wave of new breed of agency coming into the market.

While it is certain that this mandatory motor discounting is going to be a reality this year, agents should not be overly worried.....the next best thing is to change ones' mindset, work towards innovation and creativity in discharging the services demanded by the customers. Moving towards internet based selling and servicing of customers is going to be one hell of an innovative solution. So start entering cyberspace and get familiar with the twists and turns of the other world.

But then.....don't worry I am behind you all, dear agents....... the industry is pushing hard to only allow such mandatory discounting for "natural" person only. THis means if customers who are biz, be they partnership, sole proprietor or corporation, they should not be entitled to any form of discounting.

Cheers.

Where is the recession and the mangled economy?

Since the last quarter of 2008, everyone was doing nothing but predicting where the world economy is heading, many even predicted that this round of economic slide is so bad that it not only sucks but hit us so bad that we can't possibly recognise ourselves.... Eveyone is a phophet of DOOM, preaching that the world is going to go bad with civilisation going backwards. We normal guys just have to be sucked into their belief and domains. We are damned....possibly pay-cut??

Just as we braced ourselves to be BAD....SUCKs, then the share markets worldwide just go up...up and away. Shit, shit....we missed the boat again. How can that be....another round of missed opportunities..... That is why we workforce people must start believing the economy is not for us. We chicken out when things go wrong.....we talk like a guru on share market when the market escalates to a new height, but when we buy, we lost our pants.......

When things look bleak, our employers are not forgiving, every now and then, reminding us to work doubly hard.....so hard that we forgot to live our lives.

Trust me..... economy is not for all. So start believing that..... and we should be able to handle our life, family relationship and friendships better. Live life with abundance.....economy is not important, they are for the rich......and perhaps for the academics......bloody economist.

So.....so....abundance of resources or scarcity of resources......you choose; the former contention.....that's the way to achieve greater things.

By the way.....I just can't find much time in writing this blog as I am also involved in another blog: malaysianinsurance.blogspot.com and http://malaysianinsurance.com

Well, click and visit me.....you should find alot of good and interesting stuff there.

Cheers