Friday, September 28, 2012

Where are the BN MPs?

Again, another unbelievable sight.  On an important occasion such as the Budget Speech Day, how could so many of the BN MPs be absent?  I guess they must have told themselves not to waste their time sitting there and listening to the prime minister and his yadah yadah, or maybe they realise that this must be Najib's last budget show so why bother to turn up.



Don't look too good on Najib.  Poor chap.

[Pictures from Mkini]

Any idea why is he still hanging around in Parliament?


Unbelievable as it may seems, we have a person who has been declared a bankrupt, speaking on improving financial integrity by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission [MACC]?  Just simply amazing.
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Why hasn’t Dewan Negara Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia taken a decision against Labuan MP Yussof Mahal who was declared a bankrupt by the Labuan High Court on Aug 7.

Posing these questions, an exasperated Labuan DAP chief Lau Seng Kiat, said Pandikar had been notified by the Insolvency Department about Yussof’s bankruptcy status but is yet to act.

Todate, all Amin had reportedly said was that he would decide whether to allow Yussof to attend the current Dewan Rakyat sitting, which began on Sept 24.

“But the budget session has already begun and Yussof is in Parliament. This is most unusual. The Speaker should not delay his decision as the matter was urgent and of public interest.

“After all it was not a difficult decision to make since the Federal Constitution is very clear on the matter,” said Lau in a statement.

Lau said under Article 48 of the Federal Constitution it is stated clearly that a person is disqualified from being a member of either houses (senate and parliament) if he is an undischarged bankrupt.
He further cited Part II Disqualifications and Disabilities of bankrupts under the Bankruptcy Act 1967.

Lau said under this law where a debtor is adjudged a bankrupt, he shall be disqualified for being nominated or elected to holding or exercising the office of councilor of a local authority.

Double-standard?

Such disqualification shall be removed and cease if and when the adjudication of bankruptcy against him is annulled or he obtains from the court his discharge with a certificate to the effect that his bankruptcy was caused by misfortune without misconduct on his part. The court may grant or withhold such certificate as it thinks fit.

“Yussuf by his own admission has stated that he is still in the midst of resolving his bankruptcy issue.
“I hope there will be no double-standard. I’m quite sure that if the bankruptcy issue involved an opposition MP, the MP would had been expeditiously disqualified, ” he said.

He also pointed out the irony of Yussof’s continued presence as the chairman of Labuan Corporation and the federal government’s dependence on his views of situations in Labuan.

Lau also regretted the decision of the Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing for having no initiative to decide on the post

He said the Minister erred on the matter, as Yussof’s post in LC had nothing to do with his position in parliament.

He drew Raja Nong’s attention to Labuan Corporation’s own laws on bankruptcy.

He said the Perbadanan Labuan Act 2001 Act 609 under First Schedule (Subsection 5(5)) stated that the office of a member of Perbadanan is vacated if he becomes a bankrupt.

[Source: FMT]

Have we made ourselves a laughing stock over the LGBT issue?


Thursday, September 27, 2012

My favourite crooner, Andy Williams, dies at 84


Legendary singer Andy Williams, known for his smooth voice and classics such as "Moon River," died after a year-long battle with bladder cancer at his Branson, Missouri, home Tuesday night, his family said.

Williams, 84, began his singing career as a child in a quartet with his brothers, but he rose to stardom as a solo act starting in the 1950s.
 
"The Andy Williams Show," a weekly television variety program that ran for nine years on NBC starting in 1962, and a dozen TV specials from 1959 through 1987 made Williams a household name in the United States.
 
He spent the last 20 years of his career performing on his own stage at his Moon River Theatre in Branson.
 
Jimmy Osmond said his family would be "forever grateful for the interactions we had with him."
"Not only did he discover us as a group, but also allowed us the opportunity to be discovered as individuals and develop our own talents," Osmond said.
 
"The clarity and warmth and grace of his singing shaped my love of music as I watched my brothers perform with him on his weekly show," Donny Osmond said.
 
Williams gave him several voice lessons when he was just 7, Osmond said.
 
"When I finally joined my brothers and toured with Andy as his opening act and back-up singers, I was always impressed with the way he handled an audience," he said. "He loved the audience. That was one of the most important lessons he taught me."
 
His sister, Marie Osmond, who made her TV debut on his show at age 3, said Williams was "the first person to affect my career."
 
"The group 'The Osmonds' would not exist without the foresight and generosity of our mentor Andy Williams," Marie Osmond said.
 
"No one sang more beautifully than Andy Williams," she said. "Hearing his version of 'Moon River' never failed to move me deeply. I can't imagine the holiday season without Andy Williams; we did so many specials together."
 
"Moon River" became his theme song after he performed it at the 1962 Academy Awards, where it won an Oscar for best song in a movie. Audrey Hepburn sang the Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini composition in the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
 
Williams' recording career reached superstar status in 1963 when his album "Days of Wine and Roses" spent 16 weeks at the top of the U.S. music charts.
 
His variety TV show, which promoted the careers of many other artists including the Osmonds, won high ratings and three Emmys.
 
Singer Ray Stevens, who was managed for years by Andy's brother Don, called him "one classy guy."
"He was a marvelously talented and generous performer who in 1970 entrusted his nationally acclaimed TV show and audience to a green kid from Georgia," Stevens said. "That kid was me, and he changed my life."
 
Williams hosted the first live Grammy Awards telecast at the Hollywood Palladium in 1971. He went on to host for seven years straight.
 
"The entertainment industry has lost a giant piece of its living history today, but Williams' legacy will forever be enshrined in the annals of music and television," said Neil Portnow, the president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. "Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and all who will miss this American treasure."
 
The singer hosted five Christmas television specials, between 1973 and 1985, along with seven other television specials, the first in 1959 and the last in 1987.
 
Williams, who also had a home in La Quinta, California, is survived by his wife of 21 years, Debbie, and his three children with French singer Claudine Longet -- Robert, Noelle and Christian.
He was married to Longet from 1961 until their divorce in 1975. A year later, she was charged with the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Olympic skier Spider Sabich.
 
Williams stood by Longet, who claimed the shooting was accidental. She spent a month in jail.
Williams' Branson theater was the first non-country venue built in the small Missouri tourist mecca.
 
 
He was born on December 3, 1927, in Wall Lake, Iowa, where he began singing with brothers Bob, Dick and Don in a Presbyterian church choir led by their parents.
 
Williams was just 8 when he made his professional singing debut with the Williams Brothers Quartet. The brothers were regular performers on radio station WHO's "Iowa's Barn Dance Show" in Des Moines. Their popularity grew, taking the brothers to national stations, including WLS in Chicago and WLW in Cincinnati.
 
Doris Day was his friend when they were both young and living in Cincinnati.
 
"He and his brothers sang and, of course, so did I, and often I would go over to their house and we would sing together," Day said Wednesday. "They asked me to join their group, but my vocal coach thought I should be out on my own, and so that's what I did."
 
Smokey Robinson said Williams "befriended me when I was just a teenager starting out in show business, and we remained friends throughout the years."
 
"I regret that we didn't have the chance to spend more time together," Robinson said. "He was one of the great voices and great people of our time."
 
[Source: CNN]

 

Yet another one bit the dust. Why are we not surprised?

Tricubes Bhd today announced that Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd (Bursa Securities) has disallowed its appeal against rejection of its proposed regularisation plan and de-listing.

In the circumstances, the securities of Tricubes will be removed from the official list of Bursa Securities on Oct 1, it said in an announcement to the exchange.

The troubled company was awarded the controversial 1Malaysia email project in April last year to serve as a designated digital channel for government bodies to communicate with the public.

The project elicited fierce public criticism as all government bodies are required to pay for every email sent using the 1Malaysia email accounts.

Its critics also questioned whether the plan was intended to “bail out” Tricubes.

Shares can no longer be traded

Tricubes said its securities, which are currently deposited with Bursa Malaysia Depository Sdn Bhd, may remain deposited notwithstanding the de-listing of the securities from the official list of Bursa Securities.

Alternatively, its shareholders who intend to hold their securities in the form of physical certificates, can withdraw these securities from their Central Depository System (CDS) accounts at anytime after the securities have been de-listed from the official list of Bursa Securities.

Upon the de-listing, Tricubes will continue to exist but as an unlisted entity.

It is still able to continue its operations and business and proceed with corporate restructuring while shareholders can still be rewarded by the company's performance.

However, the shareholders will be holding shares which are no longer quoted and traded on Bursa Securities, Tricubes said.
Last January, Tricubes Bhd’s 70 percent-owned subsidiary Tricubes NCR JV Sdn Bhd was awarded a RM6 million project by the Home Ministry to maintain the police force’s hardware and software and server enhanced mobile management system (EMMS).

[Source: Bernama]

Monday, September 24, 2012

That look ....

This is exactly the same look you'd get
 
 
from your friends when you tell them you
plan to vote for BN.

Meet the new Asian singing sensation - Shila Amzah


Malaysian singer, Shila Amzah has been announced the winner of Asian Wave 2012 held in China recently. She competed with other finalists from China, South Korea, India, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. She sang three songs: Gemilang by Jaclyn Victor, Grenade by Bruno Mars and a Mandarin song, Zheng Fu by Na Ying that finally led her to be awarded the Grand Winner of the event. The winner was selected based on the juries' points as well as the votes from the fans. Shila also has been the favourite among fans who love her voice and style. Now this is what I called meritocracy in action, competing against the best. Shila Boleh! Here is one Malaysian who dared to be different!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

When justice is tempered with mercy


An Indonesian judge by the name of Marzuki was sitting in judgment of an old lady who pleaded guilty of stealing some tapioca from a plantation. In her defense, she admitted to the judge that she was indeed guilty of the crime because she was poor and her son was sick while her grandchild was hungry.

The plantation manager insisted that she be punished as a deterrent to others. The judge going through the documents then looked up and said to the old lady, “I’m sorry but I cannot make any exception to the law and you must be punished.” The old lady was fined Rp. 1 million (USD 100) and if she could not pay the fine then she will be jailed for 2 and a half years as demanded by the law.

She wept as she could not pay the fine. The judge then took off his hat and put in Rp. 1 million into the hat and said “In the name of justice, I fined all who are in the court Rp. 50 thousand (USD 5.50) as dwellers of this city and letting a child to starve until her grandmother have to steal to feed her grandchild. The registrar will now collect the fines from all the accused.” The court managed to collect Rp 3.5 million (USD 200) whereby once the fine was paid off, the rest was given to the old lady … .including the fine collected from the plantation manager.

WILL WE EVER SEE SUCH A HAPPENING IN OUR MALAYSIAN COURTS?

Our Sunday Girl - GINA