Malaysian girls easily duped

Do you agree? Read on.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian lasses are an easy lot to charm. They are easily smitten by sweet words and gifts, making them an easy target for drug-trafficking syndicates looking for mules.

This is the view of Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay, who said young Malaysian girls, some fresh graduates, were easily conned by men from the syndicates to travel abroad with a package.

“Some of the girls meet the men abroad and some meet them in Malaysia.

“There have been cases where girls just knew the men for a day and were willing to travel around with a bag, not knowing the contents,” he said at the launch of the Wanita MCA women and children’s aid and public complaints bureau in Kepong yesterday.

Also present at the event was Wanita MCA chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.

He said there were currently 1,565 Malaysians jailed abroad and 60% of the cases were drug mules.

“Thailand has the highest number of jailed Malaysians at 52. In Peru, 12 out of the 15 Malaysians jailed are girls,” he said, quoting 2007 statistics.

He added that 25 Malaysians were jailed in Taiwan, 11 in China, 12 in Spain and one in Chile.

“Six in China have been sentenced to death. Since 2007, about 30 Malaysians are in death row,” he said.

Kohilan added that the syndicates, mostly comprising African men, would give the young girls free flight tickets and cash for shopping as part of the trip abroad.

“There is no such thing as a free trip.

“Parents should be mindful of such trips and keep a close watch on their children,” Kohilan said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/11/1/nation/5021297&sec=nation

Mandarin to be taught in Kelantan religious schools

It won't be long before we can say "Ni hao?" tothe people of Kelantan.

KOTA BARU: The Kelantan government plans to introduce Mandarin as a subject in schools under the Kelantan Islamic Foundation (YIK) soon, said State Islamic Development, Education and Dakwah Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah Saturday.

He said the move was prompted by the positive response to the Mandarin Club set up at seven YIK schools, comprising the Maahad Muhammadi, Maktab Pengajian Islam, Maahad Arabiah Pasir Mas, Maahad Tahfiz al Quran in Pulai Chondong, Maahad Tahfiz Sains Tanah Merah and Sekolah Menengah Ugama (Arab) Tarbiah Mardhiah, Panchor.

“Mandarin classes for the club members, totalling 250 students, are held on weekends and public holidays,” he added.

In a related development, Mohd Amar said four students from the Sultan Ismail Petra International Islamic College were sent to China for further studies. -- Bernama

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/24/nation/20091024132551&sec=nation

Artiste Hannah Tan is the first Malaysian to produce an album in Japan

Another first for Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR: Local artiste Hannah Tan’s early birthday present this year will certainly be memorable – the honour of being the first Malaysian to produce an album in Japan.

The Penang-born Hannah whose 28th birthday falls on Oct 25, has just signed a RM6mil production deal with Japan’s Fillmore Far East Inc to produce five Japanese pop albums within two years.

“I feel really honoured,” said Hannah who signed the deal with Fillmore Far East at her office yesterday.

Hannah produced her debut album Crossing Bridges in 2005, which she collaborated with internationally-acclaimed composers/writers Jorg enElofsson, Phil Thornalley, Andrew Fromm and Chris Rojas.

Wonderful smile: Hannah at her office after signing a RM6mil contract with Fillmore Far East Inc Saturday.

She wrote and composed three songs on the album.

Hannah, who is also an actress, model and television host said she set her eyes on the Japanese market earlier this year when she started thinking about her singing career beyond Malaysia.

She said she was impressed with the Japanese business, entertainment trends, the anime wave and the country’s technology.

Hannah said her dream came true when Fillmore Far East approached her.

She will head to Tokyo today to promote Malaysian works together with MSC Malaysia at the Tokyo Film Festival and will be back in time to watch the Beyonce concert on her birthday.

“I haven’t had a day off since I decided to venture into the Japan market early this year,” she said.

“I want to treat myself to a day of rest with no work on my birthday.”

Fillmore Far East chief executive officer Yoji Hayakawa said the company would get Hannah to begin formal Japanese lessons and voice training in Japan beginning next year.

Hayakawa said he had been looking for an Asian artiste to promote in Japan when a close friend from the Japanese entertainment industry pointed Hannah out.

“The first impression that I got from Hannah was that she had a wonderful smile,” he said.

Other qualities that made her stand out from the rest, he said, included her strong influence among the Asian pop-culture market, fast growing web presence, humility and positive attitude.

Hannah’s first album will be released in June or July in Japan next year and the company hoped to sell 100,000 copies there.

The album will also subsequently be released in Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore, he said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/18/nation/4928001&sec=nation

Man tries to con teacher into having sex

They are really naive.

A temporary teacher with a secondary school in Seremban was almost fooled into having sex with her colleague after he pretended to be an undercover special health officer researching “diseases affecting female teachers.”

The teacher - known only as Hani - claimed that the married man in his 30s had even asked for his undercover identity to be kept from his wife, who is teaching in the same school, and from the school principal.

In a report in Kosmo!, Hani, 24, said the teacher had told her that his research comprised three phases, the first of which would require her to answer questions on the size of her breasts and waist.

She would then be required to get intimate with the teacher in the second phase and finally, have sex with him under the third phase, which was also a “weight test”.

Hani alleged that she had signed an agreement as well as a confidentiality form to participate in the study after the teacher approached her in March.

The “study” then moved onto the next phase, in which Hani said she was told to go to an empty classroom.

“In the classroom, he hugged me from behind before performing other sexual acts on me,” she said, adding that she pushed the man away after suspecting something was amiss.

“The next phase was even worse when he asked me to have sex with him,” she said, claiming that during this time, the teacher was stark naked and getting ready to film the sex romp.

“Frightened, I then fled from the classroom,” said Hani.

Since that day, Hani alleged the teacher has been harrassing her through phone messages, asking her for money as “penalty” for not completing the study and claiming that she could be “sued” by the Education Ministry.

The man even claimed that the Public Services Department could take action against her and her other family members serving in the Government.

“I lodged a police report on Aug 18 after I could no longer take his harassment. I have also filed a complaint with both the Health and Education Ministries and the department,” said Hani.

She said she also believed that the teacher had “conned” other victims in the school but that they were reluctant to come forward.

The teacher was subsequently remanded for seven days before being released and is said to be still teaching in the same school.

State education director Datuk Abdullah Muhamad confirmed the case was still under investigation and the matter would be brought up to the ministry.

Jempol Chief Police Officer Supt Mohd Sabri Muhamad@Awang also confirmed the incident.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/16/nation/4913441&sec=nation

40 tremors recorded in Malaysia over two years

Did you feel any of them?

PETALING JAYA: Since the end of 2007, 40 tremors were recorded in Malaysia but the significant fact was that 37 of these seismic incidences occurred along a fault line in Bentong, Pahang.

The three others recorded were in Manjung in Perak and Jerantut in Pahang.

Meterological Department director Dr Rosaidi Che Abas said that from November 2007 until May last year, Bentong recorded 29 cases of tremors, also known as temblors.

The latest tremors were recorded last Oct 8 where there were eight from 4.45am to 12.05pm measuring between 1.1 and 2.8 on the Richter scale.

All these tremors were detected at Bukit Tinggi and Janda Baik, along a fault line 15km wide and 70km long. The Meteorological Department detected one strong tremor of 3.5 magnitude on the Richter scale.

“What we can say is that even though Bukit Tinggi and Janda Baik are located on the fault line, any earthquake will not possibly surpass 5.0 in magnitude on the Richter scale.

“This means that if such an earthquake were to occur, it will not cause damage to a structurally-strong building.

“We are also stressing that the tremors occurred along that fault line and not at the Titiwangsa Range which is the country’s backbone,” he told Bernama in an interview here.

Concerns among residents
The concerned residents of Bukit Tinggi and Janda Baik had recently called on the Government to make a detailed study on the soil structure along the fault line there.

Their concerns were at a new high following the massive earthquake that hit West Sumatra on Sept 30 as the shocks and tremors were also felt at several locations in Peninsular Malaysia.

The residents claimed that while no buildings collapsed, there was some damage, including cracks in the walls and floors in some buildings.

According to the residents, Janda Baik and Bukit Tinggi were hit by the first tremors in November 2007 following a series of earthquakes that occurred in Indonesia and Philippines.

Dr Rosaidi said the Meterological Department will work closely with the Minerals and Geoscience Department as well as other agencies to conduct an immediate study of the earth’s surface and structure at both locations.

“We will also talk to the affected residents to know what they meant by earth movement and what they felt when this seismic activity happened.

“We also want to know the strength of the tremors said to have caused cracks in the walls and floors (of buildings),” said Dr Rosaidi.

Meterological explanation
Dr Rosaidi said so far the earthquakes that occurred were between one and 10 miles beneath the earth’s surface.

“Only on two occassions were there earthquakes with a magnitude of between 2.8 and 3.5 on the Richter scale and both occurred 10 miles under the earth’s surface,” he said.

There are 13 seismology stations operating in Malaysia, capable of detecting quakes and tremors that occur in the country. Seven are in Peninsular Malaysia with the rest in Sabah and Sarawak.

The latest seismology station to operate is in Jerantut, Pahang.

“Our officers are on duty around the clock. They will alert the authorities,” Dr Rosaidi said.

He said four seismological fault lines had been detected in the country -- Jerantut, Bentong, Kuala Lumpur and the latest, in Manjong, Perak.

Meanwhile, Meteorological Department director-general Dr Yap Kok Seng said any earthquake that measured 2.8 or less on the Richter scale was unlikely to cause damage and harm to life and limb.

“The tremors that happened in Bukit Tinggi was a restabilisation process of the earth’s structure at the fault line in Bukit Tinggi,” he said.

He said this restabilisation process followed the movement of the earth’s layers in the wake of the large-scale earthquakes that happened in the past few years.

Among the major earthquakes were that on Dec 26 in Aceh, Indonesia that caused a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, Nias (Indonesia) on March 28, 2005. The latest was on Sept 30 this year that hit Padang in Indonesia and Bengkulu (Oct 1, 2009).

The magnitude of an earthquake can be measured using the seismometer or seismograph that records it on the Richter scale of 1.0 to 10.0.

An earthquake that measures 1.0 on the Richter scale is too small and can occur daily without being noticed. -- Bernama

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/15/nation/20091015145657&sec=nation

Windows 7 comes on strong

A reason why we should or should not use it.

NEW YORK: Next week, Microsoft is releasing Windows 7, a slick, much improved operating system that should go a long way toward erasing the bad impression left by its previous effort, Vista.

If you’ve been holding off on buying a new computer, Windows 7 will be a good excuse to get back into the game.

And if you’ve been weighing a Mac versus a Windows PC, then you should know that “7” makes Windows more attractive, though not a clear-cut choice for everyone.

Windows is now easier to use and better looking than it was before while maintaining its core advantage of cheaper, more diverse hardware.

However, most PC users should not take the release of Windows 7 as a call to action, or feel that they have to run out and buy the software for use on a computer they’re planning on keeping.

The upgrade will most likely not be worth the time or money, much less the effort of hosting a Windows 7 “launch party” as Microsoft suggests.

Here are some Windows 7 highlights:

• The taskbar — that strip of icons usually found at the bottom of the screen — now does more than show which programs are running. You can also stick icons for your favourite programs on it, to launch them quickly. It’s fast and convenient, combining the best features of the old Windows taskbar and Apple’s Dock;

• File folders can now be organised into “libraries.” You can have a photo library, for instance, that gives you quick access to pictures in folders spread out over your hard drive, or even several hard drives. This is great because many applications don’t automatically put files into Microsoft’s My Documents and My Photos folders, and tend to deposit content in their own folders. The new arrangement also makes for easy backups;

• Like Vista, Windows 7 will ask you twice if you really want to make changes to your settings or install programs, for the sake of security. But Windows 7 does it less often, and the prompts can be turned off; and

• Windows 7 can sense if you use more than one finger on your touchpad or touchscreen, allowing for neat tricks such as spreading your fingers to zoom into a picture, just like on the iPhone. This is isn’t revolutionary per se — computer manufacturers have bolted multitouch sensing on previous versions of Windows, but it does make it easier for them to include advanced touch capabilities, and many of them are planning to do so.

Windows XP users have a lot more to gain by going to Windows 7. Vista introduced some great features, such as fast searches of the entire hard drive, that of course are present in 7 as well. Unfortunately, upgrading an existing PC from XP to 7 is not easy.

After upgrading, users will have to reinstall all their programs and find their files in the folder where Windows 7 tucks them away. They may also have hardware problems.

If you do upgrade, I would still recommend tackling that transition head-on by installing the 64-bit version of Windows 7, which doesn’t cost more. Microsoft recommends a minimum of 2GB of RAM to run it.

If your computer runs Windows Vista, I think it’s hard to justify the cost of an upgrade to Windows 7. The new features are nice but hardly must-haves. For daily e-mail and web surfing, they won’t make much of a difference.

Vista was much maligned when it arrived in early 2007 for being slow, buggy and annoying. Now, it really isn’t that bad because updates have fixed a lot of the problems.

However, if you bought a Vista-based computer after June 25, you should be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7 from the manufacturer — take advantage of it. Your computer likely is already running 64-bit software so there should be no problems with drivers.

This upgrade is much easier than one from XP. Also, Windows 7 can keep your installed programs and your files in their old folders. — AP

http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2009/10/15/technology/20091015094841&sec=technology

SS3 women folk fear robbers who strip victims

Ladies. Please be extra careful.

NEWS of women being robbed and forced to strip during morning walks have caused a lot of anxiety among residents of SS3 in Petaling Jaya lately.

Nanyang Siang Pao reported that three women who went for morning walks together were ordered to stripped naked when robbers suspected them of keeping their money in their bras and panties.

The report said there had been a number of robbery cases in SS3 area for the past six months, and most were committed by men on motorcycles.

The paper also reported that the robbers breaking into houses and committing snatch thefts in the day and night.

Now they have been targeting women folk who go for their morning walks within the residential area.

According to the report, about 100 elderly residents would go for morning walks, hold Tai Ji exercises and line dance at the garden in SS3/26 and basket ball court in SS3/14 every morning between 5am and 7am.

Residents fear that their residential area has become a target for robbers and want the police to increase patrols and improve the security there.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/14/nation/4899608&sec=nation

Decapitated boy: Thai man confesses to gruesome murder of 5yr-old

How could he do that to a little boy?

BANGKOK: A Thai man confessed to the gruesome murder of a five-year-old boy, saying he shot the child and then decapitated and dismembered his body after a lover’s quarrel with his mother whom he also murdered, police said Wednesday.

The child’s body parts were discovered Monday in four plastic bags at an abandoned housing development, stunning Thailand and becoming a national media sensation.

The suspect, a 40-year-old Bangkok resident, fed the media frenzy by turning himself in Tuesday evening at the headquarters of a Thai television station where he was arrested on charges including premeditated murder. Police then allowed him to hold a televised news conference.

The suspect, Siriphong Kanchannaniwit, said he committed the two murders over the weekend while he was driving the woman and her two children in a borrowed taxi, said Bangkok Deputy Police Commissioner Maj. Gen. Amnuay Nimmano.

Siriphong told police his girlfriend, the child’s 38-year-old mother, had been pressuring him to kill one of her ex-husbands, said Amnuay. Siriphong said he refused and the woman insulted him, sending him into a rage.

“She kept insulting me, saying I had no guts,” Siriphong said calmly during the Tuesday news conference.

Siriphong told police he pulled out a gun and started firing shots, which killed the boy and the mother, identified as Sunan Srisuwan.

“He said he did not intend to kill the boy who was shot when he was shooting the mother,” Amnuay said.

He told police he dumped the woman’s body on a side street where he spotted a police car and panicked. He said he then drove home, dismembered the boy’s body and divided the parts into garbage bags, which he disposed of the following day, Amnuay said.

The mother’s body was discovered Sunday and a garbage collector found the child Monday, first opening a bag that contained his head.

“I immediately informed the police, and they found the limbs and the torso in other bags,” the garbage collector, Pratin Panhouy, told Thai television Channel 3. An initial investigation showed the boy was shot at close range in his limbs, his stomach and his face. The boy’s fingers were all missing.

The boy’s 13-year-old sister who was in the car was wounded during the shooting. She was taken to hospital after the man turned himself in and police say she has corroborated the main facts of his story but several questions remain.

“There are many holes and inconsistencies so we are not going to base the case solely on what he said,” said Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Worapong Chiewpreecha. -- AP

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/14/nation/20091014171425&sec=nation

Puteri wants ban on horror, fantasy movies

What would we watch in cinemas if this really happened?

KUALA LUMPUR: Puteri Umno wants the Government to ban the production of “horror, mystical and superstitious” movies, claiming such films can weaken the faith of Muslims in the country.

The movement also wants the authorities to empower the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) to take action against such productions.

The call was contained in one of the motions that were passed without debate at the movement’s general assembly on Wednesday.

“In view of widespread screening of movies with ghosts, superstitious and mystical elements, we urge the Government to empower Jakim to ban their production as they do not carry any positive message, but instead may destroy the faith,” it said.

The movement also called on the Government to issue a similar ban on all foreign movies of such genres.

It said film producers should concentrate on producing films of different genres that could serve as lessons, rather than show horror and superstitious ones which might not even deliver the intended messages.

It added parents must provide religious education to children to ensure that they would have strong faith to avoid from getting influenced by such negative elements.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/14/nation/20091014174021&sec=nation

Cops arrested for robbing foreign worker

A true story taken from the Star.

What has the world become? Is the government that poor that the cops have to rob?

GEORGE TOWN: Two policemen were arrested for allegedly robbing a foreign worker of RM500 in Jelutong here.

The duo, aged 22 and 26, had stopped a Bangladeshi worker on Monday to check his permit but then relieved him off his money.

Penang police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob said the worker later lodged a police report and the duo were arrested Tuesday morning.

“The younger policeman had just joined the police force this year.

“They had abused their authority as policemen for their own ends,” he said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/13/nation/20091013173253&sec=nation

Deepavali discount for users of expressways

Good news for those who are driving back home for Deepavali.

PETALING JAYA: In conjunction with Deepavali, private vehicles using the North-South and Elite expressways will enjoy a 20% discount on toll fees from midnight to 7am on Oct 14 to 16 and Oct 19 to 21.

PLUS Expressways Bhd managing director Noorizah Abd Hamid said the discount was in addition to the 10% discount currently enjoyed by users of both expressways during peak hours daily.

“The discount is part of the PLUS Intensive Travelling Programme during festive seasons, and is also to spread out the traffic flow during peak hours, thus making it convenient for users,” she said in a statement on Monday.

Noorizah advised users to use PLUSMiles Touch ‘n’ Go to ease traffic at the toll plazas.

For traffic information, call PLUSLine at 1-800-88-0000.-Bernama

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/12/nation/20091012190848&sec=nation

Win a free copy of Halo 3:ODST

A contest from the Star.

Win a copy of Halo 3: ODST!

You read the review, now play the game. Just answer two simple questions and you stand a chance to snag a copy of Halo 3: ODST for the Xbox 360, courtesy of Gamer’s Hideout Sdn Bhd (www.gamershideout.com.my).

Submit your entries by Oct 26 to techcentral@istar.com.my. Only one entry per contestant, please. Multiple entries will be disqualified.

Don’t forget to include your full name as per MyKad, MyKad number, address and contact number.

Here are the questions:

1. Which of the following actors provides the voice for the character Buck in Halo 3: OSDT? a. Adam Baldwin b. Nathan Fillian c. Joseph Staten d. Nolan North

2. Tie breaker: Come up with the wackiest, most original acronym for the letters ODST.

Rules & Regulations:

1.This contest is open to all residents of Malaysia.

2.Prizes are not exchangeable for cash and the organiser reserves the right to exchange the prize with that of a similar value without prior notice.

3.Staff of Star Publications (M) Bhd or its affiliate companies and their immediate families are not eligible to participate.

4.The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entertained.

5.The winner will be notified via e-mail.

6.The prize will only be mailed if the winner is from outside the Klang Valley. TechCentral will not be liable for damage and/or loss during the transit.

7.For more information, please e-mail us at techcentral@istar.com.my

http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2009/10/9/prodit/20091009114932&sec=prodit

Intel Core i5 in Malaysia

Core i7 is the latest Processor from Intel but is not within the budgets of many people.

The Core i5 was created for people who want a similar experience for a slightly lower price.

It's still expensive but you still save money.

Intel’s new Cores are out





NEW: The Intel Core i5-750 processor, featuring the new LGA 1156 socket.

PETALING JAYA: INTEL recently announced the release of several new microprocessors based on the company’s Nehalem microarchitecture.

Intel Core i5-750 box

The new processors, namely the Core i7-870 (2.93Ghz), Core i7-860 (2.80GHz) and Core i5-750 (2.66GHz), come with 8MB of Intel SmartCache, integrated PCIe controllers and an all-new LGA 1156 socket.

The new socket means that users who wish to upgrade will need to buy a whole new motherboard, specifically one based on the new Intel P55 chipset.

All three are quad-core processors and the biggest difference between the Core i7 series and the Core i5 is that the Core i7 supports Intel’s HyperThreading technology while the Core i5 does not.

HyperThreading can significantly enhance the performance of supported applications (such as video encoding and transcoding) by allowing each core to be treated as two processors instead of one by the operating system. This thereby allows up to eight processing threads to be shared amongst the four physical cores and four virtual cores, Intel said.

According to Intel Malaysia country manager Ryaz Patel, the lower price point of the Core i5 family means that a consumer can get a high-performance quad-core system for as low as RM2,199. — TAN KIT HOONG

++++

www.intel.com

http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2009/9/23/technology/20090923171437&sec=technology

Grape Vineyard in Malaysia

This is not a joke or hoax.

We can and have grapes growing in Malaysia.

Read on:

Duo growing grapes in Sendayan

By C.S.NATHAN

GRAPES here? That can’t be possible. That’s the response I got after telling friends of my visit to the Sendayan Fruit Valley — a vineyard and orchard located on a 20ha site, practically in my own backyard.

But for software engineer turned grape grower Azrul Nazim Abd Aziz, it was the question of “Why not?,” that encouraged him to try his hand at cultivating grapes here.

“In Thailand, they have been growing grapes for decades so why not here? After all, we share the same climate.

Good crop: Azrul (right) and Baumann showing off the fruits of their labour.

“No doubt we may not be able to cultivate a large variety but we can still churn out good-quality grapes for local consumption,” he said.

Azrul, the managing director of A-WINN Global Market Services said he approached grape growers in Thailand for their expertise in the field before setting up his first vineyard.

“We started off a few years back on a plot of land in Selangor. With Thai know-how, we experimented with different varieties of grape until we had a winning formula for sweet table grapes.

“Once we were confident of a good product, we started scouting for land and that is when we decided to set up in Sendayan,” he said.

The vineyard is just a 20-minute drive from Seremban’s town centre (about 80km south of Kuala Lumpur), located on land leased from the state government.

Growing well: Two-month-old grape vines at the vineyard.

Set up in 2007 and aiming to produce grapes on a commercial scale, Sendayan Fruit Valley is neither the first nor the only vineyard in the country but Azrul believes the high investment cost may be a deterrent for many other hopeful grape-growers.

“There are a couple of small-scale vineyards here but not many people are willing to take a chance on cultivating grapes commercially. Costs are high and we ourselves have put in about RM6mil into the business.

“The bulk of the costs were chanelled into research and development and we spend about RM10,000 monthly on labour, maintenance and equipment,” he said.

However, the 35-year-old is pleased with his venture and has no regrets despite the many challenges he faced in the beginning.

“It took some time to get it right but that first harvest makes it all worth it. It’s a very satisfying labour of love.

Currently, the vineyard is home to 6,000 grapevines with four varieties namely the black opal, shiraz and black pearl — all dark grapes and the white malaga, a green variety.

For a start, the grapes are harvested twice a year and 1,000 vines yield about three tonnes (3,000kg) of grapes which works out to an average of 30 tonnes (30,000kg) per year.

Yield is also dependent on the variety of grape as the size of the fruit differs.

At present, less than half of the land is used for grapes and Azrul is sure production will leapfrog once more vines are put in.

“By the middle of next year, we hope to have a continuous supply of grapes all year-round. Grapes are grown in a cycle and it takes about a year from seedling to fruit.

“We are also growing mangoes, lychee, dragonfruit, guava, bidara (Chinese apple) and longan here among others so there’ll be quite a harvest of fruit,” he said.

Azrul is assisted by his Swiss-Thai project director Arthur Baumann @ Adil Mustafa Abdullah, 49, who is just as passionate about growing grapes as he is.

In fact, Baumann had been growing grapes in Thailand for over a decade before he was roped in to help.

“I jumped at the chance as my wife is Malaysian and had wanted to come back for a long time,” he said.

Grapes need tender loving care to grow well and for that Azrul has employed four local women, whose job it is to check on the vines daily.

There are no machines involved as the grapes have to be picked entirely by hand.

Another five people including two Thais work on the vineyard full-time while Azrul and Baumann make weekly trips to check on its progress.

For a taste of these locally-produced grapes, consumers have to visit the vineyard as they are not in the market just yet.

“Our grapes are much cheaper than the imported varieties plus it is good for you. Pesticides are kept to the minimum and we use our own organic fertiliser,” said Baumann.

Bonsai grapes and grape seedlings — starter kits for aspiring home grape-growers are also for sale at the vineyard.

Although the vineyard does not resemble its Napa or Loire valley counterparts in the Napa or Loire just yet, it is still a nice place to visit for a change of scenery and a taste of made-in-Malaysia grapes.

Both Azrul and Baumann hope that the Sendayan Fruit Valley will become an agro-tourism site where visitors can come and pick their own fruit and have picnics among the vines.

“Now, all we have to do is wait for the trees to mature and to provide a cosy spot for picnickers and the like. That’s what this is really - a sort of orchard, only with grapes instead of durian.

“You’ll not find a combination like this anywhere else,” said Azrul.

As for me, a visit to the vineyard with my friends are on the cards — nothing else will wipe the disbelief off their faces than a taste of one of those sweet crunchy Sendayan Fruit Valley grapes.

To buy grapes from the vineyard, contact 016-228 8819 (Arthur Baumann) or 012-376 4751 (Farah).

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/9/17/central/4713021&sec=central

Friday a holiday for all schools

PETALING JAYA: All schools will be given a special holiday on Friday, Sept 18 in conjunction with the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, which is expected to fall on either Sunday or next Monday.

Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the Cabinet made the decision to enable parents to make plans for their families to travel earlier to their hometowns and avoid traffic jams.

“This decision covers all schools and educational institutions under the Education Ministry,” he said in a statement.

Muhyiddin who is also the deputy prime minister, said the decision meant the ministry’s earlier circular on additional holidays for Hari Raya Aidilfitri was revoked.

Taken from:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/16/nation/20090916174640&sec=nation

100 Cempaka students to get iPhones

The iPhone 3GS is one of the most wanted tech gadgets from the tech enthusiast to the average day teen.

Last time there was news that schools in Japan that use the iPhone to deter truancy by tracking them.

However, there is one college that is giving 100 of them for free.

Read on:

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KUALA LUMPUR: One hundred students of the soon-to-be-opened Cempaka International Ladies College (Clic) are getting an iPhone 3GS each for free.

The Apple phone, courtesy of local distributor Maxis Communications Bhd, will be used by the students as an education tool and a communications device.

Clic, which is to be a private college in Sepang, will open its doors on Sept 26.

Iskandar Hamzah, Cempaka Schools vice-chairman, said Clic students would be introduced to a series of iPhone applications that would be used in their everyday classroom curriculum.

They will use their iPhones to record sounds, take photographs and shoot videos for student projects, for example.

“Math students will use a quiz application called Braintune on the phone while chemistry students will have access to resources like the periodic table on it,” said Iskandar citing more examples.

“They will also be using Google Maps when studying geography. There are many other applications that they can use to complement their classroom learning.”

There will also be access to newscasts where reports on school events will be made and uploaded to YouTube by students at all the four Cempaka schools in the country.

The existing schools are in Cheras and Damansara Heights in Selangor, and in Labuan in East Malaysia. These offer primary to A-Level education.

Datin Freida Pilus, Cempaka Schools chairman, said students should be embracing technology because this opens up more ways of learning.

“We need to bring about change and we need to start with the youth,” she said.

Two years ago, Cempaka introduced Macbooks — portable Apple computers — to its secondary school students.

Maxis said it is looking at implementing similar iPhone programmes in other schools.

Taken:

http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2009/9/14/technology/20090914093323&sec=technology

Hari Raya Cheer: Toll Discounts

Selamat Hari Raya to those who are celebrating!

Toll discounts for motorists during Hari raya

PETALING JAYA: The North-South Highway Project (PLUS) will be offering up to 20 percent discount on toll charges to Class 1 motorists using the North-South Expressway and ELITE in conjunction with Aidilfitri celebrations.

PLUS Expressways Chief Operations Officer Nik Airina Nik Jaffar said the discount would be valid from midnight to 7am on Sept 16, 17, 18, 22, 24 and 25.

"The discount will be an addition to the current 10 percent discount enjoyed by Class 1 motorists using both highways at off-peak hours daily," she said at a news conference, here Friday.

Nik Airina also advised motorists to follow the Proposed Travel Schedule which was introduced by PLUS Expressways two years ago.

He said the schedule enforced was for six days starting on Sept 18, 19, 22, 23, 26 and 27.

"We expect the traffic volume on our highways, especially the North-South Expressway, to shoot up to 1.3 million vehicles during peak hours compared to the usual 1 million vehicles on normal days," she said.

"We hope motorists will follow the schedule which has been proven to contribute to smooth flowing traffic on the highway.

"We will distribute the schedule to motorists starting next week at all main toll plazas nationwide," she said.

She added that around 2,500 PLUS personnel and 400 policemen and members of the St Johns Ambulance will be stationed at toll plazas and rest and service areas along the highway to deal with the increasing traffic. - Bernama

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/11/nation/20090911195047&sec=nation

Proposal in newspapers

What would you do if it happened to you?

I saw an advertisement in the Star today using the movie "The Proposal" as the main idea.

I thought it was fake until I saw in Loywat.net that this is TRUE.

I think a lot of girls will like it.

I'm a guy so all I think about is the money spent on this.

PS.You can see this at a Billboard in Tropicana City Mall going towards highway.

The boyfriend has too much money.

Malaysia Boleh:Malaysian is top English student at London varsity

Malaysian is top English student at London varsity

Who thought it could be possible?

KUALA LUMPUR: A 21-year-old has done Malaysia proud when she was adjudged top student in English at the University of London’s Queen Mary College recently.

Adelina Raisa Sufian, who obtained a Bachelor of Arts (English) degree with first class honours, won the coveted 2009 Westfield Trust Prize for outstanding academic achievement in English at the university last month.

Commenting on her achievement, Adelina attributed her success to encouragement from her parents, businessman Datuk Sufian Majid and Datin Alissa Fitri.

Top scorer: Adelina (left) posing for a photo with friends after she won the Westfield Trust Prize at the University of London recently. — Bernama

“I set a target throughout my study,” she said. “Most importantly, we must have the determination and confidence to succeed.

“I am glad that I was able to compete with native speakers of English, as well as students from other countries,” she told Ber- nama.

Adelina, who is also an accomplished pianist, has represented Queen Mary College in choir and mathematics competitions.

While pursuing higher education at the Oakham School, Britain, in 2004, she won the Headmaster’s Prize and was adjudged top student in Mathematics, English and Chemistry.

On her future, Adelina said she planned to write, pursue a Master’s degree and work in Malaysia.

“I love my country,” she added.

Taken from

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/8/nation/4670488&sec=nation

Malaysia Boleh:McCurry Bests McDonald's

US' McDonald's loses trademark fight against M'sian McCurry

Wow, I don't believe it but it's true. I guess it is possible to beat an international company in a lawsuit.
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PUTRAJAYA: US fast food giant McDonald’s lost an eight-year trademark battle to prevent local restaurant
McCurry from using the ‘Mc’ prefix in a precedent-setting judgment by Malaysia’s highest court.

The Federal Court ruled Tuesday that McDonald’s cannot appeal against another court’s verdict that had allowed McCurry to use ‘Mc’ in its name. The owner says McCurry, which serves Indian food, is an abbreviation for Malaysian Chicken Curry.

The ruling by a three-member panel of the Federal Court ends all legal avenues for McDonald’s to protect its name from what it said was a trademark infringement.

File pic shows McCurry restaurant owner, P. Suppiah, putting the 'c' back onto the signboard of his shop on April 30 after winning the earlier court case. The simple gesture marked the end of an eight-year David and Goliath court case against US fastfood giant McDonalds to keep the name of his Indian restaurant located on Jalan Ipoh. Starpic by Ibrahim Mohtar

“On the basis of unanimous decision, our view is that” McDonald’s plea to carry the case forward has no merit, said chief judge Arifin Zakaria. “It is unfortunate that we have to dismiss the application with costs,” he said.

McDonald’s will have to pay RM10,000 to McCurry, a popular eatery in Jalan Ipoh on the edge of Kuala Lumpur’s downtown. McDonald’s lawyers refused to comment, except to say the company will abide by the judgment.

McCurry lawyer Sri Devi Nair said the ruling means McDonald’s does not have a monopoly on the prefix ‘Mc,’ and that other restaurants could also use it as long as they distinguish their food from McDonald’s.

“This is a precedent for everyone to follow,” he said.

A view of the McCurry shop. - Star file pic

A three-member Appeal Court panel had ruled in favour of McCurry Restaurant in April this year when it overturned a 2006 high court ruling that had upheld McDonald’s contention.

Arifin said McDonald’s lawyers were unable to point out faults in the Appeal Court judgment, which had said there was no evidence to show that McCurry was passing off McDonald’s business as its own. The Appeals Court also said McDonald’s cannot claim an exclusive right to the ‘Mc’ prefix in the country.

McDonald’s asked the Federal Court for permission to appeal against that decision but was denied Tuesday.

“We are very much relieved. We hope to expand. This is what we wanted to do from the beginning and we were stalled for eight years,” said A.M.S.P. Suppiah, the owner of McCurry.

“I am so happy ... we have nothing in similarity with them at all. That’s how we have felt all this while,” said his wife, Kanageswary Suppiah.

The Appeal Court said McCurry’s signboard has white and grey letters against a red background with a picture of a smiling chicken giving a double thumbs-up, in contrast to McDonald’s red and yellow “M” logo. McCurry also serves only Indian food, not competing with McDonald’s Western menu, the court said.

McDonald’s began operations in Malaysia in 1982 and has 137 outlets in the country. -- AP

Taken from
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/8/business/20090908111316&sec=business