2011-12-24

南韩偶像梦工厂


虽然接下来的战略是打造一个中日韩超级天团(涵盖中国、日本、韩国的超级明星偶像团体),但我想让发明星梦的朋友们有一个机会可以从另一个角度与战略点去看待整个梦工厂产业,在未踏入娱乐圈前给自己一个较广泛的思考空间...
Rain 的前经纪公司 JYP,背后有 SK 电信、三星电子等大型企业股东;最大的经纪公司 Sidus,其母公司就是韩国第三大企业第一大行动网路电信商 SK Telecom 集团。SK Telecom 在 2005 年开始以增资、收购等手段掌控了包括 Melon 音乐网站、首尔唱片、JYP 娱乐经纪公司、iHQ 艺人经纪及影视剧制作公司等多家顶尖的娱乐机构,形成娱乐内容生产、销售、营运的完整产业链,把韩国娱乐产业转变成“品管严格的制造业”。

经纪公司结合了韩国手机、电器、电脑等产业和商品共同行销旗下艺人,他们着眼的不是那些超级偶像的演唱会或唱片收入,而是能搭配集团优势行销

试想一下,如果 Super Junior 替三星手机拍个广告,对于手机的效益有多大?如果让旗下某个尚未走红的女子偶像团体在 LG 液晶电视的广告亮相,并籍由庞大的广告魔力拉抬,这个新团体不红才怪!

不过,韩国对旗下艺人的待遇与要求也相当严厉,艺人的实际地位已经等同于庞大娱乐生产线上的工人或原料,财团投资的是金钱,艺人投资的是青春包装艺人就是把本来只值二十元的原料,加工后以一万元卖出去。



偶像光环的背后,是残酷的行业竞争

韩国的娱乐事业之所以成功,乃在于复制了消费电子产品的模式,用最廉价的劳工(艺人)和标准且大量的生产模式,生产出各式各样的产品(偶像),并运用观众喜新厌旧的习惯不停更新产品组合,消费者不停汰旧换新可以掩饰其产品品质的不耐用性,不停推陈出新的策略(推出各种不同类型的偶像团体)还可以刺激出不同需求的消费者,三星与 LG 的那一套被韩国娱乐产业把玩得炉火纯青!

韩国把儒家中那套“去个人化”与资本主义的“生产因素集中化”混搭出“东方威权式重商主义”,用国家力量建立超大型财团,再由超大型财团运用完全集中化的资源与标准化的生产流程,切入每一个想要跨入的产业。

在这种艺人被视为产品的产业文化下,即便是成名的女星,也有超过六成被要求包养陪睡,四成被要求陪酒,三成以上遭到性骚扰。可怜的是韩国艺人就算熬到成名,往往只能出个一、两张专辑或主演一、两套戏剧后,就被经纪公司无情地汰换,以更年轻更便宜的后起之秀取而代之,难怪韩国艺人的自杀率居全球之冠。

只是,在注重创意与差异性的娱乐世界,能否只用大量缺乏灵魂和探索力的标准化商品维持荣景呢?

黄国华,钞票的重量

相关资讯:
经理人公司代表涉性侵 韩星受牵连喊冤
http://cnews.cari.com.my/news.php?id=205711

视频报导:
http://www.chinanews.com/shipin/2012/04-12/news65402.shtml

韩国娱乐圈再爆性丑闻
http://so.baomihua.com/v/%E9%9F%A9%E5%9B%BD%E5%A8%B1%E4%B9%90%E5%9C%88%E5%86%8D%E7%88%86%E6%80%A7%E4%B8%91%E9%97%BB_P3S01.html

韩国娱乐圈黑幕六成女星遭潜规则?
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XODQyODMzNDQ=.html

美媒曝韩国娱乐圈内幕百分之六十美女明星遭遇潜规则
http://video.baomihua.com/lijianmingp/17045290_s0p01

2011-12-18

Disposable Income 可支配所得

物价上涨10%是如何让穷人越穷,富人越富

关键在于可支配所得:收入减必要支出后剩下的金额。

可支配所得大多用在储蓄或提升生活品质的事项,可支配所得越高的家庭,对于未来收入的贡献会越来越大,因为不论投资也好,教育也好,这类支出对于家庭未来的生活品质,财务状况都有所助益。

举例:

在物价上涨前,四个一般家庭收入、支出与可支配所得比率:


家庭收入 支出 可支配所得比率
40,000 38,000 5%
80,000 65,000 18.75%
200,000 100,000 50%
400,000 120,000 70%

当物价上涨那“区区 10%”后:


家庭收入 支出 可支配所得比率
40,000 41,800 -4.5%
80,000 71,500 10.6%
200,000 110,000 45%
400,000 132,000 67%

民生物资上涨,低收入家庭可支配所得会变成负数,这种家庭恐怕从此陷入贫穷的循环;本来可以收支平衡的家庭落入贫穷循环,而本来小康或中上的家庭则被逼需要缩衣节食以平衡收支。对于超高收入的家庭来讲就只不过少买一个 LV 包包。(烂船还有三分钉的最佳写照)

这种影响会造成什么后果?

黄国华,钞票的重量


While Wall Street hangs on every quarterly GDP report, monthly jobs number, and weekly jobless claims tally (all of which get revised significantly later on anyways), there are much bigger trends that reveal a lot more about the economy and the markets.

One of the most important is disposable income.

If 70% of the economy is consumer spending, you can bet how much money consumers have to spend is extremely important.

Consumers who have worked for six years naturally expect their disposable income to rise. They expect to be able to upgrade cars, vacations, houses, and still have more left over to save and invest after years of advancement and achievement.

Flatlining real disposable income doesn’t allow for any of that. And it’s one of the major reasons most people don’t feel any better off than they were five years ago: on average, they aren’t.

But all that could be starting to change in 2012...

Andrew Mickey, Wealth Daily

2011-12-16

Architect

一股雲淡風輕的樸實之感,頗有笑傲江湖之勢; 建築創作往往是以小而勝大,平凡中吐露不平凡。

經歷過生活的起承轉合,心境的感悟和昇華后,他很篤定地告訴我們,當一個好的城市建築師必備三大條件:腦子清楚、有感覺、有見識;
最關鍵的是必須通過本身的生活體驗,以創造出以人為本的建築設計。"

建築師不能隨便地蓋個房子,而是要留意建案地點的氣場,並營造恰當的氛圍,這是西方建築師所不能理解的道理。根據每個地點的環境與氣候的不同而做不同的建築,用當地的語言來讓建築說話,不同地域就會出現不同的建築語言...

永遠不要限制自己的創意,確保每件作品都保持質量。 ~清华大学建筑学院教授李晓东

中國傳統醫學中,健康的身體取決于一種極其重要的能量循環,這就是身體中的“氣”,這種能量存在于全身脈絡中,中醫可以通過針刺使得脈絡的循環恢復正常;人們是不是可以通過一個小建築物,產生比其面積來得更大的影響力呢?

桥上书屋 (Bridge House),为古老客家土楼注入新生命
- 智者乐水仁者乐山,依山傍水筑我书楼

这是一所只有2 间教室的希望小学和村民的图书馆。

篱苑书屋
以四万余根长短一致的柴火棍塑造的前卫“篱苑书屋”,小巧精致绝色建案。

玉湖完小
- 善用资源升华校舍,灵山丽水育英才


設計理念在于對環境的干擾最小,卻能造成最大的影響,同時利用這個建案為古老土樓注入新生力量。他的建築設計從未有複刻版本,理由是他在工地現場尋找靈感、物色材料。
他的學生在現場待了長達一年時間,代他監督整個施工過程,"這種毅力全憑對建築投放的熱情。"

云南丽江徐宅
- 天水间盖宅院, 天水人与建筑合一

為這個坐落在中國玉龍雪山腳下,以山為鄰的建築,注入了以水烘托環境,用院落擁抱環境的設計重點,把人為環境與自然充分融合,設計出天、水、人與建築合一的“水宅”(Water House),美不勝收!
智者和仁者具備柔和與敦厚的心態,而山水環境可以陶冶人的情操。許多問題都是息息相關而無法獨立解決的,把所有問題看得很通透,頓時豁然開朗,藉由建築體現和諧感。

http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/271737

http://culture.gmw.cn/2011-04/10/content_1809472.htm

2011-12-09

Clinique Mobile and Cleo Cover Girl Search

From The Sun Daily's report:

金融业

投资这玩意最大秘密就是:“运用人们想要不劳而获的惰性,诱使人们抱住资金进来很难钻出去的金融迷宫。”

金融表面的工作是 market maker, 但本质上却是 money maker。

帮助大户出货,协助建商炒地皮,诱使年轻人过度消费,让存款户被通膨侵蚀,销售投资人不需要的金融产品,鼓吹社会过度“金融投资”的风潮,晴天借伞雨天收伞,提供政商勾结的金钱舞台...用一种悲观的角度来看金融业,它没有创造多少正面的社会价值,但若从一种乐观的角度来审视金融业,它既然是个 money maker,那它是唯一一个可以让人不必依靠家世背景、性别年龄、学历门槛或党派宗教就可以投机(资)致富的地方。

既然金融业是个让年轻人投机致富的好场所,更是个高级又充满庞大铜臭香味的赌场,能够掌握这个赌场的筹码发牌权、分配权或兑换权才能成为这个行业的赢家,不然至少也得挤在发牌者、庄家或大赌客的旁边,起码当利多来临时,总有些赢家会发点小费,否则永远窝在赌场的机房、餐厅、门外当个小职员,不论筹码如何流动,不论庄家或赌客的赌局如何地精彩,永远没有致富的机会。

不论外商银行或外资劵商的规模有多大,即便是大到不能倒的程度,如果只是一个位居其底层的过劳工蚁,绝对没有资格进到赌场核心去玩那些筹码。碰不到金融业筹码的人,顶多就是一个月领几万块钱,做到四十来岁被放在“战力外名单”,成为下一波被裁员、放无薪假或减薪的优先名单,四十五岁就列为“优先退休名单”;所以,不论赌场大小,能跻身在金融赌局比起名片上响亮与否的公司名称来得重要

- 当个操盘人或交易员,图的固然是分红,否则谁能够忍受那种长时间加班且没有生活品质的工作呢?

- 想要在金融业界工作又能够拿到高额奖金,要有一个必要条件与充分条件:必要条件是能够创造盈余,充分条件是这些盈余不能让别人抢走并且得要事先布局,这种分红的布局比投资布局难上百倍。

- 一个厉害的操盘交易主管必须同时具备“创造盈余”或“隐藏盈余”的本事,隐藏盈余的重要性不逊于创造盈余。浑水当然是用来摸鱼,在浑浊的水塘中自然会形成一些特殊的生态。

- 金融界的利润来自两大范围:一是进场赌博,二是出货做庄。如果要出货做庄家就得聘请一大堆业务员,如股票营业员、银行理专、保险业务员、房贷专员等等,特别是股票营业员与理专,他们的工作不是报名牌就是卖商品出货,换句话说就是引诱客户进场赌博的人。

- 别小看资深分析师或大牌研究员的能耐,在市场浓厚的多头气氛下,这些人的一言一行可是会左右特定股票的短线走势。代言虽然不一定可以取得代言费,可是透过消息的二手货延迟转播,他们往往也可以取得短线消息的先机。这些经过巧手变出来的数字预测,可以替他们赚到名声、钞票与关系。

证卷公司的肥缺不折不扣就是个政治问题 - 利益与资源分配的问题。

黄国华,钞票的重量

2011-12-04

Premium Outlets, Augmented Reality, and Hong Kong Rental


December 11, 2011, will be the grand opening of Johor Premium Outlets, where consumers will find a collection of 80 designer and name brand outlet stores featuring saving of 25% to 65% every day, in Kulai, Johor, Malaysia.

A joint venture project between Genting Plantations Bhd, and Premium Outlets® (the outlet division of Simon Property Group), this real estate is somehow different from that of AutoCity in northern region, as it will serve as a hub between Resorts World Genting (which is about 3.5 hours drive) and Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore (which is about an hour's drive from Johor Premium Outlets).


A look at overseas market, and we found that the heats go on for the top spots in Hong Kong...

The Hong Kong retailer lost out because Abercrombie & Fitch offered the landlord around US$1m in rent per month, three times more than what Shanghai Tang was paying, real estate agents say...

Foreign retailers defy Hong Kong rent surge


While in the virtual world, we can see some Aumented Reality in action with the pilot project by TopShop, for fashion lovers!

2011-12-03

Feed In Tariff, Renewable Energy

This could be another good passive income besides Automated Internet Business. However, do your own due diligence and invest accordingly (your skill sets, cash flow, financial education level, risk appetite etc).

2011年再生能源法令是于今年4月在國會通過。再生能源的資源包括油棕生物質(biomass)、水力及太陽能光電池發電。

政府的目標是在2015年生產985兆瓦(MW)電力,2020年生產2080兆瓦(MW)電力。

2011年8月15日 : 7附屬條款需擬定 電力收購制展延至12月
能源、綠色工藝及水務部長拿督斯里陳華貴今日宣佈,原訂9月1日實行的鼓勵國內再生能源發展“電力收購制”(Feed-in Tarrif Mechanism),展延至12月1日。他說,由于在2011年再生能源法令下,仍有7個附屬條款需要擬定,以確保此計劃順暢執行,因此政府決定展延"電力收購制"。"為了確保電力收購制順暢、有效及透明進行,能源部檢討了推行的日期。能源部從其他推行電力收購制的國家吸取經驗,要確保此計劃有效推行,必須先有明確的立法。"
http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/242969

2011年9月10日 : 再生能源設固打制避免加重政府負擔
能源、綠色工藝及水務部長拿督斯里陳華貴說,為再生能源設立固打制是謹慎做法,旨在避免政府承擔多余費用,加重經濟負擔。"我們不能與德國相比,一些國家如西班牙,沒有限制電力收購數量,最后墜入無底深淵,因為他們需要撥出多余補貼,以讓收購制能持續進行。"
http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/250093

2011年11月22日 : 電費超過RM77.4多付1% 下月實行影響三成用戶
下月1日起,每月耗電量超過300千瓦(KW)的用戶,即電費超過77.4令吉的用戶,需另支付1%的電力收購費。在電力收購制度下,大馬永續能源發展局通過國能,向合格用戶收取1%費用,作為發展基金,以便支付給再生能源計劃的人士。

How you can sell back power to Tenaga

CONSUMERS who install their own renewable energy sources such as solar modules at home and can earn as much as RM600 amonth by selling the power generated to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) under the REAct 2011 when the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) is launch next month, Nanyang Siang Pau reported yesterday.

Under FiT, some two million households whose electricity bills exceed RM77.40 (300kWh) amonthwill have to pay a fee equivalent to 1%of the bill to a fundmanaged by Sustainable Energy Development AuthorityMalaysia (Seda).

The money will be used to pay those who produce renewable energy (RE) by harnessing solar power, use of small hydro, biomass and biogas.

At present, households pay TNB 40 sen per kWh (kilowatt-hour) for power consumed but theywill be paid RM1.20 per kWh by selling RE back to TNB.

Seda chairman Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn toldNanyangthat it is viable for households to take part in RE by installing a small-scale solar PV producer.

Explaining how the public can generate income in this area, he said: “Based on an average of three hours of sunshine a day, (for an average solar PV producer) 18 kWh of power can be generated a day, or 540kWh amonth.

“This works out to RM648 amonth (based on RM1.20 a kWh), or RM7,776 a year.”

He said the RM50,000 needed to install the solar PV can be recouped in seven to eight years.

“The annual return of 5% from the investment is higher than the fixed deposit rates offered by banks,” he said.

The Sun Daily, 29 November 2011, Page 9
http://203.115.192.117/thesun-epaper/tue/29112011/index.html#/9/zoomed





Smart Grid Electricity Feasibility - the internet of electricity?
http://www.ecoliving.my/smart-grid-electricity-feasibility

Overview of the FiT System in Malaysia
http://seda.gov.my/go-home.php?omaneg=00010100000001010101000100001000000000000000000000&s=6

FAQ of the FiT System in Malaysia
http://seda.gov.my/go-home.php?omaneg=00010100000001010101000100001000000000000000000000&s=171

我的錢呢?
http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/243597

2011-11-28

The Case of Kodak


From Dec 31 last year to Nov 23 this year, the day before the Thanksgiving holiday, Kodak’s share price tumbled 78.5% to US$1.15 (RM3.70) a share – a precipitous fall from its all-time high of US$94.75 on Feb 14, 1997. Kodak’s stunning decline is a cautionary tale that Malaysia’s corporate chieftains and policy makers would do well to study.

First, unlike Apple, early dominance in cameras and film technology made Kodak complacent. "You press the button, we do the rest" was the phrase Eastman immortalised.

Second, Kodak was slow to recognise the impact of digital photography.

Third, Kodak announced recently it will sell 1,100 digital imaging patents – about 10% of its patent portfolio - the need to generate long-term sustainable profits.

inkjets are threatened by electronic copies on tablets and smartphones.

According to the Association of Natural Rubber Producing countries, this year Thailand is expected to produce 3.35 million tonnes while the comparable figure for Malaysia is estimated at 975,000 tonnes. With Malaysia’s current output just 29% that of Thailand and with rubber planting requiring even more labour than oil palm, this policy objective, if true, is surreal.

As Kodak has shown, continuing to rely on a buggy whip business isn’t likely to reinvigorate Malaysia’s economy.

Kodak: A cautionary tale
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/221739

2011-11-27

Politics, 天下乌鸦一般黑?

There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt. ~ John Adams


Populist policies undermine reform
Failure to demonstrate such flexibility and implement necessary reforms will see us going down the slippery slope that countries such as Greece and Italy find themselves in today. We can say goodbye to reformasi if the national agenda for change is usurped by populist desperadoes.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/218388

派鈔票政治
The PIIGS — Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain — borrowed gobs more than they could ever actually pay... 加薪,沒問題;花紅,多多益善。公務員是國家的骨幹,當然要疼要愛。更重要的是,130萬公務員,就是130萬張選票,這才是硬道理 ... 民粹政治就是儘量討好群眾,只要可以激起人民的熱情,讓大家又high又happy,就可以放手做。民粹不求治國理念,不求管理效能,不放眼明天和未來;只求可以執政,混過今天。...

不管是國陣或民聯,應該提出振興經濟,帶動成長的政策,提高國民收入;而不是把國庫的錢派光光,讓人民更加依賴補貼。派鈔票容易,國家淪落也容易。

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/21145?tid=17

Zorba the Greek — get a job!
The problem is that most of the hard-working citizens long ago moved to the US, Canada, Australia and other countries to escape their corrupt governments and unfriendly business environment. Left behind were unionised workers and do-nothing bureaucrats who owed their sinecures to political patronage...

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=%2Fdata%2Fopinion%2F2011%2FNovember%2Fopinion_November27.xml§ion=opinion

The One Percent: Gigantic Government + Gigantic Corporations = Massive Wealth Inequality
Helping the poor is certainly a noble goal, and handouts can certainly ease suffering at least temporarily. But handouts are never a permanent solution and they can cause large numbers of people to end up becoming completely and totally dependent on the government. What poor and middle class really need are opportunities. Handouts will keep people alive, but they will not give people hope and a future...

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/2123?r=1

“引爆点”迟早到来•玛丽娜马哈迪
人民迟早会达到一个“引爆点”,不再容忍任何压制和贪污,他们会做一些事情,即使这意味着一些人将得死亡。

我们在嘛嘛档和网上大骂白痴政客就厉害,但是当确实要做些事情的时候,我们就找藉口。我们耸耸肩,说我们不能改变的,只有一些人能够。这样,我们就自己解除了力量。我们的领袖指望这样。

我们会容忍笨蛋领导我们多久呢?我们会容忍肆无忌惮的贪婪与憎恨多久呢?

http://www.nanyang.com/node/400962?tid=490

这是滥权越权还是失信?
搞了多年,牛没养好养够,应该再善用餘款去改善增产才对。却反而把可以改善及提高产量的余额,用去买与牛肉没关係的豪宅。

这岂不像将军的军需预算不用在购买军火粮食,打败敌军,反而把钱拿去投资跟打仗没关系的矿产品。这是滥权、越权还是挪用公款的失信之罪?小民无知,只主控官、律师、法官才说得清。

http://www.nanyang.com/node/400959?tid=490

律己以严
如果有一个排行榜,比较的是哪一个国家的人民对于政府事务或相关事宜最为宽宏大量,我想,马来西亚的人民肯定能榜上有名。是逼于无奈还是真的宽宏大量,姑且不论,但我们的政治环境里确实从来不曾出现“引咎辞职”这样的名词,甚至连“问责制”这个名堂也陌生得很。从高高在上的决策人到执行政策的公务员,谁也不必为任何过失负责任。就算要追究责任,那也可能是许多年以后的事,而且很可能最终的结果还是不了了之。

话说回来,这回公布的总审计司报告,东西买贵了已算是小case了,养牛竟然养到要买千万豪宅这才叫厉害!只是,明明是养牛计划却不好好利用相关贷款来发展养牛业,反而拿去投资方地产了,这不是“不务正业”吗?

http://www.nanyang.com/node/400960?tid=490

民眾見怪不怪了,變得冷漠無情了,要怪的人和事都懶得去怪了──只要貪污貪的是別人的錢就OK,反正死的是別人也OK──最終養肥的是一頭叫民主的怪物。

Related:
腐败、债务及其内幕 http://howtze.blogspot.com/2010/05/blog-post_06.html

2011-11-25

Fashion Updates

1. Global Access - Malaysian designers enter French ready-to-wear market



Contemporary Batik

It is not always about flowers and butterflies when you think about batik prints. Neither does it all point to caftans and resort wear. In Michelle Lau’s world of batik, you can find more than just flowers and butterflies as the Meesha Sukira brand seeks to find a balance between the heritage of batik and modernity.

Meesha Sukira targets women who are 35 and above who know what they want and are certain of their purchases.

"Our target has always been women who are strong, confident and most importantly, they cherish individualism while they also appreciate art. They knowwhat theywant to achieve, are very certain and straightforward."

Expressive but minimalist, these are the characteristics of Meesha-Sukira collections which boast of shift dresses, maxi dresses and accessories such as clutch bags and shoes.

http://www.roslanwilkinson.com

theSun Daily, FASHION, November 23, 2011, Page 20

2. Bloggers turn designer for new shoe line



While fashion purists may argue bloggers already have too much power in the fashion world, a series of shoes designed by some of the most prominent online trendsetters will go on sale November 22, 2011.

Bloggers including Susie Lau of Style Bubble, Style Salvage's Steve Salter, Leandra Medine of the Man Repeller, and Face Hunter's Yvan Rodic have collaborated with footwear producer Six London and website Farfetch.com to each create an "ultimate shoe."

http://news.yahoo.com/bloggers-turn-designer-shoe-line-171202582.html

3. Asian shoppers 'fight' over Versace for H&M

It has been reported that fights broke out during the launch of Versace for H&M in China on Thursday, November 17. The hotly anticipated collaboration finally hit stores in Europe and Asia Thursday, and WWD writes that some shoppers on Shanghai’s Huai Hai Lu shopping street ended up in a scuffle.

http://news.yahoo.com/asian-shoppers-fight-over-versace-h-m-173530769.html

4. Intimate Luxuries in The Gardens, Mid Valley



5. 奢侈品消費逾8000億 中國佔全球市場20%

全球奢侈品市場今年再雙位增長,銷售額按年成長10%至1910億歐元(約8190億令吉),中國更佔全球市場20%。

消費品專家普里茨爾(Rudolf Pritzl)認為,儘管國際市場動盪及經濟不穩,奢侈品領域卻能一枝獨秀,表現“反危機”的勢態。

奢侈品專賣店的營業額增幅大于普通大型商店,全球奢侈品近30%銷量來自專賣店。

http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/271386

2011-11-20

Digital Publishing, Google One Pass, Amazon Kindle

When Amazon.com says it already sells more Kindle books than paperback and hardcover books, e-publishing is finally ready for prime time. The march of technology is unstoppable, books and lifestyle magazines are going tablet as iPad and Kindle are gaining more grounds into people's daily life.

All the arguments against e-books are about external incidentals – the feel of a book, the crinkle of the pages and so on. None of these things has anything to do with what makes a book worth reading – that it’s a well-written, thoughtful and compelling story.

John Biggs, an editor at TechCrunch, has predicted that by 2013, e-book sales will surpass all other book sales (not just at Amazon.com). By 2016, lifestyle magazines will go tablet-only. By 2020, every high school and college student will have an e-reader. Finally, by 2025 the transition would be complete with print largely disappearing even in the developing world.

If Robert Andrews, the UK editor of PaidContent.org, is to be believed - Last year, he posted an article where he cited the rising cost of newsprint and the inefficiency of delivering newspapers via trucks as reasons why “printing on paper may increasingly look like just another cost that, soon, could be removed from the balance sheet”.

Asians are crazy about mobile gadgets and tablets are as popular here as they are overseas.

So, the writing is on the wall as far as print publications are concerned. It’s now up to the publishers – established ones as well as new ones yet to emerge – to ride the digital trend.


Progress of Digital Publishing


If you are into the digital content or publishing world, check out these 2:

Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing is the fast and easy way to self-publish your books for sale in the Kindle Store.
With Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) you can self-publish your books on the Amazon Kindle Store. It's free, fast, and easy. Books self-published through KDP can participate in the 70% royalty program and are available for purchase on Kindle devices and Kindle apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac, Blackberry, and Android-based devices. With KDP, you can self-publish books in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian and specify pricing in US Dollars, Pounds Sterling, and Euros. You will also find useful information on our active community forum.

https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin

Google One Pass is a payment system that enables publishers to set the terms for access to their digital content.
It offers purchase-once, view-anywhere functionality, so users can view the content they buy across all of their devices.By providing a system for user authentication, payment processing, and administration, Google One Pass lets publishers focus on creating high quality content for their readers. Publishers have flexibility over payment models and control over the digital content for which they charge and the content that is free for consumers.

http://www.google.com/landing/onepass/

A recent survey by eMarketer daily shows that One in Three Online Consumers to Use a Tablet by 2014:

Sources:

Digital future of publishing
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/209577

Amazon Now Sells More Kindle Books Than Hardcover and Paperback Combined
http://techland.time.com/2011/05/19/amazon-now-sells-more-kindle-books-than-hardcover-and-paperback-combined/

One in Three Online Consumers to Use a Tablet by 2014
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008701&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4

2011-11-14

High Tech High Touch

High Tech High Touch, 缺一不可


施比受有福

重赏之下,必有勇夫。同样的,Pay Peanut, Get Monkey!

资不抵债,实现财务自由的一个简单计划:

1。创办一家企业, Create a business
2。对企业实行再投资, Reinvest and grow the business
3。投资房地产, Invest in Real Estate
4。购买舒适的生活, Use income from assets to buy luxuries

2011-10-31

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

Steve Jobs was not 'warm and fuzzy': biographer

Jobs, despite being worth billions of dollars, lived in a modest house in Palo Alto and was determined not to let money change him.

Jobs told Isaacson a lot of people had changed at Apple after becoming wealthy.

"A few people went out and bought Rolls-Royces and they bought homes, and their wives got plastic surgery," Jobs said.

"I saw these people who were really nice, simple people turn into these bizarro people," he said. "And I made a promise to myself. I said: ‘I’m not going to let this money ruin my life.’"

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/story_print.html?id=5597108&sponsor=


And here's a real world example to explain Precession Theory...

Bill Gates to Students: I Didn't Dream About Being Super-Rich

I think most people who have done well have just found something they're nuts about doing. Then they figure out a system to hire their friends to do it with them. It it's an area of great impact, then sometimes you get financial independence.

"I didn't start out with the dream of being super-rich. And even after we started Microsoft, and the guys who ran Intel—Gordon Moore and those guys—were billionaires, I was like, 'Wow, that must be strange.' And so—it is, it's quite strange."

Wealth above a certain level, really, it's a responsibility that then you're going have to either, a.) leave it to your children, which may or may not be good for them, or b.) try to be smart about giving it away…So I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars, because there's meaningful freedom that comes with that. But once you get much beyond that—you know, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger. Dick's has not raised their prices enough…But, you know, being ambitious is good. You just have to pick what you enjoy doing.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395453,00.asp#fbid=1hwS0uB4cWV

Bill Gates not bothered by Steve Jobs's comments in biography
While Gates said he found Jobs to be a "weirdly flawed human being," Jobs asserted that Gates was a "basically unimaginative" person who "never invented anything... He just shamelessly ripped off other people's ideas."...
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/10/31/bill_gates_not_bothered_by_steve_jobss_comments_in_biography.html

2011-10-30

Hong Leong Bank

Building A Strong Foundation:


As at 2011, it seems the bank is on track as planned.

2011-10-29

Corporate Journey 2008

Corporate Journey Magazine online subscription service article on China Press:

2011-10-28

Mobile Trading

This ads on 21st April 2008, The Edge Financial paper is additional info to Consumption Device, Digital Contents, and Online Campaign:


10 minutes between meeting. 12k made. not bad.

Ads by Maxis and Blackberry.

2011-10-27

A Message to Occupy Wall Street


Dear Occupy Wall Street,
I completely understand your anger and commend you for having the courage to do something about it.
Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company said nearly a century ago, "It is well that the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning."
And that was before the government financial system really got good at stealing from and impoverishing us. Today, if we all really had any idea as to what has been done to us by the system there’d be 6.8 billion people involved in these protests. 
However, there is a very, very important piece of the puzzle that you have missed completely.
In order to understand why, you have to realize one thing. You have been brainwashed. Don’t feel too bad, we all have been.
Thomas Pynchon said, "If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers.
And that is precisely what they have been doing for decades, using propaganda and indoctrination to confuse you as to the real source of the problems so that you never ask the right questions.
In a sound, honest world, you could do anything you want… you certainly would not have been forced into a minimum of 12 years of indoctrination (called public or private, state regulated schools) as a child. As well, practically everything in mainstream media is meant to subtly, every day, push you in the direction of supporting the nation-state.
After 12-16 years of government controlled “education” and thousands of hours of television propaganda from mainstream media that is all but one-in-the-same with the government it can be very hard to see reality.
Here is the reality. All of the problems you see are real. But you’ve been misdirected as to their cause – on purpose. Wall Street is, for the most part, corrupt and incredibly damaging to society as a whole. But, they are a SYMPTOM, not the CAUSE of the problem.
If you want to protest the real devils who have caused every major problem in the world, from wars to poverty to oppression, then you shouldn’t be in New York. You should be in Washington D.C. (District of Criminals) in front of the White House, Congress and the Federal Reserve building.  That is the source of all of our problems today.
 fed
Sadly, because of all the propaganda and brainwashing you are actually asking for more government involvement in the economy as a solution to the problem CAUSED by the massive amount of government involvement in the economy. You have to realize one thing.  There is a war on for your mind. At the moment, the side of reality, truth, honesty and self-responsibility is losing. The side of propaganda, corruption, theft (taxes), violence (laws against victimless crimes, wars and cages/jails or death if you do not submit to theft) and outright evil has been winning.
The tide is turning, however. Slowly people are awakening to the truth. We don’t need to fight violently, like them. We just need to say no. But this will only happen if you can see the true cause of all of the problems of today.  As the younger generations we have unfortunately been completely brainwashed and indoctrinated.
We’ve been told government is good and here to protect us when the only times most of us have been accosted, tased, put in cages (jail) or beaten has been at the hand of a “police officer”.
We’ve been told taxation isn’t theft, when that is exactly what it is.
We’ve been told that democracy is freedom, when in fact it is slavery.
We’ve been brainwashed our entire lives but we can snap out of it very easily. Here are a few videos to get you started down the rabbit hole:
Once you are done those videos then you can move on to the next stage.  Read these books:
You will feel a lot of emotions as you awaken. You may feel, more than anything, fear. Swallow it. You are here on Earth once. Don’t allow yourself to be scared out of freedom, love and peace. Step past that feeling. Once you can quell those feelings, then you may feel angry. That is good and natural. However, we shouldn’t need to get violent to stop this slavery.
All we need to do to stop it is to stop supporting the government and spread the word to others so that they do the same. This is very easy.
Mahatma Gandhi said, "Withholding of payment of taxes is one of the quickest methods of overthrowing a government."
Be warned, this process will not be easy… we will go through a few months and maybe even a few years of virtual chaos as the entire nation-state, political control system collapses. The entire false, non-free market, thieving monetary system will collapse in the process.  Everything will change. People will once again have to learn to support themselves and how to be productive.
But don’t worry. As Bill Hicks said, it’s just a rideOnce we can get rid of the devils amongst us who only can have power WHEN we CREATE that power for them to attain (governance) then they scurry like the cockroaches that they are.
Freedom is right in front of you. Prosperity like you’ve never known lies at your fingertips. All you have to do is awaken, educate yourself and follow one simple principle. A principle that is so simple and obvious that they teach it to kindergarten children. The Non-Aggression Principle. Don’t hit… don’t steal… and only resort to violence when aggressed against. And don’t allow any person, corporation or government to breach this principle.
When that stands as the center of your philosophy of being all else becomes simple. The “authorities” hope you never figure this out.  Unluckily for them, but typical at the same time, they didn’t realize the internet would allow this message to get to the masses. It is typical because these people aren’t especially smart. They are scheming sociopaths and excellent conmen and women, but they aren’t especially smart.  If they were they would have realized the internet would be a major problem for them years ago and have done something to stop it.
Now they are beginning to realize that the internet will facilitate their fall. People like Barack Obama speak often of the “internet kill switch” for this reason. But we have a few months still to educate, communicate and to defeat them. Act now to devour all of the real, honest information that is available to you through the internet. Look to website such asLewRockwell.comMises.org and watch interviews with top anarchists at Anarchast. Also, download all of this information... it will almost certainly be censored by the government very soon.
If we cannot spread the word prior to them shutting the internet down then we will lose. We will all be enslaved except for the few of us who have found a way to escape to remote islands, live discretely off of un-policed waters on sailboats or ships, small seasteads or the few who may have even escaped to outer space… things like Virgin Galactic are just now making possible.
But it is my hope that we can use this moment as our time to awaken. Pass along this post, its videos and articles to anyone and everyone you can.
Fight the power and stand up to the tyranny, but fight the root of the problem, not the symptom. The root are the governments of the world. They have created an entire, artificial financial system (which is not capitalism, it is corporatism/fascism) based on theft (taxation). It is natural, then, for the financial edifice that grows up around that system to also be based on theft and corruption.
But you cannot defeat that financial system without defeating the system that created it. Take your fight to Washington, D.C. When ten million+ occupy Washington D.C. and call for the end to institutionalized force and theft then we have an opportunity to really change the world for the better.
Youth of America, occupy Washington. Youth of the world, occupy the power centers of your own tax farms (countries). They have stolen your futures from even before you were born.  
Take it back...

2011-10-26

Education And Freedom

For years, I've dedicated my life to mastering the global economic chess match, where the moves of yesterday and today will land us tomorrow. And trust me, it's no easy task. It entails knowing how the policies in America trickle into the stability or instability of the world.

Below are some drafts and notes related to the education system (part of the cause), part of my findings on slavery in the 21st century.

Though they are still scattered around, by connecting the dots, we shall be able to get a better picture in the near future. The temporary conclusion is: all things are well connected: 政经文教、 士农工商,环环相扣、息息相关.

While the plantation system is still alive and well in the Information Age (Slavery In The 21st Century?), there seems to be an education trap in the real world to produce obedient skilled workforce to the ruling elite. As what G.Edward Griffin in The Creature from Jekyll Island pointed out on Rockefeller's General Education Board (founded in 1903):

True education was to be restricted to the son and daughters of the elite. For the rest, it would be better to produce skilled workers with no particular aspirations other than to enjoy life.

However, they may have not realize the internet would allow this message to get to the masses.

Real education, today, is all free and can be done via the internet from anywhere. All you have to do is ensure your child can read, write and count, equipped with the right attitude and mindset, from there they can self-educate and grow.

Formal education will make you a living. Self-education will make you a fortune. ~ Jim Rohn

In life there are no "sure things" or guarantees. The government fooled you into thinking there are, but there isn't. In real life you just have to get out there and do it.

Today, however, formal education often does not even make you a living as the cost of schooling has increased dramatically ever since the government subsidized it with grants, loans and tax benefits.

The good news is, we still have alternatives with the advance technology and the free will with us.

For example, home schooling which is a legal option for parents in most developed countries to provide their children with a learning environment as an alternative to public or private schools. However, there are still legal issues for homeschooling in Malaysia at the time of writing. Some lobbying effort may be needed in the future.

Another example of the use of technology as alternative would be private sector's initiative, the one such as gooroo.my provide a live and working model as well as a good case study.

Above are just bits and pieces of the findings to date. While compiling the masterpiece and preparing a thesis and reaction to the "cause".

With Love, Respect, and Much Abundant Blessings Always,
How Tze


During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. ~ George Orwell

Does Our Education System Destroy Free Will?

All public school is, in the US (and major part of the worlds where you can use Visa/Master - same system! - or spot KFC, McD, Starbucks etc) today, is indoctrination for jail or to train you to be a cubicle rat for the rest of your life.

Don't get caught in the education trap...

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/2047

Message to Occupy Wall Street

Fight the power and stand up to the tyranny, but fight the root of the problem, not the symptom.

http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/1995

獨木橋和陽關道


教育是百年大計,不能以意識形態來決定政策,而必須以遠見來作抉擇。你走你的獨木橋,我走我的陽關道;誰都不礙誰,後果如何,自行負責。優點在於,家長和學生有選擇的自由,依本身的家庭背景,以及未來的展望,進行選擇。

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/21453?tid=17

2011-10-25

The Real Threat of Cyber Terrorism

Identity theft — mainly, fraudulent spending — has affected hundreds of millions of people, causing hundreds of billions in losses worldwide in the past decade.

Today, though, your credit card number isn't the only target of hackers' keystrokes...

What Do You Do Online?



I bank with an online interest-bearing checking account. I use it to make utility, car, cable, and phone payments. It also contains my entire banking and ATM transaction history.

I pay my mortgage through a separate online account.

I have a brokerage account.

I manage my insurance and health savings account (HSA).

I have an individual retirement account (IRA).

I have a credit card account.

And of course, I have an email account, which doesn't forget anything and is a catch-all for correspondence from any person or business I interact with: orders, confirmation numbers, pictures, usernames, etc.

The very fabric of my life — and yours, I'm sure — is sewn together with digital thread.

It's not just our financial data that's at risk; it's our personal information, our likes and dislikes, our habits, and even our geographic location.

Google knows what you need and how you're getting it. It knows where you're going and how you're getting there. It knows what you're cooking. It knows when you're sick.

Social media, apps, and smartphones have added a whole new layer to this.

People chronicle their lives on Facebook, telling the world what movies and books they like, what they're doing over the weekend, even which coworker annoys them. Some even sync their phones' GPS with these accounts to broadcast their location as they go.

It's all out there in the ether, strings of ones and zeros floating on a server in some cloud.

Individually, you may not think much of it. But when combined, you have a dossier on a nation — a psychological profile, a financial profile, a spending profile, a medical history, a travel log, a family tree, a social interaction chart.

We're way past identity theft...

These mountains of data are our new Twin Towers.



The Real Threat of Cyber Terrorism



We've all seen how penetrable supposed "secure systems" can be.

Hacking has come to be the new tool of both criminals and law enforcement. It's at the core of today's activism, now known as hacktivism.

And more and more each day, it's terrorists' new weapon of choice.

The most important thing to know is that this stuff is already happening.

"It is now clear this cyber threat is one [of] the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation," President Obama said during a speech.

"We know that cyber intruders have probed our electrical grid, and that in other countries cyber attacks have plunged entire cities into darkness," the president said.


Keep this issue in mind... when the market comes back, this will be one of the prime places to be.

Call it like you see it,
Nick Hodge

2011-10-24

2011-10-23

Putting A Human Face On Environmental Problems



If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

A simple and straight forward message to bring up the awareness that taking care of environmental problems is everybody's responsibility.

Dengue are transmitted by mosquitoes, clearing off the surroundings to prevent the growing of mosquitoes is a good way to prevent the cases.

In the image above, steps such as eliminating pockets of stagnant water that serve as mosquito breeding sites at home, workplaces and their vicinity, not storing water in open containers, covering all water containers with lids - are carried out through a sharp community message image.

2011-10-22

俊男美女的比赛

http://www.facebook.com/terimee

OMG Paradise’s We Love Planking Asia Challenge
OMG!帅哥美女爱扑街亚洲大挑战
http://www.12winfreebies.com/win-a-free-trip-with-omg-paradise-planking-asia-contest

2011-10-21

Half Time (Retire Young Retire Rich)

Life is a game of time and money. A professional football game is made up of four fifteen-minute quarters and your working life is four ten-year quarters.

The Game of Money
Age Game Period
25 - 35 1st Quarter
35 - 45 2nd Quarter Retire Young Retire Rich!
------- Halftime -------
45 - 55 3rd Quarter
55 - 65 4th Quarter
------- Overtime -------
Out of Time


Will You Work Forever?



People who did not have anything at the end of the fourth quarter may have to work for the rest of their lives, which may not be a bad thing as long as you are able to work.

In fact, I believe working keeps us healthier and happier. I know because I retired at forty-seven and found it depressing ... which is why I keep working, even though I do not have to. ~ Robert Kiyosaki

Do something you enjoy and you can work at for as long as you want to work at it. There will come a time when you will call an end to the working game and really want to retire and do nothing. Also remember that doing nothing can still be expensive.

Every investor needs to pay attention to time. What worked for our parents' generation may not work for many of us. Watch the change in cycles. It is important to understand the velocity of money.

2011-10-20

Velocity of Money

The example demonstrates the differences of how your money increases when invested in a mutual fund, a rental property, and a rental property where you borrow the appreciation every two years. Choices 1 and 2 are examples of people who park their money and choice 3 is an example of people that increase the velocity of their money.

20,000 Description Net Equity After 7 Years Average Annual Return on a $20,000 Investment
Choice 1 Invest in a mutual fund that earns 5% a year $28,142 5.8%
Choice 2 Invest $20,000 and borrow $180,000 from the bank for a $200,000 rental property and let your equity compound. Assume rental income only breaks even with expenses and the property appreciates at a rate of 5% a year $101,420 58.2%
Choice 3 Invest $20,000 and borrow $180,000 from the bank for a $200,000 rental property. Rather than letting the equity compound, you borrow out the appreciation every two years and invest it in a new property at 10 percent down. $273,198 180.9%


The investor needs to first invest in their financial education before expecting such accelerated returns.

The formula professional investor follows:

1. Invest money into an asset
2. Get the original investment money back
3. But keep control of the original asset
4. Move the money into a new asset
5. Get the investment money back
6. Repeat the process


Financial institutions understand how important it is to expand their money supply in order to increase their earning power. Most investors do not realize they too can expand their own money supply and thereby expand their earning power. Financial institutions do this by making their money move. The more times a dollar moves, the greater the money supply and the greater their earning power of that dollar.

The movement of money increases your money supply !


Don't count your money while you're sitting at the table. ~ A professional gambler.

In summary, as a professional investor, you need to know when to enter, when to exit, and how to get your money off the table, and still in the game playing with house's money, banker's money, and the tax man's money.

By financial definition, my ROI - return on investment - is infinite.

Professional investors want CONTROL over their assets and their cash flow.

2011-10-19

Mechanization of Credit

The problem with this low-credit, low-risk environment:
profits were slim, not just for banks but for retailers and the real estate industry.

If people had to save up to buy a new item of clothing or an appliance, then the retailers were limited in how many gew-gaws they could sell.
If people stayed put and didn't buy and sell their houses frequently, then developers, lenders and realtors had a very limited field of profit-making opportunities.
If only people who qualified via stringent credit standards had access to credit, then the transactionf ees and interest earned from credit were also limited.

The "solution" to that low-risk, low-churn, low-credit environment was the commodification and mechanization of credit.

An analogy can be found in industrial consumer goods such as autos. When autos were hand-made by artisanal craftsmen, they were extraordinarily expensive. When Henry Ford mechanized the production, effectively turning them into mass-produced commodities, they became affordable to tens of millions of households.

The same thing happened with credit when computers took over the task of qualifying borrowers.

A computer program assessed credit on a simple point system, and voila, the costly task of assessing credit risk fell to pennies per borrower.

Not entirely by happenstance, banks found that millions of households that had been viewed as risks now qualified for credit, as the issuing and servicing of credit--credit card annual fees, transaction fees, late fees, etc.--became a fast-growing, monstrously profitable gusher for banks.


The Origins of American Debt-Serfdom
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/2075

2011-10-18

4 Ideas to Help You Offer More Value to Your Customers






Internet marketing = An exchange of value

4 things you have that are valuable:
1. Time
2. Knowledge
3. Experience
4. Skills


Value is NOT JUST ABOUT MONEY

attention, trust, referring friends, sharing success stories, contributing to a vibrant/active website, sharing ideas, contacts, all these are values in addition to their money.

Offer valuable SOLUTIONS

1. Save $$$
2. Save time
3. Save effort - accomplish a lot more with a lot less work, help people to increase productiviti, to avoid mistakes, to achieve greater results,
4. Offer something better - example, Apple - improved customer experience, what is already available, filling in the gap, correcting weaknesses


What can I do to add value to the transaction?
How can I provide a solution that is cheaper, faster, easier, better?


2011-10-17

Mister Potato and Jacker

Just not long ago, a local brand launched its Mister Potato and Man Utd marketing campaign. It is one of the best try for local business where they are scoring with the right brand. In this promotional event, you can Win the Experience of A Lifetime with Mister Potato Man Utd Promotion!

As player in the same industry, another company, Jacker, launched its own campaign aiming to boost sales too - where you can Win Up To RM200,000 Cash with Jacker’s Extravaganza Contest.

It is interesting that both companies are producing similar products, and both are from Melaka. And it is interesting too to study the gap between the team that produces these campaigns.


A follow up on 19th October, 2011:

When Ferguson walked into the press conference that would announce to the world the association of Mamee-Double Decker's Mr.Potato with United, there was pin-drop silence. The man has an aura that is larger than life.



2011-10-16

Education Trap

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. ~ George Orwell

All public school is, in the US (and major part of the worlds where you can use Visa/Master - same system! - or spot KFC, McD, Starbucks etc) today, is indoctrination for jail or to train you to be a cubicle rat for the rest of your life.



The human herding process

School is an 18 years forced government training program that sterilises the potential of brains in children. Those who actually survive schooling and survived comformity and continue on to think for themselves truly are a rare breed.

Until we abolish mandatory schooling, your child will be brought up as a slave, so that he can accept becoming a slave later in life in adulthood.

"The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed a standard citizenry, to put down dissent and originality" -HL Mencken


Formal education will make you a living. Self-education will make you a fortune. ~ Jim Rohn

Today, however, formal education often does not even make you a living as the cost of schooling has increased dramatically ever since the government subsidized it with grants, loans and tax benefits.

In life there are no "sure things" or guarantees. The government fooled you into thinking there are, but there isn't. In real life you just have to get out there and do it.

Real education, today, is all free and can be done via the internet from anywhere. All you have to do is ensure your child can read, write and count, and from there they can self-educate.

Don't get caught in the education trap...

Does Our Education System Destroy Free Will?
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/2047

An interesting study: We are the 99 percent
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/

Slavery in the 21st Century?
http://howtze.blogspot.com/2011/07/slavery-in-21st-century.html

2011-10-15

Food Security, Food Fear

Will a "Food Armageddon" happen in the near future? It will be tough to convince Malaysians that such a calamity could happen in a country where food is available round the clock. It is said that Malaysia is the only country in the world where food is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The term “food security” seems to be the preferred term today. Just a few decades ago, journalists weremore familiar with the term “food crisis”. Who authored the change in terminology? Was the currently preferred termspecially coined to be “politically correct” in context or “politically motivated” to accommodate a sinister agenda of institutional structures?

Experts today use this term because it is not just crisis situations which cause “food insecurity” (i.e. lack of security). Almost a billion people go to bed hungry each day, according to the World Bank. Some of these peoplemay live in countries which have food, but they cannot afford to buy the food, meaning, they have no economic access.

And this lack of abilitymay lead to a situation of “chronic food insecurity”, which potentially affects the growth and development of young children, and thereby their ability to learn as well. There have beenmany studies to show the link between under-nutrition and education performance among children. So all these are now included in the term “food security”.

Look At Effects

One possible effect is the disruption or restriction in supply of food or agricultural rawproducts to the country concerned. For specific countries, local policies could be developed, and supportedwith adequate funding and technical support, to increase local production of a particular item. For example, a country responsemay be to increase local rice production in the face of a global reduction in the amount of rice traded.

Most countries have government agencies chargedwith applying food safetymeasures. The challenge is to ensure they are functional.

There is enough food in the world to meet everyone’s needs, but not enough to accommodate everyone’s greed. Should the world be in jitters over an impending “Food-Armageddon” that might not materialise – or should the international community address the tangible problemof wealth and food distribution more emphatically?

Concurrently, the world population will become more urbanised, leading to fewer people farming. With urbanisation, it is also predicted that the percentage of poor people who are food insecure in the cities will also increase.

Organisations like the World Food Programme have advocated safety nets to help the vulnerable poor who cannot afford to buy food even if food is available.

These safety nets operate in the broader context of individual country policies on wealth distribution vis-à- vis job creation, livelihood improvement and generally economic growth. It is difficult for the international community to effectively address country-specific wealth distribution issues.

Individual country governments need to take local action that can meet local situations of unequal wealth distribution. Assuming no disruptions in the food supply chain, whether local or global, people who are economically well off have a better chance of being food secure.

Malaysia has many advantages as a food producing country – bountiful landwith no regular natural disasters such as typhoons or earthquakes, suitable climate for crop, fish and animal agriculture, resourceful people and strong technical as well as financial resources to support farming.

So Malaysia can ramp up significantly its domestic production of agricultural products if it chose to. The challenge is whether it would be cheaper to import or go for local production. In the context of food security, most experts predict increasing prices of raw materials and increased competition for these raw materials due to population demands and the improved economic status of more people, especially in Asia.

Many countries have developed their own food security plans to ensure there is sufficient resilience in supply to buffer any unexpected shocks to the system.

One of the dilemmas that countries likeMalaysia face is whether to increase the level of self- sufficiency in key items evenwhen other countries can produce those items cheaper or continue to depend on imports fromoverseas and find ways tominimise any supply disruption. There is no single solution.

There are also trade-off issues as cash crops like palm oil continue to yield high returns when compared to food crops like rice.

Some agricultural products will require continued importation, such as wheat; while others like soybean and corn could help lessen the impact from supply shortage if Malaysia grew more of its own. But both soybean and cornwould require renewed significant investments in research to produce the right crop varieties andmanagement technologies.

Brazil has shown that it is possible for tropical countries to become agriculture powerhouses if sufficient financial resources are devoted to R&D.

Agriculture will have to be made more attractive, especially, food agriculture via appropriate incentives and supportive policies.



http://203.115.192.117/thesun-epaper/tue/04102011/files/assets/seo/page10.html

I am not worried about long run supply of agriculture production; the big question is about who gets access to it. ~ Peter Timmer
Invest in agri technology, says Harvard don
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/164579

Related:
Food Price http://howtze.blogspot.com/2011/08/ever-wonder-why-malaysians-are-paying.html

Invest In Land
Penang wants control of foodstuff during natural disasters
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/175800

2011-10-14

我和我的阿四

我和我的小三于一星期前有所进展后,特丽美面子书专页活动也逐渐活跃。

特丽美俊男美女网络选拔赛在 2011 年 10 月 1 日推广后的两个星期内,粉丝从 2818 人增至 4040 人 (本贴标题阿四的意思,是四千多,非广东话里的 "ah sei / 仆人”的意思):

社群互动也从之前近乎零而呈令人鼓舞的增长:

最新的进展,当然是游览特丽美面子书专页

2011-10-13

Roller Coaster Ride

This spells it out better than I can describe with words.



In the end, the only thing left standing will be the precious metals and their corresponding mining shares as one fiat currency after another implodes worldwide. We are witnessing the final stages of what happens when fiat currencies go the way of the world...

What lies between now and that moment is plenty of market volatility and all kinds of societal chaos.

You simply have to choose as an investor whether you want to be part of the slaughter, or be on top of the financial heap as the consequences for decades of economic and political stupidity come to full maturation.

This is called the hijacking of America by the elitist banks for the elitist banks so they can get even more power and control. In reality, nothing is going to change the course we are on. Citizens worldwide are going to pay the full price for all this economic and political stupidity. It is not going to be a pretty picture.

This would be very useful in explaining to loved ones and others why you are investing in precious metals:



From:
Slaughter or Opportunity: The Choice is Yours
http://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/precious-metals-investing/3256

Related:
A Message to Occupy Wall Street
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/liberty/1995

2011-10-12

Is Buffet full of BS?

Can You Handle The Truth?

the truth is that life can be pretty cruel, if one cannot handle the truth.

To make matters worse, most of these people who cannot handle the truth don’t even know what the truth is. Many believe that the money they’ve been putting in for years is still there, much like a private savings account. Most are unable to comprehend that the money they put in is actually gone, having flowed into an older retiree’s wallet. They do not know that if younger person doesn’t come in behind them and put money in the funds, they’ll be forced to face the truth that there isn’t any money in the kitty.

Little does he know that the stock market is nothing but one big Ponzi scheme. In other words, if money stops coming in to the market, the money already in will rush out. With computerized high frequency trading (HFT), money can disappear at the speed of thought.

What will it take for the economy to come back? Well, obviously, another Ponzi scheme… and that’s the truth.

What truth do you have to handle?

----------------------

Why Is Gold Going Down?

central banks are the only ones who could move the price of gold that drastically that quickly. If the central banks are selling gold to raise cash, that’s not good news for the world economy. If they’re raising cash, then the economy is very weak. This isn’t good.

Then again, the price of gold could be coming down because the economy is strong. Gold is generally a fear investment, and if fear is going down, then the price of gold comes down.

If the sell-off in gold is because the economy is strong and growing again, the sell-off in gold is good news for the economy.

Is this time to buy gold and silver?

My answer is always the same. You need to do your own study and research, and test for yourself. If you can’t tolerate the ups and downs of markets, it’s best to allow someone else to invest for you, regardless of what you invest in.

If you trust our corporate and government leaders to fix our global economic problems, then gold is not for you. Stocks might be a better investment.

there are only two emotions that drive a market: greed and fear. When fear is strong and prices are low, then greed creeps back in and buyers like me begin buying again.


If everything is down, we’re all going down. If everything is going down, a gun might be your best buy.

----------------------

You Can’t Handle the Truh

the name of the game for the conspiracy is “Bailout.”

Why bailout countries such as Greece and Italy? One reason is that the rich want their money back. By bailing out the Greeks, they get the Greeks to pay them the money owed them.

In other words the rich are playing games with money.

In this game, the world becomes terrified, there is a lot of noise and thunder, and then the banks ride to the rescue, saving the world economy.

As stated in other COR updates, the ultra-rich want us to beg them to print more money, even though it means higher taxes and higher inflation for all of us.

What am I doing?

Nothing has changed. I continue to invest in debt by buying apartment houses with as much debt as possible. This is what banks want and what the government wants. The economy needs people who can handle large amounts of debt. This means I need to find apartment houses for good prices, take on lots of debt, and let the tenants pay off the debt.

What should you do? As always, I suggest getting more financial education.

This crisis will be the worst crisis for millions of people. It can also be the best crisis, if you know what you are doing.

-----------------------

Are You Rambo or Pee-Wee?

Risk is an interesting word. Millions live in fear of risk, although they don’t know what it is.

Risk only exists in the future—it’s what might happen. So technically, risk does not exist until the moment it’s realized. It’s only in the unknown where risk lies. For example, if you knew the stock market was going to crash in five days, you could do something about it and mitigate the risk.

Pee-Wee has been right more times, but Rambo’s had more fun. The fact is that I could lose everything I have in the deal, but I’m not stupid enough risk everything I have.

-----------------------

Buying your own shares is often a red flag for professional stock investors. It can mean a number of things. Generally, when a company buys its own shares, it means, “I can’t get my share price to go up so I’ll manipulate the share price up by buying my own shares, which will make my shareholders happy and like me.” It can also mean, “I can’t find a good deal,” or, “I don’t know how to grow my company,” or, “I’ve got more money than brains,” or, “The best return for my money is to invest in my company.”

On CNBC, Buffet said he was buying back shares of Berkshire Hathaway because the value of his stock was less than the “intrinsic value of his company.” This sent the price of his stock back up. Where Warren leads, the sheep follow.

Who knows what the truth is? Only Warren knows.

There are two reasons why I don’t invest in stocks.

Reason #1: Employees play too many games, from the CEO down. Many employees use the public company as their person expense account and ATM. This is why I tend to invest in private companies, not public ones. The private companies are businesses of friends, fellow entrepreneurs who own their company and whom I know and trust.

Reason #2: I invest for cash flow, not capital gains. Most people who play the stock market invest for capital gains, wanting the price to go up. Investing for cash flow, I receive a check every month or every quarter. If I don’t like the dollar amount on my check, I call my friend to find out what’s going on.

Try calling Warren and see what happens.