By Ted Mcgrath

A lot of things were different when your grandparents were young. Woodworking was very popular back then and most men had the skills to build something with their own hands. Almost everyone had their own woodworking projects which they worked with whenever they had some time to spare.

Things look a lot different today. Few people can handle their own woodworking projects and most people has to call in a professional if they would like to have some nice wooden furniture for the home. Furniture made of wood are stylish and classic and loved by most people but it would definitely be a lot easier if everyone could create their own furniture.

Woodworking is easier today

It's actually quite easy to gain knowledge today and woodworking knowledge is not an exception. The net is a great source where you can learn a lot about woodworking and how to start with easy woodworking projects. You will have to practice what you read in order to become skillful obviously but that will be a lot of fun.

Buy what you need to start

In order to start woodworking you will need some tools. It's always best to buy as good tools as possible since that will make it possible to get real accurate results. It all depends on how much money you can spare though and you should always stick to your budget since woodworking is supposed to be fun, not supposed to ruin you.

Internet is great since you will be able to buy all the tools you might need there. The prices are usually much lower than in the stores you will be able to find if you're out shopping on the street. Make a list of all the tools you will need for your woodworking projects and order them from the best e-shop you can find. Remember to compare prices before you order anything since some web shops are a lot cheaper than other ones.

It can be difficult for a beginner to know exactly what tools you will need to start with but you will be able to find guidance if you read online articles. The first thing you should buy is a great saw. Actually you will need several saws since there are various types, needed for various moments. You will also need a good jig.

Go ahead and learn all you want and need about woodworking. You will soon be able to work on your own woodworking projects and you will soon discover how fun it is.

About the Author:

Discover how to build woodworking projects easily and quickly with popular woodworking plans. Download over 16,000 plans and woodworking books now.

»»  read more

It’s beginning to get interesting

One interesting thing in this whole matter, however, is that the latest corruption case involves a payment of RM169,700 made to Ummi Hafilda Ali. Now, was this one of the many pay-offs to Ummi Hafilda, the person central to the Anwar Ibrahim Sodomy I case?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

When Annuar Musa, the one-time Umno Kelantan Chief, became a minister back in the 1990s, there was a lot of talk in town about corruption in the ministry he headed. His own political secretary, Chekgu Din, resigned and told us about the shenanigans and how disgusted he was with Annuar Musa’s blatant acts of corruption.

Basically, Annuar Musa’s job was to grab back Kelantan, which had fallen to PAS-Semangat 46, and he was supposed to use his ministry, Rural Development, in achieving this. But the money he spent went into his own pocket, not to the kampong folks.

Annuar Musa was eventually removed and replaced with the new Umno Kelantan Chief, Mustapa Mohamed. Annuar Musa was never charged for any crime, just replaced as a minister as well as the Umno Kelantan Chief.

Invariably, someone had to be punished for all the corruption in the ministry and they chose to charge the secretary-general of the ministry, Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Muhammad.

Datuk Aziz was charged for ‘abetting’ a crime and was sentenced to five years jail. Later, he won his appeal. The two ministers, however, were never brought to book when it was they who had made all the decisions and the hapless secretary-general, who was a mere civil servant, just carried out the instructions of the minister.

When Azalina Othman became the Minister of Tourism, the same allegations of corruption and abuse of power surfaced. Her greatest adversary, the secretary-general of the ministry, Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, opposed her every step of the way. Everyone knew about the conflict between the minister and her secretary-general who would overrule all the decisions the minister made.

Eventually, they went for the secretary-general while the minister was spared. The secretary-general was charged for corruption and, just like in the case of Datuk Aziz, he too was acquitted.

It appears like in all these cases the staff and the secretary-generals of the ministry are the ones who face the courts while the ministers escape punishment. And they are brought to book basically because they opposed their ministers and spoke out against the corrupt acts of their ministers.

Today, two people were charged in relation to the Pempena Sdn Bhd issue. Will the secretary-general, Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, now face another charge on the same issue after being acquitted of the earlier charge?

Well, you can be assured that the minister, Azalina Othman, will not be the one who will be made to face the law. The ministers who instructed the civil servants never are. It is always those who were instructed by the ministers to carry out the instructions that are the ones to take the fall.

One interesting thing in this whole matter, however, is that the latest corruption case involves a payment of RM169,700 made to Ummi Hafilda Ali. Now, was this one of the many pay-offs to Ummi Hafilda, the person central to the Anwar Ibrahim Sodomy I case?

Yes, if you were to read the court transcripts of the Anwar trial back in 1998-1999, you will see that Ummi Hafilda Ali was well rewarded for her role in bringing Anwar down. And the latest case today proves this. But it is the poor employees who just did what their ministers asked them to do who are now on trial.

And this appears to be how it works. The ministers tell their staff what to do. And when the shit hits the fan, the staff are arrested and charged while the ministers get to walk free.

********************************************

Former Rural Development sec-gen's conviction overturned

Former Rural Development Ministry secretary- general Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Muhammad yesterday won his appeal in the High Court against his 2005 conviction for abetting in a criminal breach of trust and cheating case, for which he received a five-year jail term.

In allowing the appeal, judge Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah held that the Sessions Court judge did not consider several pieces of key evidence. He said there was insufficient evidence to show that Aziz had instigated Terengganu Tengah Development Authority (Ketengah) general manager Datuk Alwi Said to release funds without approval from the Finance Ministry.

Aziz, 63, now a businessman, had been found guilty of abetting Alwi in committing CBT involving RM2 million.

The offence was alleged to have been committed at Kompleks Kewangan in Jalan Raja Chulan between April 27 and July 31, 1999.

He was also convicted of cheating the then second finance minister, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, through Finance Ministry officials, into believing that Ketengah's RM9 million investment in orchid cultivation, fish-rearing and recreation projects in Tasik Puteri, Bukit Besi, Dungun, were sound.

The offence was allegedly committed at the Finance Ministry in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur, between June 24 and Aug 9, 1999.

He was sentenced to five years' jail on each charge, with the sentences to run concurrently.

On the first charge, Zabidin said Alwi's own testimony showed that he (Alwi) had released the money before getting the Finance Ministry's approval not because he was pressured by Aziz but because the Tasik Puteri Integrated Farm project was in dire need of money and he was confident of its viability.

He added that Alwi was also confident that the approval would be obtained eventually with the help of Aziz. --New Straits Times, 7 November 2008

********************************************

Tourism DG’s acquittal stands after prosecution withdraws appeal

The prosecution has withdrawn its appeal against the Sessions Court’s acquittal of Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab for allegedly accepting dental treatment without consideration in 2005.

The prosecution withdrew the appeal when the case was mentioned before High Court judge Justice Ghazali Cha on Friday.

Justice Ghazali struck it out after Mirza’s defence counsel Saseedharan Menon did not raise any objection over the withdrawal

Mirza, 52, who was smiling broadly, said he was relieved by the decision.

“After all the preparation that had been made against the appeal, I am also surprised with this,” he said, adding that the case had affected his motivation to work.

“It is a busy weekend for the Tourism Ministry’s Citrawarna (now known as Colours Of 1Malaysia) event. I am thankful to my staff who have supported me,” he said, adding that he planned to hold a thanksgiving feast soon.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s legal and prosecution division director Datuk Abdul Razak Musa said the prosecution had reviewed the appeal and decided to withdraw it.

“We found that the evidence of the witnesses was not sufficient although in reality, Datuk Mirza underwent the treatment and the bill was paid by a witness,” Abdul Razak said.

On July 24 last year, Sessions Court Judge Zainal Abidin Kamarudin said the prosecution had failed to prove criminal intent on Mirza’s part that he had accepted the treatment from a company director.

Mirza, who was acquitted by the court without his defence being called, had claimed trial on Aug 13, 2008 to accepting dental treatment worth RM13,860 from company director Zulhisyam Ayob without consideration. -- The Star, 21 May 2010

********************************************

Two charged over Pempena scandal for payment to Ummi Hafilda Ali

Two former top officials of scandal-plagued Pempena Sdn Bhd were charged this morning with cheating in what are the first prosecutions involving the controversial Tourism Ministry subsidiary set up during Datuk Seri Azalina Othman’s tenure as minister.

The two former officials were charged over payments made to Ummi Hafilda Ali, who was a key witness in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy and abuse of power trials in 1999.

Today’s prosecution is the culmination of a scandal which broke while Azalina was still minister in 2007.

Pempena chief operating officer Mohammad Rosly Selamat and financial controller Lim Khing Tai were brought to face criminal breach of trust charges involving RM169,700 this morning.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had been investigating Pempena for financial improprieties believed to involve more than RM50 million.

The MACC had originally probed claims that Azalina, the former tourism minister, had hired 20 employees in Pempena although government regulations allow a minister to employ only eight people.

Mohammad Rosly, 56, and Lim, 38, are accused of making unauthorised payments for a concert without the consent of Pempena’s board of directors.

The money via four cheques was paid to Ummi Hafilda as sponsorship payments for organising Arab singer Amr Diab’s concert here.

The alleged offence took place at Pempena’s office at the Putra World Trade Centre on August 15, 2006.

If convicted, they face imprisonment of at least two years and not more than 20 years as well as a whipping and fine.

Session Court judge Rozana Ali Yusof set bail at RM20,000 for each and the case was fixed for mentioned on September 6.

DPP Muhamad Anas Mahadzir appeared for the prosecution.

Mohammad Rosly was represented by Rejinder Singh Dhaliwal while Lim was represented by Cheow Wee.

Former Tourism Ministry director-general Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab was also seen earlier at the Jalan Duta Court Complex before leaving after half an hour.

Besides the sodomy charge, Anwar was charged in 1999 with directing Mohd Said Awang, then-Special Branch Director, and Amir Junus, then-Special Branch Deputy Director II, to obtain a written statement from Ummi Hafilda addressed to the prime minister denying allegations of sexual misconduct and sodomy as contained in her confidential report entitled “Perihal Salah Laku Timbalan Perdana Menteri” (Sexual Misconduct of the Deputy Prime Minister) dated August 5, 1997 in order to save himself from embarrassment. -- The Malaysian Insider, 16 August 2010

»»  read more

The IMF Report Card on Malaysia

The report is pessimistic about a pronounced recovery in private investment, given still unused capacity. Capital expenditure of public enterprises is expected to pick up. Thus, the prognosis is for government induced investment rather than the private sector providing the impetus for growth. These trends are indicative of the fact that public investment is likely to be the dominant factor as in the past.

Commentary
by Observer

Background

The IMF, under Article IV of its Articles of Agreement, holds bilateral discussions annually with its Member countries. These discussions are in the nature of a review of member country economic policies, recent economic developments, IMF staff assessments of prospects and the presentation of policy recommendations. A report is then prepared for presentation to the Fund’s Executive Board of Directors. At the conclusion of the Board Discussion, a Public Information Notice (PIN) is released together with the full report. The Article IV consultation with Malaysia for 2010 took place in May/June of this year and following Board consideration, the PIN and the Report were released on August 13th 2010.

In its customary approach, these IMF documents are highly nuanced and attempt to convey the Fund’s views in measured and balanced tones in order to minimize possible disagreements with the country in question. They err on the side of caution and down play differences and criticisms of policies. The 2010 Malaysia report needs to be read in that context. It is remarkable that the report questions past policies, takes a somewhat critical and skeptical view of many current government policies and expresses open disagreement in certain instances. The report also exposes the dithering and inability of the Government to take firm measures in pursuit of its own announced policy reforms. This brief analysis attempts to highlight and bring to the fore a number of issues that in the view of the Fund reflect on the Government’s capacity to take on the task of implementing its modest reform agenda.

Key Issues

The report begins by observing that there has been broad agreement in the past between the authorities and the Fund on desirable policies—a prudent fiscal stance, reforms of government linked companies, measures to improve the investment climate, flexibility in monetary and exchange rate management, and further steps to strengthen Malaysia’s financial system. The report goes to note: “Views have differed, however, on the pace of reform. The authorities have favored a more gradual approach, perhaps better attuned to political realities and implementation constraints.” These statements represent a fairly open criticism of the Government and its credibility in pursuing reforms. They also seem to question the commitment of the Government to follow through on the policy agenda contained in the NEM issued in March of this year.

As the report indicates, the key focus of the consultations were on the policy requirements to support the recovery and the priorities for structural reforms over the medium term. On the issue of Fiscal Policy, the Fund argued that “budgetary gains would prove transitory, however, if the broader agenda of fiscal reforms remains unfinished. In particular, subsidy reform and the introduction of the goods and service tax should not be delayed.” It is worthy of note that the Government acknowledged that these were high priorities but that a broad consensus on implementation modalities was still being forged. This stance reveals that the Government has a weak hand and is divided.

A similar divide between the Government and the Fund was discernable concerning Structural Reforms. While the Fund saw signs of a renewed political commitment to push reforms, the Report expressed the view that molding the necessary social consensus would require time.

On Exchange rate policies, the Fund took the view that the Ringgit was in real effective terms weaker than its estimated equilibrium level. The report openly points out that the “authorities disagree with this assessment”. The Fund for its part argues “……..a stronger ringgit in real effective terms could facilitate over time the implementation of the economic transformation program by contributing to higher real incomes for households, greater capital deepening, faster productivity gains, and demand shifts in favor of services.” It should be observed that this represents a rather stark and open disagreement between the two parties.

The report points to a rethinking of the development strategy as Malaysia stands at the crossroads with the old economic model having lost the ability to drive the country forward and to free Malaysia from the middle-income trap where it is now stuck. The report notes the recent steps announced by the Government – the 1Malaysia program, the Government Transformation Program, the Economic Transformation Program built on the New Economic Model, (NEM) and the Tenth Malaysia Plan, (10MP). It is most significant that the report goes on to state: “Development policies have been dressed in rhetoric before but the sense of urgency seems higher now than in the past.” This is a rather remarkable and blunt statement and points to a question about the credibility of the Government.

Recent Performance

While acknowledging the recovery in growth terms in the last three quarters, the Fund projects a rate of growth of about 7 percent for the current year but a tapering off in 2011. The report is pessimistic about a pronounced recovery in private investment, given still unused capacity. Capital expenditure of public enterprises is expected to pick up. Thus, the prognosis is for government induced investment rather than the private sector providing the impetus for growth. These trends are indicative of the fact that public investment is likely to be the dominant factor as in the past.

The Fund observes that equity prices (stock market) have show an increase of 5 percent in the current year, a performance far below other regional markets, reflecting Malaysia’s weaker capital inflows and shallower correction in the sell-off. The Fund report points to net capital outflows throughout the year. Portfolio inflows picked up in the second half of 2009, but outward FDI and ?other investments swamped the uptick. The Report also refers to the fact that both FDI and portfolio flows have been negative in net terms for many years reflecting underlying trends—the expansion abroad of Malaysian businesses, trade financing flows, and the recycling of current account surpluses. The report makes the point that over the last few years net FDI outflows have grown, as a result of limited opportunities for domestic investment by, as well as growing investment abroad by Malaysian companies seeking economies of scale, a regional exposure (e.g., in telecom), or supplies of natural resources (oil and gas field or land for plantations). The main drivers were sustained current account surpluses, a revival of trade credit from Malaysian exporters to importers overseas, and an increased willingness of the private sector to place funds abroad. In brief, these observations point to the emergence of a weak domestic investment climate. While the report does not detail the causes for this weakening, it is clear that much of it can be linked to policy failures. The term “capital flight” is not used in the report but it is not hard to draw conclusions from the report that this indeed has taken place on a significant scale.

The report goes on to mention the fact that the nation’s external reserves fell from RM 126 billion in mid 2008 to RM 88 billion in March of 2008. By June of this year, reserves at recovered to RM 95 billion. By way of elaboration the report alludes to the fact that these gyrations in reserve levels could be attributed to interventions in the foreign exchange markets by Bank Negara and the capital flight that has taken place.

Looking ahead, the report makes the following comment: “The outlook for the medium term depends on the scope and speed of the government’s own economic transformation program”. Further comments in the report suggest that the Fund does not have much confidence in full and speedy implementation of reform measures. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the Fund sees the external imbalance reflecting impediments to investment and high precautionary savings, which current policies address only partially.

The report suggests that achieving the Government’s target of doubling per capita income over the decade will depend on private domestic demand. A revival of private investment should compensate for a roll back of public projects, an enhancement in social welfare and new domestic business opportunities to curb capital flight. The report indicates that Government officials countered by suggesting that they saw encouraging signs of a renewed political commitment to drive the reform agenda but hedged this by cautioning that grass-root support was still being harnessed. These reservations indicate that there is still no full commitment to embark on a reform agenda.

The Fund’s report deals with the current fiscal situation at some length. While acknowledging that the 2010 Budget took steps to push back the deficit from 7 percent in 2009 to 5.5 percent in 2010, the Report is critical of the scope of the measures taken. These are skewed to the expenditure side, with economies expected from improved procurement as well as cuts in discretionary spending and transfers. From the tone of the report, the Fund appears to be skeptical that these measures will be adequate. The report notes that the long?delayed goods and service tax (GST) announced several years ago has yet to be enacted. Rather pointedly the report notes that the GST is intended to broaden—and stabilize—the tax base by replacing two existing taxes in a revenue neutral fashion. The report also refers to the fact that tax holidays represent a very large drain on the budget, estimated at about half of total tax revenues.

The report makes the following pointed criticisms of Government fiscal policies:

· “Fiscal risks in Malaysia have grown over the years. Policy has been pro-cyclical in good times, setting the stage for unprecedented deficits when budget support was necessary during the crisis. Increased dependence on oil revenue further undermines the public finances.”

· “Consolidation is needed to reconstitute room for maneuver and forestall market concerns”.

· “Budgetary gains will prove transitory, however, if the broader agenda of fiscal reforms remains unfinished.”

· “Savings can be achieved by rationalizing subsidies and tax structures. Political realities suggest that subsidy reform needs to be gradual but sustained. The sooner it starts the better. The broad approach under consideration—centered on periodic reductions of key subsidies with compensatory cash transfers to the most vulnerable groups—seems broadly appropriate, provided that reform fatigue does not set in.”

In addition to the above, the report recommends that Malaysia should strengthen its budget framework along three dimensions, namely a) an indicative consolidation path along which the deficit is brought back to more manageable levels. This approach could cast budget decisions in a starker multi-year perspective and provide discipline; b) budget documents incorporate a statement of fiscal risks to assess vulnerabilities surrounding budget outcomes and c) budget decisions could emphasize the evolution of the non?oil balance and be benchmarked against a framework that links spending to an equitable drawdown of oil wealth.

These recommendations are designed to provide greater transparency and accountability and also to move towards more prudent use of non-renewable national assets.

Fund Views on the NEM and the 10 Five Year Plan

The Fund’s report acknowledges that the NEM report suggests a sea-change in the attitude toward comprehensive structural reforms. That said, it goes on to state “It sets up a stark choice for Malaysians and their political leadership, a choice between muddling through in a business-as-usual mode and going for a historical transformation of the economy………. The agenda is daunting and will require difficult trade-offs, given the tight fiscal envelope”. This statement is unambiguous and expresses a degree of skepticism about the ability and willingness on the part of the Government to persist with the implementation of the reform agenda.

The Fund has also called for a stronger ringgit over the medium term as this will help achieve the objectives of the NEM and the 10MP. The Fund argues that an appreciated ringgit in real effective terms will over time facilitate the implementation of the authorities’ economic transformation program and contribute to higher real incomes for households, greater capital deepening, faster productivity gains, and demand shifts in favor of services. The Fund report also observes that structural rigidities have contributed to the imbalance between national savings over investment. The report goes on to note: “Moreover, there is no feasible reorientation of the policy mix in the near term (toward a more expansionary fiscal stance and a more restrictive monetary policy) that could speed up the external adjustment without compromising domestic stability—or potentially triggering speculative inflows.”

The report in the concluding section returns to the fiscal picture and warns that budgetary gains will prove transitory, if a broader agenda of fiscal reforms remains unfinished. It stresses that poorly targeted and distortionary fuel subsidies should be phased out sooner rather than later, and the introduction of a goods and service tax should not be unduly delayed.

The concluding part of the report states: “The structural reform agenda is daunting and will require difficult trade-offs, given the tight fiscal envelope. Yet, hard choices seem unavoidable to lift productivity growth and living standards. Accordingly, implementation will need to be calibrated to political realities. Acting at a measured pace on a broad front is probably the best way to exploit policy complementarities and harness the benefits of reform. However, careful communication will be needed to sustain the adjustment and pre-empt reform fatigue.”

Concluding Remarks

The IMF’s report on the Article IV consultations is a remarkable document in that it is not couched in the normal diplomatic niceties. The analysis and assessments are sharp and pointed. Furthermore, the tone of the report conveys a degree of skepticism about the seriousness with which the commitments contained in the NEM and the 10th Malaysia Five Year Plan are likely to be pursued. The report lays out in rather stark terms the underlying structural imbalances that exist and makes the case for addressing these daunting challenges in a systematic manner. It spells out in clear terms the needed policy changes in the fiscal field, exchange rate policies and monetary policy. It makes the case for reform of the subsidy program now in place. Although the report does not directly touch on the issue of affirmative action policies which have long driven Malaysian economic policies, the underlying message is clear. By endorsing the NEM, the report implicitly calls for a fresh start that rejects the distorting elements of the NEP.

The Executive Board of the IMF stressed that a sound and sustained fiscal adjustment is necessary to put the public debt ratio on a downward path and encouraged the authorities to follow the indicative deficit path proposed in the Tenth Malaysia Plan. Directors looked for a decisive effort and sustained momentum in implementing this agenda.

The IMF has flashed the yellow card and warned the Government on the need to remove imbalances and distortions. It is now up to the Government to act boldly and introduce reform measures that it has announced but which are being held back because of opposition from vested interest groups, PERKASA and its allies in particular. The 2011 Budget to be announced in October offers an opportunity. The issue is: will there be a new start or will the nation be subjected to the same old rhetoric?

»»  read more

Make Money Online

You hear a lot of news about online business and online earning but you think about this news how to earn online without investment with out any money. This is a simple way to make the money with the help of Blog and Web site.
There are some things that u should be follow
1. First of all you have a Blog or a Web site.
2. Secondly you have ads (Google adsense, Yahoo adsense, Infolinks ads or any other banner) that you display on your site or Blog.
3. Third main thing is that how to increase the site traffic that people come on your site and make clicks on your ads or banners.
I will describe this point one by one.

»»  read more

Ongbak 3 (2010) DVDRip

The legend of Ong Bak 3 begins after Tien (Tony Jaa) has lost his fighting skills and his beloved stepfather at the Garuda’s Wing cliff from the raid led by Jom Rachan (Saranyu Wonggrajang). Tien is brought back to life with the help from Pim (Primrata Dechudom) as well as Mhen (Petchai Wongkamlao) and the Kana Khone villagers. Deep into the meditation taught by Phra Bua (Nirutti Sirijanya), Tien finally is able to achieve ‘Nathayut’. His talents are put to the test again when his rivals including the Golden-Armored King’s Guard (Supakorn ‘Tok’ Kijusuwan), the mysterious killers in black, and Bhuti Sangkha (Dan Chupong) return for the final massive showdown.

 

Title: Ong Bak 3
Director: Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai
Starring: Tony Jaa, Dan Chupong, Primrata Dech-Udom
Website: www.ongbak3movie.com

Download Movies from FileFactory :

Ong_Bak_3_2010_DVDRip.part1.rar (200.00 MB) 

Ong_Bak_3_2010_DVDRip.part2.rar (200.00 MB) 

Ong_Bak_3_2010_DVDRip.part3.rar (200.00 MB) 

Ong_Bak_3_2010_DVDRip.part4.rar (200.00 MB) 

Ong_Bak_3_2010_DVDRip.part5.rar (200.00 MB) 

Ong_Bak_3_2010_DVDRip.part6.rar (200.00 MB) 

Ong_Bak_3_2010_DVDRip.part7.rar (200.00 MB) 

Ong_Bak_3_2010_DVDRip.part8.rar (80.07 MB)       

»»  read more