Eddy said: May be this is THE reason for me not being to ANY vacation for the past few years.
World Health Organisation issues warning on stress and offers tips for travellers
By Jeremy Laurance, Health editor
Anxiety caused by fear of flying causes 3.5 per cent of in-flight emergencies
Travel is said to broaden the mind – but it can also damage it, experts say.
In an unprecedented move, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning that the stress of international travel can lead to mental disorder in vulnerable people.
For the first time, the global health agency has included detailed guidance on the psychological impact of travel in its annual publication International Travel And Health.
Simon Calder: Travelling overseas can be a cure, not a curse
Almost one billion people leave home to venture abroad each year, just over half of them tourists going on holiday, and mental problems are "among the leading causes of ill-health among travellers", it says.
"Psychiatric emergency" is one of the most common medical reasons for evacuation by air ambulance, along with injury and heart disease, the WHO report says. Up to 100 patients a week are brought back to the UK by air ambulance, according to the British Ambulance Association, and many more are returned on commercial aircraft, mostly accompanied by medical staff.
FlyMeNow, an air charter company based in York, said it had flown a man with bipolar disorder from Egypt back to Manchester last October, after he became manic while on holiday with his wife. "He had to be sedated for the flight; he was stretchered on to the plane and police were waiting when it landed in Manchester. He was taken to hospital where he was stabilised on drugs and discharged the next day," said Andrew Whitney, the commercial director. The cost of £25,000 was paid by the family, who did not have travel insurance.
Dan Sanders, of Oxford-based Air Medical, said the company had flown a woman from Ireland back to Germany last year accompanied by "four to five" security escorts. "There had been some violence on an earlier flight but when she got in a light plane she was fine. I think she realised no one was watching – she had no audience," he added.
Extreme anxiety such as phobia of flying is a key problem faced by travellers, and is involved in 3.5 per cent of all medical in-flight emergencies. People who suffer panic attacks may feel more comfortable in an aisle seat when travelling by plane, the WHO adds.
It warns anxiety sufferers to avoid caffeine, certain over-the-counter cold medications and the anti-malarial drug mefloquine (brand name Lariam), which has been linked with psychotic episodes in some people.
Air and road rage are on the rise, it says, and travellers arriving in exotic places, freed from the social constraints of home, are at greater risk from drink and illicit drugs, which can trigger mental breakdown. One study showed that more than half of backpackers had used illicit drugs and another found the proportion of individuals who drank alcohol more than five times a week doubled from 20 to 40 per cent.
Pilgrimages to places with historical or religious significance carry particular risks for the mentally fragile. "A traveller may become overwhelmed at pilgrimage centres such as Mecca, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela, as well at holy places in India," it says.
Adjustment to different cultures, lifestyle and languages can cause distress in some people. Equally, returning home can present a challenge for younger people after long-term trips, such as those taken by gap year students who have identified strongly with the new culture and may experience a sense of loss on leaving.
The WHO says medical staff should include an "enquiry into psychiatric history" as a standard part of any pre-travel consultation for vaccinations or health advice.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
IE7 Tab Spawning issue with Follower (FriendConnect) gadget
I've posted an entry in Blogger Help Group about a frustrating problem that I faced with the Follower gadget. Apparently, no responses yet from anybody or from Blogger, is it only my problem or others just being ignorant. The post is copied below:
Hi,
I would like to report a possible bug of the Follower gadget when it
is added and run under IE7. The versions of IE7 i have tested are
7.0.5730.11 and 7.0.5730.13. IE8 and FireFox seems not affected by the
issue.
Symptoms:
When you opened multiple tabs in IE7 and one of the tab is loading the
page that contains the Follower gadget, if you close that tab before
the page loaded completely, IE7 will open new tabs indefinitely, at
random chance.
If you have multiple instances of IE7, the tab openings will be done
in the first instance of IE7 and proceed to second instance if you
manage to kill the first instance of IE7.
Currently, I need to kill all instances of IE7 to stop the tabs from
being opened.
It is mostly a design limitation of how IE7 handles some of the
Javascript calls, but I think that the team should make the gadget
less affected by such behaviors.
Thank you.
Reports: Freddie Mac official found dead
Eddy said: Holy Cow! One downed, how many else to drop?
Broadcast reports say Freddie Mac official found dead
WASHINGTON (AP) -- David Kellermann, the acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, was found dead at his home Wednesday morning in what broadcast reports said was an apparent suicide.
WUSA-TV and WTOP Radio reported that David Kellermann was found dead in his Northern Virginia home. The 41-year-old Kellermann has been Freddie Mac's chief financial officer since September.
Sabrina Ruck, a Fairfax County police spokesman, confirmed to The Associated Press that Kellermann was dead, but she could not confirm that he committed suicide.
Kellermann's death is the latest blow to Freddie Mac, a government controlled company that owns or guarantees about 13 million home loans. CEO David Moffett resigned last month.
McLean, Va.-based Freddie Mac and sibling company Fannie Mae, which together own or back more than half of the home mortgages in the country, have been hobbled by skyrocketing loan defaults and have received about $60 billion in combined federal aid.
Kellermann was named acting chief financial officer in September 2008, after the resignation of Anthony "Buddy" Piszel, who stepped down after the September 2008 government takeover. The chief financial officer is responsible for the company's financial controls, financial reporting and oversight of the company's budget and financial planning.
Before taking that job, Kellerman served as senior vice president, corporate controller and principal accounting officer. He was with Freddie Mac for more than 16 years.
Broadcast reports say Freddie Mac official found dead
WASHINGTON (AP) -- David Kellermann, the acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, was found dead at his home Wednesday morning in what broadcast reports said was an apparent suicide.
WUSA-TV and WTOP Radio reported that David Kellermann was found dead in his Northern Virginia home. The 41-year-old Kellermann has been Freddie Mac's chief financial officer since September.
Sabrina Ruck, a Fairfax County police spokesman, confirmed to The Associated Press that Kellermann was dead, but she could not confirm that he committed suicide.
Kellermann's death is the latest blow to Freddie Mac, a government controlled company that owns or guarantees about 13 million home loans. CEO David Moffett resigned last month.
McLean, Va.-based Freddie Mac and sibling company Fannie Mae, which together own or back more than half of the home mortgages in the country, have been hobbled by skyrocketing loan defaults and have received about $60 billion in combined federal aid.
Kellermann was named acting chief financial officer in September 2008, after the resignation of Anthony "Buddy" Piszel, who stepped down after the September 2008 government takeover. The chief financial officer is responsible for the company's financial controls, financial reporting and oversight of the company's budget and financial planning.
Before taking that job, Kellerman served as senior vice president, corporate controller and principal accounting officer. He was with Freddie Mac for more than 16 years.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Using SHA-1 as message digest algorithm instead of MD5
In the light of a comment dropped by T.Rob in my previous post "A First Look at using MQ with SSL", I did some rough browsings about MD5 vulnerabilities and would like to share some of the links here.
Tim Callan's SSL Blog
SearchSecurity - VeriSign addresses MD5 flaws
Wiki - MD5
MD5 considered harmful today
The truth about the new attack on MD5 signatures
I guess for development purposes, it's ok for using MD5 based finger print/digital signature. We should now avoid using MD5 to perform critical application level hashing to prevent potential security issues. SHA-1 apparently is a better choice now even though it is theoretically vulnerable to the same issue albeit requires more significant processing power to do the trick.
Note that iKeyMan GUI, runmqckm (MQ 6.0) and Java keytool program uses MD5 as default signing algorithm.
For Java keytool, you can use the -sigalg SHA1withRSA option to override the default.
For strmqikm and runmqckm (MQ 7.0 uses sha1 by default, check here ), you can use GSKCapiCmd instead because it allows the specification of -sigalg sha1 to use SHA-1 algorithm
There's another way I found from the comments:
Tim Callan's SSL Blog
SearchSecurity - VeriSign addresses MD5 flaws
Wiki - MD5
MD5 considered harmful today
The truth about the new attack on MD5 signatures
I guess for development purposes, it's ok for using MD5 based finger print/digital signature. We should now avoid using MD5 to perform critical application level hashing to prevent potential security issues. SHA-1 apparently is a better choice now even though it is theoretically vulnerable to the same issue albeit requires more significant processing power to do the trick.
Note that iKeyMan GUI, runmqckm (MQ 6.0) and Java keytool program uses MD5 as default signing algorithm.
For Java keytool, you can use the -sigalg SHA1withRSA option to override the default.
For strmqikm and runmqckm (MQ 7.0 uses sha1 by default, check here ), you can use GSKCapiCmd instead because it allows the specification of -sigalg sha1 to use SHA-1 algorithm
There's another way I found from the comments:
Option B is to acquire any IBM Java 6 JRE, add the IBMCMSKS provider to
java.security, and use the bundled ikeycmd or your /bin/gsk7cmd with
JAVA_HOME pointing at the new JRE -- sig_alg will be accepted there as well.
--
Eric Covener
MustGather information for Certificate problems
The following page provides useful information to diagnose problems with digital certificates.
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/httpserv/ihsdiag/gather_certificate_doc.html#PKCS12
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/httpserv/ihsdiag/gather_certificate_doc.html#PKCS12
'Worst of UK recession is over,' says CBI
By Catherine Boyle
The CBI said today that the worst of the UK recession was over but warned that there would be no recovery until this time next year.
The business group said that the recession worsened more quickly than expected in the first three months of 2009.
It expects the speed at which the economy is contracting to slow in the second half of this year.
However, the recovery is predicted to be “slow and fragile”, with growth in GDP beginning again in spring 2010.
The Ernst & Young ITEM club also predicted a recovery in spring 2010 but said that there would be a tough road ahead as unemployment rises above three million.
The CBI expects the number of jobless people to peak at 3.25 million in 2010.
Peter Spencer, ITEM’s chief economic adviser, said: “Although one or two positive signs have started to appear, we face another12 to 18 months of serious grief.”
The forecasts emerged two days before the Budget, which is expected to include moves to slash public spending by £15 billion.
Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, is predicted to say that UK output will shrink by at least 3 per cent this year.
The CBI has revised its GDP growth predictions for 2009 from -3.3 per cent to -3.9 per cent to reflect the worse than expected contraction of -1.8 per cent for the first quarter of 2009.
It expects that aggressive monetary policy, a weaker pound, low inflation and fiscal support packages will combine to help the rate of UK GDP decline slow through 2009 and make a fragile improvement to reach quarter-on-quarter growth of 0.2 per cent in April to June 2010.
There is also some comfort in its prediction that the economy will have shrunk by a total of 5.1 per cent by the end of this recession, less than the cumulative 5.9 per cent seen in the early 1980s recession.
Yet the average UK consumer is expected to continue to cut back on spending, with household consumption forecast to drop by 3.4 per cent this year and 0.4 per cent in 2010 as low inflation and job worries keep average earnings growth weak throughout 2009.
The ITEM Club says that consumption will fall by almost 4 per cent as people become more concerned about savings.
The CBI expects businesses to cut down on investment in the face of the recession, with business investment predicted to shrink by 9.3 per cent in 2009 and a further 3.4 per cent in 2010.
Richard Lambert, the Director-General of the CBI, said: “The UK economy remains deeply troubled, and the first quarter of this year has been tougher than expected. Firms have been running down their stocks of completed goods, and that is having a real impact on output, jobs and investment. Anxious consumers are spending less and building a savings buffer.
“Given falling tax revenues, the shrinking economy and alarming levels of government debt, we urge the Chancellor to avoid any further major fiscal boosts in the Budget. Budget measures should be targeted on jobs and investment, with a focus on efficiency savings and public service reform.”
Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, said: “It is futile to get involved in a forecasting competition.
“All we can sensibly discuss is what is actually happening. That is unemployment growing rapidly, more and more families struggling to pay their mortgages, the growth of negative equity and an unrelenting budget deficit.
“We are undoubtedly in the middle of a major economic crisis, compounded by the reluctance of banks to lend.
“No amount of spinning by Government can avoid these simple, brutal economic facts which the Budget has to address.”
->
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A First Look on using MQ with SSL
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology is meant to provide a standardized solution to many security services such and authentication, confidentiality and integrity. Almost all distributed technology products nowdays comes with built-in SSL support. To name a few, IBM WAS, Apache Tomcat, Internet Explorer/Firefox and etc. Even sophisticated operating systems like i5/OS and z/OS has SSL integrated into the core.
The good thing about learning SSL is because SSL is one layer above TCP/IP (The transport protocol stacks) and below application layers such as HTTP, FTP, SMTP and blah, the concept is easily brings into new context.
I won't go deep into the major technical details of SSL in this post (maybe will do it in future posts), but there are a few jargons we need to share a common understanding. More information about these stuffs can be found in WIKI.
And many more terms as you delve into the realm.
I will assume the use of IBM Webpshere MQ6.0 and Windows XP.
In IBM Websphere MQ, SSL is only used during client mode communication. Bindings are direct and not involving SSL. More precisely, SSL can be configured for message channels and MQI channels. Message channels are meant for queue mangers (QMs)intercommunications and MQI channels are for MQ clients interaction with QMs.
Note: SSL is not used for access control purposes. In MQ, if you need to perform authorization checks, you might need to implement something called exits.
I will configure the following settings to demonstrate the usage of SSL for message channels (For MQI channels, it will be a future post by itself):
* 2 Queue Managers
* QM communications using Sender-Receiver channel pairs.
* 2 properly configured keystores, one for each of the QM.
The steps are:
Assume %MQ_INSTALL_PATH% = C:\Program Files\IBM\Websphere MQ\
The good thing about learning SSL is because SSL is one layer above TCP/IP (The transport protocol stacks) and below application layers such as HTTP, FTP, SMTP and blah, the concept is easily brings into new context.
I won't go deep into the major technical details of SSL in this post (maybe will do it in future posts), but there are a few jargons we need to share a common understanding. More information about these stuffs can be found in WIKI.
Certification Authority (CA) : A party designated to sign/issue digital certificates. Commercial CA such as Verisign.
Certification Revocation List (CRL): A list that stores the revoked/cancelled certificates
Digital Signature : A piece of information encrypted by the sender's private key.
Digital Certificate : A structure that complies to standards such as X.509 and includes also a digital signature
Certification Chain : A tree like relationship between signer CA, intermediate CA and ultimately the owner of the digital certificate.
Symmetrical Crytography : A branch of crytography focusing on shared keys.
Asymmetrical Crytography : A branch of crytography using non-shared keys to avoid key distribution issues.
SSL Handshake : A process in SSL protocol to establish SSL communications between SSL client and SSL server which includes negotiating algorithms, exchanging keys and encrypting messages.
SSL Key Store/Key Ring/Key Repository : A storage medium (usually a physical file) that keeps keys and certificates. Usually a password is needed to open the medium.
And many more terms as you delve into the realm.
I will assume the use of IBM Webpshere MQ6.0 and Windows XP.
In IBM Websphere MQ, SSL is only used during client mode communication. Bindings are direct and not involving SSL. More precisely, SSL can be configured for message channels and MQI channels. Message channels are meant for queue mangers (QMs)intercommunications and MQI channels are for MQ clients interaction with QMs.
Note: SSL is not used for access control purposes. In MQ, if you need to perform authorization checks, you might need to implement something called exits.
I will configure the following settings to demonstrate the usage of SSL for message channels (For MQI channels, it will be a future post by itself):
* 2 Queue Managers
* QM communications using Sender-Receiver channel pairs.
* 2 properly configured keystores, one for each of the QM.
The steps are:
- Creating MQ QMs
- Creating Key Stores
- Creating Self Signed Certificates
- Exchanging Certificates
- Configuring QM
- Creating and Configuring channels and listeners
- Test out SSL connections
Assume %MQ_INSTALL_PATH% = C:\Program Files\IBM\Websphere MQ\
- Creating MQ QMs
Create 2 queue managers with name qm1 and qm2
- Creating Key Stores
I will be using GSKit iKeyMan utility that comes with Websphere MQ. Otherwise you might want to use other similar tools such as OpenSSL. The keystore format is CMS and their file name is ended with a .kdb extension.
Command line version of iKeyMan is iKeyCmd (runmqckm)
To run iKeyMan, proceed to command prompt and execute
STRMQIKM
Then choose from the menu bar [Key Database File] -> [New]
Select [CMS] as the type, enter "qm1.kdb" as the file name as specify C:\ as the location for this example.
You are required to key the key store password to protect your key store and you must tick the [Stash the password to a file?] option.
The screen will looks like below once the keystore is successfully created and you can see that the iKeyMan preloaded some trusted CA certificates for you.
As one of the best practice, you should remove all the preloaded certificates and remain only those necessary to prevent potential security issues.
Repeat the above procedure for qm2's keystore with [CMS] type, "qm2.kdb" name and C:\ location.
I recommend you to open another instance of iKeyMan (strmqikm) to avoid confusion when switching between key stores. - Creating Self Signed Certificates
While you opened qm1.kdb in iKeyMan, from the [Key Database Content] filter, select [Personal Certificates], see below:
Click on the [New Self Signed] button at right hand side and fill in the form like the screen below:
In Windows platform, MQ will use the key label to identify which certificate to be used to authenticate a queue manager.
The key label must be prefixed with "ibmwebspheremq" and then concatenated with the queue manager name, in this example "qm1", all in lower case. Here the key label is "ibmwebspheremqqm1".
Repeat this step for qm2.kdb keystore but with the key label "ibmwebspheremqqm2". - Exchanging Certificates
In the same screen, select [Extract Certificate] button.
For ibmwebspheremqqm1 certificate, extract it to C:\qm1.arm
For ibmwebspheremqqm2 certificate, extract it to C:\qm2.arm
For qm1 keystore, import C:\qm2.arm by selecting [Signer Certificate] from the [Key Database Content] drop down and click [Add]. Specify "qm1.kdb" and C:\ as the location and when you click [Ok], a [Enter a label] message will prompt you to specify a label for the to-be imported signer. Enter "ibmwebspheremqqm2" and press [OK]
The qm2 certificate will appear as one of the signer in the list.
By now, your settings should be:
-qm1.kdb (Keystore for Queue Manager qm1)
--ibmwebspheremqqm1 (Personal Certificate for qm1)
--ibmwebspheremqqm2 (Signer Certificate for qm2)
-qm2.kdb (Keystore for Queue Manager qm2)
--ibmwebspheremqqm1 (Signer Certificate for qm1)
--ibmwebspheremqqm2 (Personal Certificate for qm2) - Configuring QM
I will use RUNMQSC command line utility to perform most of the configuration. Of course, you can use MQ Explorer.
Execute
STRMQM qm1
STRMQM qm2
to start both of the QMs.
Execute
RUNMQSC
to enter MQSC interactive session for qm1.
Check out the current SSLKEYR attribute by executing
DIS QMGR SSLKEYR
By default, the value should be C:\PROGRAM FILES\IBM\WEBSPHERE MQ\QMGRS\qm1\ssl\key
We will change it to point to our qm1.kdb.
Exexcute
ALTER QMGR SSLKEYR('C:\qm1')
Note: Do not include the .kdb extension in the value of SSLKEYR.
Note: I recommend you to open another instance of command prompt to work with qm2.
Repeat this step on qm2.
RUNMQSC qm2
DIS QMGR SSLKEYR SSLEV
ALTER QMGR SSLKEYR('c:\qm2') SSLEV(ENABLED)
DIS QMGR SSLKEYR SSLEV
END - Creating and Configuring channels and listeners
Execute commands below for qm1.
DEFINE QLOCAL('qm2') USAGE(XMITQ) TRIGGER INITQ(SYSTEM.CHANNEL.INITQ) TRIGDATA('TO.qm2')
DEFINE LISTENER('LISTENER.TCP') TRPTYPE(TCP) PORT(10001)
DEFINE CHANNEL('TO.qm1') CHLTYPE(RCVR) SSLCIPH(RC4_SHA_US)
DEFINE CHANNEL('TO.qm2') CHLTYPE(SDR) CONNAME('localhost(10002)') SSLCIPH(RC4_SHA_US) XMITQ('qm2')
START LISTENER('LISTENER.TCP')
REFRESH SECURITY TYPE(SSL)
Execute commands below for qm2.
DEFINE QLOCAL('qm1') USAGE(XMITQ) TRIGGER INITQ(SYSTEM.CHANNEL.INITQ) TRIGDATA('TO.qm1')
DEFINE LISTENER('LISTENER.TCP') TRPTYPE(TCP) PORT(10002)
DEFINE CHANNEL('TO.qm2') CHLTYPE(RCVR) SSLCIPH(RC4_SHA_US)
DEFINE CHANNEL('TO.qm1') CHLTYPE(SDR) CONNAME('localhost(10001)') SSLCIPH(RC4_SHA_US) XMITQ('qm1')
START LISTENER('LISTENER.TCP')
REFRESH SECURITY TYPE(SSL) - Test out SSL connections
You can now test the connection by starting sender channel in each queue manager manually.
To do this in qm1, execute the following:
START CHANNEL('TO.qm2')
DIS CHSTATUS('TO.qm2')
To do this in qm2, execute the following:
START CHANNEL('TO.qm1')
DIS CHANNEL('TO.qm1')
If the channel communications are successful, you will get screen similar to the one below:
Pay particular attentions to the attributes
STATUS=RUNNING
SSLPEER=
SSLCERTI=
Note: If you need to change any of the SSL related attributes like key store location and channel SSL settings, remember to issue the following command:
REFRESH SECURITY TYPE(SSL)
Note: To troubleshooting problems, you can check out the QM error logs located at %MQ_INSTALL_PATH%\QMgrs\qm1\errors\
Friday, April 17, 2009
A Simple Loan Rate Appeal Letter
I just can't believe it.
I can't believe the TRUTH about the existence of certain groups of people that are not willing to do a simple task to save their money but instead cramping up their tiny brains speaking about surviving economic crisis or making their money work harder.
Fine if you may argue that these people don't know YET about such money saving task.
I'm talking about revisions of your housing mortgage interest rates.
Firstly, I would like to make a few points about your monthly repayment.
#1: If the bank've reduced your repayment amount, that doesn't mean you pay lesser in total.
Meaning if your current repayment amount is MYR1000 per month and your bank sent you a letter informing you that now you can pay MYR900 instead of the original RM1000, beware.
The rationale can be explained like this:
When the bank calculates the monthly instalment amount upon the creation of the offer letter, usually the calculation is made using some baseline rate at that moment, e.g. Base Lending Rate, or your first year effective rate.
Let's assume now that rate is 5% and the repayment amount is MYR1000.00. Also assume that your contract rate is BLR-2%.
If the effective rate remains stationary over a particular period of time, the MYR1000 is properly follow the amortization table schedule. In a better scenario, the effective rate dropped and the partial amount of the MYR1000.00 is used to deduct directly into the loan principal. Good because you can cut short your repayment tenure, e.g. settle the entire in 25 years instead of the original 30 years tenure.
But what if the effective rate increased... Imagine the BLR now is 8% and your effective contract rate will become (8-2)% = 6%. Now the MYR1000 is insufficient because the increased interest amount will "eat up" the principal repayment portion thus you will spend more money the loan and you might get surprised when you are required to fork out a relatively large amount of money for the last instalment of the loan in order to orderly complete your loan obligation. Bad idea.
Solution: Make sure you pay your monthly instalment according to the real effective rate instead of the static amount in the loan contract. Some banks do notify you about the new amount to be paid whenever the effective rate changed BUT there are banks "forgot" to do it.
#2: Fire Insurance, Misc and Other Charges debited into your loan
If your loan requires the purchases of MLTA or fire insurance or etc that auto-debited the amount into your loan, these amounts will become part of the overall principal you need to pay off if you didn't offset them immediately using an equivalent amount of extra loan repayment. Don't underestimate the magnitude of these amounts because the interests on them will get compounded over let say 30 freaking years.
Solution: Don't do the auto-debit thingy or make sure you do extra repayment to offset these extraordinary items in your account.
#3: Make sure your effective interest rate is reasonable
I remember there was a time when a fixed rate 5.99% mortgage loan package is considered as an attractive market deal. Of course, if you view the fluctuation of the market interest rates over 20 to 30 years, then stick to 5.99% for the entire tenure does make some senses. But hey, at this moment, people are paying say BLR-2% which translated into effective rate of 3.55% and you are paying extra 2.44% which is roughly extra MYR2440 each year for every 100k principal outstanding you borrowed, i.e. an extra MYR7329 for a 300K outstanding for 1 year. And you should know that due to amortization effects the first few years of repayment contributed the most to the total interest paid.
Who cares what will be the rates 10 years from now? What's matter is to SAVE money NOW.
Among many options, more commonly you can opt to either APPEAL or REFINANCE your loan.
For fixed rate package, it is not likely that the institution will accept your appeal to reduce the rate because they mayargue that in the long run the interest rates might still shoot up and it's a risk to them too.
NOTE: It is true that if you don't want to withstand the OPPORTUNITY and RISK from interest rate fluctuation, then you better stick to your fixed rate package. No point shouting later when the interest rates make a cinematic return to sky high.
So, you might consider refinancing your loan meaning taking a new loan to substitute the fixed rate one. Refinancing package might include certain options such as zero moving costs and blah. Ask your banker thoroughly about how much you can save by refinancing because this way will involves paying legal fees and doing the entire process of going through land office and blah.
Another option is to make an appeal to the bank to REVISE your effective rate.
Plainly speaking: Ask them to reduce.
It is in the bank's interests to retain customers/loans when the competition is fierce due to volatile interest rate movements and consumer spending patterns. The idea is simple: If the rate is really reduceable and the bank refused to reduce, then REFINANCE and move away from that blood sucking bank. Loss of loan accounts mean loss of PROFITs.
The trick is that the appealed rate wouldn't be as good as refinancing rates although they can be comparable. What the bank have in mind is to remove your economic incentive to REFINANCE so that you don't feel like going through all the trouble just to save a couple of hundred bucks YET the bank still earn a level of interest enough to cover their required rate of returns.
Note: Even when your loan is within the locking period (Usually 3 or 5 years), you can still appeal for a reduction if the savings are large enough to justify it.
Solution: Talk to your banker about APPEALing your rate and use the following template if you like to submit the appeal application. The template is a Word 2000/2003 document and you need to replace some information inside with your own details.
Loan Appeal Letter Template
Reply to: tigerspank33
- If the bank offered a not so satisfactory rate to you after your appeal, you can always reject it and either appeal again or consider refinancing options.
Reply to: meitang
- Yes, the bank might charge you a minor fee (usually less than MYR100) ONLY after your appeal is approved. No fee should be applicable if say the appeal is being rejected.
Reply to: mmmsss
- You need to speak to your banker to find out the potential savings because refinancing will involve more costs than simply appealing to reduce the rate.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The triumph of curves
There's no ignoring it — women everywhere are finally saying goodbye to the skinny-thinny and celebrating the fuller figure
By Shane Watson
It’s taken roughly 15 years, but at long last, after a couple of false alarms, we are officially over skinny. And here is how you can tell: women have started to envy other women, not for their jutting hip bones and the amount of daylight visible between their thighs, but for their soft and shapely bodies. We’re not talking about recognising that hips, thighs and breasts are a normal part of the female package. (We’ve always known that, and it hasn’t stopped us from wanting to look like malnourished girls.) We’re talking about, once again, finding the shapely form desirable. We look at pictures of Daisy Lowe in her leotard and opaque tights and think — yes, that’s what youth should look like: blooming and rounded and bee-stung. We look at Joan in Mad Men, in those curve-packing dresses, and feel the strange sensation that, for the first time in more than a decade, we are seeing the womanly form as God intended it. Up to this point, there have been odd breakthrough moments when we’ve been reminded of the power of shape (Scarlett Johansson’s arrival on the scene, for example), but the novelty always wore off pretty quickly when we were faced with the prospect of fitting into this season’s fashion. For as long as anyone can remember, thin has been the aspirational body type — the one that went hand in hand with success and glamour and money and, above all, looking good in clothes.
Women don’t necessarily want to look as thin as Agyness Deyn (no offence, Agyness), and the fashion industry is waking up to the idea of a proper womanly shape. Look at the fabulous curve-enhancing clothes of Roland Mouret: the global success of the ubiquitous Galaxy dress was partly down to its ability to flatter a fuller figure. Even Anna Wintour, the editor of American Vogue and notorious scourge of fat, seems to be coming round to the idea of curves. Recently, she featured the shapely British singer Adele in the magazine. Okay, she was photographed lying down, but at least Wintour didn’t ask her to lose weight for the shoot, as she famously did with Oprah Winfrey. The emaciated look has simply run its course for a whole host of reasons, and now we are ready for something completely different.
In the first place, thin has got boring. Not just boring, but grindingly predictable. Along with long blonde hair, skinny-as- nothing has become the default position of anyone who wants to get noticed (or photographed), with the result that anyone good-looking who breaks the mould now appears twice as striking and original. Beth Ditto is naked on the cover of Love not because her size makes the image shockingly avant-garde (that was last year). She’s there because she represents the end of fashion’s blind allegiance to the Identikit clothes model, and the beginning of a new love affair with the parts that make women different from indie boys.
The timing of this shift towards a new aesthetic is no accident. Whippet-thin is the standard body type of the high-maintenance woman with a husband in corporate finance, and those sharp shoulders jutting through cashmere have started to look decidedly last year. A reality check is happening across the board (in fashion, Karl Lagerfeld has christened it “the new modesty”). Now a real figure looks a lot more appealing and sexier than a starved one in the same way that driving a Hummer seems hilariously out of touch with the mood of the times. In Hollywood, it’s already noticeable: the likes of Jennifer Aniston have got a bit more flesh on their bones, and the disciples of Rachel Zoe (the Zoebots) are no longer setting the agenda.
Still, it would be naive to pretend we can just erase all these years of brainwashing overnight. Shape is making a comeback, but our perspective has adjusted and now the curvier figure has to obey certain rules. You need a small waist and a flat stomach to contrast with those fuller hips. A pair of nice arms, good ankles and a well-defined clavicle make all the difference. Above all, shape has to be dressed right for it to work, and that means finding the fashions that need filling out: the silhouette-hugging dresses, not the billowing harem pants. Every time Christina Hendricks (Joan in Mad Men) is interviewed and photographed in contemporary clothes, you are reminded that casual, undone and edgy do no favours for the hourglass figure. In that early 1960s look, with asset-packing sheath and immaculate up-do, any woman would die to look like her. But in a thigh-skimming asymmetric number with a frill down the front or, God forbid, jeans and T-shirt, she looks like the big girl who doesn’t quite have what it takes.
In the end, shape has been out of favour for too long because so many of the clothes in the forefront of fashion simply don’t work for women with curves. Now change is coming.
Report warns of problems with multivitamins
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More than 30 percent of multivitamins tested recently by ConsumerLab.com contained significantly more or less of an ingredient than claimed, or were contaminated with lead, the company reports.
ConsumerLab.com, based in White Plains, New York, is privately held and provides consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. According to the company, it is neither owned by nor has a financial interest in any companies that make, distribute or sell consumer products.
Several multivitamin products tested, including three for children, exceeded tolerable upper limits established by the Institute of Medicine for ingredients such as vitamin A, folic acid, niacin and zinc, according to the report posted on www.ConsumerLab.com.
For example, the Institute of Medicine sets a recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 1,300 international units (IU) of vitamin A for children ages 4 to 8 years and an upper tolerable limit of 3,000 IU. However, one multivitamin tested provided 5,000 IU of vitamin A.
In the short term, too much vitamin A may cause nausea and blurred vision, and, in the long-term, may lead to bone softening and liver problems.
Upper tolerable limits for niacin and zinc were also exceeded by some of the supplements for young children tested. Excess niacin may cause skin tingling and flushing and high levels of zinc may cause immune deficiency and anemia.
Tests turned up problems with some men's multivitamin products as well. Two of three men's multivitamins failed to pass testing. One contained too much folic acid, which may increase the risk of prostate cancer, while another was contaminated with lead.
Among four women's multivitamins tested, one provided only 66 percent of its claimed vitamin A; one of five seniors' multivitamins selected contained only 44 percent of its vitamin A; and among three prenatal vitamins, one was short on vitamin A.
Two out of five general multivitamins were short on ingredients: one provided only 50 percent of its claimed folic acid and the other was missing 30 percent of its calcium.
A vitamin water tested by ConsumerLab.com had 15 times its stated amount of folic acid, so drinking one bottle would exceed the tolerable limit for adults; less than half a bottle would put children over the limit, the company warns on its website.
ConsumerLab.com, based in White Plains, New York, is privately held and provides consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. According to the company, it is neither owned by nor has a financial interest in any companies that make, distribute or sell consumer products.
Several multivitamin products tested, including three for children, exceeded tolerable upper limits established by the Institute of Medicine for ingredients such as vitamin A, folic acid, niacin and zinc, according to the report posted on www.ConsumerLab.com.
For example, the Institute of Medicine sets a recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 1,300 international units (IU) of vitamin A for children ages 4 to 8 years and an upper tolerable limit of 3,000 IU. However, one multivitamin tested provided 5,000 IU of vitamin A.
In the short term, too much vitamin A may cause nausea and blurred vision, and, in the long-term, may lead to bone softening and liver problems.
Upper tolerable limits for niacin and zinc were also exceeded by some of the supplements for young children tested. Excess niacin may cause skin tingling and flushing and high levels of zinc may cause immune deficiency and anemia.
Tests turned up problems with some men's multivitamin products as well. Two of three men's multivitamins failed to pass testing. One contained too much folic acid, which may increase the risk of prostate cancer, while another was contaminated with lead.
Among four women's multivitamins tested, one provided only 66 percent of its claimed vitamin A; one of five seniors' multivitamins selected contained only 44 percent of its vitamin A; and among three prenatal vitamins, one was short on vitamin A.
Two out of five general multivitamins were short on ingredients: one provided only 50 percent of its claimed folic acid and the other was missing 30 percent of its calcium.
A vitamin water tested by ConsumerLab.com had 15 times its stated amount of folic acid, so drinking one bottle would exceed the tolerable limit for adults; less than half a bottle would put children over the limit, the company warns on its website.
Partying Like It’s 2008
Germany is one of the worst-hit economies in the developed world. So why is everybody so calm?
By Stefan Theil
The economic crisis has taken its toll in Europe. Governments in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Latvia have collapsed. Violent street protests have erupted in France and Britain. Yet Germany remains unfazed. While its economy is forecast to contract by 5.3 percent this year—compared with 4 percent in the U.S., 3.7 in Britain and 3.3 in France—Germans are remarkably angst-free about their prospects.
When spring temperatures finally arrived in late March, Berlin's sidewalk restaurants were packed. Its roads were choked with shiny convertibles tanked up on newly cheap gasoline. Consumer spending has held up; March auto sales were up 40 percent over last year, thanks to the €2,500 government trade-in incentive that came with Germany's fiscal-stimulus plan. Only 13 percent of Germans tell pollsters their personal finances might be affected by the crisis. A long-planned protest in Berlin in late March managed to attract only a few thousand antiglobalization activists and left-wing fringe types. "Why Is It Still So Quiet?" the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper asked in a recent headline, intrigued by the idea that the country's citizens might be sitting out the grimmest recession in 60 years.
The main reason that most Germans have yet to feel affected by the crisis is, to put it simply, that they haven't been affected. Unemployment, at 8.6 percent in March, only began to creep up in December when it was at 7.4 percent, and is still near lows last seen in the early 1980s. German banks were among the biggest speculators in toxic U.S. assets, but that has had few repercussions for ordinary Germans. They saw neither a bubble in real-estate prices (in fact, they're a nation of renters) nor a boom in credit-fueled consumer spending, the implosion of which is now hurting the United States, Britain, Ireland and Spain. Though German stocks are down 41 percent from their 52-week highs (versus 39 percent for the Dow Jones), it affects few private households, as few Germans own stocks directly. For their retirement they depend on state pensions and life-insurance policies, whose returns (and risks) don't show up on monthly statements.
What's more, most Germans seem to be enjoying a sweet spot they haven't seen in decades. Even with the recent jump, joblessness is still far below its 2005 peak of 12.6 percent. After years of cost-cutting and wage restraint, unions finally negotiated some raises; the latest round of pay hikes was the highest in 13 years. Plummeting energy prices and a stimulus tax cut have brightened the mood as well.
The good times may last a little while yet. Even as the recession begins to bite—mainly via a sudden collapse in Germany's exports, which account for some 40 percent of GDP—its impact will be muffled. Germans trust their welfare state to cushion the blows in a way unimaginable in the United States. Most workers are eligible for benefits, and few of them have to worry about losing their health insurance.
Jobs are slow to disappear, in part due to worker protections. Layoffs in Germany's hard-hit export industry—orders in such key sectors as cars or machinery are down by about 50 percent—have been kept artificially low, thanks to a newly expanded government subsidy that is paying 50,000 companies to keep more than 1 million workers on the payroll even though they no longer have work to do.
Moreover, with a national election coming up in September, Chancellor Angela Mer-kel's coalition government is desperate to tide over the job market, as are big German companies, which fear that massive layoffs might lead to a big win for a left-wing coalition. "Every German company will try not to lay off workers before the election," says Daimler public-affairs executive Martin Jäger.
Also helping Germans keep their cool: the attitude that whatever happens, they've probably been there before. Germans have endured worse than the 11.6 percent unemployment predicted for 2010 by the OECD, and have been through long phases of economic stagnation as recently as the 1990s and early 2000s. Paradoxically, many Germans may now sleep even easier, especially among the nearly 50 percent who receive government benefits, pensions or civil-service salaries. With the reversal of the political winds, welfare-state reform no longer seems on anyone's agenda. On the contrary, some benefits were expanded as part of the country's stimulus program.
The rosy mood will be tested in the coming months as insolvencies and layoffs start to hit harder, and could turn truly sour should the German exports fail to bounce back next year as expected. But until then, Europe's biggest economy won't let a little downturn spoil the day.
By Stefan Theil
The economic crisis has taken its toll in Europe. Governments in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Latvia have collapsed. Violent street protests have erupted in France and Britain. Yet Germany remains unfazed. While its economy is forecast to contract by 5.3 percent this year—compared with 4 percent in the U.S., 3.7 in Britain and 3.3 in France—Germans are remarkably angst-free about their prospects.
When spring temperatures finally arrived in late March, Berlin's sidewalk restaurants were packed. Its roads were choked with shiny convertibles tanked up on newly cheap gasoline. Consumer spending has held up; March auto sales were up 40 percent over last year, thanks to the €2,500 government trade-in incentive that came with Germany's fiscal-stimulus plan. Only 13 percent of Germans tell pollsters their personal finances might be affected by the crisis. A long-planned protest in Berlin in late March managed to attract only a few thousand antiglobalization activists and left-wing fringe types. "Why Is It Still So Quiet?" the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper asked in a recent headline, intrigued by the idea that the country's citizens might be sitting out the grimmest recession in 60 years.
The main reason that most Germans have yet to feel affected by the crisis is, to put it simply, that they haven't been affected. Unemployment, at 8.6 percent in March, only began to creep up in December when it was at 7.4 percent, and is still near lows last seen in the early 1980s. German banks were among the biggest speculators in toxic U.S. assets, but that has had few repercussions for ordinary Germans. They saw neither a bubble in real-estate prices (in fact, they're a nation of renters) nor a boom in credit-fueled consumer spending, the implosion of which is now hurting the United States, Britain, Ireland and Spain. Though German stocks are down 41 percent from their 52-week highs (versus 39 percent for the Dow Jones), it affects few private households, as few Germans own stocks directly. For their retirement they depend on state pensions and life-insurance policies, whose returns (and risks) don't show up on monthly statements.
What's more, most Germans seem to be enjoying a sweet spot they haven't seen in decades. Even with the recent jump, joblessness is still far below its 2005 peak of 12.6 percent. After years of cost-cutting and wage restraint, unions finally negotiated some raises; the latest round of pay hikes was the highest in 13 years. Plummeting energy prices and a stimulus tax cut have brightened the mood as well.
The good times may last a little while yet. Even as the recession begins to bite—mainly via a sudden collapse in Germany's exports, which account for some 40 percent of GDP—its impact will be muffled. Germans trust their welfare state to cushion the blows in a way unimaginable in the United States. Most workers are eligible for benefits, and few of them have to worry about losing their health insurance.
Jobs are slow to disappear, in part due to worker protections. Layoffs in Germany's hard-hit export industry—orders in such key sectors as cars or machinery are down by about 50 percent—have been kept artificially low, thanks to a newly expanded government subsidy that is paying 50,000 companies to keep more than 1 million workers on the payroll even though they no longer have work to do.
Moreover, with a national election coming up in September, Chancellor Angela Mer-kel's coalition government is desperate to tide over the job market, as are big German companies, which fear that massive layoffs might lead to a big win for a left-wing coalition. "Every German company will try not to lay off workers before the election," says Daimler public-affairs executive Martin Jäger.
Also helping Germans keep their cool: the attitude that whatever happens, they've probably been there before. Germans have endured worse than the 11.6 percent unemployment predicted for 2010 by the OECD, and have been through long phases of economic stagnation as recently as the 1990s and early 2000s. Paradoxically, many Germans may now sleep even easier, especially among the nearly 50 percent who receive government benefits, pensions or civil-service salaries. With the reversal of the political winds, welfare-state reform no longer seems on anyone's agenda. On the contrary, some benefits were expanded as part of the country's stimulus program.
The rosy mood will be tested in the coming months as insolvencies and layoffs start to hit harder, and could turn truly sour should the German exports fail to bounce back next year as expected. But until then, Europe's biggest economy won't let a little downturn spoil the day.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Children who eat porridge for breakfast 'get better exam results'
Eddy said: Less power to process foods and more to stream to brain?
Feeding children high energy breakfast foods such as porridge at a young age boosts their exams results at school, new research suggests.
By Graeme Paton
Children who followed such a diet before their third birthday had improved scores in reading and problem-solving tests compared to their peers, it was revealed.
In a study that provides some of the strongest links yet between nutrition and academic performance, academics said it also increased the likelihood of remaining in education for longer. It had a particular effect on girls.
The latest study, based on research using a kind of porridge eaten in Guatemala but made with corn rather than oats, suggests a wider link between food and brain power.
John Maluccio, lead author and assistant professor of economics at Middlebury College, Vermont, said: "Before this study, only limited evidence spanning childhood to adulthood existed to support claims about the long-term effects of early childhood nutrition.
"This study confirms that the first three years of life represent a window of opportunity when nutrition programs can have lifelong benefits on a child's development, particularly in education."
The study was based on children in Guatemala eating "atole". It was made with corn, rather than the traditional British oats used in porridge, although they share high protein levels. It was mixed with dry skimmed milk and sugar.
Children received supplements between 1969 and 1977, the study, published in the Economic Journal, said.
In 2002 and 2004, researchers returned to Guatemala and collected information on school results.
Men and women who received atole as children achieved higher scores on reading comprehension tests and on non-verbal cognitive tests, it was revealed. Women taking part in the study were more likely to remain in education for another year.
The research was conducted in Guatemala by the Institute for Nutrition in Central America and Panama, Emory University, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the University of Pennsylvania and Middlebury College.
John Hoddinott, a co-author and IFPRI senior research fellow, said: "We have long known that nutrition interventions can provide significant benefits in terms of a child's health and development.
"This study in Guatemala is important because it shows that improving nutrition in early childhood can have significant educational payoffs into adulthood."
Jacqui Lowdon, a paediatric dietician from the British Dietetic Association, said the food used in the study would have a similar protien content to normal porridge, but added that poor diet among the children tested may be responsible for the dramatic results.
“We already know that good nutrition is important for long-term health and especially important for brain development in the first few years of life,” she said.
Feeding children high energy breakfast foods such as porridge at a young age boosts their exams results at school, new research suggests.
By Graeme Paton
Children who followed such a diet before their third birthday had improved scores in reading and problem-solving tests compared to their peers, it was revealed.
In a study that provides some of the strongest links yet between nutrition and academic performance, academics said it also increased the likelihood of remaining in education for longer. It had a particular effect on girls.
The latest study, based on research using a kind of porridge eaten in Guatemala but made with corn rather than oats, suggests a wider link between food and brain power.
John Maluccio, lead author and assistant professor of economics at Middlebury College, Vermont, said: "Before this study, only limited evidence spanning childhood to adulthood existed to support claims about the long-term effects of early childhood nutrition.
"This study confirms that the first three years of life represent a window of opportunity when nutrition programs can have lifelong benefits on a child's development, particularly in education."
The study was based on children in Guatemala eating "atole". It was made with corn, rather than the traditional British oats used in porridge, although they share high protein levels. It was mixed with dry skimmed milk and sugar.
Children received supplements between 1969 and 1977, the study, published in the Economic Journal, said.
In 2002 and 2004, researchers returned to Guatemala and collected information on school results.
Men and women who received atole as children achieved higher scores on reading comprehension tests and on non-verbal cognitive tests, it was revealed. Women taking part in the study were more likely to remain in education for another year.
The research was conducted in Guatemala by the Institute for Nutrition in Central America and Panama, Emory University, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the University of Pennsylvania and Middlebury College.
John Hoddinott, a co-author and IFPRI senior research fellow, said: "We have long known that nutrition interventions can provide significant benefits in terms of a child's health and development.
"This study in Guatemala is important because it shows that improving nutrition in early childhood can have significant educational payoffs into adulthood."
Jacqui Lowdon, a paediatric dietician from the British Dietetic Association, said the food used in the study would have a similar protien content to normal porridge, but added that poor diet among the children tested may be responsible for the dramatic results.
“We already know that good nutrition is important for long-term health and especially important for brain development in the first few years of life,” she said.
One Nation Under God?
The latest NEWSWEEK Poll finds shifting American attitudes about religion and faith. Still, the U.S. remains a deeply religious land.
By Daniel Stone
A nation facing problems of biblical proportions appears to be looking less and less to religion for answers. According to a new NEWSWEEK Poll, the percentage of Americans who think faith will help answer all or most of the country's current problems dipped to a historic low of 48 percent, down from 64 percent in 1994.
The poll also shows changing perceptions about the religious makeup of the United States and its politics. Since Barack Obama took office earlier this year, the number of people who consider the U.S. a Christian nation has fallen to 62 percent, down from higher numbers during the Bush administration (69 percent last year and 71 percent in 2005).
Last summer, when George W. Bush was still in office, one third of Americans thought that religion played too big a role in U.S. politics, compared to 25 percent who said it had too little influence. The numbers have switched in the new Obama era. Now, 26 percent think religion is too influential, compared to 31 percent who say faith doesn't carry enough weight in the political system.
"It has to do with the context of the White House," says Larry Hugick, chairman of Princeton Survey Research Associates, the firm that conducted the poll. "When you talk about religion in politics, it usually has to do with the role of evangelicals. Bush was an evangelical, but Obama isn't, so people see the leadership of the country differently now."
Sixty-eight percent said religion is losing influence on American life, up from 58 percent in 2000, 39 percent in 1984 and 32 percent in 1962. Previous periods where more than 60 percent thought religion was losing influence included 1994 and 1968.
When asked about their attitudes on social issues, survey respondents revealed a continued shift toward liberalism. One quarter of those surveyed say school boards should be able to fire homosexual teachers, down from 51 percent in a 1987 poll. Those who claim to have "old-fashioned values about family and marriage" has also decreased 13 points in that time, to a current 74 percent.
Still, Americans' personal beliefs about religion haven't changed much in the last 20 years. The number of Americans with faith in a spiritual being—nearly nine in 10—has not changed much over the past two decades, according to historical polling. Seventy-eight percent said prayer was an important part of daily life, an increase of 2 points since 1987. Eighty-five percent said religion is "very important" or "fairly important" in their own lives—a number that hasn't changed much since 1992. Nearly half (48 percent) described themselves as both "religious and spiritual," while another 30 percent said they were "spiritual but not religious." Only 9 percent said they were neither religious nor spiritual.
An interesting measurement of the poll looked at the number of people who leave one faith for another. The percentage of Americans who identify as non-evangelical Protestant (25 percent) is 5 points lower than the number who said they were raised that way. While 22 percent of respondents said they were Roman Catholic, 26 percent said they were born into Catholic families. The faith groups with net gains in believers were evangelical Protestants (29 percent compared to 25 percent who were brought up in the faith) and people who are agnostic, atheist or report no religion (also called "seculars"), up 3 points to 11 percent.
The pursuit of both religious and secular voters in the 2008 presidential race required candidates to walk a middle line, as it appears voters are evenly split on whether faith dictates their politics. The new poll measured that 51 percent of those surveyed, the vast majority of them evangelical Protestants, said their religion can have an impact on their personal politics. A bit less, 46 percent, reported that their faith is much less likely to affect how they vote on a candidate or an issue.
Measuring party identification by religion is not predicted as intuitively, but the poll shows that the GOP has lost ground to Democrats among all measured faith groups. The number of religious respondents who identify with the Republican Party has fallen nearly 10 percent among non-evangelicals and Roman Catholics. Often viewed as a Republican stronghold, more evangelicals now identify as Democrats (35 percent) than Republicans (34 percent). And other religions contain bigger divides. Among Catholics, the spread was the biggest—50 percent Democrats to 17 percent Republicans. Seculars also include a higher percentage of Democrats than Republicans (35 percent to 13 percent), but the majority (44 percent) of seculars identify as independents.
The survey was conducted among 1,003 adults, age 18 and over, on April 1 and 2, 2009. The margin of sampling error is 3.5 percentage points for results based on total adults. In addition to common sampling error, the practical problems of conducting surveys can also introduce error or bias into polls.
By Daniel Stone
A nation facing problems of biblical proportions appears to be looking less and less to religion for answers. According to a new NEWSWEEK Poll, the percentage of Americans who think faith will help answer all or most of the country's current problems dipped to a historic low of 48 percent, down from 64 percent in 1994.
The poll also shows changing perceptions about the religious makeup of the United States and its politics. Since Barack Obama took office earlier this year, the number of people who consider the U.S. a Christian nation has fallen to 62 percent, down from higher numbers during the Bush administration (69 percent last year and 71 percent in 2005).
Last summer, when George W. Bush was still in office, one third of Americans thought that religion played too big a role in U.S. politics, compared to 25 percent who said it had too little influence. The numbers have switched in the new Obama era. Now, 26 percent think religion is too influential, compared to 31 percent who say faith doesn't carry enough weight in the political system.
"It has to do with the context of the White House," says Larry Hugick, chairman of Princeton Survey Research Associates, the firm that conducted the poll. "When you talk about religion in politics, it usually has to do with the role of evangelicals. Bush was an evangelical, but Obama isn't, so people see the leadership of the country differently now."
Sixty-eight percent said religion is losing influence on American life, up from 58 percent in 2000, 39 percent in 1984 and 32 percent in 1962. Previous periods where more than 60 percent thought religion was losing influence included 1994 and 1968.
When asked about their attitudes on social issues, survey respondents revealed a continued shift toward liberalism. One quarter of those surveyed say school boards should be able to fire homosexual teachers, down from 51 percent in a 1987 poll. Those who claim to have "old-fashioned values about family and marriage" has also decreased 13 points in that time, to a current 74 percent.
Still, Americans' personal beliefs about religion haven't changed much in the last 20 years. The number of Americans with faith in a spiritual being—nearly nine in 10—has not changed much over the past two decades, according to historical polling. Seventy-eight percent said prayer was an important part of daily life, an increase of 2 points since 1987. Eighty-five percent said religion is "very important" or "fairly important" in their own lives—a number that hasn't changed much since 1992. Nearly half (48 percent) described themselves as both "religious and spiritual," while another 30 percent said they were "spiritual but not religious." Only 9 percent said they were neither religious nor spiritual.
An interesting measurement of the poll looked at the number of people who leave one faith for another. The percentage of Americans who identify as non-evangelical Protestant (25 percent) is 5 points lower than the number who said they were raised that way. While 22 percent of respondents said they were Roman Catholic, 26 percent said they were born into Catholic families. The faith groups with net gains in believers were evangelical Protestants (29 percent compared to 25 percent who were brought up in the faith) and people who are agnostic, atheist or report no religion (also called "seculars"), up 3 points to 11 percent.
The pursuit of both religious and secular voters in the 2008 presidential race required candidates to walk a middle line, as it appears voters are evenly split on whether faith dictates their politics. The new poll measured that 51 percent of those surveyed, the vast majority of them evangelical Protestants, said their religion can have an impact on their personal politics. A bit less, 46 percent, reported that their faith is much less likely to affect how they vote on a candidate or an issue.
Measuring party identification by religion is not predicted as intuitively, but the poll shows that the GOP has lost ground to Democrats among all measured faith groups. The number of religious respondents who identify with the Republican Party has fallen nearly 10 percent among non-evangelicals and Roman Catholics. Often viewed as a Republican stronghold, more evangelicals now identify as Democrats (35 percent) than Republicans (34 percent). And other religions contain bigger divides. Among Catholics, the spread was the biggest—50 percent Democrats to 17 percent Republicans. Seculars also include a higher percentage of Democrats than Republicans (35 percent to 13 percent), but the majority (44 percent) of seculars identify as independents.
The survey was conducted among 1,003 adults, age 18 and over, on April 1 and 2, 2009. The margin of sampling error is 3.5 percentage points for results based on total adults. In addition to common sampling error, the practical problems of conducting surveys can also introduce error or bias into polls.
Obama and his middle finger.
Eddy said: After watching one of the episodes of "Lie to me" where the story points out the interesting note that people subconsciously use middle finger to rub/touch their faces when telling lies on views/opinions/feelings about something, the episode interestingly relate this to Obama fingers when he's talking about Senator John McCain amongst others. Check it out below:
And also Hillary?
What is "Lie to Me"?
And also Hillary?
What is "Lie to Me"?
DBS Group CEO passes away
SINGAPORE: DBS Group Holdings confirmed on April 11 that its chief executive officer Richard Stanley passed away at 8.36am.
DBS said in a statement Stanley’s family kept vigil all night long and were by his side as he slipped away peacefully. He is survived by his wife Koh Li Peng and three children.
“Stanley, who joined DBS on May 1, 2008, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in late January. His form of leukemia was treatable and he had been responding well to treatment.
“After two rounds of chemotherapy, earlier this week, his doctors believed that his cancer was in remission. Unfortunately, his weakened immune system made him susceptible to infection. His condition rapidly deteriorated over the last 48 hours and this morning, he succumbed to the infection,” it said.
While Stanley was on medical leave, chairman Koh Boon Hwee took on an active management oversight role and has been working closely with the senior management team to ensure continued strong leadership.
"This will continue and there will be no change in the bank’s strategic direction. The board will announce succession plans in due course,” it said.
DBS said in a statement Stanley’s family kept vigil all night long and were by his side as he slipped away peacefully. He is survived by his wife Koh Li Peng and three children.
“Stanley, who joined DBS on May 1, 2008, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in late January. His form of leukemia was treatable and he had been responding well to treatment.
“After two rounds of chemotherapy, earlier this week, his doctors believed that his cancer was in remission. Unfortunately, his weakened immune system made him susceptible to infection. His condition rapidly deteriorated over the last 48 hours and this morning, he succumbed to the infection,” it said.
While Stanley was on medical leave, chairman Koh Boon Hwee took on an active management oversight role and has been working closely with the senior management team to ensure continued strong leadership.
"This will continue and there will be no change in the bank’s strategic direction. The board will announce succession plans in due course,” it said.
OSK: Small caps safe havens in volatile markets
Eddy said: Commodity related companies are worth to keep an eye on, particularly O&G and steel stuffs.
Written by Joy Lee
KUALA LUMPUR: Small capitalised companies are safe havens in the midst of a volatile market as most are not over-exposed to the impact of the economy and have shown steady earnings and dividend yields, OSK Investment Research said.
Its deputy head of research Jeffrey Tan said interest had returned for the second and third liners in the past two weeks. The market was expected to make a stronger comeback towards the tail-end of results reporting season next month and that "it is a good time to reposition for the small cap stocks".
Small capitalised companies attracted less foreign investment and therefore less affected by the economic crisis compared with big cap companies, he said at the launch of OSK Top Malaysian Small Cap 50 Jewels book yesterday.
“These companies show steady earnings performance. They are safe haven stocks and some have paid good dividend yields of over 5%. In terms of capital preservation, they have been de-rated by the market but they are still paying the same dividends. They have big growth potential and would be in a position of strength when recovery comes,” he said.
Its top five stock pick were KPJ Healthcare Bhd, Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd, QL Resources Bhd, Wah Seong Corporation Bhd and Hektar REIT.
Although liquidity was an issue with small cap companies, Tan said it will improve when market recovers.
“Liquidity in small caps when compared to the big caps remains an issue. However, a lot of these companies are doing what is necessary such as undertaking corporate exercises to improve their liquidity profiles,” he said.
Associate director Chris Eng added the oil and gas (O&G), construction, media and consumer food sectors would see net profit growth this year.
“The rest of the sectors will likely record profit contraction. Some sectors which we are overweight on like gaming and utilities would still see profit but those sectors are expected to record profit contraction. It will be a tough year for them in 2009 and they will recover in 2010,” Eng said.
He said blue chips would soon be overvalued even if the market continues its upward trend. “Then people will start looking into the second and third liners,” he said.
In terms of sector outlook, OSK said the luxury condos downcycle would likely to bottom-out only in 2010.
“A 30% to 40% decline from last year’s peak is perhaps a reasonable expectation. Already, asking prices for some of these properties has declined by an average of 15%-20%. There would be a mild rebound in 2011 but this will be short-lived as the market will again be forced to digest the deluge of incoming supply towards the later part of that year,” it said.
Having said that, homebuyers of landed properties, especially in the mid-to-high end segment, are expected to return towards the later part of this year. The downside risk for this segment also appears limited and, if there is any at all, would not be as widespread as that for luxury condos amid a sharp downturn in the overall real sector. Most of the homebuyers in this segment are cash-rich and not highly leveraged.
“Given the fact that most also largely stayed away from the more volatile asset classes (vis-Ã -vis 10 years ago), most would have also been spared from the massive wealth destruction experienced in the equity market over the past one year. Given the accommodative interest rates, any “forced-selling” or foreclosures of properties like the one we saw during the 1997/98 Asian Financial Crisis will also be limited in this downcycle as well,” OSK said.
On the O&G sector, OSK said oil price will likely be in the range of US$60 and US$70 by year end. Light crude oil was trading around US$52 on April 10.
“Although there has been a lot of re-tendering of projects and slow replenishment of orderbooks, most O&G companies are fundamentally strong and have strong orderbooks to last for about a year and some have recurring revenue,” it said.
Written by Joy Lee
KUALA LUMPUR: Small capitalised companies are safe havens in the midst of a volatile market as most are not over-exposed to the impact of the economy and have shown steady earnings and dividend yields, OSK Investment Research said.
Its deputy head of research Jeffrey Tan said interest had returned for the second and third liners in the past two weeks. The market was expected to make a stronger comeback towards the tail-end of results reporting season next month and that "it is a good time to reposition for the small cap stocks".
Small capitalised companies attracted less foreign investment and therefore less affected by the economic crisis compared with big cap companies, he said at the launch of OSK Top Malaysian Small Cap 50 Jewels book yesterday.
“These companies show steady earnings performance. They are safe haven stocks and some have paid good dividend yields of over 5%. In terms of capital preservation, they have been de-rated by the market but they are still paying the same dividends. They have big growth potential and would be in a position of strength when recovery comes,” he said.
Its top five stock pick were KPJ Healthcare Bhd, Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd, QL Resources Bhd, Wah Seong Corporation Bhd and Hektar REIT.
Although liquidity was an issue with small cap companies, Tan said it will improve when market recovers.
“Liquidity in small caps when compared to the big caps remains an issue. However, a lot of these companies are doing what is necessary such as undertaking corporate exercises to improve their liquidity profiles,” he said.
Associate director Chris Eng added the oil and gas (O&G), construction, media and consumer food sectors would see net profit growth this year.
“The rest of the sectors will likely record profit contraction. Some sectors which we are overweight on like gaming and utilities would still see profit but those sectors are expected to record profit contraction. It will be a tough year for them in 2009 and they will recover in 2010,” Eng said.
He said blue chips would soon be overvalued even if the market continues its upward trend. “Then people will start looking into the second and third liners,” he said.
In terms of sector outlook, OSK said the luxury condos downcycle would likely to bottom-out only in 2010.
“A 30% to 40% decline from last year’s peak is perhaps a reasonable expectation. Already, asking prices for some of these properties has declined by an average of 15%-20%. There would be a mild rebound in 2011 but this will be short-lived as the market will again be forced to digest the deluge of incoming supply towards the later part of that year,” it said.
Having said that, homebuyers of landed properties, especially in the mid-to-high end segment, are expected to return towards the later part of this year. The downside risk for this segment also appears limited and, if there is any at all, would not be as widespread as that for luxury condos amid a sharp downturn in the overall real sector. Most of the homebuyers in this segment are cash-rich and not highly leveraged.
“Given the fact that most also largely stayed away from the more volatile asset classes (vis-Ã -vis 10 years ago), most would have also been spared from the massive wealth destruction experienced in the equity market over the past one year. Given the accommodative interest rates, any “forced-selling” or foreclosures of properties like the one we saw during the 1997/98 Asian Financial Crisis will also be limited in this downcycle as well,” OSK said.
On the O&G sector, OSK said oil price will likely be in the range of US$60 and US$70 by year end. Light crude oil was trading around US$52 on April 10.
“Although there has been a lot of re-tendering of projects and slow replenishment of orderbooks, most O&G companies are fundamentally strong and have strong orderbooks to last for about a year and some have recurring revenue,” it said.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Fed to banks: Keep mum on stress test results
Eddy said: I'm not happy, with this news and previous one dealing with the mark to market rules. It seems like the US government is going backward to regularize the information flows. Hopefully this is just temporary measure.
Fearing weak banks will be singled out, Fed tells all not to discuss stress test results
Daniel Wagner, AP Business Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal regulators have told the nation's largest banks to keep quiet about their performance on government stress tests. They fear investors could punish companies with nothing to brag about.
In letters to the 19 banks undergoing tests of their financial strength, regulators told the companies not to disclose their performance during upcoming earnings announcements, according to industry and government officials who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the process.
The order was the latest in a series of government moves designed to keep good news about strong banks from dooming others to a downward spiral of falling share prices and financial weakness. If banks receiving the highest marks trumpet their results, the fear is investors might push down share prices of those companies that make no such announcements.
Government officials want to announce the results all at once, at the end of the month.
The stress tests are a centerpiece of the Obama administration's ongoing effort to stabilize the banking industry. They subject the banks' books to a series of negative scenarios, including double-digit unemployment and further drops in home values.
The test results will help regulators determine which banks are strong enough with current subsidies, which need more money from the government or private investors, and those not worth saving.
The letters follow public statements from bank executives about the tests, including Wells Fargo & Co. Chief Executive Richard Kovacevich's calling the process "asinine." Bank of America Corp. CEO Kenneth Lewis and Citigroup Inc. CEO Vikram Pandit both have alluded to strong performance on separate, internal stress tests in recent memos seeking to build employee confidence.
Lewis also told reporters last month he expects Bank of America to pass the government's tests.
Wells Fargo has received a $25 billion government bailout; Bank of America and Citigroup each received $45 billion.
Spokesmen for the Federal Reserve, Bank of America and Citigroup would not comment on the issue. Wells Fargo spokeswoman Julia Tunis Bernard said the company doesn't comment on discussions with regulators.
The letter echoes earlier government moves to use strong banks as cover for those that need more help. For example, then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson forced the nine largest banks to take capital injections all at once last fall so the neediest banks wouldn't be stigmatized.
The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday opened a public debate on how to prevent downward pressure on stocks from investors betting against their performance -- a practice called "short selling." Critics of the practice, including many in the financial industry, blame short sellers for causing much of the panic that engulfed financial markets last fall.
Industry groups also have groused about regulators forcing healthy banks to take bailouts. Some smaller banks already have returned the government's money -- plus interest -- because they were unhappy with new conditions Congress had imposed. Large banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., have said they want to return the bailout money as soon as possible.
Fearing weak banks will be singled out, Fed tells all not to discuss stress test results
Daniel Wagner, AP Business Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal regulators have told the nation's largest banks to keep quiet about their performance on government stress tests. They fear investors could punish companies with nothing to brag about.
In letters to the 19 banks undergoing tests of their financial strength, regulators told the companies not to disclose their performance during upcoming earnings announcements, according to industry and government officials who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the process.
The order was the latest in a series of government moves designed to keep good news about strong banks from dooming others to a downward spiral of falling share prices and financial weakness. If banks receiving the highest marks trumpet their results, the fear is investors might push down share prices of those companies that make no such announcements.
Government officials want to announce the results all at once, at the end of the month.
The stress tests are a centerpiece of the Obama administration's ongoing effort to stabilize the banking industry. They subject the banks' books to a series of negative scenarios, including double-digit unemployment and further drops in home values.
The test results will help regulators determine which banks are strong enough with current subsidies, which need more money from the government or private investors, and those not worth saving.
The letters follow public statements from bank executives about the tests, including Wells Fargo & Co. Chief Executive Richard Kovacevich's calling the process "asinine." Bank of America Corp. CEO Kenneth Lewis and Citigroup Inc. CEO Vikram Pandit both have alluded to strong performance on separate, internal stress tests in recent memos seeking to build employee confidence.
Lewis also told reporters last month he expects Bank of America to pass the government's tests.
Wells Fargo has received a $25 billion government bailout; Bank of America and Citigroup each received $45 billion.
Spokesmen for the Federal Reserve, Bank of America and Citigroup would not comment on the issue. Wells Fargo spokeswoman Julia Tunis Bernard said the company doesn't comment on discussions with regulators.
The letter echoes earlier government moves to use strong banks as cover for those that need more help. For example, then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson forced the nine largest banks to take capital injections all at once last fall so the neediest banks wouldn't be stigmatized.
The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday opened a public debate on how to prevent downward pressure on stocks from investors betting against their performance -- a practice called "short selling." Critics of the practice, including many in the financial industry, blame short sellers for causing much of the panic that engulfed financial markets last fall.
Industry groups also have groused about regulators forcing healthy banks to take bailouts. Some smaller banks already have returned the government's money -- plus interest -- because they were unhappy with new conditions Congress had imposed. Large banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., have said they want to return the bailout money as soon as possible.
Friday, April 10, 2009
'House' exclusive: The shocking story behind last night's big death
Eddy said: Another House, but this time the White House. Bravo dude.
DEFCON 1 spoiler alert! If you haven't seen last night's House, stop reading now. Everyone else, onward and downward!
Here are the six things you need to know up-front about last night's House:
• Yes, Kutner was the subject of my "suicide" blind item.
• No, his death wasn't a figment of House's Vicodin-impaired imagination.
• Yes, Kal Penn has left the show for good.
• No, he wasn't fired. He asked to go. (And man, wait 'till you find out where he's going.)
• Yes, this was the "cataclysmic" event that Hugh Laurie has been teasing all year.
• Yes, the trio at the center of this grim turn of events -- exec producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs, as well Kal Penn himself -- spoke to me exclusively about the surprising story behind Penn's exit, the decision to have the seemingly well-adjusted Kutner take his own life, and whether the tragedy will drive House-Cuddy and Cameron-Chase closer together or further apart...
Part I: Kal Penn
I understand it was your decision to leave House. True?
KAL PENN: Yes. I was incredibly honored a couple of months ago to get the opportunity to go work in the White House. I got to know the President and some of the staff during the campaign and had expressed interest in working there, so I'm going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison. They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations. They're basically the front door of the White House. They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House. It's similar to what I was doing on the campaign.
Will you actually be working in the White House?
PENN: This particular office is in the executive building. The White House has two buildings: the actual White House and an old Navy building called the Old Executive Office.
Are you there as long as Obama's in office?
PENN: A lot of that stuff is up in the air. This is a relatively recent development.
Safe to say you're taking a huge pay cut?
PENN: Oh, yeah. There's not a lot of financial reward in these jobs. But, obviously, the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this is an incredible honor.
How long has this been in the works?
PENN: I've been thinking about [moving into politics] for a while. I love what I do as an actor. I couldn't love it more. But probably from the time I was a kid, I really enjoyed that balance between the arts and public service. I went to a performing arts high school, but I still took a bunch of those dorky political science classes. It's probably because of the value system my grandparents instilled in me. They marched with Gandhi in the Indian independence movement, and that was always in the back of my head. So the past couple of years I thought about it a little more. And in '06 I started this international studies program at Stanford, where they actually let you do most of the course work online. So it was something I could do while I was acting. And I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else. The ultimate irony, of course, is that I love being on House. There's not a smarter group of people that I've been surrounded by in television. So I thought about it for a very long time before I went and talked to David and Katie.
What was that conversation like?
PENN: We had a very long discussion. And I remember David saying, "Are you telling me that you're unhappy with the show and that you want to leave so you can go off and do a different show?" And I was like, "Not at all. I'm actually saying the exact opposite, which is I'm having an incredible time, but there's something aching in me to do something completely different and take a break from the acting thing for a while." And with their blessing, we were able to work it out.
Are you retiring from acting?
PENN: Not necessarily. Who's to say where any path leads? I still have a passion for it. But for the time being, I won't be acting.
How did you react when you found out how they were writing Kutner out?
PENN: One of the things I love about our show is you never know what's going to happen. So that news struck me in the same way we hope it strikes the audience: there was a little bit of anger and some depression. You really go through those emotions, especially when somebody dies in that fashion. Ultimately, it was a really interesting choice for them to make. We don't really know why he did it, unless it's resolved in the episodes after [I left], which, of course, I'm not privy to anymore. At least in [last night's] episode, we don't really know why he did it. There's no note. There's no explanation. And as a testament to David and Katie, that's a huge risk. 'Cause it is going to make people upset, and it is going to piss off some of the audience. And, ultimately, in my opinion, that's what art really is -- when you can conjure up those kinds of emotions. And it's rare nowadays to be able to do that on network television, but they managed to.
Were you disappointed that you didn't get to shoot the requisite good-bye scenes with your co-stars?
PENN: From my selfish perspective, you want one last scene with Hugh, you want one awesome bantering scene with Peter, you want something where you and Olivia [Wilde] are doing a diagnostic together. But I had known a couple weeks beforehand [that Kutner would just abruptly commit suicide], so I was conscious in previous episodes of, 'Okay, this is probably the last time I'm going to get to do a scene with Peter, and this is the last time I'm going to be on screen with Robert.' And, of course, we're all still really close friends, so I've seen them a ton of times since I stopped shooting.
What were your emotions like on your last day?
PENN: It's always emotional when something incredible comes to an end. The feeling would have been very different if I was not enjoying myself, and if I didn't love the job. But because I loved the job and the character and the people I'm working with, I think bittersweet is the probably the best way to describe it. The contrast of knowing that I want to move on and do something completely different, with the incredibly violent and incredibly depressing thing that happens to my character... I think bittersweet is the only way to describe it.
Are you bummed you won't be around to experience firsthand the fallout from Cuddy and House having sex?
PENN: Do they really?
That's the buzz.
PENN: See, I didn't even know that. If that's the case, yeah, it's a bummer to not be involved in an episode like that. It's the emotional stuff that really gets the characters riled up, so if that's actually happening, it would be neat to see. [Pauses] Well, not see. To be part of scenes like that. [Laughs]
Part II: David Shore and Katie Jacobs
When did you first learn Kal was thinking of leaving House?
DAVID SHORE: It was very early in the process that he told us that he might [at some point] want to move on and work in politics. He has been involved in a number of other things [while working on House]. He worked very extensively for the Obama campaign and he's been teaching at Penn. Kal is a man with broader ambitions than the entertainment industry. So he spoke to us and said, 'I love the show and I love working with these people, but there are things that I would like to do.' And you sort of think, 'That's admirable, but there's no way he's going to do it.' This is a good gig he's got here.
KATIE JACOBS: As time went on, it was still on his mind. And then we took a writers retreat right at the beginning of December and David sort of had this "A-ha" moment about how to both free Kal up to pursue other things and, most importantly, service where David wants to go at the end of the season with House's story.
SHORE: The fact that it happened over a long period of time allowed him to pursue his goals as a human being, but also allowed us to make it work within the confines of the show.
So why not just have Kutner take a new job at a different hospital?
SHORE: The suicide was essential to [the story]. The lack of reason behind it -- the lack of answers -- was what I responded to and is what I got excited about. House, the man of answers, doesn't have an answer about this guy who he has worked with for two years.
JACOBS: And he didn't see it coming. It gets under his skin. He is the man who can't rest until the puzzle is solved. So the idea that he worked in such close proximity to Kutner and didn’t see it coming [was an interesting story to us].
SHORE: It makes him question the most important aspect of himself, which is the ability to find answers. It's the one thing about himself that he feels good about.
If anyone on House's team was going to kill him or herself, the likelier candidate would have been Taub (Peter Jacobson). Were you intentionally setting up a bait and switch?
SHORE: A little bit. But also, oddly enough, we wanted it to be a character who didn't make sense -- or didn't superficially make sense. Obviously, there are reasons, but the notion that the reasons are too complicated for even House to figure out is what was drawing us to it. I like the fact that Kutner is almost the least likely guy to do this. And it gets down to the issue of, "Do we know anybody? You work with somebody for two years, but do you really know them?"
There's an opening on House's team now. Will Chase or Cameron fill it?
SHORE: No, there's a different Chase-Cameron storyline coming up. We touch on it, but that's not really where we go with it.
JACOBS: There's fallout in every part of the hospital because of this. This will affect everybody.
Are you planning to fill the position?
SHORE: Not initially. It's not going to happen this year.
There are rumors that Chase and Cameron may be getting married. Care to comment?
SHORE: No. But [Kutner's death] does affect them as a couple. When somebody close to you dies under any circumstances, you take stock of your life and you want to go home and hug somebody. We worked hard to let everyone react [to the tragedy] in a different way.
Does it bring Cuddy and House closer together?
SHORE: The way House reacts ultimately brings House and Cuddy closer.
Any more cast changes looming this season?
JACOBS: This is the only one you'll see this season.
Okay, Ausholes: Take a few minutes to absorb everything you've read before... alright, minute's up -- react away in the comments section! Oh, and be sure to check out the eleborate memorial shrine Fox has erected in Kutner's honor.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
CIMB Group maintains IT spend at RM350mil
Eddy said: Good move. That's what a market at current condition need. Indeed, competitve advantages don't come easily.
PETALING JAYA: CIMB Group will maintain its information technology (IT) spending at RM350mil in Malaysia this year, says group information and operations head Iswaraan Suppiah.
He said continued IT spending was important in ensuring that the group provided good service to its customers as customer experience was something that should not be compromised even in hard times.
“The majority of the spending would be for IT system maintenance-related services and licensing cost for the systems,” he told a press conference yesterday after the inking of an agreement with Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn Bhd (HP Malaysia).
Iswaraan added that the banking group spent a similar amount for IT annually.
The partnership agreement with HP Malaysia was for the roll-out of HP’s Thin Client technology across CIMB Bank and CIMB Islamic Bank branches nationwide.
The environment-friendly Thin Client is a computing solution that functions as an access point to a centralised processing and storage unit (server).
The technology would help lower energy consumption by an average of 80% compared with traditional desktop solutions, thus reducing greenhouse gas emission.
Iswaraan said the company would spend RM30mil for this solution over five years and this would help save up to RM40mil in maintenance-related expenses and energy consumption over the same period.
“We are phasing out the deployment of this solution and we aim to deploy it to all our branches by year-end from the current two branches,” he said, adding that the bank currently had about 360 branches nationwide.
He said the new solution would help CIMB serve its customers better as the computers would be faster, more secure and reliable and cut down the waiting time significantly.
PETALING JAYA: CIMB Group will maintain its information technology (IT) spending at RM350mil in Malaysia this year, says group information and operations head Iswaraan Suppiah.
He said continued IT spending was important in ensuring that the group provided good service to its customers as customer experience was something that should not be compromised even in hard times.
“The majority of the spending would be for IT system maintenance-related services and licensing cost for the systems,” he told a press conference yesterday after the inking of an agreement with Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn Bhd (HP Malaysia).
Iswaraan added that the banking group spent a similar amount for IT annually.
The partnership agreement with HP Malaysia was for the roll-out of HP’s Thin Client technology across CIMB Bank and CIMB Islamic Bank branches nationwide.
The environment-friendly Thin Client is a computing solution that functions as an access point to a centralised processing and storage unit (server).
The technology would help lower energy consumption by an average of 80% compared with traditional desktop solutions, thus reducing greenhouse gas emission.
Iswaraan said the company would spend RM30mil for this solution over five years and this would help save up to RM40mil in maintenance-related expenses and energy consumption over the same period.
“We are phasing out the deployment of this solution and we aim to deploy it to all our branches by year-end from the current two branches,” he said, adding that the bank currently had about 360 branches nationwide.
He said the new solution would help CIMB serve its customers better as the computers would be faster, more secure and reliable and cut down the waiting time significantly.
When All You Have Left Is Your Pride
By BENEDICT CAREY
Look around you. On the train platform, at the bus stop, in the car pool lane: these days someone there is probably faking it, maintaining a job routine without having a job to go to.
“I have a new client, a laid-off lawyer, who’s commuting in every day — to his Starbucks,” said Robert C. Chope, a professor of counseling at San Francisco State University and president of the employment division of the American Counseling Association. “He gets dressed up, meets with colleagues, networks; he calls it his Western White House. I have encouraged him to keep his routine.”
The fine art of keeping up appearances may seem shallow and deceitful, the very embodiment of denial. But many psychologists beg to differ.
To the extent that it sustains good habits and reflects personal pride, they say, this kind of play-acting can be an extremely effective social strategy, especially in uncertain times.
“If showing pride in these kinds of situations was always maladaptive, then why would people do it so often?” said David DeSteno, a psychologist at Northeastern University in Boston. “But people do, of course, and we are finding that pride is centrally important not just for surviving physical danger but for thriving in difficult social circumstances, in ways that are not at all obvious.”
For most of its existence, the field of psychology ignored pride as a fundamental social emotion. It was thought to be too marginal, too individually variable, compared with basic visceral expressions of fear, disgust, sadness or joy. Moreover, it can mean different things in different cultures.
But recent research by Jessica L. Tracy of the University of British Columbia and Richard W. Robins of the University of California, Davis, has shown that the expressions associated with pride in Western society — most commonly a slight smile and head tilt, with hands on the hips or raised high — are nearly identical across cultures. Children first experience pride about age 2 ½, studies suggest, and recognize it by age 4.
It’s not a simple matter of imitation, either. In a 2008 study, Dr. Tracy and David Matsumoto, a psychologist at San Francisco State, analyzed spontaneous responses to winning or losing a judo match during the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic games. They found that expressions of pride after a victory were similar for athletes from 37 nations, including for 53 blind competitors, many of them blind from birth.
“It’s a self-conscious emotion, reflecting how you feel about yourself, and it has this important social component,” Dr. Tracy said. “It’s the strongest status signal we know of among the emotions; stronger than a happy expression, contentment, anything.”
In one continuing experiment, Dr. Tracy, along with Azim Shariff, a doctoral student at British Columbia, have found that people tend to associate an expression of pride with high status — even when they know that the person wearing it is low on the ladder. In their study, participants impulsively assigned higher status to a prideful water boy than to a team captain who looked ashamed.
The implications of this are hard to exaggerate. Researchers tend to split pride into at least two broad categories. So-called authentic pride flows from real accomplishments, like raising a difficult child, starting a company or rebuilding an engine. Hubristic pride, as Dr. Tracy calls it, is closer to arrogance or narcissism, pride without substantial foundation. The act of putting on a good face may draw on elements of both.
But no one can tell the difference from the outside. Expressions of pride, whatever their source, look the same. “So as long as you’re a decent actor, and people don’t know too much about your situation, all systems are go,” said Lisa A. Williams, a doctoral candidate in psychology at Northeastern University.
The various flavors of pride may even feel similar on the inside, when the stakes are high enough. “She was always scrupulous about keeping up appearances to herself,” wrote Edith Wharton of her tragic heroine Lily Bart in “The House of Mirth.” “Her personal fastidiousness had a moral equivalent, and when she made a tour of inspection in her own mind there were certain closed doors she did not open.” If you believe it, so will they.
A feeling of pride, when it’s convincing, acts something like an emotional magnet. In a recent study, Ms. Williams and Dr. DeSteno of Northeastern had a group of 62 undergraduates take tests supposedly measuring their spatial I.Q. The patterns flashed by too fast for anyone to truly know how well they did.
The researchers manipulated the amount of pride each participant felt in his or her score. They either said nothing about the score; remarked, in a matter-of-fact tone, that it was one of the best scores they had seen; or gushed that the person’s performance was wonderful, about as good as they had ever seen.
The participants then sat down in a group to solve similar puzzles. Sure enough, the students who had been warmly encouraged reported feeling more pride than the others. But they also struck their partners in the group exercise as being both more dominant and more likable than those who did not have the inner glow of self-approval. The participants, whether they had been buttered up or not, were completely unaware of this effect on the group dynamics.
“We wondered at the beginning whether these people were going to come across as arrogant jerks,” Dr. DeSteno said. “Well, no, just the opposite; they were seen as dominant but also likable. That’s not a combination we expected.”
Therapists say that in time, people usually do better when they come clean. “In some ways it’s easier to do this now, with so many people out of work,” said Michael C. Lazarchick, an employment counselor in southern New Jersey. “You may very well find out that others are going through the same thing, or something like it — ‘Oh yeah, I just took a big cut in pay.’ ”
But in the short term, projecting pride may do more than help manage others’ impressions. Psychologists have found that wearing a sad or happy face can have a top-down effect on how a person feels: Smile and you may feel fleetingly happier. The same most likely is true for an expression of pride. In a 2008 study, the Northeastern researchers found that inducing a feeling of pride in people solving spatial puzzles motivated them to try harder when they tackled the next round.
Pride, in short, begets perseverance. All of which may explain why, when the repo man is at the door, people so often remind themselves that they still have theirs, and that it’s worth something. Because they do, and because it is.
However much pride may go before a fall, it may be far more useful after one
Look around you. On the train platform, at the bus stop, in the car pool lane: these days someone there is probably faking it, maintaining a job routine without having a job to go to.
“I have a new client, a laid-off lawyer, who’s commuting in every day — to his Starbucks,” said Robert C. Chope, a professor of counseling at San Francisco State University and president of the employment division of the American Counseling Association. “He gets dressed up, meets with colleagues, networks; he calls it his Western White House. I have encouraged him to keep his routine.”
The fine art of keeping up appearances may seem shallow and deceitful, the very embodiment of denial. But many psychologists beg to differ.
To the extent that it sustains good habits and reflects personal pride, they say, this kind of play-acting can be an extremely effective social strategy, especially in uncertain times.
“If showing pride in these kinds of situations was always maladaptive, then why would people do it so often?” said David DeSteno, a psychologist at Northeastern University in Boston. “But people do, of course, and we are finding that pride is centrally important not just for surviving physical danger but for thriving in difficult social circumstances, in ways that are not at all obvious.”
For most of its existence, the field of psychology ignored pride as a fundamental social emotion. It was thought to be too marginal, too individually variable, compared with basic visceral expressions of fear, disgust, sadness or joy. Moreover, it can mean different things in different cultures.
But recent research by Jessica L. Tracy of the University of British Columbia and Richard W. Robins of the University of California, Davis, has shown that the expressions associated with pride in Western society — most commonly a slight smile and head tilt, with hands on the hips or raised high — are nearly identical across cultures. Children first experience pride about age 2 ½, studies suggest, and recognize it by age 4.
It’s not a simple matter of imitation, either. In a 2008 study, Dr. Tracy and David Matsumoto, a psychologist at San Francisco State, analyzed spontaneous responses to winning or losing a judo match during the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic games. They found that expressions of pride after a victory were similar for athletes from 37 nations, including for 53 blind competitors, many of them blind from birth.
“It’s a self-conscious emotion, reflecting how you feel about yourself, and it has this important social component,” Dr. Tracy said. “It’s the strongest status signal we know of among the emotions; stronger than a happy expression, contentment, anything.”
In one continuing experiment, Dr. Tracy, along with Azim Shariff, a doctoral student at British Columbia, have found that people tend to associate an expression of pride with high status — even when they know that the person wearing it is low on the ladder. In their study, participants impulsively assigned higher status to a prideful water boy than to a team captain who looked ashamed.
The implications of this are hard to exaggerate. Researchers tend to split pride into at least two broad categories. So-called authentic pride flows from real accomplishments, like raising a difficult child, starting a company or rebuilding an engine. Hubristic pride, as Dr. Tracy calls it, is closer to arrogance or narcissism, pride without substantial foundation. The act of putting on a good face may draw on elements of both.
But no one can tell the difference from the outside. Expressions of pride, whatever their source, look the same. “So as long as you’re a decent actor, and people don’t know too much about your situation, all systems are go,” said Lisa A. Williams, a doctoral candidate in psychology at Northeastern University.
The various flavors of pride may even feel similar on the inside, when the stakes are high enough. “She was always scrupulous about keeping up appearances to herself,” wrote Edith Wharton of her tragic heroine Lily Bart in “The House of Mirth.” “Her personal fastidiousness had a moral equivalent, and when she made a tour of inspection in her own mind there were certain closed doors she did not open.” If you believe it, so will they.
A feeling of pride, when it’s convincing, acts something like an emotional magnet. In a recent study, Ms. Williams and Dr. DeSteno of Northeastern had a group of 62 undergraduates take tests supposedly measuring their spatial I.Q. The patterns flashed by too fast for anyone to truly know how well they did.
The researchers manipulated the amount of pride each participant felt in his or her score. They either said nothing about the score; remarked, in a matter-of-fact tone, that it was one of the best scores they had seen; or gushed that the person’s performance was wonderful, about as good as they had ever seen.
The participants then sat down in a group to solve similar puzzles. Sure enough, the students who had been warmly encouraged reported feeling more pride than the others. But they also struck their partners in the group exercise as being both more dominant and more likable than those who did not have the inner glow of self-approval. The participants, whether they had been buttered up or not, were completely unaware of this effect on the group dynamics.
“We wondered at the beginning whether these people were going to come across as arrogant jerks,” Dr. DeSteno said. “Well, no, just the opposite; they were seen as dominant but also likable. That’s not a combination we expected.”
Therapists say that in time, people usually do better when they come clean. “In some ways it’s easier to do this now, with so many people out of work,” said Michael C. Lazarchick, an employment counselor in southern New Jersey. “You may very well find out that others are going through the same thing, or something like it — ‘Oh yeah, I just took a big cut in pay.’ ”
But in the short term, projecting pride may do more than help manage others’ impressions. Psychologists have found that wearing a sad or happy face can have a top-down effect on how a person feels: Smile and you may feel fleetingly happier. The same most likely is true for an expression of pride. In a 2008 study, the Northeastern researchers found that inducing a feeling of pride in people solving spatial puzzles motivated them to try harder when they tackled the next round.
Pride, in short, begets perseverance. All of which may explain why, when the repo man is at the door, people so often remind themselves that they still have theirs, and that it’s worth something. Because they do, and because it is.
However much pride may go before a fall, it may be far more useful after one
Beleaguered RBS cuts 9,000 jobs
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Royal Bank of Scotland has announced plans to cut up to 9,000 jobs in the next two years -- of which 4,500 will be in the UK.
Fred Goodwin is apparently considering a voluntary reduction to his annual $933,000 pension.
The bank, of which the UK government bought a 70 percent stake after it posted a record loss for 2008 of £24.1 billion ($34.6 billion), is cutting the staff under plans to save £2.5 billion ($3.7 billion) over the next three years.
RBS added that the actual number of jobs lost was likely to be "significantly lower" due to natural turnover and voluntary redundancies.
RBS chief executive Stephen Hester said the job losses were needed to put the bank back on its feet "as soon as practicable."
"Unfortunately, that means taking difficult decisions about jobs as well as taking many other cost reduction actions.
"We want to be as open and transparent as possible and are announcing these plans at the earliest possible opportunity so that our employees can prepare for the future," he said.
The bank has already announced plans to cut 2,700 jobs this year and warned at its annual meeting last week that this was "not the end of the story."
Last week RBS chairman Philip Hampton made a strong apology for the bank's mistakes. In not so veiled comments he also laid the blame at the feet of Fred Goodwin, who retired after the government's multi-billion pound bailout last year. Watch consternation at Goodwin's £16 million pension fund »
The size of Goodwin's pension -- estimated at £650,000 ($933,000) a year for life -- has provoked outrage but Hampton indicated that RBS's former boss was now considering taking a voluntary reduction.
In a statement released ahead of the group's AGM Friday, Hampton said the "past was done" and could not be changed.
"Only a tiny minority of staff in RBS were in any way responsible for the major credit market losses we suffered in 2008. It is remarkable that there were only a few hundred people responsible in the relevant segments of our businesses chiefly in the financial centers of London, Amsterdam and New York, most of whom have now left the group.
"I don't think there can be any doubt that the key decision that led RBS to its difficulties was the acquisition of ABN AMRO (Goodwin led the nearly $90 billion purchase). That is the painful reality that we can now do nothing to change."
Hampton said the bank had been embarrassed by a series of stories but it was now time to move on.
Fred Goodwin is apparently considering a voluntary reduction to his annual $933,000 pension.
The bank, of which the UK government bought a 70 percent stake after it posted a record loss for 2008 of £24.1 billion ($34.6 billion), is cutting the staff under plans to save £2.5 billion ($3.7 billion) over the next three years.
RBS added that the actual number of jobs lost was likely to be "significantly lower" due to natural turnover and voluntary redundancies.
RBS chief executive Stephen Hester said the job losses were needed to put the bank back on its feet "as soon as practicable."
"Unfortunately, that means taking difficult decisions about jobs as well as taking many other cost reduction actions.
"We want to be as open and transparent as possible and are announcing these plans at the earliest possible opportunity so that our employees can prepare for the future," he said.
The bank has already announced plans to cut 2,700 jobs this year and warned at its annual meeting last week that this was "not the end of the story."
Last week RBS chairman Philip Hampton made a strong apology for the bank's mistakes. In not so veiled comments he also laid the blame at the feet of Fred Goodwin, who retired after the government's multi-billion pound bailout last year. Watch consternation at Goodwin's £16 million pension fund »
The size of Goodwin's pension -- estimated at £650,000 ($933,000) a year for life -- has provoked outrage but Hampton indicated that RBS's former boss was now considering taking a voluntary reduction.
In a statement released ahead of the group's AGM Friday, Hampton said the "past was done" and could not be changed.
"Only a tiny minority of staff in RBS were in any way responsible for the major credit market losses we suffered in 2008. It is remarkable that there were only a few hundred people responsible in the relevant segments of our businesses chiefly in the financial centers of London, Amsterdam and New York, most of whom have now left the group.
"I don't think there can be any doubt that the key decision that led RBS to its difficulties was the acquisition of ABN AMRO (Goodwin led the nearly $90 billion purchase). That is the painful reality that we can now do nothing to change."
Hampton said the bank had been embarrassed by a series of stories but it was now time to move on.
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