MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE

It gives me tremendous pleasure to announce that my cousin's daughter, Ashley Chung (a Year 11 Student at Chinese International School in Hong Kong), has just published her first book "Billy and Sophie's Big Environmental Adventures" as part of her personal project for the MYP system adopted by her school and also to raise funds for World Wildlife Fund, Hong Kong.



"Billy and Sophie's Big Environmental Adventure" is a story about the experiences of two young siblings in a whole new world. One night, they go to bed and wake up in an entirely different place where they make new friends and learn about the environment during this exciting adventure. After learning about the perils facing our environment, the siblings return home with renewed vision and new found determination to make a difference to the world in which they live.

This book is the culmination of months of hard work and years of diligence and discipline to chase her dream of becoming an author. As a resident of Hong Kong, Ashley noticed the magnitude of pollution there and also the amount of litter scattered on the streets. That and the realization of other environmental issues such as global warming and extinction of some species of flora and fauna compelled her to play her role in helping to secure a more sustainable future for Mother Earth by raising environmental awareness via her book.

This is what Nicole Wong, Assistant Director (Education) of World Wildlife Fund, Hong Kong had to say about her book:

When I read the first draft of this book, I was touched by Ashley's ardor. "Billy and Sophie's Big Environmental Adventures" introduces environmental issues that we are facing. It covers various aspects of conservation, including the impact of climate change and pollution. More significantly, the story teaches children how they can make a difference in conserving this vast ecosystem through their daily life.

WWF-Hong Kong has long been devoted to the promotion of education for sustainable development and environmental conservation. We believe that the only way to achieve a sustainable future is by working together to conserve this living planet. Children are our hope; by cultivating their appreciation of nature, it will raise environmental awareness in the coming generations. That is also the ultimate aim of this story book.

Proceeds from the sale of her books will be donated to World Wildlife Fund, Hong Kong. The book was published by Print Plus International Hong Kong and they can be reached at sales@PrintPlus.com.hk

Well done, Ashley! We are very proud of you and wish you every success as you have purposefully made this dream come true. May you continue to write more books and make waves in the literary world!

ANOTHER ELECTION GIMMICK?

The following post was written by DPP who blogs HERE and he shared it in a comment to one of my posts in unplugged so I am reposting it here for more airing. Thanks DPP for sharing.

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Hi MWS

Would appreciate if you gave max publicity to my letter to Mkini published tpday at http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/130103 and titled "Maika share sale an election gimmick?" It might help voters see straight at HS.

"I refer to the Malaysakini report New firm takes over Maika Holdings.

The salient facts about G Gnanalingam's recent offer to buy out all Maika shareholders are as follows:

1. Maika's paid up share capital - RM125 million.

2. Gnanalingam's offer price - RM106 million or RM0.85 per share.

3. Oriental Capital Assurance Bhd's (Ocab) paid up share capital is RM100 million and as at Dec 31, 2008 it's audited NTA was about RM103 million.

4. Maika's investment in Ocab's share capital is 74.165% or 74,174,640 shares, ie, Maika is Ocab's holding company as it has both more than 51% equity shares and control in Ocab. Maika's CEO Vell Paari a/l Samy Velu also sits on the board of directors of Ocab.

5. Prior to Gnanalingam's buyout proposal, there were two other offers to Maika as follows:

a. RM129 million or $1.75 per share by Salcon

b. RM149 million or $ 2.01 per share by Usaha Tegas, the holding company of tycoon Ananda Krishnan.

The Salcon offer was frozen by a court order taken out by Nesa Cooperative, Maika's single largest shareholder who had objected on the grounds that Maika's 74% investment in Ocab had not been independently valued.

Nesa had recommended the investment in Ocab be sold by open tender. Nesa also revealed there were two other parties interested in acquiring Ocab's shares, one from Europe and another from Australia.

As to the RM149 million offer by Usaha Tegas, apparently Maika rejected this offer as it could not accept certain pre-conditions insisted upon by Usaha Tegas. What these pre-conditions were have not been revealed by Maika's directors.

In the light of the above, I demand the board of directors of Maika explain:

1. Why do they think Gnanalingam's offer of RM106 million is suddenly acceptable to them when they unequivocally know there are local market players in the insurance business and foreign parties who are willing to pay more?

2. Why are they unwilling to offer the Maika or Ocab shares for sale by open tender with a reserve price of say, RM150 million, given the Usaga Tegas offer? If as Gnanalingam says, Maika's debts are RM30 million, the net minimum proceeds of RM120 million would be a fair and handsome reward to Maika's shareholders who for some 20 years have received no dividends while there was a period when their CEO was paid a remuneration of RM15,000 per month.

As to Gnanalingam being quoted as saying he's doing 'national service', he contradicts it by saying he will need six months to find another financier which suggests he is looking at flipping the Maika/Ocab shares for a quick gain. So much for national service.

Financiers may do charity work and make sizeable donations from their profits and gains, but their natural predatory instincts mean they will always squeeze out the juicy bits of the best deals for themselves.

It seems clear to me, and for the matter any sane person, that the Maika/Ocab shares are worth a hell of a lot more than Gnanalingam's RM106 million offer.

The RM64,000 question is why Samy Vellu, Vel Paari and the Maika board of directors appear to be not interested in maximising returns to their long-suffering shareholders which include themselves by supporting the lowest offer?

Is there a deal behind the deal?"

Thank you.

dpp
we are all of 1 race, the Human Race

THE END OF A LONG BATTLE

It was with much sadness and a broken heart that I read the following article from New Scientist HERE by Kate MacAlpine about the decades-long tug of war between environmental and indigenous groups on one hand and the Brazilian government on the other when a Brazilian energy consortium won the right to build what will become the world's third-largest dam.

Almost 27 years ago, I worked as a writer with Friends of the Earth and from then, I have always had a love for the environment. I have blogged about quite a number of environmental issues in this blog. In Malaysia, particularly in Sarawak, there are similar issues faced by many because of the construction of dams. We have only one planet and at the rate things are going downhill, we may not have much a planet to leave to the next generation. When will man learn that the environment is of MORE value than money?

Do read the following article and please leave a comment if you wish to share your thoughts and views. Thanks! Have a nice day!

EXTRACTED FROM HERE:

The controversial Belo Monte dam on the Xingu river in the Brazilian Amazon, a tributary of the Amazon, could power as many as 23 million homes. But since its proposal 20 years ago, it has been the subject of a vitriolic dispute with the government on one side and indigenous people and green groups on the other.

The latter say it would flood 500 square kilometres of farms and rainforest and prevent the migration of fish that are a major food source for 800 indigenous communities. CLICK HERE for more.