Tasmanians Impressed with Sarawakians Logging Practice

The logjam incident caused a bad name to the Sarawak timber industry.  'They' claimed that we are not ethical in managing our resources especially the logging activity. 

 

Here we have the Tasmanian coming up to see for themselves if we managed our forest badly.  

To my surprise, they were impressed with our forest management and logging practice.  Below is the report published in the local newspapers.

 

Tasmanian govt on mission to Sarawak
Utusan Borneo
by Zoee Hillson. Posted on October 19, 2010, Tuesday

KUCHING: The Tasmanian government is on a fact-finding mission as part of an effort to refute allegations by environmentalist against Ta Ann Holdings Berhad’s operations in the Tasmania, Australia.

FACT FINDING: Harriss (right) in a discussion with Awang Tengah (centre) and Len Talif after the courtesy call at Wisma Sumber Alam.

Member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council Andrew Paul Harriss said yesterday that allegations by some environmental groups against Ta Ann were scathing and unreasonable.

He also said the allegations were damaging to Ta Ann and the state’s timber industry as a whole.

“It’s fair to say that some environmental groups in Tasmania have been unreasonable and too critical of Ta Ann and they have tried to bring that back to forest practices in Sarawak.

“We seek to rebut that allegation based on proper information gathering and proper technical assessment,” he said when met by reporters after paying a courtesy call on Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan at Wisma Sumber Alam here.

Harriss added that this was his third visit to the state to gain an insight intoTa Ann’s credibility and performance.

“So, we have a delegation here to understand exactly what Ta Ann logging practices are like in Sarawak and also the broader operation industry in Sarawak,” Harriss said.

“Ta Ann is a credible organisation and an organisation of integrity. I’m satisfied with that and this trip is just an upgrading of knowledge on the ongoing operations.

“We are satisfied with Ta Ann’s operations in the past and the information we gather this time confirms that satisfaction.”

He said they were very impressed with Ta Ann’s operations in Tasmania and added that the forest industry was the state’s fundamental economic driver.

“They’re employing many Tasmanians in the local community and 10 per cent of our total workforce in Tasmania is employed in the forest industry operations,” Harriss said.

He also said Tasmania was opening a wide opportunity for the forest industry operators from around the world, including from Sarawak.

VicForests director Robert Patrick Smith, Ta Ann Tasmania director David Riley and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) chief executive officer Datu Len Talif Salleh were also present during the courtesy call.

 

 

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iPad Get Extra Solid Touch

SolidMicro’s New iPad Battery/Case

SolidMicro Co have announced a new large-capacity iPad case-cum-external battery to be available for preorder starting today. It’s a full cover that protects the iPad from scratches and some drops, has a 6000mAh battery (2.4 times the size of the one onboard the iPad!), and has as miniscule a profile as possible in order to preserve the sleek look of your Apple device.

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Hackers Threat Growing in Britain

Terrorism and cyber attacks are key threats to Britain, 
Britain faces an increased threat from terrorism, cyber attack and small-scale wars, a National Security Strategy will say.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent
Published: 7:00AM BST 18 Oct 2010

The document will also highlight the threat from cyber attacks on government infrastructure Photo: CLARE KENDALL


The security and intelligence services and counter-terrorism police are to escape major cuts in this week’s public spending review due to the threats.


The strategy is a key precursor for the Strategic Defence and Security Review, to be published tomorrow, which will explain how Britain will defend itself against such attacks.

It will also form the basis for spending decisions to be announced this week, including a £500 million boost to cyber defence, sources told The Daily Telegraph.

“The security strategy will look at the issues we are going to face in coming years and the spending review will look at how to deliver that,” one source said. The security strategy is expected to outline four key threats to Britain.

The primary threat remains al-Qaeda in Pakistan and its associates in Somalia, Yemen and North Africa, who continue to plan attacks against targets in Britain, the security strategy will say.

That is likely to mean that MI5, MI6, GCHQ and the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism command will escape the worst of the cuts. But the document will also highlight the threat from cyber attacks on government infrastructure.

While not naming individual states, GCHQ, which is responsible for cyber defence, has been concerned for some time that states such as China and Russia are unlikely to use conventional or nuclear weapons in an attack on Britain and are more likely to attempt to shut down essential systems used to run the country.

Similar attacks have been seen when Russia has been in disputes with Estonia and Georgia, leading to problems with their internet and even cash machines.

A third risk that will be highlighted is the threat of small-scale wars in foreign countries that may escalate out of control, drawing in neighbouring countries and creating havens for terrorists.

That threat is likely to have a major bearing on the defence review tomorrow, which is likely to emphasise the need for mobile forces involving a combination of aircraft carriers and special forces.

The fourth element will be the risk from natural disasters such as pandemic flu, where strategies have been developed over recent years.

Iain Lobban, the head of GCHQ, said in a speech last week that the Government was receiving 20,000 malicious emails a month, of which 1,000 were deliberate attacks.

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Root Your Droid using SuperOneClick Rooter!

DROID one-click rooter, SuperOneClick

by Matthew Billy on October 15, 2010

If you’re a Droid user, you are most likely familiar with the various “one-click” rooting tools we have had come and go. SuperOneClick is now the latest and greatest rooting method for Android phones. The program essentially works via adb-commands, without having the Android SDK installed. So what makes this any differen’t from the other one-clicks? Unlike the others, any Windows user can run this quick root and there needs to be no knowledge of SDKs. I have tested it out on my DROID 1, as well as DROID X, and it has worked great!

Do you want to try this method out for yourself? Follow the break to droid-life’s step by step guide.

Basic Instructions:
(Remember, Everythingandroid.org, and it’s writers are not responsible for any damage that could occur to your phone from following the instructions in this article.)
1.  Download the latest SuperOneClick.zip file to your Windows computer.  Find it here.
2.  Extract the files from the .zip file into a new folder on your PC.
3.  Plug your phone in to your PC and turn on USB debugging.
Settings>Applications>Development>USB Debugging
4.  Open the folder with the SuperOneClick contents and double click “SuperOneClick.exe”.
5.  Allow the process to run and enjoy being rooted.

If you have any questions, comments, or problems with this root method, let us know below!

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4G Signal in Malaysia!

October 15, 2010 10:07 AM

Only Nine Telcos Get 4G Apparatus Assignments For Time Being, Says MCMC 

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah

CYBERJAYA, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- The government has not assigned the 4G spectrum to any telecommunication company as yet but had merely given apparatus assignments (AA) to nine telcos to pave the way for the early adoption of the long-term evolution (LTE) or 4G technology mobile services, said Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Chairman Tan Sri Khalid Ramli.

 

Citing that there was a difference between AA and Spectrum Assignments (SA), he said MCMC only awarded the AA for them to use the 2600MHz spectrum band to roll out their 4G wireless broadband services and had not given them the Spectrum Assignment (SA).

"The decision to award to the nine telcos was made after a lengthy consultative and deliberation process with various technical groups which started about two years ago. It was not something which was done a month ago," he told Bernama.

Khalid said the nine telcos, which had been picked based on their experience, technological capability in promoting innovation and financial strength, had been asked to submit detailed business plans by year-end on what they planned to do.

An apparatus assignment confers rights on a company to use the spectrum to operate a network facility of a specified kind at a specified frequency or in any specified frequency band or bands.

4G, which refers to the fourth generation of cellular wireless technology standards, is the successor to 3G and 2G families of standards. 4G technology can deliver 100 Mbps or megabits per second, which allows a music album to be downloaded as fast as five seconds or an hour-long TV show in about 30 seconds.

The companies that had been awarded the AA by MCMC include existing 3G and WiMAX players, and a new entrant. They are Celcom Axiata Berhad, Maxis Broadband Sdn Bhd, DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, U-Mobile Sdn Bhd, Asiaspace Sdn Bhd, Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd, RedTone Marketing Sdn Bhd, YTL Communications Sdn Bhd and Puncak Semangat Sdn Bhd.

Khalid said MCMC may award the SA if it was satisfied with the business plan and service readiness of the telcos in installing their equipment and services.

These companies were also required to pay annual fees to MCMC in order to use the AA to roll out their 4G services and would not receive grants of any kind from MCMC or from the Universal Service Provision (USP) Fund, which was specifically for developing communications facilities in the rural areas, he explained.

"If they want a piece of action, they will actually have to pay for it," he said, adding that the government would consider giving the SA later on if they could prove their capability.

"We may decide on that later on. In the past, we did allocate the spectrum at a much higher fee. This stage hasn't come as yet (for 4G)," he said in likening MCMC as the regulator and custodian of the Malaysian spectrum.

Khalid also said the government may decide to take back the spectrum if some companies did not perform up to expectations.

Asked why MCMC had decided to award the AA to nine telcos instead of only few like the current market leaders in the country, for example, Khalid said this was based on the need for greater transparency and competition.

Under the provisions of the Communication and Multimedia Act, he said MCMC had to act for the long-term benefit of end-users while taking on a technology-neutral approach.

On why MCMC was initiating 4G technology now while some telcos had yet to provide the full range of 3G or WiMAX technology services, Khalid explained that the regulator was planning for the future.

At certain times in Kuala Lumpur, network congestion occurred due to sharp demand and MCMC had to start work on 4G now to avoid a breakdown in services later, he said.

"It is time to migrate to something better," he stressed.

-- BERNAMA

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PAS Youth Slaps Anwar Without Condoms On?!!

PAS extremist begins their attack on 'gay'.  Is this the true colors for PAS? All this while there are supporting Gay Party which is the Parti Keadilan Rakyat?  Suddenly, they channeled their anger towards Adam Lambert? Is it because they cannot tolerate anymore when all this while ,allegations and police reports were being made accusing Anwar Ibrahim, which is PAS allied for Pakatan Rakyat being 'gay'.  In fact, the correct term is it bi-sexual?

Earlier today, many papers reported that Anwar did not use condoms when sodomising his assistant,  In one case, he sodomised the poor chap for the eighth times without using any condoms at all?  Is he trying to promote HIV? When he himself knows that gay sexual behaviour will encourage more HIV among the party members?

Why is the PAS Youth only concerns about Adam Lambert who by rights practices safe sex when they  could ignore Anwar's immoral practice?  PAS should re-evaluate their partnership with PKR since all evidence pointed towards Anwar being gay!!!

However, one could even say that maybe PAS loves it from behind!!!?

PAS objects to Adam Lambert concert

October 14, 2010


KUALA LUMPUR, – PAS today demanded that authorities cancel a planned concert by US glam rocker Adam Lambert that they say is promoting “gay culture” in the mainly Muslim country.


PAS has also threatened to call “as many of its members and supporters” to proselytise to concert-goers if the performance by the former “American Idol” runner-up goes ahead on Thursday, a party official said.


“Adam Lambert’s shows... are outrageous, with lewd dancing and a gay performance that includes kissing male dancers, this is not good for people in our country,” said PAS Youth leader Nasrudin Hasan. Homosexual sex is a criminal offence in Malaysia.


PAS is Malaysia’s second-largest political party with close to a million members and is a partner in a rainbow opposition grouping led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.


Foreign acts often draw protests from PAS, which since 2007 has campaigned against performances by singers including Beyonce, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne and Mariah Carey.

Police in May broke up a demonstration by Islamists including PAS supporters protesting against a concert by US rapper Pitbull, underscoring a deepening tide of Islamic conservatism in the country.

An official from the Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry was reported saying that the singer had signed a contract agreeing to abide by the ministry’s rules on performances, which can require foreign performers to tone down their acts to suit local sensibilities. – Reuters

 

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DAP Sibu behind the Logjam Disaster?

‘Logjam a man-made disaster’

by Peter Sibon. Posted on October 14, 2010, Thursday

KAPIT: Land Development Minister Dato Sri Dr James Jemut Masing has declared the recent logjam that clogged the Baleh and Rajang rivers a “man-made disaster”.

SABOTAGE: Is DAP behind all this un-natural event?

Masing warns of more such river destructions if uncontrolled logging unchecked

He said ecological devastation at Ulu Melatai, one of the tributaries of Baleh River, could be the main contributor to last week’s disaster.

However, the Baleh assemblyman said the Baleh River’s other tributaries could also have contributed to the devastation.

Baleh River has at least 10 tributaries similar to Ulu Melatai, such as Seranai and Entuloh.

“It is a man-made ecological disaster. It created a mud pool, which completely wiped out the flora and fauna in the area. This includes animals and fish,” Masing told The Borneo Post after a site visit to Ulu Melatai yesterday.

Ulu Melatai is located some 100km southeast of Kapit town and is very close to the Kalimantan border.

With Masing were political secretary to the Chief Minister Angeline Umis, Kapit District Officer Simon Japut Tiok and Kapit district councillor Tan Kian Hoo.

Masing attributed the devastation at Ulu Melatai to extensive logging with little or no control by the authorities.

“It is as if the loggers are in a hurry to clear the whole area above the proposed Baleh hydroelectric power dam, which is currently under feasibility studies,” he said.

He warned that more similar incidents could happen again if such manner of logging was allowed to continue.

Besides, he said, the soil along the Baleh tributaries was loose and heavily churned up by logging activities, which could easily turn into mudslides by prolonged heavy rain.

While the government’s policy on forest management was very clear, he said, greater implementation and enforcement were needed.

“I would like to urge the big boys to stop sub-contracting the jobs to others to prevent illegal logging and gangsterism in the area,” he said, adding that no such incident occurred when large companies operated in the area over the last three decades.

He added that this was the third such incident to happen at Baleh River, causing havoc to the local community.

The first was recorded in 2008 at Sg Ga’at, while last year a similar incident happened at Sg Tutoh.

According to him, the upper reaches of Baleh River are a very hilly and rugged terrain, making logging very dangerous. In a related incident, two people reportedly died in that area when the bridge was swept by the mudslide.

Both bodies have been found.

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