Beware & Protect Yourself 02 (Jan 09 - Aug 10)

[winston]

China has suspect in Japan tainted dumplings case

China says suspect detained in tainted dumplings scare that sickened 10 in Japan

China has detained a man suspected of poisoning frozen dumplings that sickened at least 10 people in Japan two years ago, which caused a food safety scare in a key export market and further hurt foreign confidence in Chinese products.

The news contradicts Chinese authorities' earlier findings that there was little chance the dumplings were poisoned with pesticide in China.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency, citing a Ministry of Public Security statement, reported late Friday that a temporary employee at a food plant in northern China is suspected of tainting the dumplings out of revenge because he was unhappy with his pay and some of his colleagues.

The statement said 36-year-old Lu Yueting had confessed and that police had found injectors he used to poison the dumplings, Xinhua reported.

"Japan will continue its cooperation with China on this matter. We hope to see an early resolution to the case," Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said in a statement Saturday.

Traces of methamidophos, an insecticide banned in Japan, were found in the dumplings, on the packaging and in the vomit of the people who were sickened in December 2007 and January 2008 after eating two separate brands of dumplings made at a factory in northern China's Hebei province.

At the time, a top criminal investigator at the Ministry of Public Security announced that an investigation had turned up nothing unusual at the Tianyang Food Processing Ltd. factory, while Japanese police believed the dumplings had not been poisoned in Japan. Japan's Kyodo News agency reported that National Police Agency chief Hiroto Yoshimura was displeased with China's response.

The poisoned dumplings led to a food-safety scare in Japan and hurt Beijing's efforts to improve foreign consumer confidence in its exports after a series of food and product safety scandals.

China's food exports to Japan plunged 30 percent shortly after the poisonings. Japan is the third-largest market for Chinese exporters of fish, dumplings and other processed food.

The new statement on Lu's detention could not be found on the public security ministry's Web site Saturday morning, and phones at the ministry rang unanswered.

___

Associated Press Writer Shino Yuasa in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Source: AP News

[winston]

Received an email on this:-

Microwaved water

A 26-year old decided to have a cup of coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before).

I am not sure how long he set the timer for, but he told me he wanted to bring the water to a boil...

When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven. As he looked into the cup, he noted that the water was not boiling, but instantly the water in the cup 'blew up' into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand but all the water had flown out into his face due to the build up of energy.

His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face, which may leave scarring. He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye.

While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this is fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven.... If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as: a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc. It is however a much safer choice to boil the water in a tea kettle.


General Electric's (GE) response:

Thanks for contacting us. I will be happy to assist you.

The e-mail that you received is correct. Microwaved water and other liquids do not always bubble when they reach the boiling point. They can actually get superheated and not bubble at all.

The superheated liquid will bubble up out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a spoon or tea bag is put into it.

[kennynah]

i've heard this before.... heated molecules gains additional kinetic energy when shaken... dont play play...

[iam802]

The challenges of investing overseas (be it property, stocks etc).

-----------
Brit accused of B217m land swindle
Phuket holiday units 'have not been built'

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/ ... nd-swindle

The British chief executive officer of a Phuket-based property developer is facing fraud charges after being accused of operating an elaborate scam involving more than 200 million baht.

Crime Suppression Division police yesterday arrested Steven James Granville, 43, the CEO of Puravarna Resorts Co, and charged him with fraud. He was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court.

The company runs a property development business in tambon Rawai in Phuket's Muang district.

The arrest came after Anand Kumar Sen, managing director of Tycoon Group Co, filed a complaint with the CSD last May accusing Mr Granville of deceiving people into paying for residential units which have not been built.

Mr Anand, a Singapore national, represents 19 customers of various nationalities who are the damaged parties. He said the total damage amounted to more than 217 million baht. (<<< 802 : that will be around SG$9M)

Mr Anand said the people he represented had signed agreements to buy suites priced between 6 million and 15 million baht at the company's luxury resort project.

The company had advertised the project in the media and organised events in countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Britain and Australia to attract customers to buy the units.

The company said the project was releasing more than 70 residential units as part of its second phase.

The company had promised the project, which began in 2005, would be completed on schedule in 2008, Mr Anand said.

He said the buyers had paid installments equal to more than 80 per cent of the price before learning construction had not started on the project.

The company cited flooding, financial difficulties and political problems as the causes of the delay, Mr Anand said.

He said the customers had found the residential project was not permitted by Phuket authorities.

The buyers believe they have been duped by the company and authorised him to file the lawsuit against the company, Mr Anand said.

The victims of the alleged scam include people of different nationalities and executives of Tiger Beer in Singapore, Mr Anand said.

Mr Granville has denied the allegations.

Police said they were gathering evidence to take action against other suspects involved in the alleged scam.

The Criminal Court yesterday set bail of 10 million baht which Mr Granville refused to pay.

[kennynah]

i relate a real case that happened to a friend...

he married a malaysian wife whose parents stay in KL...

in 2006/7 period, he invested in 2 properties in KL.

one property was fully built, which they rented to a expatriate employee who was posted to his KL office. initially everything was fine. monthly rental payment was prompt. after about 1 year, the rental payment started to get delayed. my friend had to chase for rentals and eventually, after a few months, this fella wasn't contactable. they lodged a police report and went to his office. they were told that that employee no longer works for them. but not wanting further embarrassment, the CEO of the firm produced a cheque for the rental arrears. this matter then came to a close as such... still, it was problematic.

2nd property...this one lagi jialat... it was under development when they purchased it... 1/2 way thru the construction, the developer declared they no longer have money to continue and suggested that buyers top up before they continue building or they will simply abandon the project... meanwhile, during this several months of stoppage, the banks continue to charge interests on the loan and monthly installment payments still have to be made. the banks couldnt be concerned with the sudden stoppage of the building development, while the developer couldnt be bothered with the financial sufferings of the buyers.... in the end, it was a stand off... i didnt ask him what happened after that...this was some 2 years ago...

the Chinese have a saying

山高皇帝远

the mountain so high and the emperor so far away.... what happens here, how to monitor and control?

[millionairemind]

I am quite amazed that after all these years with the media reporting on these fly by night timeshare outfits, there are still people falling for it...

I guess humans never change.

Apr 10, 2010
Case alert on timeshare firm
Watchdog sends warning about Worldex after getting complaints from 137 customers
By Tessa Wong

A COMPANY offering to buy timeshare memberships has been red-flagged by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case).

A total of 137 customers have filed complaints about Worldex since it was set up in November 2008. This prompted Case to send a warning to its members through its electronic newsletter two weeks ago about Worldex's practices.

Some of the questionable ones include offering to buy over timeshare contracts from clients on the condition they wait for 30 or 60 years before receiving their payout from Worldex, plus profit. Some customers were allegedly also made to pay extra 'consultation fees' of several hundred dollars when they attended presentations at Worldex's office.

[winston]

Death toll from contagious disease in China doubles

Forty children in China died from the highly contagious hand, foot and mouth disease in March, almost doubling the death toll in the previous two months, state media reported.

The disease, which is especially harmful to young children, also infected over 77,750 people last month, prompting calls to boost efforts to control the spread of the illness in China, the official Xinhua news agency said.

"Spring and summer are a peak period for infectious diseases," Vice Premier Li Keqiang was quoted as saying.

"Preventing and controlling various infectious diseases such as the hand, foot and mouth disease is a key task."

In January and February this year, 17 people died of the disease and a further 61,429 were infected, according to official figures. By way of comparison, 353 were killed last year by the illness.

An outbreak of the disease has been reported in provinces and regions in south, central, north and eastern China, the report said late Friday.

The illness, which is common in China, causes fever, blister-like eruptions in the mouth and skin rashes. It can be fatal in children because their immune systems are immature.

Source: AFP Global Edition

[millionairemind]

Apr 23, 2010
Beware iPad offer e-mail
By Koh Hui Theng

IPAD fans, beware. Even before the tech world's darling of the moment officially comes to Singapore, an e-mail is making the rounds, claiming people can get their hands on the device - as long as they take part in the product review.

The scam directs recipients to the website Testitandkeepit.com to be product testers. They get to keep the device as a reward.

The catch: Interested parties have to provide their e-mail address and password to 'tell your friends', who could then become victims too.

Some companies in Singapore have circulated internal memos warning staff about the scam. my paper said on Wednesday that at least 4,000 consumers here have made pre-orders for the iPad with Apple retailer Epicentre.

Eager beavers can also choose to fork over $1,600 for the device at parallel import stores in Lucky Plaza and Sim Lim Square. The same version costs US$499 (S$700) in the US.

So remember the old adage - if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

[kennynah]

Eager beavers can also choose to fork over $1,600 for the device at parallel import stores in Lucky Plaza and Sim Lim Square. The same version costs US$499 (S$700) in the US.

this is the part where i say...they deserve it... for their foolishness....

[winston]

Indoor Air Pollution

If you live in Los Angeles, Detroit, Cairo, or Delhi, air pollution is an unavoidable factor in your overall health picture.

But if you live in Jackson Hole or Montpelier, or some other relatively pristine spot, believe it or not, air pollution is probably still a key health factor.

How can that be? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air can be as much as FIVE TIMES more polluted than outdoor air.

For example...

When researchers tested lung function and urine samples in more than 160 subjects over the age of 60 who were living at home, they linked impaired lung function with high urine levels of two volatile organic compounds (VOC): toluene and xylene.

VOCs are chemicals emitted as gasses. And many household products emit VOCs.

Toluene is a very common VOC used in fingernail polish, adhesives, paints, paint thinners, lacquers, and rubber.

Xylene is a toxic petroleum byproduct that's used in many air fresheners. That's right--air fresheners.

Xylene has also been associated with headaches and increased risk of cognitive impairment.

The solution? First, get rid of the air fresheners. They don't "freshen" anything.

Second, get rid of household products that contain VOCs. And if you can't get rid of them, use them with great care (and a protective face mask).

Source: HSI