Beware & Protect Yourself 01 (May 08 - Dec 08)

[winston]

Investors complain they were 'misled'

Investors of Lehman Brothers Hong Kong structured products have filed complaints to the Securities and Futures Commission alleging they might have been misled by distributing banks on terms of protection of those products.

"The distribution bank has indicated I could get back part of the investment should there be any default," a retail investor who filed the complaint told media today.

She said she has had no reply from her distribution bank so far.

SFC confirmed it has received complaints and is looking into the matter.

According to government estimate, total worth of outstanding Lehman warrants is about HK$35 million, but the money involved in structured products would be even larger.

Structured products include mini-bonds, equity-linked products, accumulators etc.

[KimHuat]

The best advice is to buy something one knows or feels comfortable, despite of all the nice sales talk even by very prominent companies, unless one has spare money to throw around.

[winston]

"White Rabbit Creamy Candy" from China also tainted with melamine
Posted: 21 September 2008 2004 hrs

• Hong Kong girl falls ill after drinking Chinese milk powder
• Japan recalls buns as China's milk crisis spreads
• Two fall sick after eating Chinese bean paste in Japan
• Starbucks stops serving milk as China crisis snowballs

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) says its latest laboratory findings show that the "White Rabbit Creamy Candy" from China is also contaminated with melamine.

It advises consumers who have bought the affected product not to consume them.

The latest test results bring the total number of milk and related products from China imported into Singapore that are found to be contaminated with melamine to three.

The other two affected products are "Yili Brand" Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection" and "Dutch Lady" brand of strawberry flavoured milk.

All the affected products have been recalled earlier.

Since September 19, AVA has suspended the import and sale of all milk and milk products from China.

These products include milk, ice-cream, yoghurt, confectionery such as chocolates, biscuits and sweets as well as any other products containing milk from China as an ingredient.

Retailers and importers have been instructed to recall these products and withhold them from sale.

As a precaution, consumers are also advised not to consume any milk or milk products from China.

AVA says it will not hesitate to prosecute any retailer or importer who fails to remove these products from their shelves.

Under the Sale of Food Act, anyone found selling unwholesome food can be fined up to $10,000 and/or sentenced to three months' jail, or both.

Consumers who have any queries can call AVA's hotline at 6325-7625 during office hours (8.30am-6pm, Monday-Friday).

- CNA/ir

[mojo_]

"White Rabbit Creamy Candy" from China also tainted with melamine

Have eaten this only several times way back when. The last time was about 2+ years ago and the candy had turned from it's usual creamy and soft state to rock hard (every single one of them), so I threw the whole batch away and never bought it since. I wonder if that marked the beginning of the addition of melamine to the candy

Nowadays ANY food item that has ingredients from China, I won't touch with a 10-foot pole..

[winston]

BURUNDANGA

A man came over and offered his services as a painter to a female putting gas in her car and left his card. She said no ,but accepted his card out of kindness and got in the car.The man then got into a car driven by another gentleman. As the lady left the service station, she saw the men following her out of the station at the same time.

Almost immediately, she started to feel dizzy and could not catch her breath. She tried to open the window and realized that the odor was on her hand; the same hand which accepted the card from the gentleman at the gas station.

She then noticed the men wereimmediately behind her and she felt she needed to do something at that moment. She drove into the first driveway and began to honk her horn repeatedly to ask for help.The men drove away but the lady still felt pretty bad for severalminutes after she could finally catch her breath. Apparently,there was a substance on the card that could have seriously injured her.

This drug is called 'BURUNDANGA' and it is used by people who wish to incapacitate a victim in orderto steal from or take advantage of them.

This drug is four times more dangerous than the date rape drug and is transferable on simple cards.

So take heed and make sureyou don't accept cards at any given time alone or from someone on the streets. This applies to those making house calls and slipping you a card when they offer their services .

[kennynah]

wow...this is dangerous...especially for women... maybe now onwards, people must start wearing rubber gloves...

for men...i guess....some may have been waiting for this opportunity to receive from women...hahahaha...

[blid2def]

Ahem.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/crime/a/burundanga.htm

[winston]

Passengers, this is your captain sleeping
Thursday, September 25, 2008

Two pilots for Hawaii's Go airlines who slept through most of a 45-minute flight have completed suspensions.
The pair dozed off between Honolulu and Hilo, Hawaii, with 40 passengers on board. Frantic air traffic controllers managed to awaken them in time to land safely.

Captain Scott Oltmann, 54, and first officer Dillon Shepley, 24, were fired by Go. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman didn't know if they were flying again.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

[winston]

Five more China-made products tainted: Singapore

Singapore has found the potentially deadly chemical melamine in five more milk products imported from China, officials said.

Two are flavoured milks and three are confectioneries containing milk powder, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore said.

The agency said the public "need not be unduly concerned'' over the latest findings because it has suspended the import and sale of all milk and milk products from China since last Friday.

The AVA said the latest products found to contain melamine are: Dutch Lady banana-flavoured milk, Dutch Lady honeydew flavoured milk, Silang House of Steamed Potato potato cracker, and a brand of puffed rice rolls in butter corn and cheese flavours.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

[winston]

Taiwan orders 160 China-linked goods off shelves

Taiwan began removing 160 products containing Chinese milk and vegetable-based proteins from store shelves, a senior health official said.

The announcement by Department of Health Vice Minister Sung Yen-jen is Taiwan's toughest response yet to the escalating tainted China milk crisis.

In a related move, the department said it would raise its cap for acceptable levels of melamine -- the industrial chemical at the heart of the crisis -- in milk-related drinks, including coffee creamer. That move would exempt some melamine-tainted products from government scrutiny, providing a boost to retailers.

ASSOCIATED PRESS