OutSyed The Box

Beware Ostat Awang Bin Ringgit
Saudi America - I Told You So
Lagu Tema Untuk Pakatan Rakyat

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 09:04 PM PST

Have you received this type of sms before :

"Aslkm. Inshaa Allah ustaz dan rakan2 akan ke (Sabah) pada xx/yy ini untuk kembara dakwah dan kebajikan. Jika sahabat2 yang ingin membantu untuk menyumbang keperluan beras sekilo RMx.xx atau gula RMy.yy sekilo atau tepung RMz.zz sekilo untuk di agihkan di Sabah maklumkan kepada saya atau bank-in ke akaun Bank Islam xx 0x0 xxx 2xxxxx. Sebarkan ...Ustaz Awang bin Ringgit."

I received this via sms from a friend who is a bit sceptical about these folks collecting money. No money no religion remember?

My question is isnt it illegal to collect money from people openly like this (boleh bank-in ke akaun sekali)? Bank Negara tak ada komen ke? Atau nak tumpang pahala ostat kutip duit kut?

Of course many people are quick to open their wallets and give money to these kutip duit fellows. But how do you know how much of every Ringgit really goes to the recipients and how much goes to the ostat's own pocket, his travel expenses, his hotel and food. Plus any shopping and sight seeing he may indulge in?

And who exactly are the recipients?

This is the same Modus Operandi used by the Mat Salleh United Nations, the Mat Salleh NGO, Save the Whales, Save the Orang Utans and other conmen. The bulk of the moneys they collect go to them first. The left overs go to the orang utan. The orang utan does not know how much money has been collected.

Just ask any NGO Mat Salleh or UN Aid Mat Salleh how much of their own personal salary goes to help the poor they are supposedly championing? None. Collecting money from unsuspecting folks like you is easy.

Its a thrill doing our own charity. Sikit-sikit pun takpe. Feed the orphans - one at a time pun takpe. Especially if we cook, sit and eat with them.

Saudi America - I Told You So

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 01:57 PM PST

Just a couple of days ago I was talking about the precarious situation (macam telur di hujung tanduk) of the Muslims around the world. I mentioned that Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and our country are very dependent on oil wealth to fund much of our standard of living. Unfortunately a lot of this spending does not go towards generating new wealth. In other words we are wasting our resources. Hence I used the phrase 'burning' our oil wealth.

I want to digress a little here. Many of the things I say here are nothing new. I look around, I read stuff, I listen, I talk to people and I see that plenty of other people say the same things that I say. Sometimes I have said somethings before others, sometimes other people have said the same things before me. More important are the observations and the thought processes that lead to us saying whatever we say. So I am not the only one who observes these things or ends up saying the things that I say. Meaning I am not alone. Meaning I am not a cuckoo.

Just yesterday in The Star I read this article : A strategic game-changer. The article says exactly what I have been warning about - there is going to be a dramatic change in the dynamics of the world energy industry (the oil industry). Please click on the link above and read the whole article. It is not very long. Here is my usual point form summary.

SEISMIC shift under way in global affairs.
upset "centre of gravity" of world economy two decades from now.
International Energy Agency predicts by 2020 US world's largest oil producer
(US) complete energy independence by 2030.
US production 23 million barrels a day (MMbd) in 10 years from 10.3 MMbd
After 2005 (oil) imports in US declined a full 10% (from 55% to 45% currently).
Saudi Arabia accounted for 14% of US imports in 2011.
Middle East accounted for 22% - down by 25% since 2005.
large domestic production gains, particularly in shale oil.
innovation in oil drilling such as "hydraulic fracturing" (or "fracking")
opening of off-limit geologically - Alaska and Gulf of Mexico
elimination of imported energy a "strategic game-changer".
Wall Street Journal headline "Saudi America" in its Nov 12, 2012, Asian edition
reduced geopolitical risk trigger (drop) in oil price US$20 / $30 a barrel.
heavy toll on Middle Eastern oil producers.
these countries "pump-priming" to create jobs and provide social safety nets.
loss of oil income devastating blow to their economies
fascinating global energy landscape unfolding

So you see it is going to happen. There may also be more 'game changer' technological and scientific breakthroughs which may reduce the consumption of oil. This may happen earlier in say the automobile industry.

Because of the simple laws of physics you will still need exactly the same amount of energy to move a 1 tonne automobile with four passengers at 110km/hr from Point A to Point B. Whether it is a petrol fired car, electric car or hybrid combination of the two, this energy equation will not change.

What will and has changed are the efficiencies of more fully utilising the latent energy in each litre or gallon of fuel. This is where the new metallurgy and new engine technologies, the hybrids and the new Tesla electric cars are perhaps pushing the envelope.

Modern Mercedes Benz, BMWs and other marques are making smaller engines which can produce more power per engine capacity. Engine sizes shrink and car weight also decreases which reduce the need for more fuel.

All these things do add up. And now with the American shift to be independent of oil imports it will further dampen world oil prices - as the article says.

The only bright spark I see for oil is China. The growth of the Chinese economy may take up any slack in oil prices caused by the US. But in a few years the Chinese (from nowhere) are going to be the largest producers of alternative energy, particularly wind driven energy.

Here is a picture of a giant Chinese wind farm in Xinjiang in Western China. The Chinese already produce over 44 GIGAWATTS of electricity from wind turbines alone. (Our entire electricity production in Malaysia is under 20 Gigawatts. Our consumption is about 15 Gigawatts). 1 Gigawatt = 1000 megawatts.