Who Is Yu Heng?

Well, for once my banner has eclipsed my "Malaysia Finance" tag line, and for good reason, the poster is for promoting a showcase concert for a true blue Malaysian singer songwriter, Yu Heng (pronounced as "Yue Herng"). If you have not heard of her, well, take it from me, you are looking at a future superstar. Earlier in her career, she was under a Taiwan label, but sadly was mis-managed and had to spend two years in Beijing doing nothing, but she confessed that she did write a lot of songs during her enforced period in Beijing.



Her songwriting ability is exceptional, in fact she has written hit songs for many, including Liang Jing Ru (Fish Leong). After the debacle with her previous label, she had to do it all again from afresh, starting her own production company, her own label. 

If you talk about Malaysian singers who have made it big in Taiwan, there is Kuan Liang, Ping Kuan, Fish Leong, Penny Tai... to name a few .. seriously, I think Yu Heng is more talented than most of them. Her songwriting skills is the thing that will eventually allow her to shine. I sincerely believe she will find greater recognition than Tanya Chua and maybe on par with Stefanie Sun. Her voice is solid.


Funny thing is that though she is a very lovely looking girl but never wants to promote her career through her looks. Look at her concert poster! Just have a listen to her songs from her latest album from the links below and be blown away.


http://www.reverbnation.com/iyuheng


http://www.facebook.com/iyuheng/app_2405167945

OMG, each and every original song is sooo solidly goood ...





Armed with that new album and her barrage of new songs in her inventory for the future, how not to succeed. This showcase will be her last in Malaysia for a while as she will be leaving to live in Taiwan for a long while to chart her career. I don't even need to wish her success cause I know she will be very famous, not just a pretty face.


Do I write as if I know her? Yes, I do know her, and I am so lucky to know her before she is really famous... hope she remembers me later when she makes it.












售票詳情： 

日期：24/03/2012 (六) 
时间：8.00pm-10.00pm 
地点：Celebrities Hall of Music (Suite L-6-3A, SohoKL, Solaris Mont Kiara) 
门票：预售票每张RM 50 (含1杯指定饮料) / 现场票每张RM 60 (不含饮料) 

*凭票入场、自由入席；先到先得、售完为止* 询问热线：28Stage(03-92850282)  

A)购买【预售票】方式： 

凡是想要购买『爱一个人，还是唱一首歌？』宇珩 ‘s LIVE 预售票的朋友，可在2月28日开始透过28Stage订购。只需以下3个简单的步骤，所以你还等什么呢？] 


I. 请将欲订购的入场卷总额 (1张RM50, 2张RM100, 以此类推) 存入以下的银行户口： 

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II. 请 将汇款单据 (Bank In Slip) 或网络转账页面 (Online Transfer Page Print Screen) ，连同你的个人资料（英文姓名、身份证号码&联络电话）电邮到 28Stage 的信箱 28stage@gmail.com，抬头请注明 ［订购：『爱一个人，还是唱一首歌？』宇珩 ‘s LIVE ］ 


III. 28Stage 负责人在收到电邮后，将以电邮回复并提供 门票编号，当天凭身份证既能领取已订购的入场卷。 


B)购买【现场票】方式： 

于3月24日当天7pm前往入口处的柜台购买。门票有限，售完为止。 

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Three new auto insurance private member's bills introduced in Ontario

Let's be perfectly clear, very few private member’s bills become law. However, the fact that three private member's bills were introduced in the Ontario legislature in one week indicates a growing awareness that problems with the Ontario auto insurance system persist.

Mississauga-Brampton South MPP Amrit Mangat reintroduced her auto insurance bill, which she first introduced in June 2011. The purpose of Reducing Automobile Insurance Premiums by Eliminating Fraud Act, 2012 (Bill 41) is to protect people who report insurance fraud. It is also intended to ensure that insurance investigators have the proper tools to investigate fraud.

York West MPP Mario Sergio introduced Insurance Amendment Act (Elements in Classifying Risks for Automobile Insurance), 2012 (Bill 43), which deals with allowable elements of a risk classification system.

Then a similar bill was tabled by Bramalea-Gore-Malton MPP Jagmeet Singh. The Insurance Amendment Act (Risk Classification Systems for Automobile Insurance), 2012 (Bill 45) also deals allowable elements of a rsk classification system.

Bill 41

The Bill provides whistle-blowing protection to an inspector under the Independent Health Facilities program of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, health regulatory College investigators, insurance company employees, IBC staff and the police. It does not protect private citizens. The Bill protects these employees from dismissal and other forms of discipline as well as from harassment and other forms of coercion. It also protects them from civil suits as long as their were acting in good faith.

The Bill allows the health regulatory Colleges to appoint investigators to determine whether College members have been involved in fraudulent activities related to auto insurance claims. I believe the College Registrars already have that authority. The Bill does go further by requiring that the police be notified if an investigation suggests that there has been such fraudulent activity.

The Bill also amends the Independent Health Facilities Act to provide that a licensee under the Act must be a member of a health profession college. This amendment appears to be irrelevant. An Independent Health Facility is a facility where members of the public receive services (lab tests, diagnostic imaging, laser surgery, etc.) paid for by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. They are not involved in auto insurance claims.

The Bill can be found here.

Bill 43

The Bill amends the Insurance Act by requiring automobile insurers to use a person’s driving record, a person’s age, the type of automobile, and any element prescribed by regulation in classifying risks for a coverage or category of automobile insurance. The Bill also prohibits automobile insurers from using a person’s home address or postal code and any element prescribed by regulation in classifying such risks.

Essentially the Bill would eliminate territorial rating. The Ontario Cabinet already has regulation-making authority to prohibit territories as an element of a risk classification system. Section 16 of Ontario Regulation 664 deals with prohibited elements. The impact of this Bill is that it removes discretion from Cabinet regarding the use of territories as an element of a risk classification system.

The Bill can be found here.

Bill 45

The Bill amends the Act to require that elements of a proposed risk classification system use the following mandatory factors in decreasing order of importance:

1. The driving safety record of the insured person, but only in respect of accidents where the person was found to be principally at fault.

2. The number of kilometres driven annually by the insured person.

3. The insured person’s years of driving experience.

4. The population of the statistical area in which the driver primarily resides.

If other factors are used, they cannot, when taken together, be given more weight than the fourth mandatory factor.

Insurers are prohibited from using a geographical region in which an insured person resides as an element in classifying risks. Other elements may continue to be prohibited under the regulations. Insurers must provide written explanations and other prescribed information regarding rate determinations in specified circumstances.

This Bill goes beyond the proposed amendments in Bill 43. Not only does the Bill eliminate territorial rating but it requires insurers to use specific factors in classifying risks and sets out their relative weights.

The Bill can be found here.

Both 43 and 45 have been introduced by politicians in riding where rates are high. The amendments to the Insurance Act do nothing to reduce auto insurance rates by reducing fraud or costs in the system. Instead they reduce rates in regions where costs are higher and increase rates in regions where the risk of being in accident and costs are lower. Pitting consumers against each other in the end benefits no one.

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We May Not Realise It Yet But We Are In A Bullish Phase

As usual, the barrage of information overload when watching CNBC or Bloomberg TV will overwhelm everybody. Try to watch as little business TV as possible. I digress, there was an important bit of news that will affect all equity markets.



The Greece's debt resolution (somewhat). More importantly, the activation of the credit default swaps tied to Greece's bonds.


Greece’s debt restructuring will prompt payouts on credit-default swaps tied to the country’s government bonds.


The decision by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association ends months of speculation that a Greek default might not set off the swaps, a result that could have undermined their role as insurance against debt defaults


Still, doubts about the instruments’ effectiveness may linger. European officials initially shaped the Greek debt restructuring to avoid activating them. The concern is that future restructurings could be arranged to stop swaps from paying out.

The Greek government chose to apply so-called collective action clauses, which it had earlier inserted into its bonds registered under Greek law. The deal maximized total debt relief for the country, but it also forced losses on bondholders — a credit event, and therefore a trigger, for the swaps.


The decision to invoke the clauses showed that European policy makers no longer feared that setting off the swaps could put stress on the financial system. Certain parts of the credit-default swap market helped destabilize the financial system during the 2008 financial crisis. Since then, banks and regulators have taken steps to strengthen the market, mostly by making sure that investors can pay out the money they owe on swaps.


Nearly $70 billion of swaps are currently outstanding on Greek debt. But after both sides settle their accounts, the amount that will need to be paid out should be no more than $3.2 billion.


The Greek default swap story has not quite ended, though. Next, an auction has to be held of the defaulted bonds to set a price at which the swaps will pay out. One question is what bonds will be used because most of the old Greek bonds will be replaced on Monday with new Greek bonds.


The swaps and derivatives association said Friday that there might still be old bonds available for the auction, and it added that the new bonds “might satisfy the requirements.” The organization has set the auction for March 19.


It is not the first time the organization has ruled that swaps tied to sovereign debt should pay out. In 2001, Argentina defaulted on its bonds, activating the swaps. Ecuador followed in 2008.

There was a lot of uncertainty as to whether what happened eventually with Greece will trigger the CDS. We need the backup insurance to work, not to be averted. Clearing the path would render a huge sigh of relief among many banks, funds and private investors. This means a large portion of funds will be moving again.


End result: ... we are into another round of robust market run, even though the CNBCs and Bloomberg TVs have yet to get around to this conclusion. When faced with a barrage of opinions, you get clouded as to what's important and what's really market moving news. I am not saying how long this bull run will lasts, but we just stepped into one.
 

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Let's Move Our Country!!?? - Kiribati

Kiribati, possibly one of the loveliest place for scuba diving, is under serious threat. So much so, they may have to move the country!!!

Fears that climate change could wipe out the entire Pacific archipelago of Kiribati. Photo: AP

Fearing climate change could wipe out their entire Pacific archipelago, the leaders of Kiribati are considering an unusual backup plan: moving the populace to Fiji. Kiribati President Anote Tong said yesterday that his Cabinet this week endorsed a plan to buy almost 3000 hectares on Fiji's main island, Viti Levu. He said the fertile land, being sold by a church group for about $9.6 million, could be insurance for Kiribati's entire population of 103,000, though he hopes it will never be necessary for everyone to leave.

Advertisement: Story continues below

Sea water washes across the foreshores of climate change threatened Kiribatui.

"We would hope not to put everyone on one piece of land, but if it became absolutely necessary, yes, we could do it," Tong said. "It wouldn't be for me, personally, but would apply more to a younger generation. For them, moving won't be a matter of choice. It's basically going to be a matter of survival."

Kiribati, which straddles the equator near the international date line, has found itself at the leading edge of the debate on climate change because many of its atolls rise just a few feet above sea level.

Tong said that some villages have already moved, and that there have been increasing instances of sea water contaminating the island's underground fresh water, which remains vital for trees and crops. He said changing rainfall, tidal and storm patterns pose as least as much threat as ocean levels, which so far have risen only slightly.

Some scientists have estimated the current level of sea rise in the Pacific at about 0.1 inch (2 millimetres) per year. Many scientists expect that rate to accelerate due to climate change. Fiji, home to about 850,000 people, is around 2,250 kilometres south of Kiribati.

But just what people there think about potentially providing a home for thousands of their neighbours remains unclear. Tong said he's awaiting full parliamentary approval for the land purchase, which he expects in April, before discussing the plan formally with Fijian officials.

Sharon Smith-Johns, a spokeswoman for the Fijian government, said that several agencies are studying Kiribati's plans, and that the government will release a formal statement next week. Kiribati, which was known as the Gilbert Islands when it was a British colony, has been an independent nation since 1979.

Tong has been considering other unusual options to combat climate change, including shoring up some Kiribati islands with sea walls and even building a floating island. He said this week that the latter option would likely prove too expensive, but that he hopes reinforcing some islands will ensure that Kiribati continues to exist in some form even in a worst-case scenario.

"We're trying to secure the future of our people," he said. "The international community needs to be addressing this problem more."

Tong said he hopes that the Fiji land will represent just one of several options for relocating people. He pointed out that the land is three times larger than the atoll of Tarawa, currently home to more than half of Kiribati's population.

Like much of the Pacific, Kiribati is poor - its annual GDP per person is just $1,600 - but Tong said the country has plenty of foreign reserves to draw from for the land purchase. The money, he said, comes from phosphate mining on the archipelago in the 1970s.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/threatened-pacific-nations-escape-plan-is--fiji-20120310-1uquy.html#ixzz1oiJbhRNv

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Calvin & Hobbes On Some Companies

Some of you should have come across this cartoon before. It was originally meant for the US auto industry and its subsequent bailout. Heck, could this also portray MAS, AIG,  Indah Water, Konsortium Perkapalan, PSC, etc...

(click on cartoon to enlarge)

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Insightful Comments On Lynas

Its good to have a proper debate and get the facts out there. The trail of comments by some readers are worth a closer read. To me, we do not need to be in this kind of investment, this kind of industry. No matter how safe, we cannot discount the catastrophe that cannot be ascertain. Besides human error, what we cannot compute into our calculations are natural disasters (such as typhoons, earthquakes, huge land mass sinking, extreme floods, etc.) Then when we do crisis management, its way too late.

Mohammed said...

Namewee is hilarious with his moving and jiving. Gotta love him. Mat Sallehs probably think one of their lives is worth a thousand of another races'. Just think how their ancestors obliterated native dwellers in many parts of the world in their conquest of the New World.

Anyway I hope this issue will unite racially divided Malaysians across the country to come together to voice their distrust and dissatisfaction of the powers that be. Irrespective of the political potential to exploit this issue, the question is what price can the people in power put on the health the citizens concerned.

The other day a friend argued that disrobing women for the media, even with their consent, to pander to the base instincts of men, is a transgression. While I could not counter his view lucidly, I said exposing unborn fetuses to radiation in an area or workplace, is tantamount to fetal genocide. A far greater crime, in my book, than mere displays of female flesh. He just nodded to that.

As Namewee said, f$#k Aussies and their lying ways. And Malaysian traitors too.

1:51 AM

 abel abel said...

The safety risk of the Lynas plant has been blown out of proportion

Amang (tin tailings) processing plants across malaysia emitts higher radiation level than lynas.

waste in amang plants are disposed onsite wihout issues (which was the original plan for lynas waste disposal)

Comparison to bukit merah is also unwarranted as radiation level of waste in bukit merah is 10-30 times higher than lynas'

Economic benefits are also overlooked

Unless the world stopped consuming smartphones, cars and tech devices in 2025, malaysia is gonna reap the full tax revenue of supplying 1/6th of the planet's rare earth needs.

Btw lynas did have approval to open the refinery in Australia. The 12 years tax break was the reason they chose malaysia over other countries. On top of that kuanta port already serve amang factories in gebeng have the knowhow of handling ore shipments.

It is truly sad that politics has gotten in the way of common sense and science.

2:24 AM

 elizabeth said...

abel abel,
U seem to know a fair bit. can u also tell me, how is Malaysia going to benefit if the plant only create 300+ jobs and Lynas is not paying taxes for 12 good years? Lynas is not zero risk, or near zero risk. What about the emotional and mental anguish of residents in and around Gebeng. So far, the government has not been able to tell Malaysians just exactly how good this deal is to Malaysians. Without thinking too hard, the deal had been good to those who needed to be greased.

10:40 AM

 Hijaz Kamal said...

Yes,malaysoa will be an end user, our company uses boron a rare earth uaed as dopant on silicon chips that runs your computer processors.there will be more plants like ours that will use boron in chip processing,the germans wik, build a big one in kulim.

It is obvious you are not concerned aout environmental issues but using Lynas as a political leverage.no harm, in politics, anything goes.

But hey..this is an internet..everyone screw each other.

I seriously think that Lynas iissue s blown out of proportiobs.

2:56 PM

 abel abel said...

Hello elizabeth

In terms of economic benefit, lynas still have to pay export duties as most of their products will be sold outside malaysia. And the services around lynas like transportation will see added business.

But I am looking at the long un 20 - 30 years ahead when malaysian oil will run out. We need to identify alternative source of income right now. And we cannot let politics get in the way.

The demand for rare earth is gonna go up as electronic products become more afforsable. supplying 1/6th of the worlds rare earth needa is a big source of income.

AELB regulates 16 amang processing plants in malaysia from logistics, operation to waste disposal. And they do it with no issues. We have the experience and the knowhow. That is why the IAEA report noted that AELB is professional, comited and dedicated to regulating IAEA and haa not commited any non compliance.

Peoples fear and anguish caused by deliberate misinformation and sometomes outright lies.I think if u survey the himpunan hijau crowd. Majority still think lynas is buildinh a nuclear plant.

8:08 PM

 Anon118 said...

abel abel:
"In terms of economic benefit, lynas still have to pay export duties as most of their products will be sold outside malaysia. And the services around lynas like transportation will see added busines"

1) ANY business generate the "economic benefit" you must mentioned. Your point doesn't make any sense.

Do you know what is our country's main source of revenue?

"But I am looking at the long un 20 - 30 years ahead when malaysian oil will run out. We need to identify alternative source of income right now. And we cannot let politics get in the way"

2) Who's talking about politics? IF you're looking at the long run, then you can see the damage radiation can bring in the long run.

"AELB regulates 16 amang processing plants in malaysia from logistics, operation to waste disposal.... IAEA and haa not commited any non compliance."

3) Do you know that the DEIA has NOT been completed?

".I think if u survey the himpunan hijau crowd. Majority still think lynas is buildinh a nuclear plant."

4) Where did you obtain such "factual" observation?

11:21 PM

 Mohammed said...

Great economics? Zero safety & health concerns? Only politics? Only in boleh land, lol.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/30/business/global/30rare.html?pagewanted=all

11:53 PM

 abel abel said...

Hello anon

1) not many businesses are as a big as lynas'. As I wrote

" The demand for rare earth is gonna go up as electronic products become more affordable. supplying 1/6th of the worlds rare earth needa is a big source of income."

Petronas contributes 45% of the govt revenue. But in 20-30 years time we prolly would have hit peak oil. We need to find alternative source of income NOW. We shall benefit fully from lynas after the end of the 12 years tax break

2) The effects of radiation on human tissue are measured in thousandths of a sievert (mSv) , which measure the biological effect of radiation on tissues.

lynas' radiation exposure level to the public is 0.002 mSw/year. To put that into perspective, dose rates for handphone usage has been found to be as high as 99 mSw, measured from a distance of 60cm!

Put it simply, you get more radiation usig your handphone than lynas opening shop.

2) the PEIA and RIA are sufficient to defernine the environmental impact of the lynas refinery. DEIA are called upon when the project affect the ecology etc. For exp the hydroproject in terengganu and he MRT project.

Lynas refinery is a closed environment and saparate from the outside.

3) when u r out in the streets, ask ppl to explain what is lynas. U will see how misinformed are the answers.

I dun find it surprising that this happen..

In fuziah salleh website.. there are over 300 mentions of fukushima. At least once a day since last year

6:29 AM

 Shihong said...

@Abel abel

Exporting another commodity is the last thing that Malaysia needs. Our dependence on oil has already given us the Dutch disease. There are many other ways to obtain sources of income, and many of these do not require exporting potentially "unsafe" commodities. Please refer to Singapore and Hong Kong, which do not have any commodities at all. It does not have to be this controversial. The only reason Malaysia is "competitive" right now for the Lynas plant is the tax break, as you said.

Time and again, we have used "subsidies" (let's face it, tax breaks are a form of subsidies) to gain foreign investment. After the tax holiday ends, there is nothing to stop the foreign investment from leaving. Even our electronics sector is failing. If you look at the electronics goods exports around the region, Thailand, Singapore, Korea, etc have all registered full recovery in terms of electronics exports (maybe Thailand was dragged down by the floods a little bit) (despite the Eurozone woes). Only Malaysia is still giving the excuse of "uncertain global economic outlook" for its poor performance in manufactured exports. We need to work on improving our productivity and competitiveness in other aspects rather than just being the "cheapest" in the region. Otherwise, we will go down in history as another pariah nation.

The point here is that, is there NO BETTER alternative to such a controversial investment? The issue for me is not whether Lynas IS actually safe or not. But the fact that it was done without proper disclosure and education of the public has allowed politicians to politicize the issue. If the government was completely open to begin with, educating the public along the way, this would not have been a big issue. The issue is so contentious because the government "tried" to hide it, which arouses suspicion. If it is not bad, why hide it? Whether it's bad or not doesn't matter anymore. The damage has been done, and it is irreversible.

2:04 PM

 CK said...

2of2

Cumulative dosage is the exposure to minimum radioactive dosage over a long period of time. This dosage could be relatively safe due to the low level radiation, but over a period, the sum total effect could be killing.

Just image someone is subjected to a daily dosage of x-ray examination. Though this x-ray dosage is strictly control, but over a period of time the subject under examination would suffers from radiation over-dosed. Bukit Merah residents’ cancer/birth defect incidents were mainly the result of this cumulative radiation exposure.

In short, the residents, around Lynas Genbeng plant, would suffer from the initial effect of the cumulative radiation, low dosage but doing damage silently to their health. Eventually, these residents would have to face the accumulative dosage that would kill + the final cumulative effect caused over the continuous exposure of low radiation. A double whammy!!!

3)Someone has bet me to the mention of ‘Do you know that the DEIA has NOT been completed?’

That also indicates how ‘efficience’ is our AELB!

4)Yes, there r many mis-information flowing around town, wrt Lynas Genbeng. U r definitely one of them.

But as far as radioactive waste is concerned, whether it’s from nuclear power plant or industrial extraction, human has not reached the stage of safe-guarding the handlers, lest about the protection of environment. This is especially true even for country like USA.

Then, what’s M’sia in this scheme of radioactive waste handling?

Just dig out the quantitative survey of how many of the amang (tin tailings) processing plants handlers died of cancer + the history of birth defects that ran in the family would put up a good indication. Bet then AELB has zilch such data!!!!!

2:51 PM

 CK said...

abel abel,

1)So u r talking long term? Do u know WHY other rare earth rich countries, like USA, does not give new license for rare earth extraction in situ?

Do u know that one of the reason for that is bcoz the current technologies used for rare earth extraction would ALWAYS lead to excessive environmental pollution (both radioactive & non-radioactive)?

95% of the world rare earth requirement is provided by China, whose rare earth content is ONLY 36% of the estimated world volume. USA has more. Ditto Oz. Yet, due to loose control & ignorance, China has managed to become the largest producer of rare earth. Until recently, the tightening of the safety rules means why suddenly China has reduced the export of rare earth to other countries. Consequently the rare earth commodity prices rocket upward.

Perhaps in 20-30 yrs time, new technological advancement for rare earth extraction would be friendlier to the destruction of the environment. By then, old tech fuss like Lynas Genbeng would price itself out of the economical loop with tons of accumulative radioactive waste to look after.

So ‘We need to find alternative source of income NOW. We shall benefit fully from lynas after the end of the 12 years tax break’, - dream on sucker!

2)U r spinning hp6 facts with hp6 lies.

1st – how do u measure the level of radiation from Lynas Genbeng? ‘lynas' radiation exposure level to the public is 0.002 mSw/year.’ is based on what volume of the residual waste from the Lynas Genbeng extraction plant?

Many people FORGET about the accumulative & cumulative effect of the radioactive dosage. Both effects r harmful to human!

Accumulative dosage refers to the combined incremental volume of the radiation emitted. Initially the dosage could be safe as the waste volume is small. But then the dosage reaches harmful level as the volume of the radioactive waste increases.

Thorium is forever present in the mineral ore from Mt Weld, though in very minute quantity. The extraction process of the required rare earth elements increases the concentration of the thorium. This also directly increases the radiation level, though in an incremental dosage. Eventually the dosage reaches lethal level due to the large volume of the waste accumulated. Bukit Merah cleaning process now faces a storage problem of how to safe-keep the dangerous level of radiation due to the accumulated volume of radioactive waste.

1of2

4:37 PM

 duuude said...

This is what it boils down to.

Australia: Eat that radioactive shit, you stupid third world bitch. 'Cos I ain't takin' it back.

Malaysia: Mmmm, ... sedap....

12:40 AM

 abel abel said...

Hello CK

1) just last week,American company Mollycorp opened a new rare earth processing facility at its Mountain Pass mine, california. The approval for the plant construction was awarded in 2010. $500 million was spent to expand the mine.

Mollycorp also entered into a joint venture with Hitachi to produce rare earth magents from components mined and processed at ithe mountain pass sitesite. It is part of their strategy to move down the rare earth supply chain. I think local companies in malaysia could go into this as well due to the availability of rare earth components when lynas open shop.

Other than that..
Australia's Arafura Resources is building a rare earth mine and processing plant at its Nolan project in the Northern Territory. It expects to start mining by 2013.

Canda's Avalon Rare Metals is currently developing the Thor Lake mine in Northwest Canada, which - according to the company - is rich in neodymium and heavy rare earths.

So I disagree that malaysia is doing a dirty job that developed countries won't do. The contrary

2) according to international standards, maximum acceptable dose radiation exposure for the public from any man made facility is 1 mSv/year.

AELB has set up radiation monitors onsite at the lynas plant plus monitors 1 km, 5 km and 50 km from the site. They publish the readings on a monthly basis on their website. You can check it out. They are also hiring third party independent assesors to verify their reading. Later on IAEA will come on to again verify the reading.

By establishing the base level readings, they can determine how much is Lynas' contribution to the radiation level in the area. That's how they verify the 0.002 mSv/year figure which is actually a worst case scenario determined in the Radiological Impact Assessment

I feel your fears for accumulated exposure is severely missplaced. Sleeping next to a human everyday, natural radiation from the sky, ground and your own body is proven to have several tens to hundred times higher radiation level than lynas!

A study found that handphones radiattion doze 99 mSv!

10:23 PM

 abel abel said...

Hello Shihong

Thank you for the reply

1) I agree with you that we should up our competitiveness and productivity. In my view, we need to support innovation so we don't hear anymore news of malaysian-born people inventing something new in some other country.

2) however I don't think it is mutually exclusive. If mineral processing can benefit the country economically, why reject it just because some people have made it controversial?

3) yeah lynas chose us mainly because of the corporate tax break. But our port capability to handle its shipment is oso a factor. Being tech cheap is better than being labour intensive cheap

4) barring the world stop consuming electronics, demand for rare earth component is gonna go up. So I don't think lynas will close shop and move away after 12 years.

Furthermore lynas still have to pay export duties from their shipment.

And, Lynas' rare earth components can be purchased by rare earth magnet producer such as shin etsu sdn bhd which is located in hicom industrial area, shah alam, selangor

How bout local companies openning its own rare earth magnets production facility? taking advantage of easily accessible rare earth components in malaysia. Hows that for economical spin off?

5) I am not sure if AELB is being secretive. The EIA was displayed publicly in 2008 for one month, town hall meetings was done in 2009, radiation readings are collected at the lynas site and is published monthly on their website and questions on Lynas are answered and published on its website. You should check out AELB website, there is a lot of info the public space published

10:26 PM

 CK said...

Sorry Dali, this one I must reply, even though it’s an old post.

abel abel

1)I’m aware of the recent projects that u have mentioned. Yet u conveniently forgot to mention major salient points that those projects have been undertaken!

All these mentioned projects have been raised many years ago. Some r more than 5 yrs in planning before Lynas Gebeng. They faced countless obstacles due to resident objections, EIA restrictions & pure economical assessment study.

Only recently those that u mentioned r managed to get approval. Their recent approvals came with huge financial costs that only the current rocketing rare earth commodity prices could justify. Most of these costs r related to stringent EIA requirements & implementation of new processing technologies.

Australia's Arafura Resources has to built its rare earth mine and processing plant at its Nolan project in the Northern Territory. Know how isolated is that plant in Alice Spring? Make one wonder, what Arafura can do & yet Lynas cannot do in Mt Weld! Ditto Thor Lake mine in Northwest Canada.

2)Now u r playing with words. 1st has Lynas Gebeng been in operation? If Lynas Gebeng is still in construction then WHAT r the reading that our AELB is monitoring, surrounding the site in question.

Oop, they r measuring the current natural radiation level of the Gebeng surrounding before Lynas is operating & use these readings as guild!

'That's how they verify the 0.002 mSv/year figure which is actually a worst case scenario determined in the Radiological Impact Assessment!'

How this conclusion came about when the ACTUAL radiation level of the Lynas Gebeng plant is still NOT available? Perhaps, as in figure-from-the-sky?

U r the one that is been severely trying to spin. Read my take again. Lynas claimed that the radiation level of Thorium WOULD not increase bcoz they r not mining Throrium. This is hp6 fact & lie. Any extraction process would increase the concentration of the ore wanted. At the same time, other unwanted ‘residues’ would also inevitably be concentrated. THIS IS THE LAW OF ANY PROCESSING PROCEDURE. U yrself & Lynas have been saying the same thing as the radiation level of the amang (tin tailing) is higher than the mineral ore from Mt Weld. Think – why the amang has such a high level of radiation. The mineral ore containing the tin has all the time been radioactive, except in a very minute level. The moment the tin is been extracted, the amang shows high level of radiation. Does this high level of radiation comes from sky? Or created by the tin mining process?

As the concentration of the Thorium waste increases, the radiation level also increase proportionally. This process is gradual & incremental. & in the case of Throrium, with a half life of 14B years, the Thorium level CAN only increase as the volume of waste increases.

Since u keep using handphone radiation as an argument, then WOULD u like to inhale 0.0002mSv of Thorium vis-à-vis using a 99mSv emitting handphone daily?

BTW, the health hazard of the microwave radiation of the handphone to user is in dispute. Whereas, the Thorium intoxication effect to the lung is VERY well-know.

3)‘So I don't think lynas will close shop and move away after 12 years.’

But by then new & more efficient extraction process would definitely kill LAMP, which is nice in name & yet archaic in mineral extraction technology. Do try to compare LAMP with the new plants that u’ve mentioned earlier, iff u still have time after this spin.

4)‘I am not sure if AELB is being secretive.’

They r definitely no been professional! Especially after the hooha with the radiation level of Lynas Gebeng & the health effect of the amang among the handlers!

10:37 AM

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