MAN OF THE ARCHIPELAGO - ODOARDO BECCARI

Odoardo Beccari born in Firenze (Florence), Italy in 1843.
Started collecting plants at the age of 13.
At the age of 17 wrote his first botanical article.
Attended the University of Pisa 1861.

Spent two and half years in Sarawak. In 1867 he traversed to Batang Lupar, Undup, Pakit, Tanjung Datu, Singgi, Labuan, Brunei, Bintulu River and its tributary Tubau, Belaga, Rejang River to Sibu, Kuala Igan, Kanowit, Entebai, Semanggang, Samarahan, Kuching. One and half centuries ago Beccari went through deep jungles to collect plant samples in such places.

Compared to what I have done during my 5 years of stay in Sarawak was nothing compared to Beccari. Most of the time travelled by road to Tanjung Datu, Kuching, Samarahan, Semanggang, Igan, Mukah, Dalat, Sibu, Bintulu, Brunei, Labuan (ferry). 

He sailed back to Italy in January 1868 after collecting over 4,000 botanical specimens.

Beccari published Nelle foreste di Borneo in 1902, Florence. The first English translation of the book was done by E.H. Giglioli titled as below.

1MDB, KHAZANAH BUAYAS, TIME OF RECKONING

Buayas (Malay) - crocodiles

The buayas of 1Malaysia are getting fully loaded in 1MDB, KHAZANAH, SPAD, EKUINAS, FGV, BR1M, ISKANDAR, PETRONAS, MAS, PERMATA, RAZAK SQUARE, PR1MA and others. The mother of all buayas is the Chairman of 1MDB.  

Knowing that time is not in their side, the buayas are forever hungry. Billions have been siphoned through their impropriety mega dealings. 

The mother buaya urgently need to be get rid off and punished by law, the others can be dealt with accordingly.

Going for the kill.

After the rampage their time is up to be captured.

This could be very well the mother of all buayas (will) finally get caught.

The skin provides good leather for Berkin handbags, meat for cooking or burghers in Cajun country, Louisiana.

(adapted after Chedet's blog posting, "1MDB", Oct 27)

9. Pada 1 September 2009 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) menggegarkan industri perbankan apabila bersetuju membayar faedah 5.75% keatas hutang RM 5 billion. Hutang ini dijamin oleh Kerajaan Malaysia. Biasanya bon Kerajaan membayar hanya 4.0%. Petronas membayar 3.6% sahaja.

10. Pada tahun 2014 1MDB berhutang lagi sebanyak US Dolar 1.75 billion (RM 5.6 billion) dengan faedah sebanyak 5.99%.

11. Tetapi 1MDB cuma dapat US1.554 billion (RM4.973 billion) kerana sebanyak US196 million (RM 630 million) ditolak untuk komisyen, bayaran fees dan perbelanjaan. Ini bermakna kos pinjaman berjumlah 11.25% dari wang yang dipinjam.

12. Pada Mac 2013, 1MDB Global Investment Ltd telah pinjam USD3.0 billion (RM 9.6 billion) dengan faedah 4.4%. Tetapi 1MDB mendapat hanya USD2.717 billion (RM8.7 billion) kerana USD283 million (RM 906 million) atau 9.44% dipotong untuk membayar komisyen, fees dan perbelanjaan.

13. Bayaran sebanyak 11.25% dan 9.44% adalah kepada Goldman Sachs, pengurus pinjaman hutang ini.

14. Sebaliknya sebuah Syarikat Equisar International Incorporated, milik Kerajaan Sarawak membayar Goldman Sachs hanya 1.25% (USD10 million) apabila mengurus pinjaman USD800 million.

15. Jurucakap Kerajaan menjelaskan bahawa 1MDB memiliki harta bernilai lebih dari RM40 billion sedangkan hutangnya hanya RM38 billion. Oleh itu rakyat tidak perlu bimbang. Tetapi kenapa bayaran kepada Goldman Sachs begitu tinggi?

POKE EYE, POKE NOSE ENGLISH

Poke eye (menjolok mata) of the Ministry of Defence direct translation.

Dolah trying to keep awake using poke eye method.

Poke nose. Papua New Guinea tribals.

Poke ass. Arab medicine studies.

Poke poke (main jolok jolok). Versions of the Up 1Finger of Najib.

I hear you. Tough luck, I'm the PM, you can talk, I don't have to listen.

NAJIB FIRED UP

You be the judge and make conclusions from this statement of Najib when he was the Minister of Education. One can tell his mental capacity since his early time in politics.

Pretentiously rekindling the fire of power all these 3x11 years of politics.

Beware of 11/11.

ISLAM IS HARMFUL TO CHRISTIANITY!

MAN OF THE ARCHIPELAGO - ACHMAD JAHJA

This is a continuation of a series of luminaries who have contributed notably towards knowledge in science and technology, culture and arts, religion and politics, defence and academics in the Malay Archipelago.

 

Previous postings have highlighted on a number of personalities who have contributed greatly in various fields towards development and advancement of the Archipelago. 

Malaysia:
Tunku Abdul Rahman - Prime Minister of Malaysia
Tun Razak - PM Malaysia
Tun Hussein Onn - PM of Malaysia
Tun Dr. Mahathir - PM of Malaysia
Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie - Minister of Home Affairs
Tan Sri Sanusi Junid - Minister of Agriculture 
Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz - Minister of Trade
Prof DiRaja Ungku Aziz - VC University Malaya 
Za'aba - Malay scholar
Prof Omar Abd Rahman - Science Advisor
Dr. Hashim Wahab - DG Cocoa Board
Tan Sri Yuen Yuet Leng - Police 
P. Ramlee - singer, actor
Taib Mahmud - Chief Minister of Sarawak
James Brook - Rajah of Sarawak
Dr. Alijah Gordon - MSRI

Indonesia:
Soekarno - President of Indonesia
Suharto - President of Indonesia
HAMKA - Islamic philosopher

His work on durians.

DEBUNKING JEWS' HOMELAND - MUHAMAD ASSAD

Muhamad Assad (right) with an Arab friend.

Muhamad Assad

Muhamad Assad's counter-argument on Jews' right of homeland.

n.b. This one refused to be uprighted!

1MDB CHAIRMAN AND OLDEST BANK IN MILAN

Would 1MDB revive Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, oldest bank in Italy? Ask Najib, Chairman of 1MDB who is still in Milan. 

He got to show to the world that Malaysia has the billions to splash around - Caymans, Canada, London (Bathsea) ... to gain recognition as a world leader! Remember, he proclaimed '1World' before. He got to back it up.

Yes, we Malays are ready to die for the sake of this Endless Possibilities 3x11 Years Pretender My-Father-And-I Nottingham-Failed We Hear Felda Lover Clueless Brimming Moderate 1Malaysia Up 1Finger 1MDB Iconic Chairman High Income Fengshui No. 11. Those are his words, slogans, and actions or what people label him to be.

THE SAGO YOU GROW YOU DON'T EAT

Young plantings of sago (foreground) and older palms in the background. It takes 10-12 years after planting before the sago trunks are harvested. They can be felled down using chain saws nowadays whereas using axes previously.

Sarawak has the largest peatland area in Malaysia. Sago thrives on such water-logged marginal soil where no other crop can grow.

The felled trunk is cut into 30inch logs (about 10 logs/trunk can be obtained), tied together to be floated and towed along waterways (drains, streams, rivers) to the factories for processing. Logs floating on a stream in front of a Melanau house, Mukah.

Where waterways are not available, the logs are transported via land to the factories. The logs are loaded into lorries equipped with cranes. 

Sago factories are strategically located along riverbanks for ease of landing of sago logs. Also, much water is required in the processing into sago flour.

At the factory, the sago bark is removed manually using a heavy parang but now more commonly done by rasping machine that grinds the outer layer of the hard bark.

Conveyor belt sending debarked logs into the splitting machine.

Sago flour is the final product from the factories. The flour is mainly for export for it is in short supply. Sadly, it is a fading industrial crop in Malaysia. Japanese scientists are the ones very enthusiastic and receive some funding to commercialise the  sago.

SAVE published this book in 2005.

OF TOUCHING SNOUT, SUCK TITS, SMOKE POT ...

After touching a dog why not touch or even kiss porky's pink wriggly snout - oink, oink.

Dare do other new and exciting things? 

Suck wolf's tits (infants Romulus and Remus on the founding of Rome legend).

Smoke pot (African style).

Drink cola l(ike orang utan).

(Un)dress a chick.

Ride stone horse twosome (in Batakland).

Wash feet (Vatican).

Up moderate 1Finger (to follow Najib).