A Happy and Prosperous New Year

A Happy and Prosperous New Year to the many readers and followers of this blog from all corners of the world.

I spent Christmas Eve with my four children at home.

We all stayed until midnight to watch the fireworks explode all around us.

On New Year’s Day I took them for a spin in a taxi, bought some food, and brought it home to cook.

I’m back at work with The National newspaper where I am supplements editor.

It looks like it’s going to be a very busy year for me.

Malum

Poker machines: luck or computer programmes?

By PANU KASAR

 

The human brain is still by far the most advanced phenomena in the whole universe. Most people deny that fact. That is why many couldn't learn about computers. They are afraid to learn. Always remember that humans created computers. That's why when I teach my technicians on repairs I make sure they have confidence in themselves. Human also using their brains created computers to even trick other humans. Poker machines are standardised systems used to make profit. Computer games such as pokies are simply custom built computers made for generating profit. To think of it a poker machine is calibrated to make money for its owner. Even though how hard you try you can never win. Of course you will win but that will be after the machine gets what it wants. It is designed to let you get only a small percentage of what it collects. Say it collects 95% and you get 5% of its takings. You don't realise that because players who came before you already gave the 95% that it wants and you came in time to collect the 5%. Why would pub owners' waste money on equipment that uses electricity all night making a lot of noise? Simply because it helps them by making you give them your money. They know it and will never tell you.  Most of the time you are so drunk to figure that out.

 

The poker machine runs on a microchip integrated with a computer program written by programmers. Usually it's what programmers call a loop. A loop is a string of codes that run in a repeating sequence to execute its code. The poker machine is a computer program designed to make you contribute to the gaming industry. The machine simply executes how its code is written. The loop executes sequence of its code in many ways some times in random order. The codes are long and can last for months before it repeats making it hard for people to study the winning pattern. Of course the programmers know that nobody will work out the code because usually most players will be drunk. Now you know why the pub is close by the poker and they serve you jugs while you play.

 

Some follow random codes where they pay out on a spree then start collecting to make up their program percentage. Therefore poker players may notice that some machines don't pay for some time even longer periods. Simply because they are executing the program loops where the takings are being collected.

 

In large casinos the owners knows exactly how much a single poker machine will make in a year. Whether you win or lose it doesn't matter a machine will still give its owner how much it is programmed to make. Just like you buying a new radio and realizing that it will produce 200 Watts of sound power output. Poker machines are like that it just give its owner according to how it is designed. Some generate up to K500, 000 per year. When a buyer wants a machine he can choose to buy according to the output. You shocked? Yeah and some of that money comes from you. So if say you own five poker machines in your water hole that keeps spinning the whole year you are a millionaire.

 

The music from the poker machines also plays a part. Of every invention there is psychology involved. The music teases the mind and the color from the display develops an inviting lust for the drunken victims. Therefore as for the victims it's a matter of winning a game getting hooked and even losing sometimes but managing to win back. The winning then suddenly stops but the memory of the wins keeps the gambling going. The losses are not remembered by the way. As one gambler said "In all the time I've spent in the proximity of poker machines, I've never seen one taking anything from anyone who didn't willingly give it. I have never seen a poker machine preventing someone from doing what they want to do, or imposing its own personal will or preference on a single inhabitant of planet Earth".

 

Usually the maximum payouts are a fraction of the annual profit generated by the machine. A machine having a maximum payout of K5, 000 may have an annual profit of K500 000 but when it makes the payout the music and the lights celebrate with you making the small payout a grand event. These figures are just an illustration of the revenue concept of poker machines they real figures may never be known. Well kept secret of the industry.

 

Game programming is a lucrative trade; the industry employs the best computer programmers to design the best profit making machines. That is why poker machines are perfectly designed to lure money. The new designs do not have gears or matching slots like you see on the screen. They are just visual representations. When you open a machine you only see a main board with an integrated micro chip.   

 

The gaming sector is simply the cash cows of the entertainment industry. That is why the government cannot get rid of it. To them it is simply a way of making people willingly pay their taxes. A person will criticise huge tax cuts in salary then retire to the pub to play poker.

 

On our path we help you realise that as far as computers are involved there is no such thing as luck. Computers work on a chip programmed to execute code and just that. In pokies your wins are set ups. You get so hooked that you forgot how many times you lost. In fact the losses were more than the couple of wins. What a sad story, being fooled by a machine which was designed to exploit hard earned salaries.

 

In Australia about 90% of clients who attends Wesley Gambling Counseling services are addicted to poker machines. ''Most of the people we counsel have hit rock bottom and about 10 per cent have thought about suicide,'' said Wesley Mission, Sydney superintendent, Reverend Keith Garner. These counseling services fortunately are funded by the gaming industry. Just like the warnings on cigarette packs.  

 

In Papua New Guinea most people in the working class who frequent pubs are hooked into poker machines. It is the main cause of domestic financial strains. I think by now you all should know how mean these machines are. This article is my New Year gift to the citizens of this country, hope it helps those resolutions you have in mind. Happy New Year 2009. Keep those emails coming: pkasar@mail.com

King tides force fuel rationing in Wewak

Fuel rationing has been introduced in Wewak because of a "critical shortage" at InterOil's regional terminal.

 The situation follows recent king tides that caused widespread disruption to northern coastal areas and damaged port facilities at Wewak.

 On two occasions, InterOil's supply vessel has been unable to berth.

 The company is now low on all fuels including gasoline and diesel.

 InterOil Products Limited General Manager Peter Diezmann said, despite the current situation, the company intended to provide all its customers with limited supplies of fuel until regular deliveries can resume.

 "We will do our best to keep our customers operational, at least to some degree, during this difficult period".

 Mr. Diezmann said he believed that "careful management of fuel stocks" was the most responsible course of action.

 "It will help ensure that everyone receives some fuel until the next scheduled delivery midway through January".

 Regular deliveries, into the area, were disrupted prior to Christmas when sea swells damaged wharf and unloading facilities.

 "The damage was quickly repaired but continued swells made the berthing of the fuel tanker extremely hazardous".

A pre-Christmas delivery voyage was diverted away from Wewak, by the master of the vessel, on the grounds of safety.

 "Since then, only a single shipment of fuel has been received", Mr. Diezmann said.

 "It came via a tanker vessel that was able to come alongside during a break in the unfavourable conditions".

 Because the seas had temporarily abated, the vessel was able to discharge its cargo of fuel.

 However a second planned berthing, over the Christmas weekend, had to be aborted because of conditions.

 Mr. Diezmann said the next scheduled cargo vessel is not due to arrive in Wewak until January 14^th.

 "Until then, we will have to make the fuel we have go as far as possible", he said.

 

 For further information

 

Susuve Laumaea

Senior Manager Media Relations - InterOil Corporation

Ph: 321 7040

Mobile: 684 5168

Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com

A Happy New Year

A Happy New Year 2009 to all readers and followers of this blog from all corners of the world.

Thank you for your support in 2008 and I look forward to that continuing in 2009.

I would like to have more feedback from you readers so that I can make this blog even bigger and better in promoting Papua New Guinea.

Thank you and God Bless You All Real Good!

 

Malum Nalu

Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea

 

PS: That’s me in the red shirt and the bushy beard which I’ve been growing since Easter Sunday this year, when my wife Hula passed away so suddenly and tragically, leaving me and the four young children all alone. On my shoulder is my eldest son Malum, aged eight,   and to the right in the background is my only daughter Moasing, aged four. The other two children Gedi, six, and Keith, one, are not in the picture.

The year of Barrack Obama while in PNG, the Chief celebrates 40 years in politics

Brrack Obama on Capitol Hill...the first black man in history to be elected UP President

Sir Michael Somare and two 10-year-old Manus twins watch the first screening of National Television Service on Independence Day - September 16, 2008, in Wewak - East Sepik province.

By DANIEL KORIMBAO
Editor In Chief
The National newspaper

A number of political events make the 2008 political calendar worth another peek before we turn our back on the year that has been, and look to the promises 2009 hold for each of us.
2008 had its ups and downs, and its share of forgettable and most memorable moments.
At home Prime Minister Sir Michael celebrated his 40 years in politics, an achievement unrivaled in the Commonwealth. The nation celebrated this milestone achievement by the chief, culminating in the launch of a local TV station Kundu, a gift from the Chief to his beloved people.
The year also saw Australian Labour Prime Minister Kevin Rudd visit PNG. Relationships between PNG and Australia had reached new lows with the Howard Government before Rudd took over at Kiribili house in a landslide election victory.
Embracing Somare in Parliament House during his visit in March, Rudd announced his new deal for the Pacific, and presented the Chief a Brisbane Broncos Rugby league jersey to mark the start of a new era in relationship. The Howard and Downer ways were gone.
The man at the centre of the soured relationship between the two countries, Julian Moti, is now answering sex charges in Australia.
The findings of a PNG Defence Force Board of Inquiry into how Moti escaped from Port Moresby to Honiara in a PNGDF plane on Oct 10, 2006, and who gave the orders at the political level has been released.
But it cannot be published or its recommendations implemented because of a judicial challenge by Sir Michael which is pending in the Supreme Court. Somare has reportedly been implicated in the Inquiry’s final report, but many believe those he trusted and appointed to senior positions within government betrayed him and did not tell the truth about the whole affair.
Another issue that will stick with the PM heading into the New Year will be his referral by the Ombudsman Commission for alleged misconduct in office, which is being challenged by his lawyers in the Supreme Court. The alleged misconduct relates to his annual returns dating back some 15 years. This case is expected to be resolved this year.
The grand old man of politics leaves public life in 2012, and the question being asked is who takes over. There have been a lot of speculations in the media, but as the year draws to a close the chief has not appointed a successor.
Within his National Alliance party, there are four deputy leaders who include Patrick Pruaitch, Don Polye, Puka Temu, and Paul Tiensten. One of them could take over, and whoever it is, the NA convention will decide when it meets to deal with this agenda.
There has been talk the Chief could hand over the baton to his son Arthur, the Public Enterprises Minister, but this scribe is reliably informed Mr Somare is not interested in the job at this stage of his political career.
Then there is Peter O’Neill, the leader of PNC, who has forged a close working relationship with Sir Michael even as Opposition leader in the last Parliament. He has a close relationship with a good number of NA members, including Pruaitch.
United Resources Party leader William Duma and party founder Anderson Agiru are also on the radar. It would be foolish to rule anyone out in PNG politics, so Bart Philemon and Sir Mekere Morauta, who are in the Opposition, must also come into contention.
The 18-months grace period protecting the Prime Minister from a vote of no confidence expires at the end of February next year. That’s the time even the most protected specie constantly look over his shoulder in case someone, even from within the camp, is lurking in the dark with that dagger.
With 85 MPs in Government, its unlikely Somare five-year term will be interrupted, unless his seemingly impregnable coalition implodes from within.
When he walks away into the sunset, he leaves behind huge shoes to be filled.
But let there be no doubt 2008 belongs to Barrack Obama.
Americans turned to Obama with a sweeping mandate at a time when the global financial crisis spurred by the sub prime mortgage crisis in the US is crippling economies around the world.
Who would ever forget that evening of Nov 4, when Obama stepped onto the podium in a stadium in Chicago to deliver a powerful speech, accepting the calling of the American people to serve them as their first ever black President?
Obama has a huge task on hand. The US and other major global economies are in recession, and his job is to turn that around. He has work to do to improve US relations with a lot of countries around the world, especially countries that resent Bush foreign policies, and his administration’s attitude to the two wars and global warming.
Papua New Guinea stands to gain a lot from the Obama Administration. We believe the government can capitalise on the Clinton influence in the White House to expand existing bilateral relationship, gain access to resources available in the US to fight the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic, and tackle global warming, an issue Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has spoken keenly about on various regional and global forums.
As 2008 pass, let’s look to build on the promises we know are abound in this beautiful country PNG.

Armed robberies and Sir George murder leave an infamous scar

William Kapis' accomplices at the Boroko Police Station Cell.

William Kapis in custody at the Boroko Police Station cell after being caught and shot on July 18 this year.

Sir George Constantinou (left) with his young family before his brutal murder, which shocked Papua New Guinea and the world.

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
Armed robberies of Bank South Pacific branches in Kerema, Madang and Kimbe and the killing of Sir George Constantinou has made an infamous scar for this year.
Papua New Guineans will never forget these incidents, just like the Americans will never forget the assassination of their President John F Kennedy on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.
These separated incidents were done by intelligence criminals (for BSP robberies) and just petty criminals (for the late Constantinou’s murder)
The robberies of the BSP branches have woken Papua New Guineans up to face the latest trend of violent crime involving armed robbery.
This trend involves kidnapping and demanding ransom.
The trend is also made easier by the use of the latest communication technology to mobilise manpower, resources, and logistics to execute shrewd tactics –that is the use of the mobile phone.
Currently, the main suspect William Kapis Nanua and his associates are facing various charges in connection with the robberies before the court, and are being remanded at Bomana prison outside Port Moresby.
This review will not detail the robberies of Madang and Kimbe but only for Kerema as it was the first branch to be hit.
Also similar tactics were used to organise the other BSP branch robberies.
Gulf police suspect that the former Kerema branch manager, who has now been charged, was involved in robbing K830, 498.45 last May 17 from the bank.
Noah Karo, 49, from Hula village, Central province was accused of the robbery by organising with Kapis, Jack Frost Kivare and Ivan Kaini for his daughter, grandson, son-in-law and three sons to be picked up at Five-Mile and to be kept as hostage in an undisclosed place in Port Moresby last May 15.
Police alleged that Nanua, Kivare and Kaini then flew to Kerema on May 16 and were picked up at the airport by Karo.Karo, threatened at gunpoint, then proceeded to give in to the demands of the accused and his accomplices or else they would “kill his children”.Police said that on Saturday, May 17, between 7am and 9am, Nanua and an accomplice got into a branch vehicle and went to meet loans officer Gabriel Ori inside the bank premises.A short briefing was held among them including Mr Karo.Mr Karo was instructed to go and get the safe combination numbers from his deputy’s house.The deputy, against her will, was taken to the bank and used the combination numbers to open the safe, with Nanua and his accomplices allegedly helping themselves to K825, 714 in cash.Nanua and his accomplices then escaped by boat to Sapeaharo Bridge where they got on a vehicle and came to Port Moresby to proceed on to rob Madang BSP on June 5, 2008, using similar tactics.
He was later recaptured by police along the Magi Highway enroute to Aroma in the Central province at about 2.30am last July 18 and allegedly shot in both feet’s.
In another infamous incident, one of the nation’s leading citizen and businessmen Sir George Constantinou was killed by just petty criminals outside the notorious Tete settlement at Gerehu on December 16 after inspecting his timber yard.
These opportunity criminals just made up their mind to rob and kill the 78-year-old knight only at that moment by just seeing a Whiteman coming their way in a vehicle.
They commit this incident using the old crime trend by using homemade gun and lethal hard objects.
Police have now detained and charged seven suspects.
The late knight came to PNG in 1954 and ventured into building and road construction and hotel industries.
These industries provided employment for thousands of locals to contribute to the national economy for almost 55 years. And it will still be doing so for years to come through the Constantinou group of companies.
In retaliation, police went in and demolished the settlement to fulfil what the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare had warned about in November 2003.
Sir Michael had warned that one more killing would have this settlement removed.
Sir Michael issued this warning after 15 people were killed in the settlement .It was after the killing of his fellow knight that his warning was fulfilled.

Quotation of The Day

Faith is the force of life.

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)