Finding good flight deals just got much easier in Europe

(Cross-posted on ITA Software by Google blog)

Travelers searching for a good flight deal in Europe may have needed to check multiple online sites to be sure they found the lowest airfare and best flight options. Now with the addition of Ryanair flight information in Google’s Flight Search, it is much easier to find the lowest fare -- at lightning speed.

We are delighted that Ryanair, which is Europe’s largest airline and the largest airline in the world in terms of flown international passengers and which is known for its low fares, has joined the Google Flight Search family. 

Using Google’s Flight Search, travelers in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain (as well as Canada and the USA) can quickly find, filter and compare flights, view prices in their local currency, save the results for later, or book directly with any of our booking partners.

Since we launched Flight Search in 2011, we've worked hard to add new features that make it fun, fast and easy to shop and book airfares

• Best Flights and Tips - Quickly get the best answers with suggestions for alternate dates, airports, and trade-off between price and convenience 
• Interactive Maps - users are able to explore possible destinations and view live ticket prices by surfing an interactive map 
• Saved Flights - Results can be saved to track price changes, helping users make smart booking decisions 

Google Flight Search is fast, easy to use and interactive so business people, parents and star crossed lovers can quickly book their travel and get back to their work, parenting or pining. We want to give users as many flight options as possible, so introducing Ryanair is very exciting. We are working to expand our relationships with other airlines and travel partners to bring Flight Search to more countries in Europe and around the world.

Posted by David Robles Fosg, Partner Development, Travel

On The Beach Improves Their Attribution Modeling and Increases ROI by 25%

Attribution modeling is the process of distributing credit between different marketing channels that a consumer interacts with, prior to completing a purchase. As online reporting becomes increasingly sophisticated, attribution modeling helps advertisers to understand the purchase journey of their users and find the most effective ways of targeting new customer segments.

Online travel specialist On the Beach used Multi Channel Funnels and the Attribution Modeling Tool in Google Analytics to understand which marketing campaigns were driving their sales. They analysed all of their online marketing channels and search campaigns to uncover their true performance. On the Beach compared different attribution models to assess the relative contribution of each of their campaigns to their online sales. They found that generic (non-brand) campaigns for travel destinations and holiday terms were driving more sales than were being reported via traditional “last click” methods.

By understanding the true value driven by their generics campaigns, On the Beach were able to reach more potential customers when they searched with generic keywords, by increasing their investment. As a result, they have seen significant growth in sales and revenue, with a 25% increase in return on investment. The full On the Beach case study can be found here.

These findings were also supported in a recent case study with lastminute.com, where they found that generics were driving 43% more sales than were reported through their online analytics. The lastminute.com case study can be found here.

For advertisers who want to get started with attribution, there are great resources available:

* The Customer Journey to Online Purchase
* The Multi-Screen World
* Marketing Attribution Playbook .

You can also catch up with our entire attribution webinar series:

*An overview of our research on how the industry approaches attribution (watch here),
*The foundational steps for attribution using Google’s tools (watch here),
*Intra-channel attribution with Search Funnels in Google AdWords (watch here),
*Cross-channel measurement with Multi-Channel Funnels (watch here),
*Strategies for the Attribution Modeling Tool (watch here).

Find out more about the updated attribution modeler in Google Analytics on the Google Analytics blog.

Posted by Paola Lopez, Industry Manager, UK and Edwina Keyes, Account Manager, Dublin.

2013 Travel successes on G+

It's been a while since we posted a G+ update so we'd like to share with you the latest successes our Travel clients have had on G+ this year: a case study from the UK and one from across the pond in the US.

Travel Republic: Online travel agents Travel Republic have two reasons to put the champagne on ice, having just reached a pair of major milestones in their social media activity. The company’s Google+ page is not only celebrating its first birthday, but it’s celebrating reaching 1 million followers on the platform too. Carry on reading if you want to know how they did it....click here.

Pure Michigan: As part of their social media campaign which won the Mercury Awards for Social Media, Pure Michigan created a G+ page in order 'to be where conversations about our state are happening. We created our Google+ Page to connect with folks inside and outside of Michigan to encourage them to vacation here.' They saw higher CTRs through social annotations: 'there is social proof in seeing which of your dozens of friends already follow the page. You feel compelled not to be left out.' In addition, they created an extremely successful hangout which resulted in their follower number jumping from 50K to more than 94K in a matter of days. For more, please click here.

Posted by Anna Tong, Industry Manager UK

Bon voyage! Flight Search rolls out across European countries

Cross-posted on the ITA Software By Google blog.

If you live in the UK, France, Italy, Spain or the Netherlands -- and are thinking of hiking the Swiss Alps, visiting the Greek Isles, taking a bite out of the Big Apple in NYC or simply planning a business trip -- Flight Search is now available to make planning your trip easier.

Starting today, you can use Flight Search to quickly find, compare and book flights originating from each of these countries to any airport in the world. You'll also be able to search for flights from airports in these countries and see prices in your local currency. Additionally, you can conduct searches in 8 languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Basque, Catalan, Galician and Dutch -- and see prices in your local currency.

Smarter travel planning
Let’s say you’ve decided the Greek Isles are your vacation destination of choice, but you’re not sure which airport offers the most affordable fares. By typing ‘Greece’ as your destination, you’ll be able to quickly compare the cost of the different options, viewing live prices on the map.

Likewise, if you’re looking to take the family to New York City but are unsure of the best time to go, you can click on our ‘Lowest fares’ icon to see which dates will get you the lowest fare.

We choose the best flights based on cost and total travel time, while covering a variety of departure times and airlines. But, you can always view longer or more expensive flights by selecting, 'Show all'. Flight Search makes it easy for you to:

• Find flights quickly. As you make changes to dates, destinations and filters, results will load fast in a format that’s easy to scan.
• Discover places to go on a map. Explore possible destinations and view live ticket prices by surfing the map. You can filter by price, airline or flight duration.
• Figure out the best time travel. Quickly see which travel dates are least expensive by dragging the date selector forward or backward, or click the "Lowest fares" icon to compare lots of dates at once.
• See a simple list of the most relevant flights. Use our easy-to-scan list or compare options and find the flight that's most convenient, least expensive, wi-fi enabled or simply the one that best meets your needs.

Sometimes we are not able to show results for every single airline and we will make that clear. We are working to expand our relationship with other airlines, and bring Flight Search to more countries and in more languages.

To access Flight Search in your local country or language, type:

google.co.uk/flights/
google.fr/flights/
google.it/flights/
google.es/flights/
google.nl/flights/

We’ve worked to provide you with fast results as you browse a simple list of the most relevant flights, figure out when to travel, and get ideas about where to go and book your trip online. We hope you’ll enjoy planning your next trip with Flight Search! Bon Voyage!

Posted by Noam Ben Haim, Senior Product Manager, Travel

Latest Google Travel Whitepaper

ADVERTISING TRAVEL PRODUCTS TO MULTI-SCREEN CONSUMERS
Many travel companies are struggling with the speed of change in the mobile sector and in assessing the scale of the mobile opportunity, in deciding when and how much to invest in mobile, and whether to build mobile optimized sites and/or apps. The travel path to purchase is becoming increasingly complex in a multi-screen world, where customers jump not only from site to site but also from device to device in their online travel-purchasing journey.

The shift from desktop-only towards the use of multiple devices to access the Internet has radically changed how consumers engage with digital content and when they choose to do it. It is no longer an activity we solely conduct either at home or our work via a desktop computer, but is something which now also happens on the train, bus, in a café with friends, everywhere possible.

In this whitepaper we have seen evidence that usage behavior varies by device, which in turn has made the travel-purchasing process highly complex and therefore challenging for advertisers to fully grasp and benefit from. The only common denominator across all devices is that we, as users, expect to have our needs for information and services fulfilled immediately in a seamless and intuitive way. Travel advertisers must meet these expectations in order for their multi-platform strategies to become successful.

You can access the whitepaper here.

Posted by Jonas Vang Gregersen, Senior Industry Analyst UK.

Last-minute travel has gone mobile

This summer we have seen a notable shift towards the use of mobile devices, when the Brits search for last-minute travel products. For certain types of products, up to 40% of all Google queries are made on either a tablet or other high-end mobile device. We encourage online marketers to align their activities accordingly to ensure full capture of traffic which comes through Search on all devices. Please find more details about our findings at this link.

Posted by Jonas Vang Gregersen, Sr. Industry Analyst

Curious how Google+ can work for Travel brands?

We're pleased to announce a new case study for how LateRooms.com has found success with Google+. A few of the top highlights from the study include: Approaching 600k followers Several posts have been re-shared over 2,500 times and have received 500 comments A 9% CTR uplift with social extensions on their Brand campaign. Take a look at the blogpost here and download the full case study to see more results and quotes from LateRooms.com! Posted by Erica Trittschuh, Industry Manager UK.

More travel research for you to explore

Want to understand how search drives travel purchases? To compare mobile and desktop use? To understand more about the ROPO effect: research online, purchase offline. Or perhaps you want to deep-dive into the travel market in a particular country? Think Insights is home to the latest insights from a wide range of industries including the travel sector. The site houses case studies and thoughts from leaders to help you develop your travel digital strategy. And now the site has expanded to cover 21 different countries, across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. You can now search our expanded library by country and by sector, making the latest travel research even easier to find. Plus, there are new tools and videos for you to explore, including: two videos on the consumer journey looking at ROPO and attribution. Check out this video to see how the newly expanded Think Insights website can help you. And follow Think on Google+. Posted by Claire Martin, Product Marketing Manager, Google UK

London Olympics 2012

We are pleased to release our latest travel whitepaper, "London Olympics 2012". This paper analyses the impact of the Olympic Games and other major sporting events on the UK Travel Industry.

The objectives of this paper are to study the impact of the Olympic Games on both UK inbound and outbound tourism. In addition, the paper also considers some of the factors around the legacy of the Games. We have made recommendations based on the analysis and identified the key trends that we are seeing in the market

You can access the whitepaper here.

Many thanks!

Posted by Anish Acharya, Industry Analyst, UK.

“Saya Belum Bersedia Jadi Mentor” – Faizal Tahir

“Sebenarnya saya berada di Sri Pentas pada hari ini adalah untuk membincangkan mengenai Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) dan tidak sangka pula selepas itu saya menyertai sidang media ini kerana saya sejujurnya belum membuat keputusan sama ada bersetuju atau tidak menyertai Mentor,” ujar penyanyi Faizal Tahir yang nyata terkejut apabila namanya diumumkan sebagai salah seorang daripada enam mentor bagi program relaiti Mentor musim keenam yang bakal berlangsung tahun depan.

Pengumuman tersebut dilakukan pada sidang media khas pelantikan enam mentor bagi musim terbaru di Sri Pentas TV3 petang semalam yang turut menyaksikan Ramlah Ram, Fauziah Dato’ Ahmad Daud, Ella, Adam dan Ferhad tampil sebagai mentor baru.

Meskipun pada mulanya enggan menyertai Mentor 6, Faizal akhirnya menerima pemilihan ini dan menegaskan penerimaan tawaran ini bukan terpaksa. Sebaliknya dia berjanji akan buat sebaik mungkin.

Menurut Faizal, dia pada mulanya enggan melibatkan diri dalam program ini kerana mengenangkan dirinya yang kurang berkeyakinan mengajar protege baru selain merasakan, untuk mengasah bakat seseorang bukan satu perkara mudah dan ia memerlukan tahap kesabaran yang tinggi juga perlu ada strategi.

“Tahap keyakinan saya untuk mendidik seseorang agak kurang kerana saya sendiri masih lagi berlatih dalam bidang muzik ini. Saya selalu meletakkan satu tahal yang tinggi untuk diri sendiri setiap kali membuat persembahan, inikan pula mengasah bakat baru.

“Apa yang saya risaukan ialah bagaimana sekiranya saya tidak dapat mencari protege seperti yang diinginkan. Saya mahu cari seseorang yang lebih dari seorang juara,” ujarnya.

Bakal memulakan pencarian di tanah borneo terlebih dahulu, uji bakat Mentor 6 akan bermula di negeri Sabah pada 13 Januari depan di Hotel Promenade, Tawau, 15 Januari di Hotel Promenade, Kota kinabalu manakala ujibakat di Sarawak akan diadakan pada 20 Januari di Hotel Imperial, Miri dan 22 Januari di Hotel Merdeka Palace, Kuching.

Uji bakat bersama setiap mentor yang akan diadakan di Sri Pentas TV3 membariskan barisan mentor Fauziah Dato’ Ahmad Daud adalah pada 4 Februari, Faizal Tahir (5 Februari), Ramlah Ram (11 Februari), Ferhad (12 Februari), Ella (18 Februari) dan Adam AF pada 19 Februari.

No related posts.

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Bakso in Bali

Bakso is a dish of noodles, meatballs and other assorted stuff served in a soup. It’s usually served on the streets – this particular variant comes with a *huge* fist size beef ball. It’s homemade and the meat is slightly pink and tender on the inside. IDR 7,000 which is about RM 2.40 – it’s worth it for the gigantic homemade beef ball alone. :)

However, the best bakso that we had was outside the Legian beach – it’s one of those portable stalls that allows the vendor to carry his wares behind his motorcycle and literally set up shop there.

We had just had a very chill afternoon of swimming and lounging on the beach before it suddenly started raining. Anyway, the guy who owns the stall was quite pleased to have our business and took several photos of us with his stall. He insisted.

The setup is pretty similar but the stall had run out of noodles and egg so it’s just plain bakso (meatballs).

The meatballs are held in a side area which is constantly heated but surprisingly retains the tender and juiciness of the meatballs.

You can choose whether you want it spicy or regular (highly recommend the spicy) and it comes to you in a piping hot steaming bowl of goodness.

We sat down on a little nook right on the sidewalk just like the locals did – it was that and the cold, wet and drizzling weather offset with a nice bowl of heartwarming spicy bakso that made this the best one we had in Bali. IDR 5,000 (RM 1.70).

Fresh raised a very good question though – where does the guy wash the bowls? :)

Link to full article

Elly Suriaty Keguguran Di Lokasi!

Kerisauan aktor Azri Iskandar terhadap keadaan isterinya, Elly Suriaty yang terlalu aktif meski dalam keadaan berbadan dua seperti yang diluahkannya sewaktu kali terakhir bertemu di sidang media filem ‘Penanggal’ terjadi jua apabila pelakon dan pengarah filem itu mengalami keguguran ketika sedang sibuk mengarahkan filem sulungnya, ‘Penanggal’ di Kuala Kangsar, Perak semalam.

Memetik kenyataan Azri menerusi laman mStar berkata, kejadian tersebut berlaku kira-kira pukul 12 tengah hari, semasa isterinya hendak membuang air kecil dan tiba-tiba berlaku pendarahan.

“Penggambaran filem habis lewat sehingga pukul enam pagi tadi kerana Elly ingin menyiapkan babak malam untuk filem itu. Dia menyedari dirinya keguguran ketika hendak membuang air kecil dan mendapati berlaku pendarahan. Kami terus ke hospital dan doktor telah mengesahkan dia keguguran,” ujar Azri.

Azri turut memaklumkan bahawa isterinya kini berada di Hospital kuala Kangsar dan akan ditahan selama beberapa hari sehingga tahap kesihatannya stabil.

Elly sebelum ini telah mengumumkan dirinya sedang hamil empat bulan sewaktu sidang media filem ‘Penanggal’ baru-baru ini. Pasangan ini telah dikurniakan tiga orang cahayamata namun anak keduanya telah meninggal dunia.

Azri turut memberitahu kelasakan isterinya dilokasi penggambaran mungkin salah satu sebab keguguran itu berlaku. Walaubagaimanapun, dia menganggap semuanya adalah suratan takdir Allah SWT.

“Buat masa ini, Elly dalam keadaan tertekan dan banyak menangis kerana sedih dengan keguguran itu, jadi saya perlu memberikan sepenuh perhatian kepadanya,” tutur Azri.

Walaupun dirinya dalam pada masa yang sama turut bersedih dengan kehilangan anak mereka, Azri redha dengan ketentuan takdir dan menganggap ia bukan rezeki mereka.

“Ia bukan salah sesiapa tetapi ketentuan Allah SWT, saya terima dengan penuh redha,” ujar Azri.

Menyentuh mengenai perkembangan filem ‘Penanggal’ yang turut menampilkannya sebagai pelakon utama, filem tersebut akan dihentikan selama beberapa hari sementara menanti keadaaan Elly kembali pulih.

Tambahnya lagi, adengan-adengan ringkas di Kampung Sayong Ulu, Kuala Kangsar juga mungkin akan diambil alih oleh Penolong Pengarah.

‘Penanggal’ adalah filem arahan sulung Elly yang berkisarkan manusia yang mengamalkan ilmu hitam dan boleh menyerupai makhluk seram tidak bertubuh hanya berkepala. Selain Azri Iskandar, filem ini turut dibarisi barisan pelakon hebat seperti Umi Nazeera, Fasha Sandha, Datuk Sharifah Aini, Normah Damanhuri, Zul Ariffin dan ramai lagi.

• 
  ‘Penanggal’ Taruhan Sulung Ellie Suriaty Bawa Biduanita Negara, Dato Sharifah Aini Ke Layar Perak Semula!

  S / Dec 20, 2011 / 0 respon
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  Akibat Terlalu Aktif, Ekin Keguguran Anak – Tidak Mengapa, Cuba Lagi

  M / Mar 15, 2009 / 245 respon
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  (Gambar) Majlis Pertunangan Elly Mazlein & Azmi, Dulu Pengarah Kini Bakal Suami.

  M / Jun 1, 2011 / 22 respon
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  (ABPBH 2008) Cerita Di Sebalik Ketiadaan Dynaz – Keguguran Anak

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Proton I-Care Prihatin Banjir flood relief programme

Proton has announced a nationwide ‘Proton I-Care Prihatin Banjir’ flood relief programme to assist victims whose Proton cars have been damaged by rising waters. The programme starts today (29 Dec) and will run till 29 February 2012.

Basically, Proton I-Care Prihatin Banjir offers affected Proton car owners free inspection and assessment of damage, free towing within a 5km radius of selected Proton authorised service centres and a 20% discount on Proton Genuine Parts.

“We understand how difficult it can be for people who are affected in flood-prone areas. Year after year they face the same problems and damages to their property and belongings, which may include their Proton cars. For most families, it can be one of the biggest spending of their household,” said Ahmad Suhaimi Mohamad Anuar, CEO of Proton Edar.

“Previously, flood was a common occurrence in the East Coast but nowadays it happens all over the country, even in KL, when you least expect it. With this programme and customer care being our top priority, we hope to do our part in helping to relieve the burden of our valued customers,” he added.

This is part of Proton’s community outreach programme, which will see roadshows in Kelantan, Perlis, Pahang and Johor. The tour started last week in Kelantan and Perlis. Upcoming dates and venues are as follows:

At the road shows, Proton technicians will share with owners how to handle flood-affected vehicles. Proton owners are also entitled to a free 18-point safety check and free rear seat belt installation. The latter is the last chance to do so before the regulation is enforced by the government beginning 1 January 2012.

Customers are also invited to forward queries regarding flood affected cars or show up in person at any Proton service centre for guidance. For towing services and related enquiries, one can call Proton I-Care at 1300-880–888 or 1800–888–398.

Future roadshow venues and dates will be announced in due course.

© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 28 Dec 11 19:38:11 +0000.

Related Posts

1. Thai flood: Toyota, Mazda, MMC production restarting soon
2. Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia: delivery of Triton and Pajero Sport affected by Thai flood situation
3. UMW Toyota Motor update on Thailand flood disaster
4. Proton launches “1Perayaan Proton” programme to celebrate the festive season
5. The CARe 500 EV – get one with or without batteries!
6. Proton discontinues car scrapping programme
7. Proton i.CARE TV Commercial
8. Proton helps East-Coast flood victims
9. Proton i.CARE centralized customer service system
10. Naza donates to Johor flood victims

Link to full article

The Blue Rusa Awards 2011

Guess what, I found an interesting site by Celcom called The Blue Rusa Award.

Wanna win a Samsung Galaxy Note? Just come out with a headline, fill in your name. That’s it!
Go to http://www.celcom.com.my/bluerusaaward/ nowww!

Come lemme show you my entry.

Just go to the link above, click START.

Type in a creative headline.

Put in your name.

DONE! lol so easy omg. GO JOIN NOW!

Link to full article

Kenyataan Media Anwar Ibrahim, 28 Disember 2011

Saya meneliti secara serius perkembangan mutakhir gerakan kebebasan akademik yang dipimpin oleh kelompok mahasiswa yang kini berdepan dengan pelbagai tekanan politik UMNO. Tatkala kesedaran menuntut kebebasan di kalangan mahasiswa mulai berkembang dan matang, pimpinan UMNO semakin gusar dan resah dalam menghadapi asakan ini serta bertindak melulu dengan menzahirkan ancaman fizikal bersifat biadab dan semberono.

Komitmen pentadbiran Dato’ Sri Najib Razak, kononnya mahu meminda Seksyen 15, Akta Universiti Kolej Universiti (AUKU) dan memberi lebih kebebasan kepada mahasiswa dalam politik kepartian kini dilihat tidak lebih sekadar omong kosong. Perkembangan membabitkan Adam Adli, mahasiswa dari Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris (UPSI) yang kini berdepan dengan tindakan di bawah AUKU sememangnya menzahirkan ketakutan UMNO terhadap gelombang kebangkitan mahasiswa. Tindakan sama turut dilihat dalam beberapa kes terdahulu dengan tindakan keras oleh pihak universiti termasuk risiko dibuang kampus.

Insiden remeh di depan ibu pejabat UMNO di PWTC yang dikaitkan dengan tuntutan mahasiswa tempoh hari diangkat oleh media milik UMNO seolah-olah ianya jenayah besar walhal isu-isu yang berkait dengan fitnah, ugutan bunuh, jenayah dan rasuah seringkali diketepikan.

Tindakan menghukum dengan menggunakan peruntukan AUKU terhadap mahasiswa selepas insiden tersebut jelas bertujuan untuk menakut-nakut dan sebagai langkah untuk mengendurkan semangat serta iltizam mahasiswa.

Saya menggesa agar dihentikan semua bentuk tekanan terhadap mahasiswa kerana jelas ini merupakan kehendak politik pimpinan UMNO yang terdesak. Saya juga mengulangi tekad dan komitmen Pakatan Rakyat untuk memansuhkan AUKU serta memberi penumpuan kepada usaha mengangkat mutu pendidikan yang berteraskan prinsip kebebasan akademik, pencerahan dan pemerkasaan intelektual.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

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VIDEO: A first glimpse at new Proton P3-21A sedan interior

© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 28 Dec 11 09:28:11 +0000.

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7. Proton New Sedan Teaser Video
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10. Possible Proton Savvy Interior Shots!

Link to full article

My Proton Makeover – 1996 Iswara Aeroback is third up

The next recipient of Proton’s “Very Important Proton” Makeover programme is a 1996 Iswara Aeroback, owned by software test engineer Norzamzarini Mohd Bajuri. The 35-year-old from Muar, Johor received a year-end surprise when the company called him to announce that his car was to be the third makeover project vehicle.

“In his submission, Norzamzarini waxed lyrical about his love for his car. Its uniqueness really stood out,” said Proton’s director of group marketing, branding and motorsports, John D. Chacko. “We were quite taken by his expressiveness, ending his submission with what would best be described as him loving the car ‘till death do they part!’”

The red Proton Iswara Aeroback 1.3 that will receive special treatment from Proton’s R3 unit was a second-hand purchase by Norzamzarini in 1998. A keen Formula One follower and an avid Schumacher fan, he described a proud moment when he brought his then-girlfriend to meet his parents. That poignant moment, as he described it, was akin to that of him being a prince astride his red stallion with his prized maiden.

“I am feeling really blessed, having been informed that the car I love will be getting a new lease of life,” said the father of four. “Coincidentally, just last week, my wife and I were blessed with our fourth child, a lovely baby girl who we named Nur Mawaddah, which means ‘a ray of love’. Having the two events happening so close to each other, I cannot help but feel that I have received a double blessing,” he enthused.

Though excited, Norzamzarini was feeling a little hesitant when handing over the car to the R3 unit at the Proton Center of Excellence in Subang Jaya. Later expressing some slight embarrassment because of the wear and tear of the car’s body work, he was set at ease after receiving a compliment about the pristine condition of the car’s engine.

Proton’s head of engineering of the R3 unit, Tengku Djan Ley, expressed the team’s anticipation of working on yet another different vehicle. “After reading Norzamzarini’s submission, and meeting him in person and hearing of him and his family and their new daughter, we are really looking forward to working on this car and giving them a gift for the new year,” he added. The Iswara Aeroback is scheduled to be returned in January 2012.

Norzamzarini’s selection announcement comes off the back of the handing over of the second completed Makeover car, a 17-year-old Wira belonging to Sashideran Radha Krishnan from Klang. Fadly Hisham Roplay’s 1992 Saga was of course the first to be reworked. Three more Proton car owners will be rewarded with a complete makeover of their car, courtesy of the My Proton Makeover contest, which ends today.

© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 28 Dec 11 07:31:52 +0000.

Related Posts

1. My Proton Makeover – Sashideran gets his reworked Wira
2. My Proton Makeover – work in progress pics of the Wira
3. My Proton Makeover – next up, a 17-year-old Wira sedan!
4. My Proton Makeover: 1992 Saga handed back to Fadly!
5. My Proton Makeover – Work in Progress pics of 1992 Saga
6. My Proton Makeover – 1992 Saga to be first car reworked
7. Proton in talks to produce Proton EMAS concept car
8. Proton GEN2 Sedan Computer Graphics
9. 1996-1998 Audi A4 1.8T
10. True Account of a Proton Iswara user

Link to full article

Kenyataan Media Nik Nazmi Tentang Isu Salahguna Zakat MAIWP

Jawapan Ketua Audit Negara November lalu mengesahkan Menteri di
Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom, Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan Datuk Che Mat Che Ali dan Shamsuddin Hussain Ketua Pendakwa Syarie Wilayah Persekutuan menggunakan RM63,650 daripada wang zakat untuk membiayai kos guamannya mengadapi kes permohonan qazaf Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Isu ini yang telah dibangkitkan oleh YB Saifuddin Nasution di Parlimen dan dibawa ke Jawatankuasa Kira-Kira Wang Negara.

Ketua Audit memaklumkan bahawa pada 11 Januari 2010 MAIWP menerima bil berjumlah RM63,000 daripada peguam Tetuan Zainul Rijal Talha dan Amir kerana mewakili ketiga-tiga mereka di atas bagi kes permohonan qazaf Anwar.

Che Mat telah meluluskan bayaran RM31,500 daripada peruntukan am pada 28 Januari 2010.  Namun memandangkan geran kerajaan masih lagi belum diterima, bayaran dibuat menggunakan peruntukan zakat pada 9 Februari 2010.

MAIWP membuat pembayaran baki kos guaman RM32,150 pada 29 April 2010 menggunakan peruntukan zakat.

MAIWP telah menerima geran kerajaan pada 22 Jun 2010 sebanyak
RM700,000. Namun MAIWP hanya membuat pembayaran semula daripada peruntukan am kepada wang zakat pada Disember 2010.

Persoalannya, adakah begitu mudah untuk MAIWP menggunakan wang zakat yang dibayar umat Islam bagi asnaf-asnaf yang khusus untuk perbelanjaan lain?

Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, bekas Ketua Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Kuala Lumpur di dalm surat terbukanya kepada Ketua Polis Negara hari ini telah membangkitkan dwi-standard kes ini dengan kes membabitkan bekas imam di Kulaijaya, Johor, Redzuan Mohd Said yang didapati menyelewengkan RM19,510 kutipan zakat antara Ogos dan September tahun ini.

Redzuan yang kemudiannya memulangkan wang tersebut telah dihukum empat tahun penjara dan tiga sebatan atas kesalahnnya.
Adakah wujud perbezaan antara seorang amil zakat biasa yang melakukan kesalahan dengan seorang Menteri dan Ketua Pengarah JAWI?

Jamil Khir tidak sepatutnya diam membisu dan segera menjawab persoalan ini yang pastinya menimbulkan kegusaran di kalangan umat Islam negara
ini.

NIK NAZMI NIK AHMAD
PENGARAH KOMUNIKASI
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT

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Proton confirms 2012 APRC participation – also announces an entry in 2012 WRC for the S2000-category

Proton, which dominated the 2011 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) with a clean sweep of the eight titles on call, has confirmed its participation in the 2012 APRC championship. The champions will begin the defence of the crown at the International Rally of Whangarei – New Zealand that runs on March 30-April 1.

The news actually came via the Proton Cars Australia route, where an announcement was made of the team’s APRC plans and that it will be returning to contest the International Rally of Queensland (IROQ) in May.

The factory-backed Proton Motorsports team announced Scotsman Alister McRae and Swede Per-Gunnar (P-G) Andersson as its drivers in the APRC. McRae, who is about to tackle the 2012 Dakar endurance rally in South America in a car of his own manufacture, is of course the defending APRC champion as well as 1995 British Rally champion, while Andersson is the 2004 and 2007 Junior World Rally champion.

Proton Motorsports also made a simultaneous announcement that it will expand the six-round Asia Pacific programme into an entry in the 2012 World Rally Championship for S2000-category cars, starting with next month’s Monte Carlo Rally.

© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 28 Dec 11 05:42:10 +0000.

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3. Proton at Rally Hokkaido – Alister McRae finishes third, and APRC driver’s title goes down to the wire
4. Proton aiming for more APRC glory in Australia
5. Volkswagen confirms WRC entry, Polo to race in 2013
6. Malaysian Rally: Proton first and third in APRC on Day 2, while Cusco Neo leads in the APRC Junior Cup
7. Proton starts 2011 APRC campaign in confident mood
8. Proton Satria Neo S2000: 1-2 position in China!
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10. Proton R3 Malaysia Rally Team targets APRC crown

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Video: DJ Earworm Lancarkan Mashup Terbaru ‘United States Of Pop 2011′ (World Go Boom)

Terkenal dengan beberapa mashup ‘United States of Pop’ yang dibuat untuk tahun-tahun sebelum ini, DJ Earworm kini mengembangkan lagi pengaruhnya.

Kali ini, tampil dengan gaya yang sama tapi lebih menarik kerana dia turut melancarkan muzik video rasmi untuk mashup terbarunya di Youtube, ‘United States of Pop 2011′ (World Go Boom).

Mashup ini menampilkan 25 buah lagu popular pilihan DJ Earworm termasuklah lagu Adele, Bruno Mars, Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Cee Lo Green, Maroon 5, Pitbull, JLo, Katy Perry dan juga Lady Gaga. OHBULAN! pasti mashup kali ini mampu memikat halwa telinga anda lebih lama dari mashup sebelumnya.

Jom layannn!

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