The Blogging God's Ramadhan wish to all....

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

August 31, 2008

As we all know, the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan is coming soon, tomorrow to be exact, the 1st of September 2008 and on this joyous occasion, he has this message to tell to everyone of his Muslim friends, or should he say fans:-

Selamat Menyambut Bulan Ramadhan Al-Mubarak. Semoga Allah menerima dan membalas segala amalan yang dilakukan pada bulan ini dengan pahala dan ganjaran dan semoga Allah menghapuskan segala dosa-dosa yang telah kamu lakukan. Sesungguhnya Allah telah berfirman, "Barang siapa yang berpuasa di bulan Ramadhan untuk mendapatkan keredhaan dari Allah S.W.T, maka dosa-dosanya yang lalu akan dihapuskan." Insyallah.

For those of you who dont understand what he is saying, then let it remain that way. Just for your information, he would be performing his Terawih prayers at the Alkaff Mosque so you may join him there if you are interested. Until next time, happy fasting.

McCain taps Alaska governor for VP...

Republican John McCain introduced first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate Friday, a stunning selection of a little-known conservative newcomer who relishes fighting the establishment.

"She's exactly who I need. She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of 'Me first and country second,' " McCain declared as the pair stood together for the first time at a boisterous rally in Ohio just days before the opening of the party's national convention.

Palin, the first Republican woman on a presidential ticket, promised: "I'm going to take our campaign to every part of our country and our message of reform to every voter of every background in every political party, or no party at all."

In the increasingly intensive presidential campaign, McCain made his selection six days after his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, named Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, as his No. 2 on the ticket. The contrast between the two announcements was remarkable — Obama, 47, picked a 65-year-old running mate with long experience in government and a man whom he said was qualified to be president. The timing of McCain's selection appeared designed to limit any political gain Obama derives from his own convention, which ended Thursday night with his nominating acceptance speech before an estimated 84,000 in Invesco Field in Colorado. Public opinion polls show a close race between Obama and McCain, and with scarcely two months remaining until the election, neither contender can allow the other to jump out to a big post-convention lead. On his 72nd birthday, McCain chose Palin, a woman younger than two of the Arizonan's seven children and a person who until recently was the mayor of small-town Wasilla, Alaska and has been governor less than two years. He settled on her six months after first meeting the governor and following only one phone call between them last Sunday and a single face-to-face meeting Thursday, according to a timeline provided by his campaign.

The Obama campaign immediately questioned whether she would be prepared to step in and be president if necessary. President Bush complimented McCain for "an exciting decision." Palin's name had not been on the short list of people heavily reported upon by the news media in recent days, and McCain's decision was a well-kept secret until just a couple hours before Friday's rally. McCain's campaign said that Palin and a top aide met with senior McCain advisers in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday night. The next morning, the campaign said McCain formally invited Palin to join the ticket on the deck of McCain's home near Sedona, Ariz., and later Thursday the governor flew to Middletown, Ohio, with staff to await Friday's event in Dayton. Describing the process that led to her selection, Palin told reporters she'd received word that she was McCain's choice on Thursday and had met privately with him that day to discuss it.

With his pick, McCain passed over more prominent contenders like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as well as others such as former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, whose support for abortion rights might have sparked unrest at the convention that opens Monday in St. Paul, Minn. A self-styled hockey mom and political reformer, Palin became governor after ousting a state chief executive of her own party in a primary. Palin has a long history of run-ins with the Alaska GOP hierarchy, giving her genuine maverick status and reformer credentials that could complement McCain's image. [End of report]

It was an interesting choice indeed. I dont think anyone had expected it, I certainly didnt. Actually to be honest with you, I have never heard of her name before and from what I have heard, she herself is not really a big name in the American political scene. She's only a first-term Alaska Governor afterall. I thought he would pick someone who have been linked with the post for a long time like Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty, but he has decided to go with a relatively unknown candidate. I think that this kind of choice can either make or break your entire campaign. Now, lets look at what she is good at. Well, to start with, she is younger than Obama, who is 47, and being a woman, she may appeal to some disappointed Hillary Clinton backers. I believe most of them are upset that she wasnt picked for the VP role and even though she has said that she is endorsing Obama for the President, many of them are still reluctant to vote for Obama. Her supporters are also desperate to break the glass ceiling for women and Palin might give them that choice. Palin also opposes abortion rights and supports gun ownership, two core Republican issues. She also has no ties to George W. Bush, an advantage as McCain seeks to distance himself from the unpopular president. Now that is the general feelings of the American people about President Bush, but as far as I am concerned, he is the biggest asset for John McCain and it would be a waste if he didnt use that.

Let's take a look at the negative side that she might bring to McCain's campaign. I have said earlier that she is younger than Obama, and this mean that the question of inexperience comes into play as well. Many people on the Republican side has argued that Obama is inexperienced to be the President but I think the same argument could be said about Palin as well. She like Obama, is still considered young and therefore, they had not much experience to begin with. However, having picked Palin, it takes the whole experience issue off the table. But whether she is ready to take over the role of the President if necessary, that remains to be seen. And like I have said earlier, she is relatively not a well known figure by most American, so that could be a disadvantage for McCain. Now, I know that some of you would argue that Obama was also not well known when he began his bid for presidency, but unlike Palin, the long campaign he had with Hillary Clinton has help him a lot in making his presence felt and in helping the American people to know more about him. Palin meanwhile has to do that in a matter of a few months, the election will be in November, so she is now going to have to perform at a very high level to persuade the media and the public that she is truly ready to be a heartbeat away.

So both choice for the VP have been picked, now is where the real fight can begin. But before that of course there is the Republican National Convention which will begin next week but it might be postponed or even suspended due to the current Hurricane Gustav that is affecting Minneapolis, the state that will be hosting the Convention. I think if that happens, it would be very disappointed to hear because I am really looking forward to President Bush's speech. Dont get me wrong now, Im still supporting Obama but at the same time, Im a fan of President Bush as well though Im not supporting McCain. Im done for now. Have a great weekend.

*The report was taken from Bloomberg.com

Thai court orders protesters to leave government complex...

Thailand on Wednesday ordered thousands of protesters to leave the main government complex and issued arrest warrants for their leaders, ratcheting up the pressure to end the two-day stand-off. But as riot police stood by, the demonstrators vowed to stay inside the Government House compound until Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej bows to their demands to step down. Thailand's Civil Court granted a government request for a ruling ordering five protest leaders and their spokesperson to end the siege, deputy national police spokesman Major General Surapol Tuanthong said on Wednesday.

But members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) swiftly said they would not comply. The Criminal Court earlier issued arrest warrants for nine members of PAD, but police have yet to act on the warrants and are standing by at Government House. Surapol said authorities had not decided when to move in and arrest the nine PAD members. Up to 35,000 demonstrators stormed a state-run television station on Tuesday, besieging at least three ministries and finally invading the grounds of Government House, stepping up a campaign to bring down Samak's administration. Despite government pleas, the threat of arrest, and even the onset of a tropical rain storm, protest leaders refused to budge. Hundreds of protesters briefly formed a human shield around the PAD's most vocal leaders - media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul and retired general Chamlong Srimuang - who sat on the ground in t-shirts reading "Fight for the king."

Small scuffles broke out between police and protesters early Wednesday, but for most of the day the police deployed to the compound, some armed with batons and shields, kept away from the demonstrators. One police officer who refused to be named said 2,000 police were deployed outside Government House, while 500 were inside. Police earlier estimated that 14,000 protesters had flooded the compound. The PAD movement, which has been protesting since May, says Samak is a proxy running the country on behalf of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is barred from holding office. Samak, who won elections last December and formed his coalition government in February, has said he will not resign. The premier, who was working on Wednesday from army headquarters, said on Tuesday that his approach would be "soft and gentle."

PAD protests in early 2006 helped lead to the putsch that unseated Thaksin, and the entry to government of his ally Samak infuriated the old power elites in the military and palace. Since taking office, Samak has faced his own series of setbacks. Court decisions forced three top government officials to resign, while the ongoing PAD protests have helped push the stock market down nearly 18 percent since May. [End of report]

I just dont understand what is it that the Thai people want. Firstly, they wanted to get rid of Thaksin. They got what they wanted and then they had the opportunity to choose for a new leader and they decided to choose Samak. Instead of being happy, they are asking for him to step down after taking charge for only a few months or so. I find the allegations that Samak is just a proxy running the country on behalf of former Prime Minister Thaksin completely baseless. Yes, he has admit that he is pretty close to Thaksin but that doesnt mean that he has any connection with him in how the country should be run. I believe that everything that Samak has done for the country were done by his own decision and Thaksin doesn't has any say in any of it so it is completely unreasonable to say that Samak is just running the country for Thaksin. He was elected by the Thai people, not Thaksin and it was a done in a way that is fair to every parties involved. The people voted for Samak because they believe that he and his party will do a good job, not because of his close relationship with Thaksin.

It is good to see that Samak is not bowing down to the pressure because there is no reason to even suggest that he should do that. I think that the Thai people are taking their anger on Thaksin against Samak since Thaksin is still away from the country. I dont think that is the right thing to do. You dont have to hate Samak or anyone else just because they have a close relationship with Thaksin. Since Samak took over, I dont think he has done anything wrong. I believe all of this are plots by opponents of Thaksin to overthrow the government so that they can control the power for themselves. Samak is an easy target for them to attack because of his close relationship with Thaksin and they are using him as the scapegoat for all the country's problems. All of the protests against the government are just a waste of time because I dont think they know what they are really doing. It is also good to hear that most of the Bangkok residents said that they did not agree with the Government House siege. Now whether they support the government or not, that is a different question all together.

Nevertheless, despite all the challenges that Samak is facing, I believe he is strong enough to ride the tide. I know that he is a very strong individual and is very persistant. He is the kind of person that will not change his mind or his decision once he set his mind on it. It is good for a leader to listen to its people sometime, but not this time though. He should just get on with his job and forget what others has to say about him. As long as he is doing a good job, there is no need for him to resign.

*The report was taken from AFP.

Anwar wins Malaysian parliament seat...

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim won a landslide victory in a special election for a parliament seat Tuesday, strengthening his campaign to topple the government and become the next prime minister despite sodomy charges against him. The official count showed Anwar defeated the governing coalition's candidate for a seat from a semi-rural district in the northern industrial state of Penang.

"This is the people's victory," Anwar, 61, said in a victory speech to thousands of supporters.

"Permatang Pauh has given a clear signal to the leadership of this country. We demand change. We want freedom. We don't want to live with corruption and oppression," he said.

Anwar's re-entry into parliament would formally complete the political rehabilitation of a man who was fired as deputy prime minister in 1998 and jailed for six years after he was convicted of corruption and sodomizing his family driver. Anwar is now facing trial on new charges that he sodomized a male aide in June. He calls the latest sodomy charge "most sickening" and a politically motivated attack. Sodomy is punishable by up to 20 years in jail in Malaysia and no date has been set for the trial. Anwar's previous sodomy conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2004. He has always maintained that he was framed by his boss, then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, because of a power struggle. He says the latest charge is also a conspiracy by Mahathir's successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to prevent him from becoming prime minister. Abdullah denies it.

Thousands of Anwar supporters had gathered outside the counting center awaiting the results, watched by large contingents of riot police. The Election Commission said final results gave Anwar 31,195 votes while his rival, Arif Shah Omar Shah, got 15,524 of the 47,258 votes cast. A third candidate got 92 votes. Turnout was impressive at 81 percent. The single seat that Anwar won will not change the balance of power. But he has vowed to persuade enough lawmakers from the governing National Front to defect so he can bring down the government by September 16. Domestic Trade Minister Shahrir Samad, a member of the ruling party's policy-making council, denied Anwar's victory was a major blow to the government. A telephone poll conducted of 544 voters by the independent Merdeka Center think-tank from Friday to Sunday found 59 percent of the Permatang Pauh voters believed the sodomy allegation was politically motivated.

Anwar was expected to win most votes of the minority Chinese and Indians. The Malay voters, who form 69 percent of the constituency's electorate, were split between Anwar and the government candidate. The election was also a gauge of public anger against Abdullah's administration, which the opposition has painted as corrupt, inefficient and uncaring toward minorities. The opposition promises to scrap Malaysia's decades-old system of preferences for ethnic Malays. The government says that would jeopardize the country's unity. [End of report]

It is a great result, there was nothing surprising about it as far as I am concern because there was no doubt in my mind that he would win the election right from the start. I believe that Anwar Ibrahim is a very popular guy in Permatang Pauh. When Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah was still in control of the state, I think she did a great job and had gain a lot of support, so it is not surprising to find out that they have decided to give their support to Anwar as well. Im sure they have made the right decision. I think Anwar is a great guy and a great leader and he will do just as well. This win is very important to him because it is the first step for him if he wish to succeed in his plan to topple the government and become the next Prime Minister. It is just a small step but it is the beginning. The ruling coalition BN might sound like they are not surprise to lose the election and they might be saying things to downplay the effect that it might have on them but Im sure they are very disappointed and they know that the result is a huge blow for them especially now when the public views and support for them are really low.

You could already see the effect that it is having on them actually. It has triggered new calls from within the ruling party for the resignation of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. I dont think that will happen, but the longer he stays on, I think there will even be more pressure on him to step down. The celebrations for Anwar though might be shortlived because as we all know, he still have the sodomy charge to deal with next month. Im not sure what will happen to his political career if he is found guilty. Nevertheless, Im not too worried about it because I know that he is innocent and the sodomy charge is just a big lie. There have been no evidence whatsoever to prove that he is guilty of those charges and until that happen, I will continue to support him. It is a great victory for him and for those who wants to see change in the country. It has been a very long time coming for him. I think he fully deserve the victory after everything that he has gone through.

I heard that he will be sworn in as MP on Thursday so that is going to be another historic day to watch as well. The people of Permatang Pauh has spoken and they have made the right decision. As an Anwar supporter, I share his joy of winning the election as well and things can only get better from here on especially when he is onboard. MERDEKA!

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

My edition of 'Groom My Room'...

So last weekend, me and my mom decided to paint my room in preparation for Hari Raya which is coming in 2 months time. It took us the entire weekend to finish up the painting. I didnt know that my room was so big. Anyway, I would just like to share with you the entire painting process. The first step is to of course cover all the things up as you can see above. If you can see closely, the colour of the wall was light purple at the beginning and my first step is to paint the entire room white before I could move on (see below).

As you can see, everything is in white now and then its on to the third and final step. To paint some part of the walls in black and the final outcome is great!

As you can see, the walls looks great now with the black and white stripes. It has always been my dream to paint my room with that design because it represent my love for my favourite football club, Newcastle United. Alright, Im done with sharing with you my process of grooming my room. I feel much closer to my home now. My real home is in Newcastle if you are wondering. It was quite a long and pain staking process but it was worth it. Thanks for reading folks. Feel free to come to my home during Hari Raya later yeah.

Proud China brings curtain down on epic Games...

The Beijing Olympics ended with a blaze of deafening fireworks on Sunday, bringing down the curtain on a Games that dazzled the world with sporting brilliance and showcased the might of modern day China. The sporting extravaganza failed to quell criticism of China’s human rights record, although the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave the organizers the thumbs-up and said the Games would leave a positive legacy for future generations.

The IOC said 43 world records and 132 Olympic records were broken in China, which spent $43 billion on the event—three times more than the budget for the 2012 Games in London. Reflecting China’s new-found confidence, the nation’s athletes took their gold medal tally on the final day to 51 after winning their first two Olympic boxing titles, the most any country has bagged since the Soviet Union in Seoul in 1988. The United States finished with 36 golds, level with their table-topping haul in 2004, but way behind the host nation. China’s Communist leadership no doubt breathed a collective sigh of relief as the giant Olympic torch was extinguished. The run-up to the Games had cast a harsh light on China, bringing unrest in its Tibetan region to a global audience and showing that its rulers would not brook internal dissent. But over the past two weeks, Beijing has wowed the visiting world with its superlative venues, army of smiling volunteers, glitch-free transport and seamless organization. Fears about pollution evaporated as blue skies finally broke through the haze. Criticism of China’s human rights record took a backseat as two athletes redefined sporting excellence.

Michael Phelps swam into the record books by winning an astonishing eight gold medals in the translucent Water Cube. On the track, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt captivated the crowds with three sprint gold medals, all secured in world record times. But critics said enough jarring notes had sounded to spoil the symphony, with China refusing any protests during the Games, and sentencing two elderly women to a year of re-education for pushing for the right to demonstrate. Rogge told reporters on Sunday the IOC could not force change on a state “or solve all the ills of the world,” but that the Games had promoted a heightened awareness of the environment in China and left an array of venues to nurture future champions. The United States took a tougher line, pressing for the immediate release of eight Americans detained for staging protests in favor of Tibetan independence during the Games. The British have made clear they will not even try to emulate the Beijing epic and showed on Sunday a youthful, exuberant image of London life, complete with a double decker bus bearing rock icon Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and David Beckham, the world’s most famous soccer player. Delighted after their best Olympic performance in a century that left Britain fourth in the medals table, Britain also celebrated the handover of the Olympic flag on Sunday with a street party outside the gold-tipped gates of Buckingham Palace.

The London cameo was dwarfed by the grandiose set pieces put on by China to wrap up its show, with hundreds of performers climbing a huge tower and acrobats in illuminated outfits soaring into the night sky, set alight by the fireworks. Ordinary Chinese glowed with national pride at their achievement in staging the Games and at their athletes’ prowess, coming in their thousands to gawp at the paranoiac venues. [End of report]

Finally, the Games is over. Im not particularly a big fan of the Olympic, so I wasnt that excited when it began. Nevertheless, I would like to think that everyone, even myself enjoyed the entire competition. I think it would be an overstatement to say that it is the best Olympic Game, but it is probably one of the best Games ever there is no doubt about that. There was a lot of criticism surrounding China before the event started such as the pollution and the human rights issue, but Im glad that all those things did not have a huge effect on the Games and I think that goes to show what a great job that the Chinese government has done. They have invested a lot of money into the preparation of the Games, making sure that everything will go smoothly and I think all their hard work has paid off. It was still unfortunate to hear about the sentencing of the two elderly women to a year of re-education for pushing for the right to demonstrate. I hope the Chinese government will drop those charges. Anyway back to the Games, I believe it has been a very successful one. I mean, just take a look at the number of new world and Olympic records that were made during the Games, it is pretty mind blowing.

Of course all of that wouldnt have been possible without the athletes themselves and there are two of them in particular that have been the real star of the Games. Im talking about none other than Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. Both of them were phenomenal in the competitions that they took part respectively and they are just one of the reason why this year's Olympics has been great to watch. Im not a fan of either one, so their victories doesnt mean much to me but on a personal note, I had something to cheer for too and that was because of our women table tennis team having managed to win the Silver medal in the competition they took part in. Im sure you are feeling happy for them as well unless of course you dont take pride in their achievement because they are not born in Singapore. I have spoken on a great length regarding the issue in one of my previous post if you are interested to read, so I wont be commenting much on that. We also had Tao Li who managed to set not one, but two new Asian records if Im not wrong in the women's butterfly event, even though she didnt win any medal. It just shows that our athletes are improving everytime you see them and that can only mean good for our future in sports.

Well, it has been 4 years in the making. The Beijing Olympics certainly have been great to watch and it wont be forgotten anytime soon I think. The good thing about the ending is that I can finally watch my favourite TV programme on Channel 5 again and we dont have to watch the Jackie Chan's VISA card advertisement anymore in the cinema. Its not that I hate him but Im bored watching the same stuff over and over again. Thank You Beijing for being a great host city. You have certainly not disappoint the world. I shall see you all again in 2012 for the London Games, which Im sure will be just as great or even better. But before that, we will have the Olympic Youth Games in 2010 right here in Singapore so do watch out for that too. Till then, take care.

*The report was taken from Reuters.

It's Official: Obama picks Biden for veep....

Sen. Barack Obama has picked Delaware Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, two Democratic sources tell CNN. News of Biden's selection came after word that three Democrats who had been considered contenders, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, had been ruled out. The two Democratic sources who told CNN that Obama had chosen Biden spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Obama campaign says it plans to announce his vice presidential running mate in a text message Saturday morning. Obama was then expected to appear with his vice-presidential choice at an afternoon rally in Springfield, Illinois. Biden was long considered a likely choice for vice president, but the buzz surrounding him intensified after he returned earlier this week from a two-day trip to the Republic of Georgia after Russian troops invaded. Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, brings years of experience that could help counter GOP arguments that an Obama administration would be inexperienced on foreign policy. Sen. John McCain's campaign quickly reacted to word that Biden would be Obama's running mate with a dig at Obama's foreign policy credentials.

"There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden," McCain campaign spokesman Ben Porritt said in a written statement.

"Biden has denounced Barack Obama's poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing -- that Barack Obama is not ready to be president."

Biden abandoned his own White House run after a poor showing in Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses. He also ran for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination but dropped out after charges of plagiarism in a stump speech. The 65-year-old was first elected to the Senate in 1972. Shortly afterwards, his first wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. He considered resigning, but decided to continue with his political career. Biden is currently serving out his sixth term, making him Delaware's longest-serving senator. Biden is married and has three children. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and got a law degree from Syracuse. In 1988, Biden suffered an aneurysm and nearly died but has recovered fully.

Obama worked to keep his choice secret, although he addressed the issue broadly during the day in an interview. Biden will make his first big speech as the vice-presidential candidate on Wednesday, August 27 -- the third night of the Democratic convention. [End of report]

*This is the latest update: U.S. Senator Joe Biden has been selected to be Obama's running mate, according to Obama's official Web site and a text message sent to supporters early Saturday.

So the cat is finally out of the bag. Joe Biden is Obama's choice as his vice presidential running mate, so much for the announcement being made first on text message as Obama had plan. As an Obama supporter, I dont find the choice very surprising, in fact I think it is a very good choice. Out of all the candidates that were being considered for the VP role, I only knew about both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden because as you know, both of them were also running to be the Democratic Presidential nominee sometime ago. The most obvious choice for Obama to choose was of course Hillary Clinton for obvious reasons, but I'm glad that Obama didnt pick her straightaway just because she did well during the Primary season. Both Hillary and Biden has their strong and weak points of course. Hillary would be a good pick because she would bring her supporters who had voted for her and boost Obama's chances of winning the election later. Obama is finding it difficult to gain the support from the group of people that had voted for her. If he had choose her instead, I think some people would think that Obama was being pressurized to do so and that he would be over reliant on her in his bid to be the next President which would make him look weaker in my opinion.

As for Biden, he would be a good pick because he has a lot of experience in foreign policy, which would be a great help to Obama who is considered to be a new guy on the block and also lacking of foreign policy experience. Obama has said in the past that he wanted a VP that is going to be able to challenge his thinking and not simply be a yes person, and I think Joe Biden will fit that bill perfectly. Biden voted to authorize the war in Iraq, but long ago became one of the Senate's surest critics of the conflict. I think he would complement well on what Obama is lacking. The only bad thing that I can think of about the choice is probably that he didnt do too well during the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Nevertheless, I strongly believe he is a good pick for Obama and they will be a good team. The ironic thing about all this is that Biden himself has said that he would not accept the vice president role if he was offered and as you can read from the report, he has also said in the past that Barack Obama is not ready to be the President. It is a definitely a big change of heart for Biden. I dont know what Obama has said to him to accept the vice president role, but whatever it is, it worked.

One interesting thing about picking Joe Biden is that it also shows that for all his self-confidence, Barack Obama is worried that he couldn't beat Republican John McCain without help from a seasoned politician willing to attack. Many people have said that Obama was being too passive when he was still battling it out with Hillary Clinton and that he has not been aggressive enough on McCain. With Joe Biden on his side now, he would definitely not have that problem anymore. The question in everybody's mind right now would be who would McCain pick as his running mate? Im sure Obama's decision to pick Joe Biden will have an effect on McCain's pick whoever that is. The latest news Im hearing today was that McCain has picked Mitt Romney to be his running mate according to Politico.com. This is just rumours, nobody in his campaign has officially confirm it yet. I think it would a brilliant choice if it is indeed Romney. I quite like him when he was running to be the Republican Presidential nominee, so it would be great to see him playing some role in the election later.

Whatever it is, the next few days and months would be exciting to watch. I cant wait to hear what Biden has to say. The campaign will now be able to get into full gear with the vice president selected. I cant wait for the Democratic convention which will start on Monday. It will be a great week to look forward too Im sure! Till then, enjoy your weekend.

*The report was taken from CNN.

Age of Chinese gymnasts investigated...

The International Olympic Committee has asked gymnastics officials to look into whether China's women's gymnastics team used underaged competitors, an IOC spokeswoman said Friday. The committee asked the International Gymnastics Federation to clarify the situation, said spokeswoman Giselle Davis. She said she wouldn't call it a formal investigation.

The Chinese women's gymnastics team won a gold medal in a team competition at the Summer Olympics Games. Five members won medals in individual competitions. Yet commentators, bloggers and others have raised questions about whether about half the members of China's team were old enough to compete -- athletes must be at least 16 in the year the games take place. In women's gymnastics, younger teenage girls can have an advantage over older competitors due to their often smaller, more agile bodies and lighter frames. A top Chinese Olympic official said questions regarding the ages of the athletes have been dealt with previously. Chinese officials provided the Olympic committee with passports, showing that team members were of legal age, but numerous challenges have been made.

The latest came from a blogger known as "Stryde Hax." The blogger claims to have uncovered proof that Chinese gymnast He Kexin is only 14. In Internet searches, "Stryde Hax" allegedly uncovered Web pages showing lists complied by China's General Administration of Sport that show a 1994 date of birth for He. That would make her 14 -- too young to compete in the Olympic Games. Other bloggers have joined the search and reported similar results. The New York Times conducted its own investigation, producing similar results that seem to implicate He and two other members of the team. The Times uncovered a 2006 biography on He that lists her birthday as January 1, 1994.

The International Gymnastics Federation, however, has said that those gymnasts were eligible and that the ages on their passports were correct. Chinese gymnastics coaches defended their team Friday. [End of report]

If you ask my opinion on this issue, I would say that some of the girls are underage and I am only judging by looking at the photos of the girls. I dont know whether they are really underage or not because sometimes the size can deceive you. I have some friends who are the same age as me but are very small in size, it makes them look like 2 or 3 years younger. Nevertheless, if they are really underage, then I think something needs to be done. It is not as if the accusations is baseless because the people who are complaining have some good evidence to show that they are really underage. Therefore, I think it is really difficult for the International Olympic Committee to turn a blind eye on the complaints and not do anything about it. I dont expect the Chinese to say that they are underage if that is indeed the truth, so the IOC must do their job to ensure that they didn't cheat to win the medals. If they are found to be underage, then the Chinese should be strip off their gold medals and it should go to the team in the second place which is the U.S. I think that would be the only fair outcome if they are found to be cheating.

The game will be ending soon, but I think the investigation should continue for as long as it takes so as to be fair for all parties. Fair play is an important aspect of the Olympic movement, and the IOC is responsible for ensuring that everybody is playing by the rules. Im not sure if the Chinese government has anything to do with it because they are the ones who issued the passports and the identity card. So if the information on the passports is incorrect, then the government could have something to do with it as well but right now there is not much evidence to suggest that they are involved so it would be wrong to say they had play some role in this whole issue too. If the reports are true then I would think it will be a major blow to China. I mean to have some of your athletes cheating to win the Games and adding to the fact that they are the host country, they will be embarrass and it will have a major affect to their credibility when participating in future Olympics or other sporting competition. Just for your information, age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997.

I did some research and I found out that there have been cases of age falsification before in the Olympics particularly in gymnastics. North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the gold medalist on uneven bars in 1991, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania meanwhile admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts’ ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu. Coming back to the current China team, I really hope that will not be the case though because it would be sad to see those girls whom have worked so hard to win the medals, only to know that their celebrations are going to be shortlive because they are found to be underage. Nevertheless, if they are found of any wrongdoings, then they deserve to be punish. It will really defeat the entire purpose of the Olympic Games if you are cheating. Let's just hope it will be a positive outcome for the Chinese team.

*The report was taken from CNN.

Colin the baby whale euthanized in Sydney...

An injured and abandoned baby humpback whale was euthanized by wildlife officials Friday after veterinarians determined that it was too weak to survive on its own. The lost humpback whale calf swims north of Sydney Harbour in Australia on Wednesday. The 4.5-yard (4.5-meter)-long animal was guided close to the shore and could be seen thrashing underwater. Officials reached out to stroke the calf before others hoisted it onto a tarp. The whale was then pulled into a tent on the beach, and gray tarps were hung to cover the operation.

Sally Barnes, deputy director-general of the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change, said the whale would be given a sedative to relax it and then a lethal dose of anesthetic. Eight maritime police boats patrolled the waters to keep the public and media from approaching. The plight of the whale calf, which Australians have named Colin, has dominated news coverage since Sunday, when it was first sighted and began trying to suckle from boats it apparently mistook for its mother. Officials believe that the 1- to 2-month-old calf was abandoned by its mother, possibly because it was ill. Wildlife officials said it appeared that the whale had also been attacked by a shark. It spent days among the yachts and other boats in the waters off north Sydney, swimming back to the boats each time officials lured it out to sea in the hope it would attach to a passing pod of humpback whales.

On Thursday, veterinarians and marine researchers who examined the whale found that its condition was getting worse and that euthanizing it was the most humane option. Officials had sought national and international advice on how to help the lost whale but that its condition had become too poor to treat. Some Australians have accused wildlife officials of not doing enough to help the calf and not trying to feed it. A few people designed feeding mechanisms, many gave advice, and some journeyed to Pittwater Inlet just to watch the lonely calf. On Thursday, Aboriginal whale whisperer Bunna Lawrie tried to soothe the listless animal. Adorned with feathers on his head and white paint markings on his face, Lawrie reached into the water to stroke Colin while singing a humming, tongue-rolling tune. But after a few minutes, the whale swam away to nuzzle a nearby yacht.

The humpbacks are on the return leg of an epic annual round trip from the Antarctic to tropical waters to breed, and they can be seen ploughing homewards not far off Sydney's beaches on most days. Experts say that the passing whales and Colin would have been able to communicate, but that the chance of him being adopted was always extremely slim. [End of report]

I know that it is a very sad news to hear. I am a huge animal lover, so I dont like it whenever I hear stories such as this. It is really sad that the whale had to be killed. I dont care what method they use to kill it, but I just feel very sad for the whale. I understand though the decision that the local authorities had to make. I dont think it was easy for them to come to the decision to have it euthanized. It was really weak and it was really in a lot of suffering, but my question now is that I am interested to know whether the authorities could have done more to ensure its survival. I did some research on humpback whale and I found out that the species will only feed rarely and opportunistically while in their wintering waters. It is an energetic feeder, taking krill and small schooling fish. Im sure the authorities could have feed the whale with those foods, but I am not sure why they have decided not to do so. They did however tried to reunite it with passing pods of humpback whales and even called the help of the army to help float Colin back out to sea, but unfortunately, it was to no avail. It was particularly important that the whale be reunited with its mother because it needed the daily 230 litres of mothers' milk which it would normally consume to survive.

That is why the authorities decided to euthanize the whale, saying that it was too weak to survive on its own. In my opinion, they should release the whale back into the ocean and let fate decides what is going to happen to it, instead of killing it. There might be some chance that it will be reunited with its mother or other pods of humpback but of course there is the danger that it will be harm by other creatures such as the sharks and that it will be too weak to defend for itself. Nevertheless, what is done cannot be undone and we have to live with the fact that Colin is no longer alive. The only positive thing that I could take from the experience is that at least it is not suffering anymore. I think at the same time, the whale was really fortunate to end up in Australia because if it had been seen in Japan, it would be dead a long time ago, because as you know, the Japanese people love to kill the whales for delicacies purposes. And sadly to say, the humpback whale, just like other large whale species still continues to be hunted for the whaling industry till today despite many calls to stop it.

I just hope that someday in the future, the hunting of the whales will be stop entirely because they are such a beautiful creature which deserve to live peacefully in the oceans. Humans are contributing to the declining population of the whales and I think it is about time that we stop doing so. The humpback whales for example is considered as an endangered species. Other factors that might contribute to the declining population of whales includes high seas driftnets, pollution and degradation of their habitat, all of which are cause by us humans too. So let us all work together to ensure the survival of the beautiful creature and make sure that it dont end up in the endangered list forever. As for Colin the baby humpback whale, I hope it is doing fine wherever he might be right now.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

Fiery plane crash at Madrid airport kills 153...

A jetliner heading to the popular Canary Islands vacation resort crashed during takeoff Wednesday, turning a wooded area off the end of a runway into a hellish scene of charred bodies and smoldering wreckage. Some 153 were believed dead — Spain's worst air disaster in nearly 25 years. Only 19 people survived the midafternoon crash of the Spanair MD-82 at Madrid's Barajas International Airport, and some were in critical condition, said Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez, whose department oversees civil aviation in Spain.

The airline didn't release a death toll, but said the plane carried 172 crew members and passengers, including two babies and 20 youngsters. There was no word on how many children died. As smoke billowed from the wreckage, dozens of fire trucks and ambulances rushed to help, lining a nearby road and filling a field next to a swath of charred vegetation. Helicopters flew over dumping water on fires. Rescuers rushed the few survivors to hospitals, while emergency workers shrouded the dead in white sheets. One body lay on burned grass, an arm and a leg poking out. Later, a long convoy of black hearses rolled onto the airport grounds to carry bodies to a makeshift morgue set up at Madrid's main convention center — the facility used for relatives to identify bodies after the 2004 Islamic terror bombings that killed 191 people on Madrid commuter trains. Spanair, a Spanish company wholly owned by Scandinavian Airlines, said it did not know what caused the accident. Alvarez said investigators ruled out foul play and considered the crash an accident. She said the plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered.

While preparing for a first takeoff attempt, the plane's pilot reported a breakdown in a gauge that measures temperature outside the plane. The gauge was fixed, delaying the departure, said Spanair spokeswoman Susana Vergara. It was on the second takeoff attempt that the plane crashed. The accident was Spain's worst air disaster since 1983, when a Boeing 747 operated by the Colombian airline Avianca crashed near Madrid on landing approach, killing 181 people. In 1985, an Iberia Boeing 727 crashed near Bilbao in the Basque region, killing 148 people. The deadliest disaster in aviation history occurred in Spain in 1977. Two fully loaded Boeing 747s collided on a runway in the Canary Islands and a total of 583 people died. Sergio Allard, a Spanair spokesman, said the crashed plane passed an inspection in January and no problems had been reported since then. The plane was 15 years old and has been owned by Spanair the past nine, he said. But it has had a number of fatal accidents, the deadliest of which was a crash of Slovenia's Adria Airways flight in Corsica in 1981, when all 180 people on board perished.

Spanair has a fleet of more than 60 aircraft and runs around 600 flights daily. Crashes during takeoff or landing are some of the most common aviation accidents. In July 2007, 199 people were killed in Brazil's worst air disaster when an Airbus A320 belonging to TAM airlines skidded off the runway at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport and smashed across a road into a gas station and an air cargo building. Five people died and 65 were injured May 30 when an A320 belonging to Grupo Taca skidded off the end of the runway at Toncontin International Airport near the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. [End of report]

It is such a tragic news. I dont like it when I hear any aviation related accidents, especially when there are many casualties. 153 people dead, that is a big number and what is even sadder is that there were two babies on board. Now I dont know if they are among the 19 survivors, but it is terrible to hear the news. I hope they are among the survivors, that would be a huge miracle, but even so the impact of the crash was huge that they would probably be in a critical condition. I think as long as they had survive the crash, there is still some hope that they would live on but right now the details are sketchy and it is not known yet who are the survivors. I doubt that the incident has anything to do with terrorism, like the bombing of trains in Madrid back in the past, it is probably just some unfortunate accident. It is good to hear that the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered. It will certainly be a huge help in assisting in the investigation to what could be the possible reasons for the accident. The sad thing though is that you can't bring the dead back to life but it will help to ensure that such tragic accidents wont be happening again. If it is a human error, then someone should be punished but I dont think that any amount of punishment or compensation will be able to appease the families of the victims.

One possible reason for the high number of casualties I think is probably because it was trying to takeoff and since that is the case, the plane would have a full fuel capacity or nearly full fuel capacity and that is not a good thing if there is any accident because the more fuel there is, the more stronger the impact of the explosion there will be. Anyway, I just hope that the survivors will recover soon. I cant imagine the psychological impact that the incident will have on them. They are really fortunate to survive. Anyway, I would just like to extend my sympathy to the victims of the crash. My thoughts are with the family of the victims.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

Russia rejects UN Georgia draft...

Russia has rejected a draft UN Security Council resolution on Georgia, saying it contradicted the terms of last week's ceasefire deal. The draft text called on Russia to pull back its forces to the positions held before the current conflict. But Russia says the truce allows its troops to stay in a buffer zone on the Georgia side of South Ossetia's border. Moscow earlier dismissed a Nato warning that normal relations were impossible while its troops remained in Georgia.

The conflict broke out on 7 August when Georgia launched an assault to wrest back control of the Moscow-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia, triggering a counter-offensive by Russian troops who advanced beyond South Ossetia into Georgia's heartland. Georgia says its action was in response to continuous provocation. Russia's UN ambassador said the French-drafted UN resolution went against the terms of the ceasefire brokered by France's President Nicolas Sarkozy. Vitaly Churkin said the resolution should incorporate all elements of the six-point peace plan agreed last week. He also objected to language in the draft reaffirming Georgia's territorial integrity, saying South Ossetia and Abkhazia did not want to be part of Georgia. Following a rebuke from Nato's 26 foreign ministers in Brussels, Moscow accused Nato of bias in favour of the "criminal regime" in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The U.S. has rejected this claims.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Russia risked becoming the "outlaw" of the conflict, in an interview with CBS news on the sidelines of the Nato emergency summit. Russia says President Dmitry Medvedev told President Sarkozy that by Friday, Russian troops would either be sent home, be pulled back to South Ossetia or to a buffer zone along the border. Russia said it had begun a pullback on Tuesday as it withdrew 11 military vehicles from the Georgian town of Gori. A Russian officer told reporters invited to watch that the column was heading for South Ossetia and then home to Russia, but Georgia dismissed it all as a show. [End on report]

On this issue, I have to say that I am Russia's side. The truth is, it was Georgia who started all this in the first place, and Russia was only responding to the aide that the people living in South Ossetia needed. In my opinion, Georgia was the aggressor while Russia was only doing what is right in the situation, which is to protect its people living in South Ossetia. Therefore, I find it strange that NATO is supporting Georgia more than it does to Russia. I think that the Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili had a plan before he went to attack the separatists in South Ossetia. He obviously knew that any form of attack against any territory that has the support of Russia will definitely cause the Russians to take some actions as we have seen in the crisis. He knows that the Russia forces are far more superior than the Georgian forces, so I dont see the reason why he would be foolish enough to ruffle Russian feathers. Nevertheless, I think he got what he wanted which was a strong respond from Russia. Therefore it was much more easier for Saakashvili to put all the blame on Russia and gave the impression that they were the bad guys and that they had a bigger thing that they wish to gain from the current crisis, which is to take control of Georgia once again. That I think is not true.

Another thing that I found amusing is that America is complaining about Russia for invading Georgia, when they had some good reasons to do so. When America invaded Iraq a few years ago, the world didnt do much to stop it and Russia did not complain too much either. If you know well, you should know that I strongly believe that the war in Iraq was justified but at that time, there was not much evidence to support the attack in Iraq, whereas in Georgia, the Russian has a strong reason to do what it is doing so I dont think it is right for the Americans to complain bout Russian aggression in Georgia. That is also why I find that the NATO draft is biased. Almost all the member countries in the organisation is supporting Georgia, which is in my mind the cause of the current crisis, and totally left out the concerns on the part of Russia. Im not so sure what is the details of the ceasefire deal because according to some report, Russia had agreed to pull almost all troops from Georgia by the weekend and I have also heard contrasting report on the issue. Russia President Dmitry Medvedev has vowed that all but 500 Russian troops needed for "additional security measures" would be pulled out of the former Soviet republic by Friday but according to the sources in Georgia, there has not been any major movements or sign of withdrawal which is why NATO is unhappy about.

The good thing about it is that the fighting between both sides have eased a little bit over the past few days or so but both sides are accusing each other for not abiding to the ceasefire deal. I dont know who is saying the truth or who is lying but my support would still be on Russia on this issue. I think they are being wrongly blame for most of the things that they are not responsible for. Just like everybody else, I would like to see a peaceful resolution on the matter but I dont think that will happen anytime soon.

*The report was taken from BBC.

Musharraf Given Departure Deadline; Announces Resignation

*Updated on 19 August. See Below.

A top ruling party official on Saturday gave Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf a two-day deadline to quit or face impeachment proceedings. Musharraf's allies insisted he was not stepping down and was prepared to fight impeachment charges. But pressure on the president mounted further after the ruling party drew up a draft of charges to support a potential impeachment. The building momentum to throw the president out of office has injected even more uncertainty into an already volatile situation in Pakistan, a country whose stability the U.S. considers critical to success in the war on terror.

Musharraf dominated Pakistan for years after seizing power in a 1999 military coup, making the country a key strategic ally of the U.S. by supporting its fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida. But his popularity at home has been dwindling. Many Pakistanis blame rising violence in their country on his alliance with the United States. Musharraf's popularity sunk to new lows in 2007 when he ousted judges and imposed emergency rule. Then his rivals came to power after February parliamentary elections, largely sidelining him. The United States has said publicly the impeachment debate is an internal matter and Pakistan's army, which Musharraf formerly headed, has also remained neutral. There is no precedent for impeaching a president in Pakistan's turbulent 61-year history. Under the constitution, a president can be impeached for violating the constitution or "gross misconduct." Coalition officials have said Musharraf's removal of judges and imposition of emergency rule last year could be cause for impeachment.

Coalition officials said Saturday they have completed a draft of the impeachment charges but it still needs approval from the party leaders. On Friday, allies and rivals of the president confirmed back-channel talks are under way to avoid an impeachment process that could further destabilize Pakistan. Musharraf's supporters want protections for him if he steps down, while suggesting they could use the courts to challenge an impeachment. Tariq Azim, a senior member of the main pro-Musharraf party, insisted Saturday the president won't quit. On Friday, Mushahid Hussain, another Musharraf ally, said the president may turn to the courts to forestall an impeachment. But Raza Rabbani, a member of the Pakistan People's Party, warned Musharraf this matter will not be decided in the courts. Whether Musharraf decides to quit could depend on what his rivals are willing to offer — particularly whether they will give him immunity from prosecution and let him stay in the country. But the ruling coalition appears divided on those questions. Sadiqul Farooq, a spokesman for the party of ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif — whom Musharraf ousted in the 1999 coup — insisted immunity was out of the question. Sharif's party is the second-largest in the coalition, and it has said Musharraf should be tried for treason, which carries a maximum punishment of death.

The PPP has taken a softer tone. Information Minister Sherry Rehman said Saturday that the party "never indulges in the politics of revenge as it wants a stable Pakistan and a sustainable democracy in the country." If Musharraf quits, whether he could safely stay in Pakistan is an open question. He is despised by Islamist militants and has already been the target of multiple assassination attempts. Azim, however, said no matter what, Musharraf wants to stay in Pakistan. [End of report]

It is an interesting situation there in Pakistan. I think everyone knows that Musharraf is not the most popular guy in the country right now and it is no surprise to see why they want to see Musharraf out of power. Pakistan is an important ally for the U.S. in the war against terror but Im not sure if Musharraf has done a good job since he took over as the Prime Minister of the country. There are still a lot of elements of extremist in the country, in particular those of Taliban and al-Qaeda and I am sure they are dying to see Musharraf gone because of his close relationship with the U.S. Nevertheless, even if he is gone, I think anyone who is going to replace him is going to be the number one target for those terrorist group and they will still have to work closely together with the U.S. if they want to remove the threat, whether they like it or not. Therefore, I dont see much difference that is going to happen if Musharraf decides to step down or if he faces the impeachment process. If the impeachment process does go through, then I think it would be the end for him because currently, he is lacking of support even from those who have been supporting him earlier.

The best thing for him to do right now in my opinion is for him to step down and not make things worse for him and the country. But before he does that, he should try and gain something and that would be the immunity against prosecution. A senior official from the late Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party said the coalition was prepared to hand Musharraf a deal. He can get whatever he wants as long as he resign. I think this is the best thing that he could ever hope for right now. Nevertheless, knowing the kind of man Musharraf is, I doubt he will listen to the demands of the coalition to step down. Just last weekend during a rare televised address on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of Pakistan's independence, Musharraf betrayed no intent to resign. Instead he urged a return to "political stability" through an approach of "reconciliation, not confrontation." He has even appointed a lawyer to act as his lead counsel should he be impeached. I have just heard today that he would be making an address to the nation later today. I dont know what he is going to say but his spokesman has deny rumours that he is ready to step down. I guess we will just have to wait and see what he has in mind.

I'm not a big fan of Musharraf. Yes, he is close to the U.S. but I think he appears to be weak sometimes in dealing with the threat of terrorism in the country. At the same time, I dont think the country is in a better shape after he took over. The economy is approaching a meltdown, with inflation at 25% and the rupee falling to a record low against the dollar. There is also concern that the longer the controversy over Musharraf's fate goes on, the greater distraction it will prove from the challenges of Islamist militancy which is not just bad for the country, but for its allies as well and in the war against terror. Whatever happens in the next few months or so will be interesting to see Im sure.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.


President Musharraf has announced his resignation yesterday in an address to the nation. I didnt expect him to do that but at the same time, the news wasnt surprising. It is not clear whether he has gain anything from his resignation. So we will just have to wait and see.

Our formula to success: Importing foreign talents?

As you probably know already, the Singapore team has managed to create a historic moment in the Olympic Games yesterday when the women's table tennis team defeated the team from South Korea to progress to the final and at the same time, ensuring that the team will at least win the Silver medal, which is also the first Olympic medal for the country since 48 years ago, when Tan Howe Liang became the first Singaporean to win an Olympic medal in the Rome Olympics. There is no doubt that they have done the country proud but the question that still remain in everyone's mind is whether they are truly representing the country or are they just doing themselves proud? This is due to the fact that they are not naturally born Singaporean.

I think everyone knows that there are many foreign born athletes in the country today that are representing the country in the major sporting event such as the SEA Games or the Olympic Games. These are the players under the “Foreign Talent Scheme”. The scheme was first launched in 1993 by the Singapore Sports Council and even though it has been in place for more than a decade, it’s still a perennial issue that remains unresolved. When our athletes are competing, they represent Singapore but there are still some people who are unhappy because they are not born here, even though they are doing the country proud and they usually perform much better than our local athletes. Lets take the case of the women table tennis for example. Every single one of them is from China, even the coach but they have represent the country over many years now and have done us proud on many occassions. The current success in the Olympic Games is probably their best achievement up to date. You would expect that most Singaporeans would share their joy for ending the nation dream of another Olympic medal but that is not what I am hearing. Most of them are upset at the fact that they are not pure Singaporean and are saying that the final match would be a China v China B team and their success doesnt mean much to them. Even during the semi-final match between South Korea, I noticed that there was more support for the Singapore team from the crowd, which is mostly Chinese, it felt like they were treating them as one of their own.

For me personally though, I view them as part of the country, they might not born in Singapore but they are citizens of the country now and Im sure when they represent the country, they are not just doing for themselves but for the country as well. Its like watching a parent supporting their adopted child in a sporting event, its the same feeling for me. I dont think it is about the money or wanting to prove to their own country that they were wrong to deny them the opportunity to represent their country, but instead wanting to make our country proud. Singapore gives them training, opportunities, citizenship, etc, and they help raise the standard of local players and perform for us in the international arena but at what expense? By importing foreign talents, are we depriving the opportunity for our local born athletes to shine as well? Why is it always the foreign born athletes that are always doing better than our native born athletes? Are we focusing more on having instant success that we dont really care at the development of our own athletes or are our native born athletes to blame because they dont have the heart to do well for the country? I would love to see a pure Singapore winning an Olympic medal, but Im not sure when the time will come. Do you know that even our first Olympic winner is not born in Singapore? He was born in China too.

The Government has introduced some new measures to improve the quality of our local athletes though such as the setting up of the Sport School, increased emphasis of sports in education, holding of international sports events, and a great part of the budget used to promote it. All of these measures is aim at having lower dependency on foreign talents. Nevertheless, I think that the Foreign Talent Scheme will continue to be an integral part of our sports system here especially when we have a population of only about 4 million people. You might want to know that we are not the only country in the world to import foreign talents. The USA for example has about 30 foreign talents representing them in the Olympics and Canada has about 50 foreign talents. The only difference about them is that their native born athletes are winning medals as well and they are not just depending the foreign born athletes to do well. You could of course argue that their population is much more bigger than us, so it is not fair to compare with them and I agree. But when I see lesser-known countries such as Zimbabwe or Mongolia having won some medals already, I wonder why we havnt, until yesterday news of course. I mean given the resource that we have, we should probably be doing much better than those countries. I think what we can do in the future is to focus on sports that we have a better chance of winning a medal, instead of wasting our time and money on a far more difficult sports such as swimming.

In conclusion though, I dont mind having the foreign born athletes representing our country. I dont know what they really think of representing a country which they are not born from, but as long as they wear the shirt that has the Singapore flag on it and make us proud, then I would be content. I dont understand why some people are blaming them for doing well for the country just because they are not born here. I mean they have sacrificed a lot for our country and it is only right that we give them our support. Im not saying though that all of them has been a success because some of them, I wont mention their names, have been a huge disappointment. I am still hoping to see the day when one of our own born and breed in Singapore athlete finally bring glory to the country in an Olympic Game though. At the end of the day, the underlying truth is that we need to help of our foreign talents if we are going to have any chance of winning any medal on the big stage because right now, I dont see any of our born in Singapore athlete doing that which is sad when you compare to some of our neighbouring country such as Malaysia. I think they have some foreign talents representing them in the Games but at least their own Lee Chong Wei has made it to the Badminton men's final.

The good thing about all of this is that when I hear Singaporeans complaining about foreign talents, at least I know they have a sense of national identity and pride for the country. They have an idea of what Singapore means to them. It also shows that they have a sense of belonging to Singapore and they wish to see our country doing well in everything. The bottomline is that if you cant prevent the foreign talents from coming in, then it would be better if we support them instead. Share me your views on this issue. Do you think foreign talents are necessary? Do they bring any benefit or are they detrimental to the development of our local born athletes? or is it because the country just want to have instant success without working hard for it? Tell me. But for now, I am still hoping for the best for the table tennis in the final more so because I love Li Jiawei and Feng Tianwei.

"Bigfoot" fails DNA test...

Bigfoot remains as elusive as ever. Results from tests on genetic material from alleged remains of one of the mythical half-ape and half-human creatures, made public at a news conference on Friday held after the claimed discovery swept the Internet, failed to prove its existence. Its spread was fueled by a photograph of a hairy heap, bearing a close resemblance to a shaggy full-body gorilla costume, stuffed into a container resembling a refrigerator (as shown in the photo above).

One of the two samples of DNA said to prove the existence of the Bigfoot came from a human and the other was 96 percent from an opossum, according to Curt Nelson, a scientist at the University of Minnesota who performed the DNA analysis. Bigfoot creatures are said to live in the forests of the U.S. Pacific Northwest. An opossum is a marsupial about the size of a house cat. Results of the DNA tests were revealed in an e-mail from Nelson and distributed at the Palo Alto, California, news conference held by Tom Biscardi, host of a weekly online radio show about the Bigfoot. Also present were Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, the two who say they discovered the Bigfoot corpse while hiking in the woods of northern Georgia. They also are co-owners of a company that offers Bigfoot merchandise.

Despite the dubious photo and the commercial interests of the alleged discoverers, the Bigfoot claim drew interest from Australia to Europe and even The New York Times. Biscardi said the DNA samples may not have been taken correctly and may have been contaminated, and that he would proceed with an autopsy of the alleged Bigfoot remains, currently in a freezer at an undisclosed location. Alleged Bigfoot sightings have surfaced from time to time for years, dating to at least the 1800s. The most famous was the so-called Patterson film from 1967, which is purported to show a tall, furry, apelike creature walking along, at one point looking over its shoulder at the videographer. Most scientists who have studied the film say there's no way to authenticate it, and many say the creature appears to be a man in a costume. [End of report]

When I first saw the news and the picture of the Bigfoot, I was honestly very doubtful about whether it was really true. I'm a sceptical when it comes to Bigfoot and I dont think it exist. The picture above looks more to me like some mask or something. To me, it looks like one of the character from the Star Wars movie, Chewbacca. I find it strange how those men who found it managed to stumble upon it while hiking. The fact that the DNA test has fail to prove that it is indeed the Bigfoot itself further strengthen my claim that Bigfoot do not exist. As you can read from the report, 96 percent of the DNA samples from the 'Bigfoot' discovered was from an opossum, which is about the size of a house cat. The picture definitely doesnt look like any cat species though but DNA test are always accurate. It either proves that the 'Bigfoot' they found was just another animal which belongs to the cats kingdom or some kind of costume they have created.

Another thing that I dont understand is why there are people who are willing to spend their life to search for the Bigfoot, if they really exist. I mean what do they gain? They would be much better if they join the search for Mas Selamat because at least we know he is real unlike Bigfoot. The fact that those men are refusing to reveal the den's location of the Bigfoot for fears that they would be disturbed is probably another reason why it is difficult to believe their claims. It would be better if they could capture a Bigfoot which is still alive rather than a dead one. There have been no concrete evidence so far to support the existence of Bigfoot, so it is difficult for me to believe what they are saying just because they manage to show a dead creature which looks more like a Gorilla. I think they will need to have more evidence to show that their claims can be supported. I might be wrong about it but whatever it is, as long as it doesnt poses a threat to us human, then I have no problem with it. Even if it exist, you can be sure that you will never find a Bigfoot here in this country because they would have been discovered already if they are here.

Well, that is what I think about Bigfoot. I believe in the supernatural world but not in Bigfoot though. What do you think? Do you believe in Bigfoot or do you think it is just another fairytale? Whatever it is, nobody can really say what is the right answer. Only time will tell whether there is a Bigfoot hiding somewhere out there and I will be waiting for that day to come when I can finally say I am wrong about it.

*The report was taken from Reuters.

The girls have done it!

We have been waiting for 48 years for an Olympic medal and we will not have to do that any longer now. That is because our women table tennis team has made it to the finals! Yes they finally made it! The team, comprising of my favourite Li Jiawei, Feng Tianwei and Wang Yuegu defeated the team from South Korea in the semi-finals. It wasnt an easy victory though. They had to work hard for it.

The match took almost 3 hours or so and it needed the entire 5 sets. We won the first set, lost the second, win again in the third, lost in the fourth, and last but finally, came out victorious in the fifth and final set. The saviour of the day though was not Li Jiawei, it was Feng Tianwei. I think she was the main reason why we won the match. It was a great match as well, end to end stuff.

So we await the winner of the other semi-final match which is between China, the No.1 seed and Hong Kong. Whatever the result in the final is, we are assured to get a medal, at least the silver medal. Before the tournament started, everybody would be happy with any medal but I think right now, we should try and aim for the gold medal. We are in the final afterall, so why not go all the way.

Im excited for the team and I cant wait for the final which is going to happen this Sunday. You can do it girls! And last but not least, I just want to say that I love Li Jiawei which gives me an extra motivation to support the team.