ComfortDelGro to remove 30-cent diesel surcharge...

Now, I know that I have said that I am taking a break and will be back on November 4. But I have decided to cut short on my break and to blog again from today. I know I am kind so you dont have to thank me. Anyway back to today's topic, I think you might have heard about the good news before yesterday but for the sake of you who dont give a care about what is happening around you, I will tell you the good news now. Well the good news that I am referring to is that the biggest cab operator in the country, ComfortDelGro will be removing the 30-cent diesel surcharge on taxi rides with effect from November 12. Here are the full report to the news.

[Report] ComfortDelGro, Singapore's largest cab operator, will be removing the 30-cent diesel surcharge on taxi rides with effect from 6am, November 12. The company said on Wednesday the move is in light of the recent decline in diesel prices and the weakening economic conditions.

The price of diesel price has dropped from S$1.83 per litre in July, when the surcharge was introduced, to the current S$1.38 per litre. ComfortDelGro said it would continue subsidising the cost of diesel for its drivers. It spent S$16.2 million on diesel subsidies in the first half of this year. Newcomer Trans-cab took the lead in announcing on Tuesday that it would remove the 30-cent surcharge on its taxi rides from November 11. Other taxi companies such as Premier Taxi said the removal of the surcharge will affect the driver's income, and therefore the matter is still being reviewed.

ComfortDelGro said its taxi associations support the move, but taxi drivers whom Channel NewsAsia spoke to said the move would have an adverse impact on their income. With the surcharge, taxi drivers who make at least 30 trips a day earn an additional S$9 or more. Taxi ridership has fallen by 7 per cent to around 921,000 a day from 991,000 in 2006. With the economic downturn, observers expect ridership to drop even more. The number of taxis plying the roads has, however, grown by 6 per cent in the last two years to about 24,400. [End of report]

When I first heard this news yesterday, I was obviously overjoyed. I believe you will share the same feeling too if you are someone like me, who prefer to take the cab more than the train or the bus. When the taxi companies here announced that they would introduce the 30-cent surcharge earlier, I think everyone was very disappointed because apart from that, we already had to cope with a higher cost of living. Everything was going up and up, and it is still happening now, but the price of oil however, has dropped significantly over the last few months or so. Let's leave from the topic of the taxis for a moment and focus on the bigger picture here. When the price of oil was on the upward trend, I thought that there was a high possibility that it might reach to the highs of $200 a barrel by year end. I mean it was just three months ago that the price of oil hit $147 per barrel. I think that the decline in the price of oil was contributed by many different factors. One of them was the decision to increase oil output by the Saudis in the middle of this year and the coming back of refining capacity of the U.S.'s Gulf Coast that was lost as a result of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav. Just to give you a picture of how steep the decline has been, the price of oil was traded at $70 a barrel just today, that is about half the amount in July. Things are going so good, that even the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), decided at an emergency meeting in Vienna last week to slash output by 1.5 million barrels a day from November 1. And earlier this week, OPEC Secretary General warned it could cut output again if prices keep falling. OPEC produces 40 percent of the world's crude oil.

Of course the decline in oil prices is a good thing to hear, but it doesnt necessarily have to be that way. The bad news about the decline could be that the global economy is headed for a serious slump, which explains the less demand for oil, hence the drop in prices. As you all know, the future of the global economy is not looking too good right now, as a result of the credit crunch crisis that America is facing, which has since spread to the rest of the world. When a country dont have much money on their disposal, they will spend less, and that is precisely what is happening in the oil industry. Oil demand in the U.S. has dropped 10% in the few weeks for example and there is a worry by OPEC that there might be a slowdown in China as well, whose soaring economy this decade has sent oil prices rocketing. History have shown that in times like this, it is understandable to see why things have gone the way they did. I went to do some research and found out that in the last financial crisis, which ripped through Russia and not to mention Southeast Asia a decade ago, global consumption was cut by 1 million barrel per day. So its not always a good thing when the oil prices start to drop especially in a quick amount of time, just like when it went up earlier this year.

For me personally, I like to look at the positives instead of the negatives and the decision to remove the 30-cent diesel surcharge is great to hear, even though not all the taxi companies here have decided to do the same. The chances of you getting into a ComfortDelGro taxi is probably about in 8 out 10, so it doesnt really matter much if other taxi companies refuse to do the same. However, I am expecting all the taxi companies to the same though because the taxi industry in this country especially in particularly competitive in my opinion, especially during times like now. If they dont follow what the others are doing, they will quickly fall behind. I am just wondering why they didnt act sooner because the prices of oil did start to drop around early last month if Im not mistaken. I was starting to question the motives of the taxi companies here not to drop the 30-cent surcharge, that until yesterday of course. I am also wondering whether the decision was made really due to the fact that the price of oil has fallen or whether it is because their business is not doing good. Nevertheless, I believe it is a win-win situation both for the commuters and the taxi companies, because more people will probably be taking the taxi again now and we can save more. The 30-cent surcharge didnt matter much to me because I would rather pay that amount of money than to squeeze with the people on the train or the bus, but of course I will try to save when I can.

With the economy not looking good in the future, any decline is a good news. Im just hoping it will be the electricity bills next. My electricity bills for the last few months have increase by about 30% even though I have tried to save more energy than before. I went to ask other people and all of them told me that their bills have gone up too some by 50 to 60%! Living in Singapore is tough for someone who comes from a middle class family like me, I cant imagine how the lower income families are coping with their life now. One things for sure, its going to be a bumpy ride ahead, so be prepared and I will see you around soon.

*The report was taken from ChannelNewsAsia.

An Announcement.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 25, 2008

Listen up people. The Blogging God has an important message to tell you all. He wants to announce today that he will be taking a break from all blogging activities, except replying any tag or comment on his chatbox from today onwards.

You don't have to worry about anything. It is his decision to take the break and it has nothing to do with any of you. He just feel now is a good time to take a break since he has been blogging non-stop since early this year. However, you dont have to wait too long before he return though as he will be back on the 4th of November, the day of the US election to bring all the latest news and results of who is going to be the winner and loser. Hopefully, he will have some good news to tell you guys then, and by good news, he means Obama winning.

But for now, it is break time for him. Feel free to post your tag or comment on his chatbox if you want to ask anything as he will be replying to it. He wish you well and he hope to see you again on his blog on November 4. Till then, take care and have a good day. Oh and before he go, he would just like to wish all his Indian friends and fans a Happy Deepavali. May you be happy alongside your family and friends on this joyous occasion.

Going Soft on Crocodile Crime...

When Saltwater crocodiles killed a human on Australia's northeast coast in the old days, a posse of gun-toting locals would converge on the area, blast all crocs to death, slit open their bellies to establish guilt, and release the unfortunate victim's remains for a decent burial. But in these environmentally enlightened times, authorities are taking a very different approach — and not everybody is happy about it. Inhabiting the tidal estuaries around Australia's northern coast, the crocs, or salties, as they're known locally, grow to more than 17 feet and can weigh more than a ton. They lurk near river crossings, where they lie motionless, half-submerged in muddy shallows, then explode out of the water to seize an animal as large as a horse or cow, drag it underwater, and roll with it until it drowns.

Such behavior was little tolerated by the region's early settlers, who would cheerfully shoot the reptiles on sight — all the more eagerly once the market for their skins began to grow. But in 1971, amid fears for the species' survival, hunting crocodiles was outlawed. Croc numbers have since recovered, but whenever a human dies in an attack — about once a year in Australia — a row erupts over whether protecting such a deadly predator is justified. Last month the debate was reopened when Arthur Booker, 62, wandered down to retrieve his crab pots on the mangrove-lined banks of the Endeavour River, near Cooktown, in the northeastern state of Queensland. Lying in wait was a large crocodile, which is thought to have dragged the Scottish-born camper into the water and eaten him, leaving only his sandals, watch and video camera beside a huge belly-slide mark. The state government quickly dispatched two dozen wildlife rangers to collect any aggressive crocodiles in the area and search for Booker's remains.

Within days, traps anchored to the banks of the river snared three potential man-eaters. But instead of executing and disemboweling the reptiles, the rangers gently loaded them into trailers and transported them to Cairns, 160 miles to the south, where they were X-rayed. Two were also given an endoscopy, with a tiny camera passed into their stomach to probe for Booker's remains. Queensland's chief wildlife manager, Mike Devery, defended the costly operation, saying the animals were listed as vulnerable under the state's Nature Conservation Act, which labels crocodiles over 13 feet long as "iconic." But the kid-glove treatment outraged many locals, including Federal Parliamentarian Bob Katter, a cowboy-hatted, blunt-spoken sheep farmer whose 218,000 square-mile electoral district is home to thousands of wild crocodiles.

Katter accused the government of making human sacrifices to a crocodile god, saying, "The only time I'd like to see that croc is through the sights of my rifle." Once, if a crocodile ate a human, all crocodiles in the area would be shot immediately, he says. "Now they are getting X rays. You've got patients who can't get X rays or endoscopies in Queensland's hospitals, but a crocodile can get one."

Arguing that crocodile numbers are booming, Katter has called for a cull. Forensic scientists are testing suspected human remains found in one of the thee crocodiles captured after Booker's disappearance, a three-legged, 14-foot brute. Culprit or not, its life will be spared. To the dismay of Katter and other nostalgic northerners, its next role will be as a stud on a crocodile farm rather than a range of handbags and shoes. [End of report]

I have said many times before that I am a huge animal lover and I still stand by my views about them despite the circumstances the Australian government is facing. Crocodiles are one of my favourite animal, I just love their awesome strength and their beauty - killing humans and eating the humans are not some of the things that I like about them though, but you have to understand, it is part of their nature and how they live. If they happen to eat someone up, and Im not just talking about the crocodiles, but other man-eater animals as well, you really cant blame them. There is only one thing in their mind when they see us, and that is food to them. You cant expect them to think that they shouldn't eat us because they cant think what is right or what is wrong. Therefore, I have to say that I am strongly against any call for culling the crocodiles because it is a wrong thing to do even though the numbers are booming and might pose a threat to the human population. I always feel very sad when I hear calls or government plans to cull animal species because they are increasing in number and it might be harmful to the people or the environment. I dont think you can stop the number from increasing though because animals, like us are able to reproduce so I dont think it is right to use it as an excuse to cull them. They could probably be placed in a designated location or something away from the human population.

I just want to say that what the Australian government did was great. Instead of killing the crocodiles at random, the crocodiles are now being put through the X-ray machine, to see if it had eaten anyone, and then be placed in a crocodile farm instead, where it will be safe and sound from anyone who might want to take revenge on them, not that they could if they want to as crocodiles hunting was outlawed since 1971. Im not sure if the practise of putting the crocodiles through the X-ray machine is only done in Queensland only, but according to state officials, they said that the operation was necessary as the animals were listed as vulnerable under the state's Nature Conservation Act. Im just wondering if they will continue to do the same thing once the animals are no longer listed in the Act. I hope they will though because it would be wrong for them to go back to the old days and kill the crocodiles randomly in search to find the remains of the victim. I mean what chances do you have to find that one crocodile when there could be hundreds of them in the rivers and seas. Dont tell me you will kill of them until you find the right one? That would be foolish. Furthermore, it is not as if the problem is widespread. I dont know what the statistics are exactly for crocodile related incident there, but according to the report, such incident of someone being kill in an attack is about once a year in Australia.

Therefore, judging from what I have seen, I dont think killing the crocodiles is fully justified. I think us humans should be on our guards as well. I dont think we have any crocodiles here in our seas or rivers, so we should not have much to worry about, but its a different story all together for the Australians. I dont think it is right that other crocodiles have to take the blame or in this case, take the shot for the actions from just one of them. For all they know, it might not be the crocodiles that could have eaten the guy. It is important that they dont jump to conclusions too quickly and that is why I think it is great to see such action by the Queensland authorities.

*The report was taken by TIME.

RNC shells out $150K for Palin fashion...

The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August. According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74. The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September. The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.

The cash expenditures immediately raised questions among campaign finance experts about their legality under the Federal Election Commission's long-standing advisory opinions on using campaign cash to purchase items for personal use. Politico asked the McCain campaign for comment, explicitly noting the $150,000 in expenses for department store shopping and makeup consultation that were incurred immediately after Palin’s announcement. Pre-September reports do not include similar costs. Spokeswoman Maria Comella declined to answer specific questions about the expenditures, including whether it was necessary to spend that much and whether it amounted to one early investment in Palin or if shopping for the vice presidential nominee was ongoing. But hours after the story was posted on Politico's website and legal issues were raised, the campaign issued a new statement saying that "it’s remarkable that we’re spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses" and that "the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign". The business of primping and dressing on the campaign trail has become fraught with political risk in recent years as voters increasingly see an elite Washington out of touch with their values and lifestyles.

In 2000, Democrat Al Gore took heat for changing his clothing hues. And in 2006, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) was ribbed for two hair styling sessions that cost about $3,000. Then, there was Democrat John Edwards’ $400 hair cuts in 2007 and Republican McCain’s $520 black leather Ferragamo shoes this year. A review of similar records for the campaign of Democrat Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee turned up no similar spending. But all the spending by other candidates pales in comparison to the GOP outlay for the Alaska governor whose expensive, designer outfits have been the topic of fashion pages and magazines. What hasn’t been apparent is where the clothes came from – her closet back in Wasilla or from the campaign coffers in Washington. The answer can be found inside the RNC’s September monthly financial disclosure report under “itemized coordinated expenditures.” It’s a report that typically records expenses for direct mail, telephone calls and advertising. Those expenses do show up, but the report also has a new category of spending: “campaign accessories.”

And among the payments in September includes to to Barney’s New York and Bloomingdale’s New York. Macy’s in Minneapolis, another store fortunate enough to be situated in the Twin Cities that hosted last summer’s Republican National Convention, received three separate payments totaling $9,447.71. The entries also show a few purchases at Pacifier, a top notch baby store, and Steiniauf & Stroller Inc., suggesting $295 was spent to accommodate the littlest Palin to join the campaign trail. An additional $4,902.45 was spent in early September at Atelier, a high-class shopping destination for men. [End of report]

When I first heard this news, I was a little bit surprised because I thought that both the presidential candidates and the VP candidates have to use their own money if they want to look good. I believe that the issue of looking good is an important one even though you are not trying to win competitions like 'America Next Top Model' or 'Extreme Makeover', but still you have to be on your best look whenever you are out there talking to the public or the media because it can sometimes play a part when the voters are deciding on who should become the next president. Their respective party will no doubt do everything that they can to ensure that their candidate become the next president and VP, and one way they do it is by giving their campaign the funds needed for purposes like advertising or organising a rally, which will help to improve their chances of winning the election later. Im not sure if the part of making sure the candidate look good is included in the funds though or whether she is allowed to do that under the Federal Election Commission. Of course the campaign cash can and should be used by them if it is able to help in any way, but I think the question now is whether the RNC had given Sarah Palin the cash for her personal use so that he can use everything for her own gains or whether it was for the purpose of helping the campaign.

If she was given the cash for her own personal use and gain, then that it absolutely wrong but if it was actually meant to improve her way of style so that she can look better in front of the cameras and the people, in hope that they will be attracted to her and vote for McCain, I dont see anything wrong with that to be honest. But I just want to say that the amount spend by the RNC to clothe and accessorize Sarah Palin is a bit extravagant for my liking. I mean you are talking about more than $150,000 worth of campaign cash. Imagine what the McCain campaign can do with that much money especially on areas which he can better spend it because right now, Obama is leading in most of the polls in important states and he much more popular than McCain. McCain needs every money he has now to spend big especially when you hear recent news like how Obama has managed to raise a record $150 million in September, as compared to McCain who unlike Obama, accepted $85 million in federal matching funds for the last two months of the campaign. I dont think what brand of clothing or what accessories a candidate put on will make much of a difference to be honest. In fact, I dont think it was necessary for the RNC to spend so much money on those things, not when you have Sarah Palin on your team. As far as Im concerned, she is already looking good despite what she wear and she is very attractive for someone who is in her 40s. You should just ask any men around and they would agree with me.

Anyway, the money has already been spent. I think the McCain campaign should see it as a kind of an investment for him to win the election later. At the moment though, Sarah Palin is getting more attention than him, some good ones and some bad ones and it is the good ones that they should focus on. If it helps Palin, it will surely help McCain too. Being an Obama fan, I dont want to see that happen of course because I want to see Obama to be the next US President. I just want to say that I really like Sarah Palin a lot, mostly because of her good looks understandably, added to the fact that she has all the things that I am looking for in a girl, a strong sense of determination, hardworking, knows what she is doing, confident and many more that Im too lazy to write. One thing that I dont think she have is the readiness to become the VP, much less the President. I guess that is about it. I know I have said many positive things about Sarah Palin but that doesnt mean I am going to turn my back on Obama. I have always supported him since he won his first primary and I will continue to do so. The big day is coming soon, just less than 2 weeks to be exact! I cant wait for that. For more news on the US election, you can visit CNN Election Center at http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/ . Until then, goodbye.

*The report was taken from POLITICO.com

Anderson Cooper Has The ‘Best Life’...

Hey people. I have a good news to tell you today. If you have been browsing through the shelves at major book stores recently, you would have probably noticed that CNN’s number one host and my favourite host, Anderson Cooper is the latest cover boy for Best Life magazine for November issue. I didnt know about it at first, because he didnt say anything about it on his show, "Anderson Cooper 360" which is only available on CNN, nor have I ever read the Best Life magazine before. I was searching for some football magazine when I stumbled upon the magazine and there was no way for me not to buy it even though it was my first time ever buying that magazine.

Im not really a magazine kind of guy, the only magazine that I like to read are football related magazine or men's magazine like ARENA Singapore, but I have stop buying that magazine since they 'cheated' on me. Well it is an old story. In the past, I never fail to buy every month issue of ARENA Singapore because the content is really good, even though it is the kind of magazine that caters to those in their mid-20s to early 50s. But I can still relate easily to the message that the magazine is trying to tell. Then there was one time, I went to send them a feedback letter. They always have some attractive prizes for the Letter of the Month and it was just my good luck that my letter was selected for that particular month. I still have the magazine to show it to you if you want to see. Anyway, by being selected for the Letter of the Month, I was entitled to win some prizes, if I can remember correctly, it was some Adidas men's perfume. Unfortunately though, they didnt send me any perfume despite me sending a lot of emails asking them for it. Since that incident, I have stop buying the magazine. I think that is enough as far as my story with ARENA Singapore is concerned.

Back to the Best Life magazine, the article that Anderson Cooper is featured in will talk about his views regarding his lifestyle and how his life in the past has shape him to become what he is today, so you definitely dont want to miss it if youre a fan of his, like me. But even if youre not, I strongly recommend you to buy the magazine because the contents are really good too, if not better than ARENA Singapore. It is however, not a Singapore based magazine unlike ARENA Singapore, so it cost a little bit more, only $13 actually. I have not read the entire magazine as I just bought it last weekend, but from what I have read so far, it is not bad as I have said earlier. I want to point out though that the magazine focus more on men's issue though, so if youre a lady, its not the right magazine for you in my opinion. So what are you waiting for? Get your copy now before its too late yeah! Till next time, happy reading.

The Blogging God welcomes his secondary school friends to the Black & White House...

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

October 20, 2008

Last Saturday, the Blogging God met with three of his secondary school friends in celebration of Hari Raya. His friends include Azam, Hasri and Syairazi. They went visiting each other's house after all of them had gathered at Syairazi's house first.

As you can see, the number was obviously small. If you compare it with the guys from Secondary 5B, they had about 10 to 15 people who went for their Hari Raya outing, but still the 4 of them had a lot of fun. After Syairazi's house, they headed to Hasri's place and then to Azam house, both of it by walking as they all live closely to each other. If given a choice, the Blogging God would prefer to take the bus but then again, with everything getting so expensive right now, you should try to save your money whenever possible. At Syairazi's house, they didnt do much nor did they met either of his parent, but his mother was kind enough to prepare macarroni for them and the Blogging God would like to thank her for that. And at both Hasri and Azam house, there wasnt any special dishes that were prepared, so they just had to make do with the 'kueh raya' or raya treats. The Blogging God particularly enjoyed the cookies at Hasri house while at Azam's house, he really like the pink coloured kueh, he is not sure of its name and the chips as well. After that, the Blogging God welcomed all of them to the Black & White House, his place of residence where they had pizza which his mum ordered and they managed to watch the first half of the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Middlesbrough.

Although they didnt visit a lot of place, the Blogging God felt that it was a really fun and enjoying day out. They get to be updated on each other's life since they left secondary school, and they talked about a wide range of issues, including the current financial crisis, football, and secondary school memories among others. It was also a good time for them to meet as the Blogging God will be going to serve his National Service soon. He would like to thank the three of them for everything and for coming to his house as well and he looks forward to having the same thing again in the near future.

*If any of you guys want to have the picture, you can take it from his Friendster.

The Blogging God response to a trouble maker...

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

October 17 2008

Over the last few days or so if you noticed, someone has been causing some problem to the Blogging God. If you can remember a few days ago, he talk about the ban on the acronyms such as 'LOL' and 'OMG' as well as the word 'whatever' on his blog because he find it too cute and corny for his liking. He also stated the punishments for anyone who continue to use it. He had hope that he didnt have to go to that extent because he dont want to punish any of his friends and fans, but unfortunately, recent happenings on his blog have forced him to do so.

It is clear to him that that culprit went against the ban despite knowing it. This is because the post on the ban was done on Sunday, October 12 2008 while the first act of crime, as the Blogging God like to call it, was done on Wednesday, October 15 2008, when he/she tag the chatbox with this comment, OMG...wad a entry...so LOL..!!!'. It was obvious that he/she deliberately wrote in such a way that it would anger the Blogging God. Now as this was the first time that he/she had done it, whether deliberately or not, the Blogging God decided to forgive him/her as stated in the previous post and just gave him/her a warning. Just when the Blogging God thought that he had heard the last from the culprit, he strike again, this time using a different username to tag and he has this to say, 'ahhhhh....michaelowan...u not even selected for the england squad...and now ur beloved club is like..OMG...LOL...!!!'. As this was his/her second time, the Blogging God decided to give another warning, and said that he will take action the next time. The culprit did it again yesterday, Thursday, October 16 2008 using another username in which he said 'wadever....!!!'. Although all of the offence was done under different name, the Blogging God knows that all of it were done by the same person.

He really hope that the culprit will read this. He dont know what the culprit intentions are for doing all those things, whether it was to attract the Blogging God attention or whether he/she think it is funny, but the Blogging God is not interested to know the reason. It is very regretable that he will have to punish the culprit because it could be someone that he know and someone who is very close to him, but rules are rules and if you dont follow it, you will have to face the consequences. Taking all of that into account, the Blogging God has decided that the most appropriate punishment for the culprit is to ban him from tagging further on his blog. As most of your IP address are the same, he would like to apologise if you are affected as well by this move. The ban will start in immediate effect but he just want to let the culprit know that he will have to apologise to the Blogging God personally if he wants the ban to be rescinded. He would also like to the culprit to know if he continues to do all those thing by using a different computer, a ban will also be impose on the IP address of that computer, and the next computer to the next one as well.

The Blogging God hope that this will act as a stern message to anyone of you who might be thinking of doing the same thing in the future. All he ask you to do is to follow the rules and not be foolish, it is not that difficult. This will also show you how serious he is in his plan to kick out cute people or people who act cute on his blog as he continue his anti-cute on blogs campaign.

Debates over as candidates face final days of race...

Barack Obama and John McCain return to the road 19 days before the presidential election, with the Republican looking to hold onto traditionally GOP states as the Democrat edges into his turf. Fresh off his energetic debate performance, McCain planned to visit swing states but is also forced to go to Republican territory, as polls show Obama with the edge in such places as Virginia, Colorado and Florida.

Obama, who held his ground in the third and final debate, is headed to Virginia and Missouri later this week — states that often have been out of reach for Democrats in past elections but are up for grabs this year. Looking to shake up the race, McCain questioned Obama's character and his policies Wednesday night. He linked Obama to a 1960s radical, accused him of planning tax increases that would cripple the economy and said he was dishonest about a promise to accept public campaign financing. Obama ignored that charge and remained calm throughout the debate. He often turned the accusations back against McCain, calling them examples of the petty politics harming the country.

"The important point here is, though, the American people have become so cynical about our politics, because all they see is a tit-for-tat and back-and-forth," the Illinois senator said. "And what they want is the ability to just focus on some really big challenges that we face right now."

McCain went on offense from the opening moments of the debate, accusing Obama of waging class warfare by seeking tax increases that would "spread the wealth around." He also demanded to know the full extent of Obama's relationship with William Ayers, a 1960s-era terrorist, and the Democrat's ties with ACORN, a liberal group accused of violating federal law as it seeks to register voters. McCain said the group could be on the verge of "destroying the fabric of democracy." McCain sought to blunt one of Obama's sharpest lines of attack: the Republican's ties to the unpopular incumbent president. "I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago," McCain said. Obama returned each volley, and brushed aside McCain's claim to full political independence.

"If I've occasionally mistaken your policies for George Bush's policies, it's because on the core economic issues that matter to the American people — on tax policy, on energy policy, on spending priorities — you have been a vigorous supporter of President Bush," he said.

He condemned Ayers' violent activities and denied any significant ties to ACORN, mocking McCain for bringing them up. The 90-minute encounter at Hofstra University marked the beginning of a sprint to Election Day. Obama leads in the national polls and in surveys in many battleground states, an advantage built in the weeks since the nation stumbled into the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. [End of report]

I watched the debate earlier this morning and overall, I have to say McCain did a better job. I know that Im an Obama supporter and therefore, I should be supporting him but I was a bit disappointed with him during today's debate for not being offensive enough as I wanted him to be. But then again, maybe he doesnt need to. McCain on the other hand was already attacking Obama at the start of the debate all the way until the end of it. What did Obama do? Well he just tried to keep cool and he managed to keep his composure all the way throughout the debate. McCain attacked Obama on a number of different issues and policies such as his economic plans, to his connection with Bill Ayers, a former 1960s radical who belonged to the Weather Underground and abortion rights among others. I noticed throughout the debate, including the previous 2, McCain likes to talk about Obama's judgment and character more than his policies unlike Obama who had to correct the facts and who was more interested to talk about the problems and the solutions to it. I think this just show how desperate the McCain campaign has become that they are more interested to talk about issues that are less important in my opinion to the people and they have every reason to be. I mean Obama is currently having the upper hand now, he is leading in most of the important states, and as you can read from the report, he is having the edge in places like Florida and Virginia, which is traditionally a Republican states.

Now back to the debate, I thought some of McCain's accusations are really funny. For example, he talk about why he is not pleased with Obama for not standing up and denounced negative comments made about McCain by bringing up the case of John Lewis for example. I think John McCain had forgotten during some of his rallies, there were some of his supporters that shouted words such as 'terrorist' and 'take his head off' when Obama's name was mentioned. To be fair to McCain, yes he did denounced all of it but he didnt do it like immediately, he waited for a few days before doing that. He then once again brought up the issue of Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers. McCain's campaign has charged that Obama's association with Ayers should cause voters to question his judgment. Obama then argued that Ayers had committed "despicable acts" 40 years ago, but pointed out that he himself had been 8 years old at the time. For me, I dont think that accusation from McCain is valid at all. I just think he is trying to find everything possible that he could use to link Obama with that would cause the voters to change their minds about Obama because he knows that that is probably the only way he could win the support as policies wise, I believe Obama has the edge over McCain.

I think that is why McCain is doing the attacking more than Obama because he knows that he will have to go on the offensive if he wants to have any chance of winning the election later and time is running out for him to do that. He have no other choice but to attack, attack and attack Obama. As for Obama, I think he should be feeling a little bit more comfortable now, which is probably why he wasnt as offensive as McCain during all the debates especially the last one. I know I have said earlier that I thought McCain did better during the debate, but I went to do some research and found out that most people think Obama won it. A CNN/Opinion Research poll of people who watched the debate found 58 percent said Obama did the best job while 31 percent said McCain did. A CBS poll meanwhile had Obama winning the exchange, 39-27 percent. I dont normally look at polls so those statistics doesnt mean much to me, but of course being an Obama supporter, I am pleased to hear that kind of result. At the end of the day, it really doesnt matter much whether it was Obama or McCain who won the debate because its the election in 3 weeks time that will decide everything. That will be the time that they will have to win. I cant wait for it. I cant believe that it will happen in 3 weeks time, so that is why I have decided to put the big countdown box on the top right hand side of my blog to remind me. Until then, lets just continue to hope and pray that Obama will win.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

Calling all ex-5A students...

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 15, 2008

Listen up all former BNSS students from 5A last year. In celebration of Hari Raya, I would like to organise a Hari Raya outing for all the guys from the class. Actually, this was Syairazi's idea, but I am glad to help out in anyway. Our good friends from 5B has had their own outing recently, so it is only right that we have ours as well. Some of you might be wondering, isnt Hari Raya over yet? Well actually not. If you look at the Muslim calendar, we are still in the Hari Raya month so it is completely reasonable to still celebrate it.

Among the people who are expected to join or have told their interest to come for the outing are Syairazi, Azam, Hasri, myself and Azlan. He is hoping that some of you can spread the message across and tell the others like Syazwan, Fitri, Dinur and any other malay friends you could think of. As this is a class event, non-malay students are also invited to join in the fun. It will also be a good time for us to get together again after not seeing one another for a long time. And due to the fact that the I will be heading for his National Service soon, I am hoping that at least 90% of the class could make it. It would give me a big boost before heading for my duty call if I get to meet you guys for one final time. Speaking of National Service, you do not want to miss the important message that I will tell soon, so stay tune to my blog.

But for now, if you are one of the people who are interested to join but have not inform Syairazi or me, you can do that before this Saturday. Yes the outing will be held on this Saturday. If you cant make it, then probably you will have to wait for the next Hari Raya, that if of course there is another outing. If you have any questions or if you want to register yourself, please contact Syairazi or me through the various way possible, like MSN, email, handphone (preferably) etc. Until next time, see you on Saturday.

*I will allow you to copy and paste this whole post on your blog if you think it will help in getting more of our friends to know about the outing. Delete the things that are not relevant like the NS thingy if you want. Thanks.

Malaysia honours Bollywood star amid outcry...

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan will now flaunt the prefix ‘Datuk’, a traditional title conferred by the Malaysian royalty. Khan is among 78 others including Malaysia’s navy chief, academics and artists, to receive the award, in conjunction with the Malacca governor’s 70th birthday. The 42-year-old actor was honoured with the governor’s award for his contribution in promoting Malaysia to the region’s film industry, state officials said.

His 2001 movie, “One 2 Ka 4” was filmed at a popular resort in Malacca.

“This resulted in many people visiting Malacca. The award was given in recognition of this,” said Malacca chief minister Mohamad Ali Rustam.

However, this move was met by criticism by opposition lawmakers and the public. Opposition parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang said he was “astounded”.

“Are there no Malaysian film stars, artists or sports-people who have greater (talent) to be honoured and encouraged as compared to Shah Rukh?” Lim said in a statement.

Not only is Khan very popular among women of all ages in Malaysia, but Bollywood films in general have a huge following among the country's ethnic Indians and majority Muslim-Malays. [End of report]

When I first saw this news, I couldnt believe it because I thought the prefix 'Datuk' was only eligible for Malaysians only, but of course I was wrong. Now before I continue, I just want to tell my non-malay readers that the Datuk Im referring here is the title for someone who has contributed a lot of the country, in this case Malaysia and not the datuk as in someone grandfather. As you can read from the report, the title is usually conferred by the Malaysian royalty, thats why you have the 'Datuk' on the front of their Prime Minister's name, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, but in actual truth, anyone can be call a Datuk as long as you have contributed in some way to the country, but of course your contributions must be met at a certain standard before you can be conferred that title. Well at least that is what I believe it to be. I dont know about you, but I think this is the first time that I heard a foreigner being awarded that title. Maybe there are others before Shah Rukh Khan, but he is probably the biggest name individual who is not from the country that to be getting that honour. If anyone of you know any other big name to be getting that honour before and who is not a citizen of the country either, please tell me.

The problem though with Shah Rukh Khan is not whether he was born in Malaysia or not, but rather its the question of whether he deserve to be awarded that title. The reason why he is getting it is because of his contribution in promoting Malaysia to the region’s film and tourism industry, well that is according to the Malacca chief minister. Im not sure whether it is true or not, I mean just because he had done a film at Malacca will automatically mean people will start to come and visit the place. It is certainly good way to showcase the place, I mean having a Bollywood movie being filmed at your country is a good way to attract tourists. Bollywood is probably one of the big movie industry in the world, after Hollywood so there is a good chance that a lot of people will get the chance to see your country through it films and might consider spending their time visiting your country. But then again, it was only one movie. I find it difficult to believe that that one movie alone is enough to attract so many tourists to the state. I am also unsure if it was Shah Rukh Khan decision to have the movie filmed there or whether it was the director because if it was the director, then I dont know if Shah Rukh Khan deserved that title.

Some of you might be wondering, whats so good about being called a Datuk? Well there are a lot actually but most of the benefits are limited to be use in the country only. For example, if you are a Datuk, people will respect you or you can get the proper treatment from say airline reservations, car rental, hotel reservation and many more in Malaysia. And if the birthday of the Sultan or King is coming, you will be invited. I believe the awarding of the title can be done on a state-to-state basis, you dont have to get the approve of the government to get it, but the Datuk title will always be with you everytime you decide to travel in other places of the country, that doesnt change I think. Im not sure what most Malaysians or Malaccans have in mind regarding the news, but Im sure for most of the women, they dont mind at all. I know for the fact that Bollywood movies are very popular in the country, particularly the women even here in Singapore, there is a huge following among our malay community. I used to watch their movies but I got bored after a while. The new movies that are showing now is not as good as the old ones so I dont follow it much anymore. Anyway, back to the topic, I believe Shah Rukh Khan will gladly accept that title even though some people might be unhappy about it, its not like he need it, but its a great gift from the governor so why turn it down?

I think Ive said before in one of my previous post that I have a kampung in Malacca, so in a way, I feel proud and happy that they are giving Shah Rukh Khan the Datuk title. It makes me feel like he is our own Datuk, not just any Datuk, one that is very popular around the world. But at the same time, I thought he didnt really deserve it. But its the governor's decision, he can do whatever he want, and if he is happy, then the people should be too. Who knows maybe more Bollywood film will be produce in Malacca again so that maybe any actor or actress can get that title too. Anyway on a personal note, I dont really care about these titles, whether it is the Datuk or Sir in United Kingdom. It doesnt matter much to me. It is just a title, thats all it will not change who you are, but every country has their own reasons to continue having it, so I will leave it that way as long as they are happy.

*The report was taken from ChannelNewsAsia

Just to refresh your memory...

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

October 11, 2008

Attention all. This is an important message from the Blogging God. It concerns you and his blog. He would just like to remind you an old news, which is one of the most important rule on his blog and that is the ban on the use of the following acronyms and word listed below:-

1. LOL
2. OMG
3. Whatever

He knows that these are just some of the acronyms and one of the word that most of you like to use on your blogs for absolutely no reason whatsoever, but the Blogging God hates all of it. He do not understand why some of you like to use it even on yourself. You will say something and you will add 'LOL' or 'OMG' to it. It sounds too cute and corny for the Blogging God liking, so that is why he has decided to ban it on his blog. If you are thinking about what you should write for replacement, you can replace it with these:-

1. Its hilarious/ HaHa
2. OMBG (Oh my Blogging God)
3. DWUW (Do what you want)

If anyone of you still write those silly acronyms after reading this, you must be stupid or you are acting foolish because you are still doing the wrong thing despite being told what is the right thing to do. It will be much better if you just tag your comments and not add anything after it. The Blogging God will not hesitate to take actions against repeated offenders. If it is your first time, you will be warn, if it is your second time, your tag will be deleted and if it is your third time, he will remove you from his link of blogs. Thank You for your attention and keep logging on to the Blogging God's blog everyday, the number one blog on the Internet.

Oh and before he end, he need your help in finding a blazer. He would like to know if anyone of you know any shop which sells blazer costing $150/-. He is not interested to listen to 'I think' answers but rather he only want to hear 'I know' answers because he dont want to waste him time going to a place that he is not really sure if it is selling the thing he is looking for.

The Blogging God welcome the election of Khoo Boon Hui as Interpol President...

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 11, 2008

The Blogging God today is pleased to hear the news of our very own Police Commissioner Khoo Boon Hui as the new INTERPOL president. For those of you who have no idea what INTERPOL is, it stands for International Criminal Police Organisation, and it has 187 member countries. INTERPOL aims to facilitate international police co-operation even where diplomatic relations do not exist between particular countries.

Khoo was chosen by a panel of delegates at the end of the general assembly of the 187-country police organisation in Saint Petersburg, Russia, according to a statement on its website. Khoo will replace South Africa's chief of police Jackie Selebi, who resigned in January after prosecutors announced their intention to charge him over his links to a businessman accused of murder. The Blogging God is proud that a fellow Singaporean has been selected to lead such a fine organisation which plays an important role in ensuring security and stability around the world. He has every belief that Khoo will do a good job as the president and that INTERPOL will continue to achieve better things under his leadership. His experience as the Police Commissioner for Singapore will no doubt help him a lot in doing his job and the Blogging God is sure that every member of the organisation will have every confidence and faith in his ability, which probably explain the reason why he was elected to be the new presient.

Khoo will serve a four-year term as president of INTERPOL's executive committee, in addition to his existing duties as commissioner of the Singapore Police Force. He will be based in Singapore. The Blogging God would like to wish him well in his job as the president of INTERPOL and he knows that Khoo will make not just Singapore, but the world of justice proud as well.

CNN reveals Top 10 Heroes of 2008...

For Liz McCartney, selection as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 could not have come at a better time.

"With the recent storms in Texas and southwest Louisiana, we have experienced a sudden drop in volunteers," said McCartney, whose St. Bernard Project helps Hurricane Katrina survivors rebuild their homes just outside New Orleans, Louisiana.

"While other areas need help, this recognition is letting the American people know that the New Orleans area still matters," McCartney said.

The diverse group of honorees includes a Cambodian activist who offers free schooling to children who work in Phnom Penh's trash dump; a Georgia prosthetist-orthotist who provides limbs and braces to hundreds of people in Mexico; and a Virginia woman who tapes video messages from incarcerated parents for their children. CNN's Anderson Cooper announced the 10 honorees Thursday on "American Morning." CNN launched its second annual global search for ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary deeds in February. The network has aired weekly CNN Hero profiles of those people, chosen from more than 3,700 nominations submitted by viewers in 75 countries.

A panel made up of world leaders and luminaries recognized for their own dedication to public service selected the Top 10. The Blue Ribbon Panel includes humanitarians such as Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Kristi Yamaguchi and Deepak Chopra. Each of this year's Top 10 CNN Heroes will receive $25,000 and will be honored at "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," airing from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on November 27.

Hosted by Cooper, the Thanksgiving night broadcast will culminate with the announcement of the CNN Hero of the Year, selected by the public in an online poll that began Thursday morning. Continuing through November 19, viewers can log on to CNN.com/Heroes to participate in the poll. The person receiving the most votes will receive an additional $100,000. [End of report]

I am not going to say much here but Im just going to share a few thoughts on the topic. I was really happy when I heard that there's going to be another edition of CNN Heroes this year. I really enjoyed it last year. There was a lot of inspiring people with inspiring stories who got rewarded for everything they have done. Some of them didnt do much as compared to others, but sometimes, all you need to do is a simple deed to change someone else's life. I dont think they did all those things to get rewarded or recognised, but because it is like a calling for them to help others in need and it is something that anyone of any age, race or sex can do which is to help or contribute towards making someone life better or making the world a better place to live in.

This year's CNN Heroes will be happening on Thanksgiving which will be on November 27. I really hope that I will not be call upon by the army yet for my National Service so that I can watch it live, but if I cant do that, then I guess I will just have to record it and watch it when Im back. If there is any award shows I recommend you to watch, then this is it. It is a show worth watching because it rewards real people who really deserve it, instead of those waste of time award shows that reward some singers of actors for doing what they are paid to do. That is not the real heroes for me. Real heroes for me are people who gives without being asked and who are willing to risk their life for others. Anyway, I would like to urge you to visit the website above which is CNN.com/Heroes to see all the top 10 CNN Heroes for this year and remember to vote for your favourite hero even if you dont have CNN to watch it later or you can click on the widget above to go to the link and vote. This is your opportunity to change someone else's life forever so dont miss it.


*The report was taken from CNN.

US to remove North Korea from terror blacklist...

The Bush administration plans to remove North Korea from a terrorism blacklist on Saturday after getting assurances the Stalinist nation has agreed to a plan to inspect its nuclear facilities, that's according to The Associated Press. President Bush signed off on the move on Friday in a bid to salvage a faltering accord aimed at getting the North to abandon atomic weapons, according to diplomats briefed on the matter.

The removal is provisional and North Korea will be put back on the State Department's "state sponsors of terrorism" list if it doesn't comply with the inspections, they said. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because the administration has not yet announced the step. The expected delisting comes as North Korea moves to restart a disabled nuclear reactor and takes other provocative actions, including expelling U.N. inspectors and test firing missiles, that have heightened tensions and threaten the shaky disarmament agreement. It also follows days of intense internal debate in Washington and consultations with U.S. negotiating partners China, South Korea, Russia and Japan. Japan had balked at the move because the North has not yet resolved issues related to its abduction of Japanese citizens. Neither the White House nor the State Department would comment on the decision, which has been in the works since chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill returned from a trip to North Korea late last week. But earlier Friday, U.S. officials said they were trying to build consensus among negotiating partners on the step as well as the inspection regime that Washington insists must accompany the delisting. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke on Friday with the foreign ministers of China, South Korea and Japan and was trying to reach her Russian counterpart, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

At issue was whether tentative arrangements worked out last week between Hill and the North Koreans were acceptable to the others. Under those terms, the U.S. would provisionally remove North Korea from the terror list once the North agrees to the inspections. McCormack dismissed suggestions the United States was trying to force an agreement on its partners and declined to say which, if any, countries were preventing a consensus. However, Japan had been resistant, arguing that North Korea should not be taken off the list until the cases of Japanese citizens abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and '80s are resolved. In Tokyo on Friday, Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said his country could accept a U.S. move to remove North Korea from the list but only if it was reasonable. And in Washington, Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa used a meeting of the world's top economies to urge the United States to keep in mind Japanese unease over the threat of North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles and about its past kidnapping of Japanese citizens. It was not immediately clear how or if Japan was swayed, although a senior U.S. official said the administration was working urgently to meet Japanese concerns amid fears the entire denuclearization deal would collapse.

Under the 2007 disarmament deal, the North was to have disabled its main nuclear facility and the United States was to have removed it from the terrorism list. But after the Yongbyon reactor was disabled in June, the U.S. said it would not delist the country until it agreed to an intrusive verification regime. But under a face-saving compromise proposed by Hill, the agreement could be deposited with the Chinese hosts of the six-nation talks and announced at the same time as the delisting. When that point is reached, McCormack said North Korea would be required to halt and reverse its recent actions. [End of report]

Now if you have been reading my blog all this while, you should remember I did talk about the issue in one of my previous post in which I said that the wise thing for the U.S. to do right now is that they remove North Korea from the terror blacklist. When I said that, I didnt mean that they should just listen to North Korea demands and do as they are told in order to achieve their goal which is to have a North Korea free of nuclear weapons. Instead, what I meant was that they should remove them from the list if only the North Koreans are willing to verify the disarmament process. I remember saying that in my previous post, the U.S. should just remove the Koreans from the list despite not achieving the verification process, but I would like to retract my statement. Yes, the North Koreans are expressing their feelings of anger towards the U.S. and other parties involved in the denuclearization talks by starting back their nuclear reactor, in particular that of Yongbyon, but I still think they need the aid more that are being offered to them as part of the exchange for their denuclearization of nuclear weapons. I think the North Koreans are just using the threat of restarting their nuclear reactor in order to achieve their own goal which is to have the U.S. removing it from the terror blacklist, but one that should be taken seriously. It is very important that the U.S. and the other parties involved don't lose the gains that have been achieved to get to the position that they are in right now. That is why you saw the chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill, returned from a trip to North Korea late last week to somehow strike a deal that would go well with both the U.S. and North Korea.

Im not sure what were being discussed during the meeting, or whether there were any progress that were made. It does seem that is the case though as you can read from the report, the U.S. is considering to remove North Korea from the terror blacklist. If that were to happen, it would solely be base on the U.S. decision alone I think as the State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that no decision has been taken yet on delisting North Korea, after saying that the United States and its negotiating partners were still discussing verification steps. It is important that all parties agree on the decision to remove North Korea from the terror blacklist because all of them play a very important role on the matter, but it seems like there is going to be a major hurdle in getting the deal through and that hurdle comes in the form of Japan. You can read on the report that said Japan reason for resisting the move could be because the cases of Japanese citizens abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and '80s are not resolved yet. I believe that it would be really unfortunate if any decision, which is aimed at easing the tension, is being derail for such a thing. I dont think Japan should be putting its national interest into the entire matter as it could affect a new agreement being agreed upon. Whatever external problems they have with Pyongyang should be discuss and settle by themselves.

Right now, Im not sure whether the delisting of North Korea will actually go through or not. I am expecting it to go through without any problems. I dont really have any problem with the move as the removal is provisional and North Korea will be put back on the terror blacklist if it doesn't comply with the inspections. The main aim for everybody right now is that they should not allow Pyongyang to restart the Yongbyon reactor because that would mean disaster once again. Ive read somewhere today that the verification would at present cover only the North's admitted plutonium bomb-making programme, and not a suspected secret enriched uranium programme. I dont think the verification plans is perfect yet, but we should take things one at a time. Its is a very complicated issue and whatever that can be achieved for the good should be look at as only the first step. There are more things that needs to be done, but we should not get ahead with ourselves and do something that could anger North Korea as it will not help the matter further.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

Obama,McCain spar on financial crisis,Iraq,Pakistan...

John McCain and Barack Obama clashed heatedly over the financial crisis, Iraq and Pakistan Tuesday, but strove to empathise with voters' economic fears in their second presidential debate. Republican McCain was under intense pressure to throw his sliding campaign a lifeline, as he trails Democrat Obama by widening margins in national polls and in battleground states with time running out before the November 4 election. After days of intensely nasty campaign trail rhetoric, the two senators strolled onto the stage in Nashville, Tennesse, smiling broadly, and shook hands, both patting the other on the arm before their "town-hall" style debate.

But the tension was boiling just below the surface, as both senators laced their answers with attacks on each other's proposals and records. McCain, who was widely criticised for rarely looking at Obama during their first debate two weeks ago, may have let his dislike of his opponent emerge again in a point likely to be discussed exhaustively after their showdown. The Arizona senator said he voted against an energy bill laden down with tax breaks for big oil firms.

"You know who voted for it? That one" he said, in a sharp comment directed at Obama.

In another swipe, McCain hit Obama on taxes. Obama repeatedly made a show of "correcting" McCain's interpretation of his record and proposals, and hit his top talking point of tying the Republican to the unpopular economic legacy of President George W. Bush. The temperatures rose again when the debate veered into national security, as Obama rebuked McCain for saying he wanted to attack Pakistan, over his vow to hit Al-Qaeda targets, in the country if Islamabad would not. McCain cited the maxim that the United States should "talk softly, but carry a big stick," and slammed his rival who he said "likes to talk aloud."

"He has announced that he will attack Pakistan," McCain said.

Obama hit straight back, citing a YouTube video from last year taken on the campaign trail which showed a McCain joke misfiring when he sang "bomb, bomb Iran" to the tune of an old Beach Boys hit. Obama also tried to turn McCain's claims that he lacks experience back against the Arizona senator. McCain laid out a plan to buy up bad mortgages in the United States and renegotiate loans at diminished values to ensure people caught in the foreclosure crunch could keep their homes. Both candidates made clear efforts to speak to their audience directly, crossing the red-carpeted stage at Belmont University to stand a few feet away from the questioner, holding hand-held microphones. Gallup's daily tracking poll Tuesday reflected the high stakes for McCain, giving Obama a nine point lead nationally, while the Democratic nominee is also widening his edge in key battleground states.

The McCain campaign, sensing the fast-running electoral clock, made a strategic turn in the run-up to the debate, sharply attacking Obama's character and suggesting he did not share basic American values. New polls showed Obama with a clear lead over his rival, with the Gallup survey pushing him to a lead of 51 per cent to 42 and a CNN poll putting the Illinois senator on a 53 per cent lead over 45 per cent for McCain. But a CBS poll suggested that the race has tightened from a nine-point Obama lead to a four-point gap since last week's vice presidential debate between Palin and Senator Joseph Biden. [End of report]

I watched the entire debate yesterday and I have to say that it was a rather interesting one. There was nothing big that happened during the debate but I enjoyed watching this debate than the previous one. I dont know about you but I kind of like the idea of having a "town-hall" style of debate as compared to the previous one because the candidates are a lot closer to the people and there are not podiums that stand between their way. In their first debate, I actually thought that John McCain did a slightly better job than Obama, but in the second debate, I think that Obama won it, and Im not saying this because I am an Obama supporter. Before the debate started, I thought McCain would do a better job because he had attended a lot of "town-hall" sessions before prior to the debate and that he really wanted to have a "town-hall" style of debate with Obama right from the start, but Obama managed to stand on his ground and he did pretty well as far as I am concerned. A lot of issues were being discussed, with the economy being the main talking point. Both of them managed to say what they have been constantly saying throughout the campaign trail so far, but I think that McCain sometimes like to twist Obama's words around, saying things that wasnt true.

For example, I still can remember during the time they were asked the question on whether they should respect Pakistan's sovereignty or go ahead and attack the Taliban there without consulting Pakistan first. Obama said that he will try to work with the Pakistani authorities first and that if they refuse to take action, then he will probably go and attack the Taliban himself. John McCain then said that what Obama meant was that he would attack Pakistan straightaway which is obviously not true. Then came my favourite moment of the debate when Obama argued that McCain was the guy who sang, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran! That was pretty funny. As you can read from the report, Obama had to spend a lot of time correcting on McCain's accusations which is not easy because there was a time frame for the debate and if Obama had to continue to correct the accusations, then he wouldnt have any time to talk about his policies and views on things. There was one controversial moment in the debate when McCain jabbed a finger in Obama's direction and said "that one" voted for a pork-barrel energy bill. Now some people see this as offensive, there was a lot of debate by the news pundit on that. Barack Obama's wife, Michelle today in an interview on 'Larry King Live' said that she didnt find that as offensive. Instead, she said Americans don't care about the back and forth between the candidates but rather they want to hear the real answers about how the candidates are going to fix the economy and get the health care benefits on track, echoing what Obama said during the debate.

At the end of the day, I guess that is true afterall. Americans right now are not interested to hear who is wrong or who is right, but rather they want to hear what solutions the candidates have in mind to fix the economy and other important issues. All the back and forth between the candidates should have been done a long time ago, I dont think now is the time but McCain doesnt seem to agree though. During a rally yesterday after the debate, McCain was asking to the crowd who the real Sen. Obama is and tried to paint Obama as a candidate of empty promises. I also just read today that Cindy McCain, McCain's wife, lashed out at Obama on Tuesday, telling a Tennessee newspaper that he has waged the "dirtiest campaign in American history." I really dont know what they are talking about but Im sure Obama wont just listen to all the nonsense and do nothing. Im sure that he will respond to it in the way that he should. John McCain could talk all he wants but at the end of the day, Americans will see the truth and they will know that having Barack Obama as the President is the only way forward.

*The report was taken from AFP.

Statement from the Blogging God...

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

October 8, 2008

Recently, the Blogging God have been hearing about rumours regarding his relationship with a girl whom he met during his secondary school years. Some of the rumours are true while some are false, so to avoid anymore misunderstanding, he has decided to tell everyone what the real truth is. He thinks that it is very important that he tell the truth to everyone because he doesnt like rumours of him to be circulated around because his image and reputation will be affected if the wrong things are said about him.

It all started at the beginning of this year. The Blogging God already had feelings for the girl ever since she was still schooling at the same secondary school. The reason why he decided not to let his feelings known then was because first, the situation wasn't right for him to do so and secondly, she was still attached. Whatever things that happened between her and her boyfriend then, he do not know nor does he intends to find out. Therefore, when he heard she was single again, he went to try his luck. He went on to express his true feelings for the girl at the beginning of this year. She was completely surprised and hadn't expected it at all. He told her the reasons why, but he doubt that she actually believed it. So it was no surprise then that she had rejected his proposal and told him that they would be better of just as friends. At this point of time, he thought that she was giving him the chance to prove himself that he is good enough for her, but whether that is what she actually meant is a different story.

The Blogging God didnt rule the possibility that it might just be a one-sided affair but he still continue to try to get her attention throughout the next few months or so, in the hope that she might finally say yes. However, that hasn't happen. The Blogging God is obviously disappointed with the outcome but at the same time, he is also not going to blame the girl for everything that has transpired because he was the one who started all these, hence he will take full responsibility. He would also like to announce that he will not continue in his pursuit to win the girl's heart anymore because he believes that it is an impossible task if the other party is unwilling to change her stand on things. Moving forward, he will not be finding a new person to target anytime soon as he is unable to commit himself on either a short or long-term relationship for at least 2 years due to National Service. Once he has completed, or should I say, if he manage to complete his National Service, and that is a big IF, (you should know what he mean if you watch the news), he will resume his search but for now, it is over between him and the girl.

He is a strong believer that God had plan for everything that has happened, so maybe God have plans for something better for the both of them in the future, or at least that is what he is hoping for. He actually thinks that maybe being single is much better than having a girlfriend right now because he is able to live the way he wants freely and he doesn't have to waste unneccesary amount of money to please his girlfriend should he have one, not especially now when the future of the global economy is looking bleak. When he see everybody else so happy with their partners, taking so many pictures together and post it on their blogs, he admits, that he will feel bad about himself for not having one, who doesnt right? God created man and woman to be together so its only natural that he will feel bad. But then again, there is nothing else that will make him more happy when he see couples breaking off and start to post hatred tags on each other's chatbox, so maybe getting rejected was a good thing afterall.

Now, if you have been reading the entire post, he did not refer to the girl by her name because he wish to protect her privacy although some of you might know who the girl is. He would also like to take this opportunity to apologise to her if he has cause any discomfort due to his actions. He bear no grudges against her for not saying yes, instead he is hoping that she would get someone that she like and who can take care of her like how she deserve to get taken care of whenever that may be. If any of you find this statement to be emo-like, he would like to say sorry too. It is not his intention to be or sound like emo, in fact he hates emo people, but he cannot find any other way to write the statement. But then again, he is the Blogging God so what you people think, doesnt matter much to him.

The Blogging God welcomes you back to his blog...

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

October 7, 2008

Greetings to one and all. How have you been for the past 1 week or so? I hope everyone is doing fine and for my Muslim friends and fans, continue to enjoy your Hari Raya. As you all know, I was absent for the past one week or so because I was busy celebrating Hari Raya but Im back now and it is good to be back. Hari Raya for me so far have been fun, but I think its about time that I forget about it and get back to something more serious.

I have been away for only a week and so much things has happened. Although I have been enjoying myself this Hari Raya, it doesnt mean that I have stop taking notice of what is happening around the world. I guess that is the great thing about news. You will have something new to talk about everyday which makes your life much more interesting. A lot of things has happened over the past week, but there is currently only one thing that I have been following more closely than any other news and that is the current financial crisis in America and around the world as well. I had hope to tell you something good when Im back, but that is not the case unfortunately. Just last week, the U.S. Congress has finally approved the $700 billion bail-out plan on the second time asking. I think getting the deal approved was an easier task than getting it to work. You would expect things would change for the better after that decision, but unfortunately, things have only took a turn for the worst.

The rescue plan, aimed at rebuilding economic confidence, instead on Monday, triggered a fearful international sell-off. The Dow industrials meanwhile plunged below the 10,000 level for the first time in four years, and at one point were down as much as 800 points before recovering to close with a loss of 370. Now that is a worrying statistics. Some people say the U.S. are in a recession already, while others are saying we are heading to another worldwide recession. There are others though who still have an optimistic view. I just read today that former IMF chief Michel Camdessus is saying that a global recession can be avoided with a coordinated plan to restore market confidence. As much as I would love to believe him, it is very difficult given the current circumstances. But having said all that, it has only been a few days that the rescue plan has been put into effect. The early signs are not good at all, but I think we should give it a longer time to see whether it had any impact, if any on the U.S. economy and if it can turn things around.

On a personal note, I just want to tell you that I find it weird that a lot of people are being very generous when giving out green packet this year. I dont know about you, but that is my experience. I dont know if they have any idea what is happening in the global economy or whether they are just being generous, but whatever it is, I am happy that I am getting more money than I had expected this year. Anyway back to my blog, I am back now so I will resume normal blogging from tomorrow onwards hopefully where I will continue to bring you all the news that you might be interested in and I will of course continue to share my views irregardless of whether you read it or not. Till then, thanks for waiting and take care.