You are now in the presence of greatness....

Salam Ramadhan to all....

2009-08-22T13:16:00.003+08:00

First and foremost, I would just like to wish all my Muslim friends a happy and blessed Ramadhan. I hope that we will all get the blessings from God and that all our ibadah in the month of Ramadhan will be accepted by God.

Now for those of you who might be wondering why I am no longer updating my blog as often anymore, it is simply because I have found a new alternative for me to get my views across, one which is much faster and easier for me. I have recently started using Facebook and that is where I am now posting all the latest news and sharing my views as well. If you want to add me, you can message my privately and I will tell you my address at the Facebook.

So does this mean I will close down my blog? For now, I will leave it as it is and I will still come here once in a while to see if everything is OK, like my chatbox. I dont want people to post nonsensical things there but if you want to ask me something, you can always do it over there & I will get back to you. Im not sure what I want to do with my blog, so if any of you have any suggestion, please do share with me. But for now, that is all I have for you and I hope I will be able to speak to you again where there is a new update. Until then, take care and goodbye.

Obama rushes to quell racial uproar he helped fire...

2009-07-25T13:01:00.003+08:00

Well if you havnt heard the news about President Obama describing a police officer from the state of Cambridge as acting "stupidly" earlier this week, then let me tell you in brief what really happened. It all started when a black scholar professor from Harvard, Henry Louis Gates Jr., was arrested for disorderly behavior when he refused to co-operate with the white police officer, Sgt. James Crowley. Sgt. Crowley came to Gates' house, wanting to know if there was anybody else in the house and he wanted to ensure his safety as he was investigating a case of a possible break-in in that area. According to the officer, Gates was uncooperative and he started to shout loudly and started act disorderly, which prompt the officer to arrest him. The charges was then dropped.

When asked to give his comments on the arrest in a primetime news conference on Thursday, President Obama said that Sgt. Crowley "acted stupidly" in enforcing the arrest and he also said that during the point he made those comments, he wasnt really sure what were the exact details for the arrest. This has then caused further uproar understandably from Sgt. Crowley and the Cambridge Police Department. They are disappointed by President Obama's comments and they want him to apologise because they believe that President Obama shouldn't have said those things when he himself wasn't sure what was really happening. Now, what is my take on this story? Being an Obama supporter myself, I have always supported him in everything he said or does, but there are bound to be time when I will disagree with him and this would be one of them. I thought that President Obama was a little bit harsh when he described the officer's action in those words. I mean nobody like to be called stupid and Sgt. Crowley is no exception. President Obama could have chose better words to describe it, as he has always done in the past on issues that he is not really sure yet. I think in this case though, he was too emotionally attached to think rationally firstly because, Gates is a friend of his and Gates is an African-American too.

Being the man that he is, I know that Obama will come out again to diffuse all the tension and uproar that has been caused by everything that has happened, and that was what he did today. He made a surprise appearance at the White House weekly briefing with the press, in which he said that his words had been ill-chosen and that he had called both Sgt. Crowley and Professor Gates to talk about the issue. He described Sgt. Crowley as a good man and has also even invited the both of them to the White House for a beer, yeah you heard, a beer. Im not sure if both men have accepted the offer but I hope they will. President Obama though had stopped short of a public apology. I dont think he really need to do so, for all we know, he could have probably done so to Sgt. Crowley privately on the phone. Mr Obama also hoped the controversy surrounding Gates' arrest provides Americans with "a teachable moment" on how they can improve "relations between police officers and minority communities." I think you should know what he is trying to refer to by that. Mr Obama admits that the race issue is still a sensitive topic in America, as evident by this event, and I completely agree with him.

Nevertheless, I believe this matter has been blown up out of proportion by certain section of the people and the media too as well. We all need to realise that as great of a man President Obama is, he is still a human being like all of us, and is prone to making mistake, so we should all forgive him if he has offended you indirectly by saying those things. I hope the issue will come to a close now that everything has been clarified by Mr Obama and that we can now turn back our focus on the real issue at hand, which is the economy and health care reform.

Palin stepping down this month...

2009-07-04T12:27:00.002+08:00

Well if you havn't heard the shocking news yet today, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin has announced that she will step down as Alaska's chief executive by the end of the month. She will not seek election to a second gubernatorial term in 2010. If you never heard of her name before, she was first elected as governor in 2006. She was then chosen as Arizona Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate last year.

Im going to be honest here now and I have never really heared her name before until last year's presidential campaign. And I believe not many people did either both on the Republican and Democrats side of the party. Thats why there were a lot of people who were surprised when John McCain picked her as his running mate, apart from her being a female of course. Nobody had expected her name to be selected, she wasnt even mentioned in the possible list of candidates until the day she was officially announced as McCain's running mate of course. As the campaign went on, I started to have a slight interest in her. I hope you dont get me wrong here. I was supporting Barack Obama to win the election from the start and I have no regrets about it now that he has won the election but at the same time, I was beginning to become more interested in Mrs Palin because of the way she deals with the problems and challenges and because of what she believes in. It didnt get to the point though that I like the both of them, Mr Obama and Mrs Palin that I couldnt choose which candidate I would like to see win the election. From the start, I knew Obama will be a great president, in which I believe he has already shown that in these first few months of his presidency but after the presidential race had ended, I had a soft spot for Palin in my heart and I have been following her developments even more closely since.

Therefore, it is understandable why I am feeling shocked by the news of her resignation and some disappointment as well to be honest. In her farewell speech, she didnt really say specifically the reasons why she has decided to step down. A lot of people have been throwing out possible reasons for the move. She only said that this decision has been in the works for a while and that she plans on working for all Americans, not just Alaskans. Im not sure what she really mean by that but your interpretation of that is as good as mine. For me, I think she is stepping down because she wants to get a head start on her next presidential campaign which will be in 2012. Many people is expecting her to do just that but Im not sure if they still have the same opinion of her after hearing this news, but I do. OK, maybe her resume isnt that impressive yet if she decides to run for the 2012 presidential campaign. She has only been the Governor of Alaska for merely 2 years. Nevertheless, I think she have left a lot of good impression these last 2 years and there are still 3 more years left to go before the next election. Anything can happen for sure.

Whatever her reasons are for stepping down, I am fully behind her and will continue to do so. I believe great things are awaiting for her in the future, it is just a matter of time before we hear news of her comeback whether it is in 2012 or earlier than that. I do hope that she will run for the election in 2012, its not that I want to see Obama losing but it would be very interesting to see what will happen if she would be the one who is going to challenge Obama. If that happen, my support will definitely be on Obama again, unless he does something crazy that might take away my support from him. However having said that, it will not diminish my support and admiration I have for Palin. Until then, we will just have to wait and see. Oh and for all my American friends, Happy Independence Day.

Farewell Michael Jackson...

2009-06-26T14:22:00.003+08:00

This morning, I was awaken by a newsflash on my handphone about the news that Michael Jackson is dead. I think it was about 7.30am and as I was still sleepy, I went back to sleep after reading it, thinking that it was just a joke or unconfirmed report. However, when I woke up again 2 hours later, I read the message again just to make sure I wasnt dreaming whatsoever and went to check the news on the net and it was indeed true, the man we all know as the 'King of Pop', Michael Jackson is no longer with us.

It was a sad and tragic news to hear. The cause of his death is still yet unclear, but according to his brother, it is said that he had died due to cardiac arrest. He was 50. He collapsed at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California, about noon Pacific time, and he was confirmed dead at UCLA Medical Center. Well to be honest with you, Im not exactly a big fan of him, maybe because of his looks but I dont think anybody can argue that he is an exceptional performer with great talents. As a child, everybody could see that he would be a huge star in the making and they were right about that. I am particularly disappointed with the events that happened to him on the last few years of his life. I mean his fame and glory came equally with the problems he had to face. If you could remember back in 2005, he went to trial on child-molestation charges. He was however acquitted. He then had to sell him famous Neverland ranch because he couldnt pay his mortgage. He had married a few times, and he failed at both.

However, away from his personal life, he's someone who was well adored by a lot of his fans. They love him for his music, his dance, and his personality. I was watching some of the videos that he was involved with his fans, and I dont think I have ever seen any other performer who love his fans just as much as they love him. Im not sure if you know this, but back in 2008, Michael Jackson had announced that was due to perform 10 comeback shows in London, beginning in July 2009, the story made worldwide news. The number of concerts was later increased to 50. The shows were later postponed in 2010 for some reason that Im not really sure of. Therefore, I thought it was kind of sad that he had die before making his comeback. Nobody knows if it will work but with Michael Jackson around, you know youre going to get something great.

Like I have said earlier, I was really shocked when I first heard this news because I dont think anybody really thought that Michael Jackson had any problems with his health, apart from the after effects of his cosmetic surgeries. Im not sure though if it has anything to do with his cardiac arrest. That is why an autopsy would probably be done on him on Friday which is today but one day later in America, with results expected that afternoon. Whatever the result of the autopsy is, it can never bring back MJ to life. He has brought a lot of joy and entertainment in the lives of many. There is only one Michael Jackson and there will never be another one, it was a 'thriller' following your career and you will always be remembered for that.

The fall of a great football club...

2009-05-30T12:39:00.005+08:00

If you had watch the Premier League last weekend, then you would have know that my beloved club of Newcastle United has been relegated. Yeah, I know that you are feeling sad just as I am but there's nothing else that I can do about it. It already happened. I wont be saying much here because there is no point.

I know that some of you are gloating over the news, and I would be lying if I say I am not bothered by it. I mean, it will be boring for me now as I cant watch my club playing as often anymore when we are still in the Premier League because the Football Channel doesnt telecast Championship matches, maybe just occasionally, but its still sucks. Therefore, I will have to depend on the Internet to check on the results. I dont know what will happen to the club now. Im sure a lot of the players will want to leave understandably, but I really hope that Alan Shearer will remain as our manager because if there is anyone who can revolutionize the club once again and bring us back to our glory days, it would be him.

Newcastle United is the first football club that I first ever started supporting and it will continue to be that way even until the day I die and the life after it, whether we are in the Premier League or the Championship. Its sad to see what has happened to the club but Im pretty sure we will recover again and get back to where we should be in 2 season time. I always believe that God always have a plan for everything that has happened and it is the same case here. Maybe there is a lesson to be learnt for everyone. Whatever it is, to all fellow supporters of the club, I hope you will stay strong and continue to support the team because although we might have gone down now, our spirits is still up and strong and if we all stay united, anything is possible.

~ Newcastle United~

Fan Forever

A new bill enabling the deletion of 'bad blogs' passed by the Blogging God...

2009-05-01T18:13:00.005+08:00

Greetings to all my friends and fans who is now reading my blog wherever you may be. I have an announcement to make today and it does concern some of you. I am pleased to announce today that I have just sign the new order that will enable me to delete some of the 'bad blogs' from my blog links. If you notice, some of your name are gone and some of you might be wondering why. Let me explain it to you.

As some of you probably know, in financial accounting and finance, there is a term they use to call the portion of receivables that can no longer be collected, typically from accounts receivable or loans. For the sake of those who are not familiar with the term, it is called 'bad debts'. Well similarly, Im using the same theory here in describing 'bad blogs'. It refers to the blogs that are no longer in use for some reason or another. There is no point for me to keep advertising their blog here when it is gone. So that is why I have today passed the new measure, one which will also enable me to do the same to those blogs which in future will no longer be in service anymore. I do understand though that some of you might have change your blog address and if you are one of them affected by this move and wish to have your blog being link here again, please do inform me of your new blog address and I will link you back as soon as I can.

Apart from that, I have nothing much to add. I just hope that all of you are in good health. As you know, there is a new virus of flu going around globally right now. Fortunately, there has been no case being reported yet in our country and lets hope that it stays that way, but still we shouldn't let our guards down and continue to take precautionary measures just to be safe. Till then, goodbye.

A short update....

2009-04-10T20:55:00.003+08:00

Hi there everyone! How's everyone been? I hope everyone is doing fine. Yes I know that it is difficult for some of you to believe that I am back blogging again. No, it has not been 2 years since I last blog as I told you guys a while back, it has only barely been 3 or 4 months since. I have also not completed my National Service yet. I just want to make it clear to you people that I only came back to blog for one time only which is today of course since I have a lot of free time to spend. I just want to give you guys a short update on everything that have been going on in my life since I went for my National Service since I havn't had any contact with some of you people for a very long time.

Well basically, everything has been going on very well for me as far as my NS is concerned. Intially, I had a lot of doubts about almost everything, but fortunately for me, things turn out to be better than expected. I am unable to go into the details of my everyday life back in the camp but I just want to tell you people that I am doing very fine and there is absolutely nothing for you to worry about. Oh before I forget, I am now 19 years old having celebrated my birthday in my camp last month. Now, enough of that. I would now like to touch a little bit about my blog. It has come onto my attention that some of the blogs that are being linked by me are somehow not accessible anymore, in the form that they have been deleted completely. I dont know what happen, but I wonder if my absense for the last few months or so has made them decided that it is not worth spending their time blogging anymore or perhaps, they have change their blog URL. If that is the case, I hope they or anyone else for that matter who have any knowledge of the changes can come forward and share with me the information. Nevertheless, I will still delete your name from the list for now if your blog have been deleted as it is a complete waste of space but I will definitely put it back if I know of your new blog address, if there is one.

In another update, I would like to tell you people that I am bringing back my chatbox so that you can have fun with it. If you have anything to tell me, you can just post your message on my chatbox and I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. As you all know, I am busy man now, so I dont have all the time to check my blog everyday so you will have to be patient just like everybody else. I will try and give another short update on myself like this one soon but apart from that, I have nothing else to say but be safe and take care of yourself.

The Blogging God farewell address...

2008-11-17T12:00:00.003+08:00

I interupt your normal daily programme to tell you about a major news, probably the biggest ever news in the history of blogging since it was first started. I think some of you might have read in my other previous posts about a big news coming up and this will be the one.

Anyway, I am going to end all the rumours now and officially announce today that I will be suspending all my blogging activities with immediate effect. That is because in a few weeks time, I will be moving on to a new chapter in my life. Im going to serve the country in the form of National Service and as a result, I am unable to perform my blogging duties for the next 2 years or so. Im not saying that I will not be going back anymore for the next 2 years, if you have completed your National Service or if you have any siblings currently serving their National Service, you would know that you will get to go home once in a while. However, I dont think I will have the mood to blog about anything if I come back home after a long tiring day at the camp, so I have decided not to blog until I officially complete my National Service. Therefore, I am probably going to celebrate my 1st and 2nd Anniversary since I started to blog and my 19th and 20th birthday away from my family and friends. I know that this news will come as a blow and disappointment to many. I mean you have to wait for another 2 more years before you can come and visit a blog that is worth your time reading, rather than those who rants and complains everytime about their daily life. I mean where else can you find the best news and the best insights on one place. I believe I have inspired many to become more interested in the news, and I hope that will continue even when Im gone.

I guess the good thing that I am going to be serving the country is the fact that you can all now live with a much peaceful mind knowing that I have join the team of the wonderful young men who are doing their best everyday and everytime to ensure the country is safe from any threats. Im very proud to be joining the ranks and I will be working very hard to continue the good job that they have done. Im not sure what will you do when Im gone but at the same time, I dont really care. Looking ahead to the future, you can expect a lot of changes to my blog when I come back, Im going to get a new blogskin and add in more exciting features on my blog that will be more user-friendly, so you will have to come back in 2 years time to see what it is all about. If you want to send me your well wishes, Im just going to leave my chatbox for another week. After that, Im going to take it down.

It has been a great experience to blog, much more because for myself than for you people, but nevertheless, I would like to thank all of you who have supported me and my blog and have contributed in it in one way or another. Two years might be a short and long time for some, but one thing for sure, a lot of thing can happen within the next 2 years. Some of you might be graduating from your Polys or ITEs then, so I wish you the best of luck. If you are laughing at me now for going to the National Service first, then I will be the one laughing at you when it is your time to do so. I might be away soon but it doesnt change the fact that I am, I was and I wil always be the Blogging God. But until then, do take care of yourselves and I hope to see you in 2 years time. Sayonara...

Thank You Mr Bush!

2008-11-10T13:53:00.005+08:00

As we all know, the US President, George W Bush will be leaving the oval office soon to make way for the new president-elect Barack Obama. But before he does that, I would just want to take this opportunity to show my thanks and appreciation to Mr Bush as I dont think I will have the time to do that when the real day comes due to my National Service commitment. Im going to do my appreciation speech in a letter format so that it will be more meaningful and it will look like Im talking to Mr Bush myself. So here it goes...

Dear Mr President,

What a long 8 years it has been for you! And throughout the 8 years, there have been many challenges and obstacles that you have had to overcome. Many things has happened during your time in the office, some good ones and some bad ones and being the President for so long, you dont have to be told on what are the things that have brought joy and peace to the country, and what are the things that have brought pain and suffering to the country.

When you first became the President, you had taken over a country which I believe was in a good shape and the people voted for you because they knew that you were the right person to continue the good job that had been achieved by the previous administration and they had the belief that you would bring the country to even further success, which you have managed to done over the last 8 years or so. Everything was going well for you until that one big disaster. Im referring to the cowardly acts by the terrorists on September 11 2001 of course. Many innocent lives were lost during that event and it was during those troubling times that America need someone to look up to, someone that they could trust and someone whom they knew would bring the perpetrators to justice. They were really fortunate because they had you as their President. I can remember how great you did in handling the situation. You showed great leadership, strength and determination and you reminded the people that America wont be easily defeated by her enemies. If anything, the incident only managed to bring the people closer together and strengthen their resolve to fight and defeat a common enemy.

Before the enemies could do any further damage to the country, you responded quick and fast by bringing the fight to the enemies itself when you declared war in Iraq. The Iraqis must be feeling thankful to you and the American people for ending their sufferings and injustice that they had to deal with under Saddam Hussein. The man as we all know is gone now and the Iraqi people could lead a normal life once again without having to worry about anything. The job in Iraq is not really done with, but the situation is improving day by day thanks to you and the great job that the American military service has done. You have managed to stop North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons and are trying very hard to do the same with Iran. In the middle east, you share the same vision as every people in Palestine and Israel to achieve peace which is not an easy process. Nevertheless, even if you cant achieve your objective by the time you leave the office, you have at least leave the next administration with a better platform to begin with and when its all over and done with, you can say that you had contributed in someway towards the success.

The economy as well all know is not doing well currently, which could leave a sour note on your legacy but I dont think you should take all the blame for it. Nobody wants to see it happening. Job losses are at all time high and many people are forced to leave their house. Although your time as the president might be ending soon, you have demonstrated over the last few months or so that you will try to do your best to get the problem rectified before it get any worse. For example, you have asked Congress to pass the $700 billion rescue plan recently which I think was a great move. The situation will not change overnight though and everyone have to bear that in mind. When you leave office, you will surely be missed Im sure. Forget about what the people and the polls are saying, you are in my opinion one of the greatest president in the US history. I wish you could be the president forever but thats just impossible right. They say that you will need another great man to replace a great leader, and I believe Obama is the right guy to do that. It has been a roller-coaster 8 years with you and it has been my honor to call you Mr President for the last 8 years or so. I wish you well in your future and may God bless you.

Yours Truly,

The Blogging God

The Blogging God open invitation...

2008-11-09T22:25:00.003+08:00

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

November 9, 2008

Greetings to all. This is an open invitation from the Blogging God to all his fans and friends to join him in his upcoming holiday at Genting Highlands. He will be travelling with his family which only consists of his mother and his younger sister. As he is the only guy in the family, he is feeling bored to go there all alone with his family, so he is looking for one other person, preferbably a guy to join him there.

He will be departing on the 20th November, Thursday and will be coming back on Saturday, November 22. He knows that for you Poly and ITE students, it would probably be impossible for you to join him as the current school term is still going on. Therefore, this offer will be open to any secondary school students as well, but you must know him personally if you wish to go. If you have any concerns about having not enough money to join him, he would just like to tell you that you will only have to pay for the bus fares which is S$118 in total for both trips, the departure and the return trip. You dont have to pay more money for the booking of the hotels and all the other stuffs, he got that all covered for you. However, if you wish to bring in extra money for your own spending, then of course by all means, do so. If you are also worried about sleeping in the same room with my family, then he would just like to say that he has the option to book another room for you and him (that if youre a guy) to stay in without no additional charges. If you are really interested but you dont have $118, then he is willing to invest in $50 of his own money to pay for your tickets, so you just have to pay the remaining amount. You dont have to feel bad about it because he is very sincere about it and you dont have to pay him the $50 too. It couldnt get any better than this.

Please tell him as soon as possible if youre interested so he can book the tickets earlier and make sure that you are available during those 3 days. This is a great opportunity that you definitely dont want to miss. For more information on Genting Highlands, you can visit its official website here at http://www.genting.com.my/index.htm. So hurry up and tell him because theres only room for one. Until then, take care.

Alonso signs new two-year deal at Renault...

2008-11-07T16:54:00.003+08:00

Fernando Alonso has opted to stay with Renault, signing a two-year contract extention that will keep him at the French Formula One team through 2010. Renault also said Nelson Piquet Jr. will remain with the team next year, leaving its driver lineup unchanged for the 2009 season.

Alonso left McLaren last year to return to Renault after a rocky partnership with Lewis Hamilton, but flirted with such teams as Ferrari and BMW Sauber during this season. However, he was persuaded to stay after a positive finish to the season when the Spaniard won two of the last four races.

"After a difficult start to the season we have overcome our difficulties and constantly improved our performances," Alonso said.

"My back-to-back wins in Singapore and Japan, and my recent second-place podium finish in Brazil have proved how competitive we can be."

Alonso won back-to-back championships with Renault in 2005 and 2006. Before Hamilton's victory at the Brazilian GP last Sunday, he was the youngest champion in F1 history. He finished the season with 61 points -- 37 behind champion Hamilton. Team principal Flavio Briatore hailed Alonso's "leadership" and "determination" after the 27-year-old's return started poorly, with Alonso regularly finishing out of the points. In the first 10 races, his best finish was fourth place in Australia. Renault stuck with Piquet Jr. despite an erratic season that saw the 23-year-old Brazilian finish second at Hockenheim but failing to finish 13 of the 18 races. [End of report]

This is obviously a great news for me. If you have been reading my previous post about Lewis Hamilton winning the driver's championship, you should know that I support both Alonso and Renault. I cant make up my mind which one of them I am supporting the most because Alonso was the main reason why I started to support Renault in the first place and when he was at Renault back in 2005 and 2006, I became a fan of their car as well. Alonso was then of course went to McLaren. When that happened, I didnt turn my back on Renault and support McLaren, Renault was still my choice of team. I didnt support Alonso as much then as I did when he was at Renault but I still wanted him to do well and I still kept a close following on his progress. As we all know, things didnt work out the way he wanted at McLaren which was why his time there was shortlived. I dont know whether it was the driver or the car, but Renault just wasn't the same team they once were when Alonso won the driver's championship consecutively, which also at the same time helped Renault in clinching the constructor's championship as well.

Therefore, when he left McLaren, I was really hoping he could come back to Renault and I think you should know how glad I was when I heard he was joining the team back. This year was the first season for him to drive in a Renault car again after leaving from McLaren two years ago and if youre been following F1 very closely this season which has just ended recently, you can see that it was another disappointing season for the Renault team especially during the early stages. I thought with Alonso coming back, the team could propelled to the same level as it did during their championship winning years, but that never happened. As we all know, Lewis Hamilton won the driver's championship and Ferrari won the constructor's championship respectively. Renault finished the season in fourth place while Alonso finished the season in fifth place. Well considering how the season started, I dont think that is actually a bad result. It could get a lot worse if it wasnt for Alonso. I think much of Renault's success this season was contributed by him. If you could remember, he had a mini-resurgence late in the season starting with the win that most of you should be familiar with, which is at the Singapore GP. I was delighted when he won that race in particular because it was the first ever night race and the win was a long time coming. As the season drag on, I was wondering whether we will win any race, so to do it in Singapore was just the icing on the cake. He then continued his good form by winning in Japan and finished second in Brazil.

If only all those things happened earlier in the season, then we would be talking about him with the likes of Hamilton and Massa. We had to wait for a very long time before he announced his decision to stay with Renault. I admit that I have some doubts about him staying here but after the late resurgence, all my doubts started to calm down a little bit and I just knew he would stay with us for at least one more season, much less two. If results were to be different in Singapore, Japan and Brazil, Im not sure if he would want to stay with us. We started the season in a bad way but end it with a high, so I cant wait for next season to start especially now knowing that Alonso would be leading the team once again. The likes of Hamilton and Massa should better watch out because we will even be a much stronger team for next season. On a smaller note, his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. will also be staying with the team next season as you can read from the report. This season has been disasterous to say the least for him but he is still young and growing, so I expect a better performance for next season. Until then, drive safely.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

Obama: 'This is your victory'...

2008-11-05T18:14:00.004+08:00

Barack Obama told supporters that "change has come to America" as he claimed victory in a historic presidential election.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there," Obama said in Chicago, Illinois, before an estimated crowd of up to 240,000 people.

With Obama's projected win, he will become the first African-American to win the White House.Obama had an overwhelming victory over Sen. John McCain, who pledged Tuesday night to help Obama lead. McCain called Obama to congratulate him, and Obama told the Arizona senator he was eager to sit down and talk about how the two of them can work together. President Bush also called Obama to offer his congratulations. Bush told Obama he was about to begin one of the great journeys of his life, and invited him to visit the White House as soon as it could be arranged, according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. Obama will be working with a heavily Democratic Congress. Democrats picked up Senate seats in New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia, among others.

Flanked by American flags, Obama told the roaring crowd, "This is your victory."

"To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn -- I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too," he said.

More than 1,000 people gathered outside of the White House, chanting "Obama, Obama!"Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama's former rival for the Democratic nomination, said in a statement that "we are celebrating an historic victory for the American people." As results came in Tuesday night, Obama picked up early wins in Pennsylvania and Ohio -- states considered must-wins for McCain. Obama also won Virginia, a state that has not voted for a Democratic president since 1964. Going into the election, national polls showed Obama with an 8-point lead. Voters expressed excitement and pride in their country after casting their ballots in the historic election. Poll workers reported high turnout across many parts of the country, and some voters waited hours to cast their ballots.

Tuesday marks the end of the longest presidential campaign season in U.S. history -- 21 months.Obama, 47, will now begin his transition to the White House. He will be sworn in at the 44th president on January 20, 2009. [End of report]

He finally did it! Barack Obama is now the president-elect of the United States of America and as one of his supporter, I share his joy as well. It has been a long journey with a lot of challenges, but I think it was all worth it. Let's now look at some of the reasons why he managed to win the elections. First of all, Im going to be honest here and say that I dont know who Barack Obama was before the start of the campaign, nor have I ever heard his name before and I dont think many Americans did too. But after he won the Iowa caucuses, we started to hear his name more often and he went on to win a few more caucuses as well as primaries which was a bit of a surprise to some people as they thought that Hillary Clinton, who was the most popular candidate in the Democratic party would win it all. That didnt happened of course as Obama started to get some momentum in his campaign going. People were starting to know Obama better as the campaign moved on. One by one, the Democratic presidential candidates starts to drop out from the race. My choice for the presidential nomination was John Edwards at first but he too had to drop out from the race. But before he did, I managed to see the signs that he would do just that, and I started to support Obama as well as my second choice, just in case Edwards drop out which he did later. The race was down to two, Obama and Hillary and this is another reason why I think he managed to do so well in the elections.

As we all know, both Obama and Hillary had a long and bitter primary battle and I think this actually helped Obama more than it hurts him. I think during the long battle, it gave Obama the time he needed to let the people know more about him. This wasnt a problem for Hillary as I think almost everyone know who she is, but I thought Obama needed more time and as the primary battle went on, people get to know more about Obama which could be a crucial factor if he was going to be the party's nominee as he will be going on against a more experienced and well known John McCain from the Republican party. The bad side of it is that it turned many Clinton supporters off Obama in particular the women voters. If you could remember back then after Hillary conceded defeat, the polls were showing a large percentage of Clinton's supporters who did not plan to vote for Obama in November. But that was then. Soon, Hillary started to give her support to Obama, doing some fundraising events for him and appearing in the Democrat National Convention calling for her supporters to support Obama. Another reason I think is his youth factor. Obama as we all know is the much younger candidate of the two, and I think it is precisely because of this that many young and new voters decided to vote for him.

I believe that because of the vast age difference between him and McCain, it managed to help him to appeal to the young voters and they probably felt that they can relate better with an Obama presidency than McCain and the statistics doesnt lie. I went to do some research and found out that there was a strong support from young voters for Barack Obama. Voters in the 18 to 24 age group broke 68 percent for Obama to 30 percent for John McCain, according to the exit polling. Those in the 25 to 29 age bracket went 69 percent to 29 percent in Obama's favor. If you look at the numbers, its staggering. And among those factoring age into their vote, 78 percent went for Obama to 21 percent for McCain, exit polls showed. So all these factors among others contribute to his victory I think. The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was to tune in to CNN and when I saw the key states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, I knew there is no way that McCain was going to make a comeback. It was only a matter of time before Obama was declared as the winner and at the stroke of exactly 12pm, Singapore time, the news was in. Obama will be the new president of America. Im not an American, but I would like to call myself an American at heart, so when I saw that news, a lot of emotions ran through my mind. I was completely overjoyed and sad at the same time, overjoyed because my man has won it, and sad because the campaign trail is finally over.

I really enjoyed the entire campaign trail right from the start. I wished that it never had to end but then again, if that happen, then Obama wouldnt be the president-elect. I might not be supporting John McCain but I think we can all agree that he had run a great campaign as well despite all the differences he had with Obama and all the bad things he said about him. He made a great comeback during the primary season and he needed a greater comeback to win the elections, but it was never to be. I watched his speech in which he conceded defeat and I think it was really great to hear. He spoke from his heart and even though I didn't support him, I shed some tears hearing his speech I dont really know why, its probably because I dont get to see Sarah Palin as often anymore. I dont think John McCain will contest for the next election but the same cannot be said on Palin's part. So do watch out for her. After that I watch the speech from Obama and it was inspirational to hear as always. Now that the first part of the job is done and over with, he will have a far more greater challenges ahead. He will have to think on ways to restore the economy, stop the terrorist threats, mulling over the possibility of a nuclear Iran, the challenges and problems he will face is endless but I believe he will be able to overcome all of it just like what he had promised he would do as the president.

He wont be taking charge of the White House just as yet though. Obama and running mate Joe Biden will take their oath of office on Jan. 20 next year. Although it will happen next year, the work for Obama starts from this day onwards. Obama has always talked about bringing change that the people can believe in, now the people have a president that they can believe in. For now though, lets keep the party going!

*For those of you who missed the speeches from Obama and McCain, you can read their full transcript here respectively at http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/obama.transcript/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/mccain.transcript/index.html?iref=mpstoryview .

Or if youre too lazy to read it, you can watch the entire video of it here http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/obama.transcript/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCVideo

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/11/04/sot.mccain.concession.cnn?iref=mpvideosview

*The report was taken from CNN

US Presidential Elections 08: Where you can catch it...

2008-11-04T20:06:00.005+08:00

Today, November 4 is a historic day for America as they will once again go to the polls to vote for a new president. The choice - Barack Obama from the Democrat party and John McCain from the Republican party. If you have been following my blog from day one, you would probably know it is a topic that is very close to my heart and I have been following the elections very closely right from start. The results will most likely be known tomorrow and as I will probably be glued to my TV set all day long, I wont have time to tell you every results or share my views with you on the election day itself. I will wait for all the results to be announced before I post again, so you will have to wait for another one or two days for my post.

You dont have to worry though if you are interested to know the results as and when they are announced as you can catch the full coverage of the elections on the various news station as stated below at the following time:-

CNN - Coverage starts from 6am

Fox News Channel - Coverage starts from 6am

BBC - Coverage starts from 7am

ChannelNewsAsia - 8.45am

I can tell you that tomorrow will definitely be an exciting day. I will be tuning to CNN for all the latest news and if you are also subscribing to the cable channel, I encourage you to do the same. If not, you should not worry as you can still catch all the coverage on ChannelNewsAsia. If you want see all the reactions from Europe's perspective, then you should tune in to CNN but if you want to get all the latest reactions from Asia, then CNA is the channel. How cool is that. If you cant catch it on TV, then you can catch it online at this website http://edition.cnn.com/POLITICS/ .

Oh before I go, I would like to share a piece of good news with you, Barack Obama had came up as a big winner in the presidential race in Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, N.H., where tradition of having the first Election Day ballots tallied lives on. If the results there are a good first sign of what's to come on the big day, I will be celebrating all day long. But until then, lets continue to hope and pray for some good news to come. YES WE CAN PEOPLE!

PS*: If Barack Obama wins the elections, you are all welcome to party with me.

Study: Women lead men in bacteria,hands down...

2008-11-04T19:03:00.002+08:00

Wash your hands, folks, especially you ladies. A new study found that women have a greater variety of bacteria on their hands than men do. And everybody has more types of bacteria than the researchers expected to find.

"The sheer number of bacteria species detected on the hands of the study participants was a big surprise, and so was the greater diversity of bacteria we found on the hands of women," added lead researcher Noah Fierer, an assistant professor in Colorado's department of ecology and evolutionary biology.

The researchers aren't sure why women harbored a greater variety of bacteria than men, but Fierer suggested it may have to so with the acidity of the skin. Knight said men generally have more acidic skin than women. Other possibilities are differences in sweat and oil gland production between men and women, the frequency of moisturizer or cosmetics applications, skin thickness or hormone production, he said. Women also may have more bacteria living under the surface of the skin where they are not accessible to washing, Knight added.

Asked if guys should worry about holding hands with girls, Knight said: "I guess it depends on which girl."

He stressed that "the vast majority of the bacteria we have on our body are either harmless or beneficial ... the pathogens are a small minority."

The researchers took samples from the palms of 51 college students _ that's 102 hands _ and tested the samples using a new, highly detailed system for detecting bacteria DNA. They identified 4,742 species of bacteria overall, only 5 of which were on every hand, they report on Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The average hand harbored 150 species of bacteria. Not only did individuals have few types of bacteria in common, the left and right hands of the same individual shared only about 17 percent of the same bacteria types, the researchers found. The differences between dominant and non-dominant hands were probably due to environmental conditions like oil production, salinity, moisture or variable environmental surfaces touched by either hand of an individual, Fierer said. Knight said the researchers hope to repeat the experiment in other countries where different hands are assigned specific tasks.

While the researchers stressed the importance of regular hand washing, they also noted that washing did not eliminate bacteria. While the tests could determine how many different types of bacteria were present, they could not count the total amount of bacteria on each hand. The research was funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. [End of report]

Well for me personally, the findings of so many species of bacteria on the hands wasn't really surprising. I know for a fact that a lot of people in this country doesnt wash their hand properly, and when I say properly, I mean washing their hands with soap as well. Most of the people here as far as Im concerned will only wash their hands without using the soap, and even worst, there are others who doesnt wash their hands at all after using the toilet. I mean that is really disgusting. Its OK with me if you dont want to use the soap but not to wash your hands at all is beyond disgusting I think. So it is no surprise that the study discovered many different species of bacteria on the hands of the people they did the study with, but I am quite surprise they found out that women have a greater variety of bacteria on their hands than men. There are no concrete proof yet that the reasons offered by the researchers can be link to the discovery or not, but I would like to think that is the case. I think that it would be unfair to say that women are much more lazier than men when it comes to washing their hand, though I always thought it is very much the opposite. I would not like to shift the focus on the topic a little bit and look at the bigger picture here, and that is the importance of washing your hand with the right steps.

This is an issue that is very close to me because Im a man who like to put my cleanliness as one of my priority in my life, and that means that I will always remember to wash my hand with soap everytime after I use the toilet or any other things that I touch or use that could get any bacteria on my hands such as the broom for example. So my question to you now is, how many of you actually wash your hands with soap after doing your business? The importance of washing your hands correctly should not be overlook at I think. I know some of you take such things very lightly because its not really that important to you as you can read from the report, the vast majority of the bacteria we have on our body are either harmless or beneficial. However, that doesnt mean you can forget about it entirely. That is why right now we have the Global Handwashing Day, which was started by the United Nations. It was celebrated for the first time ever in October this year and its main aim is to promote the practice of handwashing with soap, especially among the children in African countries and South Asian countries, where basic sanitation are very poor. Unicef says using soap to wash hands, particularly after contact with excreta, can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by over 40% and respiratory infections by 30% and this affect everyone not just the children.

I did some research and found out that according to a recent survey commissioned by hygiene products maker Unilever, three out of every 10 Singaporeans do not wash their hands after using the toilet. That for me is a worrying statistic. The least you could do after using the toilet is to wash your hand. I dont know why it is so difficult for people to do that. Its not as if our country is lacking of toilets especially in public places. Just go to any shopping mall or a coffeeshop and you can wash your hands with soap. I blame it on the laziness of our people. So remember guys to wash your hands with soap everytime after you use the toilet. According to the UN, washing hands with water alone is not enough because you fail to wash off the germs. And if you have smaller brother or sister, do educate them on the right way to wash their hands because they are the group that will be put at risk most if they are not told to do the right. I hope I have get the message across. Anyway if you want to know more about the Global Handwashing Day, you can visit its website at http://www.globalhandwashingday.org/ where you can find a lot of useful information about washing your hands with the right way.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

Hamilton pips Massa to Formula One title in tense Brazil finale...

2008-11-03T16:30:00.004+08:00

An emotional Lewis Hamilton admitted he was virtually lost for words and did not know he had succeeded when he became the youngest man to win the Formula One drivers' world championship. The 23-year-old Englishman, needing a top five finish to be champion, only seized fifth place for McLaren Mercedes again, after losing it, on the final lap of a tense, dramatic and rain-hit Brazilian Grand Prix won by his title rival and local hero Felipe Massa of Ferrari. As Massa triumphed and then celebrated, briefly, Hamilton caught and passed German Timo Glock of Toyota to turn his day from despair to joy after earlier appearing to have controlled his own race by cruising towards fourth or fifth place.

A late shower of rain then created chaos and saw Hamilton change tyres and fall back to sixth before he made his final desperate charge to recover and claim fifth. But as he said afterwards Hamilton was not even sure that he had won the title when he finally crossed the line in teeming rain and near-darkness in front of 100,000 spectators at the Interlagos circuit. Massa who finished the season in style with a dazzling win in front of his home crowd ended up in tears as he stood atop the victors' podium. He had won six races this season to Hamilton's five but missed the championship 98 points to 97. Driving with great control and judgement, Hamilton avoided the early problems that wrecked his bid to become the first rookie champion last year as he steered his McLaren Mercedes to glory after a tense contest and an extraordinary final lap. Only on that final lap did Hamilton regain a place when Glock lost 18 seconds in his Toyota and slipped behind Hamilton. As well as being the youngest champion, Hamilton also became the first black Formula One title holder on a stirring afternoon in front of an impassioned 100,000 crowd at the Interlagos circuit.

The race, run in unpredictable wet and dry conditions, was won comprehensively by his nearest rival and local hero Massa. Hamilton allowed Massa in his Ferrari to run away at the front and claim his sixth win this year and the 11th victory of his career. Massa was followed home by two times champion Fernando Alonso of Renault and third placed Ferrari team mate and outgoing champion Kimi Raikkonen. German youngster Sebastien Vettel was fourth for Toro Rosso after passing Hamilton in the final laps and Hamilton fifth, just, after his late recovery when Glock slowed down and finished sixth. Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen of Finland came home seventh. Hamilton's triumph made him first Briton to take the world title since Damon Hill in 1996 and the first McLaren champion since Finn Mika Hakkinen in 1999. He is Britain 's ninth champion. The previous youngest champion was Alonso who was 24 years, one month and 27 days old when he won the title in 2005. Hamilton was 23 years, nine months and 26 days old as he drove to glory on Sunday.

Massa had been hoping to be the first Brazilian champion since Ayrton Senna in 1991.
While Hamilton and Massa will be back next season for Scot David Coulthard this was the last race before retirement but the veteran winner of 13 grand prix did not make it to the first bend after slipping off when his Red Bull was hit by Nico Rosberg's Williams. [End of report]

What a great season of Formula 1 it has been, that if you are supporting Hamilton or McLaren of course. The fact that the battle for the driver's championship had to go all the way to the final race of the season shows what a great and competitive season it has been in particular for both Ferrari and McLaren as well as their drivers. Both teams had been a close rival to each other since the last few seasons but I think this is probably the closest they have ever been in recent memory. I actually managed to catch the race yesterday but I didnt managed to watch the entire race because I fell asleep when there was about 20 or so lap to go. It started at 1 am, so you can understand how I managed to fell asleep. Anyway, I was hoping to see some crazy incidents which could affect the driver's championship race but nothing of that sort happened when I was still watching it. But it is just my bad luck that I missed the best part of the race on the last lap where Hamilton somehow managed to pass Timo Glock who was in the fifth position and to end the race in that position. As we all know, that was all Hamilton needed to win the driver's championship, irregardless of whether Massa finished first or last. I do feel sorry for Massa in a way because he was already celebrating as though he had won the championship until that incident happened of course.

Having said all that, I am neither a fan of Ferrari or McLaren or any of their drivers, so it doesnt really matter to me if it was Massa or Hamilton who won that championship. Im a Renault fan and Alonso as well, so Im going to turn my focus on them now. Fernando Alonso finished the race in second position yesterday which is not bad at all considering the season we had to go through. I think we finally have the right car, but it just need a little bit of improvement before we can challenge again with the big boys. We have did it before and we can do it again. Looking back at the season, Im going to be honest here and say that I didnt watch all the races, but I did manage to catch a few and out of those few, I have to say that my favourite race was the one in our beautiful city of Singapore. You can say I am biased as it was also the first win for the season for Renault and my favourite driver Alonso followed by another victory at Japan. He has been in great form as of late and Im hoping that he will stay with the team for next season. I mean looking at the last few races, there is no reason why he shouldn't. Im not sure about his teammate though Nelson Piquet though. He has been very disappointing throughout the entire season and Im not sure if Renault should stick with him for next season. It reminds me of Heikki Kovalainen. His luck has change for the better since moving on to McLaren, so maybe its the car that need to have some changes and not the driver.

Before I forget, I just want to pay my tribute to Red Bull’s David Coulthard. Yesterday's race was his last race in his illustrious Formula 1 career in which he managed to record a total of 13 wins, 12 pole positions and an impressive haul of 535 points. The statistics was taken from the Formula 1 website so Im not trying to make it up. It was really unfortunate that he had to end his race yesterday in the first lap because of an incident involving both Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima. Im not really a huge fan of him either but I like him as a person and all the things he have contributed to the sport to make it better. He's not the Michael Schumacher type of guy but Im sure he is well respected by everyone. The world of Formula 1 will miss his competitive spirit on the track Im sure. Good luck in your future endeavours David. You have been great. Looking forward now, bring on next season!

*The report was taken from AFP.

"I cannot return home," exiled former PM Thaksin tells 90,000-crowd...

2008-11-02T14:14:00.003+08:00

Exiled former Thai premier Thakin Shinawatra denounced his opponents Saturday in a telephone address to 90,000 loyal supporters packed into a Bangkok sports stadium. Speaking from an undisclosed location, Thaksin thanked the crowd but told them he could not return to the kingdom from exile in Britain without a royal pardon after he was sentenced to two years in prison on corruption charges last month. Thaksin went on to verbally attack the generals who overthrew him in a September 2006 military coup, to wild cheers from the crowd.

Thaksin fled to Britain in early August following his wife's conviction for tax evasion. It was his first address to supporters since leaving the kingdom and being sentenced in absentia on October 21 to two years in jail for violating corruption laws. Several other corruption cases are outstanding against him. About 90,000 of his fans, clad in red shirts signalling their pro-government stance, gathered at Rajamangala sports stadium in Bangkok's eastern outskirts, raising fears of clashes with rival protesters. An army colonel told AFP that more than 2,000 troops were on standby in case the police required their assistance, but there were no signs of trouble. Chaturon Chaisang, former leader of Thaksin's now-disbanded Thai Rak Thai party, earlier took to the stadium's stage to denounce the People's Alliance for Democracy, who have been holding anti-government rallies since May. Thai society is split between those who love or loathe Thaksin.

Fans of the twice-elected multi-millionaire, calling themselves the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), come mostly from the country's majority rural poor and say they are upholding democracy. His detractors, represented by the PAD, have occupied the grounds of the prime minister's offices since August calling for the government to step down. They claim the PPP, which was elected in December last year, is running the country on behalf of Thaksin, whom they accuse of corruption and nepotism. PAD held protests before the 2006 coup. The return to power of Thaksin's allies angered the PAD and the old military and bureaucratic power elite in the palace. Crowds of PAD supporters descended on the British embassy on Thursday to demand Britain extradites Thaksin, who still faces trial on many other corruption charges. Thailand's current prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat -- Thaksin's brother-in-law -- has been under increasing pressure to resign since bloody clashes on October 7 between PAD supporters and police left two people dead and nearly 500 others injured.

Somchai, visiting Chiang Mai, told reporters earlier he was concerned about clashes between protesters on Saturday and urged both sides to be peaceful. But PAD organiser Suriyasai Katasila said the group would not confront the pro-government rally. [End of report]

The saga in Thailand doesnt seem like it will ever end does it? If you have been reading my blog and my previous posts about the situation in Thailand, I think you would know that Im a huge fan of Thaksin when he was still the Prime Minister and I am still a huge fan of his now. Therefore it is understandable when I heard the news that he was sentenced to two years in prison for violating conflict of interest laws while in office by Thailand Supreme Court. Now, Im not sure how or when he is expected to return to Thailand to serve his sentence, because he is still now in Britain. It remains to be seen how London will respond to the ruling, but as far as Thaksin is concerned, he is saying that he cannot return to the country and I have to agree with him. I think he has been wrongly accused and he is just an innocent victim of the conspiracy that is currently going on in the country, plotted by his enemies of course. Now Im not sure whether they had anything to do with the sentence or not, but Im sure they will be very happy with the news. Ever since Thaksin was still in power, his enemies have been trying to get rid of him and saying things about him which are completely wrong in order to give the impression that he is a bad guy in the eyes of the Thai people.

I strongly believe he did a great job when he was still the Prime Minister, a lot of people like him. He managed to close the gap between the poor and the rich, and everywhere he go, there will always be huge crowd cheering for him which is why he was overwhelmingly elected as the prime minister twice. The people made the decision so I find it crazy that they are now blaming him for all the country's problem. If he hadn't done a great job in his first term, then he shouldnt have been the Prime Minister for the second time. Now lets just say he actually did some things which he shouldnt have done as the PM, then of course he deserved to get booted out which is what happened with the military coup. They then had another election and they chose Samak to lead. Samak hadn't done anything wrong either when suddenly people are saying he is running the country as a proxy for Thaksin. I mean how can that be when Thaksin is so far away at Britain, busy looking after his football club, when he was still the owner of Manchester City. His enemies is trying to create all kinds of stories to punish Thaksin because they didnt get into power which I think is wrong. If they want to blame somebody, they should blame themselves for not doing enough to get the support from the majority of the people, not Thaksin or anyone else who have some link with him.

I was really glad to see that Thaksin still have some support from many people in the country. You just have to see the crowd at the stadium when Thaksin addressed them through the video call. If I was in Bangkok, I would have gone there too to show Thaksin that he still have my support. I really feel sorry for him. Everything is going wrong for him at the moment and it is not even his fault. I really hope that one day, the Thai people will get to see the truth and realize that Thaksin is not guilty of those charges and that he is just another victim of a political struggle that is happening in the country.

*The report was taken from AFP.

October saw the lowest number of post on the Blogging God's blog...

2008-11-02T13:25:00.003+08:00

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

November 2, 2008

If you have been following the Blogging God's blog very closely, you would have noticed that for last month, which is the month of October, there was not much activity on the blog and it was also the month with the lowest number of post since he started blogging in February this year. Last month saw a total of just 17 posts on the blog. It was also the first time ever that there the number of the total post for a month was below the 20 mark. Now he has been hearing many rumours about the possible reasons of why it could have happened. There are even some of you who tried to link the drop in the blogging activities here to the current global economy meltdown. You are saying things like he is experiencing his own recession and depression due to the crisis. That is not the case actually and today, he would like to tell you why, not that some of you actually care to know, but he would like to tell nevertheless.

Firstly, one of the main reason for the decline in activities is because October was the month of Hari Raya and if you could remember back in September in his Hari Raya message, he did say that he will be away for the first week of Hari Raya because of his busy schedule. That was one of the main reason. Secondly, it is because he had to waste some of his time dealing with a trouble maker whom if you could remember, went against one of the rules on his blog which is not to use the banned acronyms on his blog. And thirdly, it is because he decided to take a short break from blogging last week as he felt it was the right time for him to do so since he has been blogging for almost non-stop since early this year.

That is basically the reasons for the significant drop in the number of post. There is no problem currently with his personal life which might have cause his mood to blog. Looking ahead to the future, there will actually be a smaller number of post for this month but one one of them will be a major news which will affect everybody including him, so you will have to keep coming to his blog to see what the news is all about. For this month too, you can expect him to bring major news in particular the US election which will be happening next week on November 4. He will tell you everything you need to know when its all over and done with and he will be sharing his views with you about the results as well. Until then, have a nice day.

ComfortDelGro to remove 30-cent diesel surcharge...

2008-10-30T17:15:00.003+08:00

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.

2008-10-25T13:04:00.004+08:00

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...

2008-10-24T17:48:00.004+08:00

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...

2008-10-22T17:06:00.003+08:00

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’...

2008-10-21T18:37:00.004+08:00

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...

2008-10-20T18:55:00.002+08:00

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...

2008-10-17T20:39:00.003+08:00

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...

2008-10-16T17:08:00.004+08:00

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...

2008-10-15T18:50:00.004+08:00

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...

2008-10-14T14:38:00.003+08:00

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...

2008-10-12T13:18:00.004+08:00

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...

2008-10-11T15:27:00.001+08:00

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...

2008-10-11T15:07:00.003+08:00

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...

2008-10-11T13:40:00.002+08:00

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...

2008-10-09T12:49:00.003+08:00

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...

2008-10-08T13:04:00.005+08:00

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...

2008-10-07T15:47:00.003+08:00

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.

The Blogging God Hari Raya wish...

2008-09-30T12:30:00.003+08:00

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 29, 2008

Greetings everyone. As you all know, the Muslims will be celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri, tomorrow, Wednesday the 1st of October 2008. Therefore, the Blogging God would like to take this opportunity to wish all his Muslim friends and fans out there, Selamat Hari Raya. He really hope that he can meet all of you people again because he miss you as much as you are missing him. He look forward to meeting anyone who wants to meet him. He might be a Blogging God, but he is afterall, a human being, just like you and he cannot escape for making mistake. So if he has hurt you in any way, whether intentionally or unintentionally, directly or indirectly, he would like you to forgive him just like he have forgiven you for your past sins and mistakes towards him.

He hope that everyone will be happy alongside their family and friends on the joyous occasion and he also hope that you will remain in good health. He would like to remind all not to forget and throw away all the gains that have been achieved thoroughout the Ramadan period and to continue doing good. He would also like to remind that only invited people are allowed to come to his home during Hari Raya. If you want to come but you're not invited, then get yourself invited. Till then, Selamat Hari Raya once again.

*As he would be very busy during the first week of Hari Raya, normal blogging will resume in one week's time. He will also not be responding to any invitation request being done here.

Counting down to Syawal: Part 5...

2008-09-29T17:29:00.004+08:00

Im back with my special 'Counting down to Syawal' series in which I have been talking about issues that are related to Hari Raya. This will be my final part to the series and today, I want to talk about your baju raya or raya clothings. I know I have discussed this topic before in my first part. Now if you remember, in my first part of the series, I asked about whether you think there is a need to buy a new baju raya every year but for today, I want to ask your opinion about having your entire family wearing the baju raya with the same colour.

I believe it has become a very common trend for people nowadays to wear the baju kurung of the same colour with their families. I have done it before in the past. I dont know about you, but for me, I think wearing the baju raya of the same colour represent unity and togetherness in the family. It is also good when you are visiting your relatives with your family because it would be easier for other people to know which is the family that you belong to if you are wearing the same colour. However, nowadays, I dont really follow that trend anymore because I think everyone has their own choice of baju raya and their preferred colour, so it would be unfair for the children in particular to listen to what their parents are saying and doing what they want when they are not happy at all. That is why I have decided to go my own way and wear what I like rather than wearing what my parents would like me to wear in terms of the colours. Since I have a little bit more of time to talk, Im going to ask another question and it is going to be about having an open house. As you know, Hari Raya is a time for everybody to get together, from your friends to your relatives. Some of you might have many people to invite to your house and sometimes you are very busy during the weekdays. Therefore, the weekend is probably the only days that you are able to visit or invite guests to your house and since that is the case, you think it would be much easier if you invite everyone at once, so you organise an open house.

My parents had organised an open house before, and I have to say it was a really fun thing. I mean you have so many people coming to your house, eating the delicious food, it was like a buffet. During that time though, I was about 15 or 16 years old so it was easier for me to get green packet then as compared to now. I got a lot and I was really happy, but the same couldnt be said for my parents though. An open house means anyone can come to your house, people that you know of course, and usually the will bring the entire family with their small kids, so my parents had no other choice but to give away more and more green packets. But overall, I enjoy the experience. The situation is different though if I went to an open house because usually, there will be many people and I dont really like crowded places. The good thing about going to an open house is probably you have a lot of food to choose from. Im not saying all of them are nice, if you are fortunate, they will cater the food but if you are not, they will cook it. If it is catered, of course the food will taste better but if it is not, then you have to judge it for yourself.

Alright, Im done with my special series. I hope you have enjoy reading all of it. Feel free to share with me your views on the topics here or any other topic in the series for that matter. Ive got nothing more to add now. Till next time, see you.

Alonso wins drama-filled F1 Singapore GP...

2008-09-29T15:26:00.003+08:00

Formula One world championship leader Lewis Hamilton extended his title advantage after an extraordinary pit lane incident scuppered the hopes of his main rival Felipe Massa in the inugural Singapore Grand Prix. Hamilton finished third behind Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg to open up a seven-point lead over Massa with just three rounds remaining. Ferrari's Massa had been comfortably leading the first-ever night Grand Prix when the safety car was deployed following a crash which saw Renault's Nelson Piquet Jr. hit a trackside wall.

Massa and the other leading contenders took the opportunity to refuel but the Brazilian attempted to pull away while the gasoline rig and hose was still attached to his Ferrari. A pit crew member took a nasty tumble in the ensuing chaos and Massa was forced to come to a halt further up the pit lane. His support team desperately fought to pull off the trailing hose but by the time they had succeeded he was in 18th spot and dead last. The Brazilian was given a drive-through penalty for unsafe release because he almost collided with another car while leaving the pit with the hose. The mechanic who was brought down by the snaking hose was carried away on a stretcher for a check-up at the on-track medical center. Hamilton, who also slipped back in the confused situation, picked his way through to a distant third behind Alonso and Williams driver Rosberg before the race was given yet more added drama when Adrian Sutil crashed his Force India car to set up another safety car situation. Alonso, who had the good fortune to come in for an early pit stop before the accident involving his Renault team-mate Piquet, drove peerlessly away after the second safety car delay, with Hamilton content to settle for third place.

It was the 20th win of former world champion Alonso's Formula One career. Toyota driver Timo Glock was fourth with Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel following up his win in Italy this month with fifth. BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld took sixth. Hamilton had gone into the Singapore round with a slender one-point lead over Massa having failed to overturn his demotion from first to third in the Belgian Grand Prix. He was making little impression behind the pace of the polesitter until the incidents that changed the course of the race and possibly the world championship race. The six points claimed by Hamilton also took McLaren into first place in the constructors' championship with Massa's Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen carelessly colliding with the wall while in fifth place. [End of report]

Well, if you didn't watch the race yesterday, then I think you have missed a lot of things. What a great race it was and Im not saying this because Im a Singaporean myself, but as a Formula 1 fan and Im sure other fans watching the race throughout the world did enjoy it too unless of course you're a Ferrari supporter. As you all know already, it was the first ever night race in the history of the sport and I have to agree with Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 supremo when he said that it was a success and he even went on to describe that it is the new jewel in the sport's crown. I wont go that far as to say it is the new jewel in the sport's crown yet, but it definitely has the potential to do that. Let's focus now on the race. Who would expect, at least at the start of the race itself that Fernando Alonso would have win it. I certainly didn't. If you know me well enough, you should know that Alonso is my favourite driver and Renault is my favourite team. It was because of Alonso that I started supporting Renault, well before he decided to join McLaren last season. During that time however, things were going very well for Renault. Alonso became the world champion and Renault won the constructor's championship, but after he left, everything started to go down. I was sad to see him leaving the team but I still supported him but as a driver only, so when he decided to come back to Renault this season, I was really happy.

This season though hasn't been what I had expected. The car hasn't been competitive enough and as the driver, you can only do what the car is capable of. I think everyone knows Alonso is probably one of the best drivers in the sport, and he still is despite the poor results this season. I dont wish to talk about his teammate Piquet though. Before the start of the race on Sunday, even before during the qualifying and practise session, I didnt expect much from Renault or Alonso, but he did well during practise and qualifying as well until the car failed him once again. He started in 15th position, and being a street circuit, there is limited chance of overtaking. So I thought that there was no chance he would get anything from the race, much less a first place finish! How wrong I was! Not only did he finish the race, but he also won it although I have to say luck was on his side. And ironically, if it wasnt for Piquet's incident, he probably wouldnt be where he was yesterday after the race. If you look at the entire duration of the qualifying and practise sessions, it was Alonso who had dominated, so I think he deserve the win, adding to the fact that he had try his best with the car throughout the entire season so far, he deserve to get something out of it so it was a sweet thing for me to see him winning. Its been a long time coming, I cant remember when was the last time he last stood on the podium as the winner.

There has been a lot of talks on whether he will stay with Renault for next season. The situation is still unclear, even after the win. He has been linked with a possible move to BMW Sauber. There was talks that he might move to Ferrari or even go back to McLaren but both the drivers from the two teams have confirmed that they will remain at their team for next season. For me personally, I really hope to see him staying at Renault but given the state the team is currently in, I will understand if he decides to leave. Renault needs to have a big improvement if they want to have any chance of keeping Alonso for next season. Well, that is about it. It was a great race with great results as far as I am concerned. Right now, Im not particularly concern about who will win the driver's championship because Im not a big fan of neither Ferrari nor McLaren, so I dont really care who will win it. I just hope that Renault can finish the season in fourth position. That would be a nice way to end the season after all that we have gone through. The night race has been very successful and Im glad that Singapore is the first ever country in the world to host it. That doesnt mean that there wasn't any problems though. The track for example is very bumpy, so maybe the organisers can do something to improve the situation for next year's race.

Im sure after our success, other countries in the world, particularly in this region, will want to have a night race as well. This would ensure the race was televised during the all-important Sunday night prime time in Europe. The organisers of the Malaysian Grand Prix had plan to hold a night race as well for next year, but they have decided to push back the starting time of the race to 5pm instead for the same reason that the night race was held, as they say it would cost them too much for the lighting and stuff. However, there might still be other night race in other parts of Asia. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has already hinted he would like the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka next year to be held under lights. I have also just heard today that the organisers of the Abu Dhabi race, which is to make its debut as the season finale next year, had taken note of the impact made by this event and would also run their race at night. I just hope that there will not be too many night races in the future because it might lose its novelty. One thing that will continue to remain the same is the fact that the first ever F1 night-race was held in our beautiful country of Singapore. Till then, drive safely.

*The report was taken from CNN.

Counting down to Syawal: Part 4...

2008-09-28T14:49:00.003+08:00

Hi guys. Im back again with my special series leading up to Hari Raya next week and today's topic will be about which place do you prefer most to celebrate your first few days of Hari Raya at. No, Im not talking about your grandparent's house or something like that, but Im talking about whether you prefer to celebrate it at your kampung (if you have one) or right here in Singapore. Now, I know some of you have your own kampung back in Malaysia, I myself have one in Malacca, so if you are in the same position as me, Im sure that sometimes, your family would prefer to celebrate it at your kampung just to experience something different.

First of all, most of my family members in particular my uncles and aunties were an immigrant, including my mum. Now, I dont know what exactly happen which made them move to Singapore but I am certainly glad they did because if they had'nt made the decision to come here, I would probably be raised as a kampung boy. Nevertheless, my family here in Singapore still have some sort of connection with the people at my kampung, though Im not sure what it is nor am I interested to know. Therefore, this pose a problem for me because we can either celebrate our Hari Raya in Malacca or stay here in Singapore. If given a choice, I prefer to celebrate it here because most of my friends are here and it is much easier for me to visit one another. If I celebrate in Malacca, there is not much people that I know of, so it will be kind of boring to spend my Hari Raya with people who I know little about. Another reason that I prefer to celebrate in Singapore is because of the money as in the green packets. In the past, I used to get a lot but Im all grown-up now, so things have changed a little bit since. I still get the green packets, but not much. If I celebrate in Malacca, which I have done before, interestingly I dont get much. I dont know the reason why, but even if I get a lot of it, the bad thing about it is that if I convert the Malaysian ringgit into Singapore dollars, I only get about half of it.

The good thing about celebrating Hari Raya at the kampung I guess is that the celebration is much more livelier as compared to Singapore. Everyone would just be very excited and on the eve of Hari Raya, everyone will get together and help one another preparing for Hari Raya. And unlike Singapore, you are able to play the 'mercun', a type of firework that will launch up into the air when you start to light it up. It might sound dangerous but it is not at all. Ive tried it before and it was a great fun. Then there are the traditional food such as the ketupat and lemang. Of course you can find those food here as well, but most of it are ready made. Actually you can make the ketupat yourself if you want to, but Im not sure if I have seen anyone preparing the lemang here. The situation is different though in the kampungs, because it is very common to see the people preparing the lemang themselves, a process which is usually done out in the open. As you know, most of us live in HDB flats here in Singapore, so it is very difficult for us to do such a thing here. So there are things that you can find or do at the kampung that you cant do it here but the same can be said otherwise as well.

Having said all that, I think you should probably know that I very much prefer to celebrate it here because I was born here and most of the people I know live here. I would feel like I am missing something if I celebrate it at my kampung. Im just glad that my family are planning to celebrate this year's Raya here but Im not sure about you. Tell me your views people. Even if you dont have any kampung, just share me your thoughts. Till then, enjoy your weekend.

More Street Circuits in F1: Good Or Bad?

2008-09-27T13:45:00.004+08:00

If you're living in Singapore, Im sure you know what is the latest buzz that is currently happening in town now. No, Im not talking about next week's Hari Raya, but rather the distinguished sound of the fast and furious Formula 1 cars. This weekend, the country is currently hosting the latest race in the Formula 1 World Championship Race calendar for the first time ever on the streets of Marina Bay and it will also be the first night race in the sport's history. As an avid Formula 1 fan myself, I am very excited about it and Im sure even if you don't follow the sport closely, you are feeling just as excited as well.

When I first heard about the possibility that the race might happen in Singapore last year, I thought it was just another one of things that would never materialise, but of course I was wrong about it. So you can imagine how happy I was when I heard it will indeed happen, and even more exciting, it will be held under the dark clouds of the night. Another first about the race here is that it is the first ever street circuit race held in Asia, and that will be the topic that I would like to discuss about today. Now, street circuits isn't a particularly new thing in F1. Over the years, we have seen a lot of race being done on street circuits, with the most popular one being at the Monaco GP. Apart from Monaco GP, we have seen a lot of new and some old street circuits come and gone, either because there are plans for other street circuits race being held in other countries or because the country that used to host a street circuit race have now build a permanent race track that are more suitable for racing events. The question I guess is whether more street circuits is actually good for the sport. Just like the normal race track, a street circuit also have their positive and negative points. The negative side of it is that first of all, there is the safety concern. Being a street circuit, it means that the race will be much closer to the people and to the surroundings which could be dangerous, both for the drivers and the spectators. If we take the Singapore GP as an example, with it being held in the middle of the city, there are so many buildings and landmarks around the race track and should there be any accident, that would create a very dangerous situation despite having precaution measures such as the safety barriers.

Another concern about having the race on a street circuit is that the race might get boring for both the spectators and drivers alike as well. We have to bear in mind that the streets on the road was created only for the purpose of everyday transport, and not for high-speed cars such as the F1 cars. That is why you will see a lot of street circuits having a type tight and narrow tracks, such as the one in Monaco which means that there will be fewer opportunities for the drivers to overtake during the race, but it also means that there will be no room for error as far as the drivers is concerned. Just one mistake and you might be out of the race. So during a street circuit, you will not usually see a lot of overtaking action but most probably, incidents such as car crash. For some people, they like to see a race which has a lot of crashes while others overtaking. For me, I prefer to see overtaking action more than crashes. Its like watching football. You dont like to watch players get injured but rather, you will like it more if they do some tricks or score a goal. Even for the Singapore race, there is not much opportunities for overtaking, but that is how most of the street circuits layout are design for. The good thing about street circuits at least for the driver I supposed is that it punishes mistakes, like Ive said earlier, which will only help to improve their driving skills. The biggest winner in having a street circuit in my opinion is probably the country/cities hosting the event.

Let's take the Singapore GP for example. We are not a country that is particularly well known as a sports hub as compared to countries such as Paris or London. We have never organised a sports event of this magnitude, so getting the rights for the first-ever night race in the series is a big coup for the country and it will definitely bring in a lot of revenue for us. I heard that the race will bring an estimated $150 million into the economy and considering what the Government has paid for the event, which I believe is $90 million, it is definitely worth it. We should also remember that the race is being held in the middle of the city which means that there is entertainment close by after the event and it also means that the business in the city area will benefit from the race. Well that is what they are expecting but I heard that as a result of the road closures, most of the business there has reported a drop, but there was before the race had actually begin. Im sure things will start to pick up this weekend when the race reaches its climax. The hotels here were expected to be fully booked for during the whole period of the race, but that was not what I heard. Im not sure if this is true or not, but I heard most of the fans who come here to watch the race are staying in the hotels in JB instead, because it is much more cheaper quite understandably, considering the fact that they already had to pay huge sum of money to watch the race itself. Afterall, they are much more interested to watch the race than to have a look around of the country.

At the end of the day, the answer to the question on whether more street circuits are good or bad for the sport is debatable. It depends on how you look at it. As far as I'm concerned, more street circuits are good for the sport but to a certain extent. It would be boring to have the race being held at the permanent race tracks everytime. It is definitely good to bring something new to the sport, because let's be honest, watching the cars going past each other for almost 2 hours get sometimes be boring, so sometimes the backdrop to the race track can be a huge distraction from the cars, in a good way. At the same time, I also think that having the race on the streets are stunts to promote tourism in the city, but for the people who are living in the city that the race will be held for the first time ever like Singapore will be a welcome news Im sure. I guess you can put it as a win-win situation for all parties if you like. One thing for sure that we Singaporeans can be proud of is the fact that we are the first country in the world to hold a Formula 1 night race, and that is something that nobody can take away from us. I just hope the race on Sunday will be a spectacular one, and to demonstrate to the critics that street circuits can sometimes be entertaining to watch.

Counting down to Syawal: Part 3...

2008-09-25T17:24:00.003+08:00

Alright people, this is going to be the third part to my 'Counting down to Syawal' series which will focus on issues that are related to Hari Raya. Today's topic is going to be about which mode of transportation do you prefer to travel during your Hari Raya visits. When I say transportation, it does not include public transports such as the train or bus though. I know that some of you prefer to book a private bus, while others the lorries, so let's take a closer look on the different types of transportation that are popular with the majority now.

Now, some of you might think that whatever method of transportation you prefer would not matter much. I think you are slightly mistaken if you think it as that way. Which kind of transport you use to travel with is sometimes important because if you pick the right one, you could visit more house on a particular day than you had previously plan to, or you could bring along your friend or relative to travel around with after you visited their home. Let's take the bus for example. I think it is becoming more common to see families booking a bus to travel with, and Im not just talking about those private mini bus, but Im sure you have seen some of them travelling on the bigger bus, like the coach bus for example. I think travelling in the bus is a good thing because first of all, it is comfortable. I mean you can enjoy the ride with your loved ones in the cool surrounding of the bus, and if you are tired or anything, you may have a comfortable nice nap on the seat. Nevertheless, booking a bus is not cheap. So you may have to consider other mode of transportation if you are trying to save your money. Lets move now to the lorries then. The lorries is not as comfortable as the bus if you are seating at the back, but it is much more cheaper than the bus. If it is a big lorry, then I think you can fit in the same number of people in the bus. The bad thing though is that some of the lorries are not protected at the back. This mean that you are open to the rain if there is any changes to the weather, and this will not be good as you will probably need to hold an umbrella while travelling or you will need to wait for the rain to stop before proceeding to the next house.

Just for your information, I had a similar experience once. My family and I was on our way to Woodlands when it started raining in the middle of the journey. Unfortunately though, we were still somewhere on the highway and there was no bridge for us to take cover from the rain. The nearest underground bridge was about 20 to 30 mins away. We did though brought our umbrellas for emergency use and we had no other choice but to use it. It was not a fun experience at all because I had to hold on to the umbrella very strongly as the winds were very strong. I was just worried that the umbrella would slip out from my grip but fortunately, nothing of that sort happened. We did reach the underground bridge soon but the rain had not stop. Im glad that the torment was over but I didnt like the fact that my entire jeans had been wet drenched in rain. But still, I have to say that the lorries are my favourite transport to travel with during Hari Raya because you are able to be out in the open if you are sitting at the back and this is a good thing because I always like to wish Selamat Hari Raya to any other families which I spot travelling on another lorry. Then there are the cars. It is undoubtedly the most efficent way of travelling, but I just feel it is kind of boring if you are traveling with only your parents and siblings when you can do it with your entire family.

Im done giving my views on the topic. I would love to hear from you though. Which is your preferred choice of transportation during Hari Raya? Tell me please. Till then, take care.

My babysitting experience...

2008-09-25T10:29:00.002+08:00

I know that I am not used to share about my personal life here, and that is because Im the Blogging God, so I can do whatever I want. However, there is a problem currently that is happening to me, which I would like to share with others, and I dont think there is any other group of people which I think would be better to share my problem with than you, my fans. I just have to let it out so that I will feel much better. The problem that I am having right now is that I have been babysitting my cousins for a few times now, at first I was fine with it, but after a while, it has become an irritating experience.

First of all, I would just like to tell everyone that I love kids very much and I always thought that babysitting would be an easy thing to do, well at least for the newborn babies. Unfortunately my cousins have grown up a bit. The whole thing actually started from my aunt. She currently has 4 kids, all boys, the oldest of them is in Primary 3, the second one in Primary 1, the third in nursery and the fourth, well he will start schooling next year. Now their father, which is of course my uncle, doesnt earn much with his job, so you can imagine how difficult it is to support his family, especially when he is having 4 young kids and he is in his late 40s. So his wife, which is my aunt decided to help in and so she got a job at some factory I think. In the past, she only went to work during the night and came home in the morning, but right now, she she also going to her work during the days as well. Obviously, she isnt required to come during the days, but because she wants to earn extra income, hence the decision. The first time she had to do that, it was because she was asked to came down, but after that, she is going on her own accord. So with both her and her husband out working, there is nobody to care for her child so she has no other choice but to dump them here for me to look after. During the first few occasion she did that, I had no problem with it but it has now.

I cant exactly remember how many times she had dumped her children here, probably about 4 to six times now. I will tell you why I am unhappy. First of all, I think she is taking advantage of my kindness for her own benefit. She knows that I am a guy that is difficult to say no to something, so that is why she keeps on asking me whether I am willing to babysit her children. She knew the answer is going to be yes, in actual truth, I am not willing at all though, but I dont know why it is difficult for me to say no. It is unfortunate that we live close to each other, just one bus stop away, which doesnt help my cause. So usually, she comes at around 11 in the morning, dump her children here, go to work and come back 4 or 5 in the afternoon. You might say, what's so difficult looking after a few kids, well Im sure you know that all kids are not the same and unfortunately, my cousins behaves like some small little devil, especially the second and the third one, so I always have problems handling them. If given a choice, I rather take care of a small pet, such as the cat than taking care of them. It is fine with me if my aunt wants to go to her job once or twice every month, but not every week though. I dont know if her main intention for working in the afternoon was because she wants to earn extra income or whether she wants to meet up with her friends. I hope its the former because I hope she knows that my house is not a welfare home for her to dump her kids as and when she like.

My situation has been made tougher by the fact my grandfather is living with me now as well. It tough for me to multi-task, especially when I have to babysit and elderlysit at the same time. During the morning and early part of the afternoon, I am mostly at home alone. Even when my sister come back home in the afternoon, she hardly tries to help with anything. I would like to think Im the most hardworking member of the household after my mum. I would also like to say that my grandfather is also not the typical kind of grandfather that most of you have. He is just difficult to handle with too. I know some of you are saying how could you say such a thing about your grandfather, but I have known him for 18 years so I think I should know what I am talking about. The good thing about all this is that my aunt is giving me some money for my service, but I dont think it is worth the job I am doing. She pays me pennies, the most that I have ever got was $5. It's during times like these that I really wish I had a job. As I am writing this post right now, the little devils are at my home for the second consecutive day. I hope they wont give much problem like they gave me yesterday. God help me please.

I hope this will be the last time I have to babysit them, next month will be the month of Hari Raya, so I would like to think that I should be kept busy to be doing my aunt's dirty works. After October, I think my life will get back on track after almost a year. Im not sure what will happen but as long as it is not babysitting them, I will be fine. Put in me Tekong or anywhere else that I will not have to see their faces again. Well till then, I got to take care of the little devils.

Counting down to Syawal: Part 2...

2008-09-23T16:24:00.002+08:00

Before I start, I would just like to let you know that this is a continuation from my previous post "Counting down to Syawal" in which, as you can read in that post, I will talk about issues that are related to Hari Raya. The first topic was about whether you think that there is a need to buy everything new to replace your old stuff such as curtains or carpets in preparation of Hari Raya, but my second topic for the series will talk about everyone favourite part of the celebration, well at least for the children, and that is the green packets or in malay we like to call it 'duit raya' which means raya money.

I know that the Chinese also have their own red packets as well but since Hari Raya is coming up, lets just focus on it. I would like to know at which age do you think someone should stop receiving the green packets. From my experience, I can say that the 'official age' is at 18 years-old. I think most people will stop giving green packets to someone who have completed their secondary school years. That was what I noticed from my previous Hari Raya experience. When it is time for you to leave, you will have to shake the hands of the elderly, and they will then give you the green packet. Now for people of my age, Im sure you would agree with me that it is becoming a much more awkward situation for you to shake hands with the elderly, especially with someone whom you dont really know. If you are fortunate, he/she will give you the green packet without asking your age or whether you are still schooling or working, but if you're not, then they will ask your age or whether you are still a student. The definition of student though varies with different people. Some of them will give you even if you are not schooling in a secondary school anymore, but some of them will stop giving once they hear you are studying in a higher institution such as the Polytechnic or ITEs.

Then there is another group of people, and these are the ones who doesn't ask you anything when giving out the green packets. They will try and make a guess on your age or whether you are schooling anymore by looking at your body size or your looks. I think you should have some friends who do not look like most of the people their age. They might be 18 but their physical appearance might give them the impression that they are only 15 or 16 or otherwise. They could either count themselves lucky or unlucky because it all depends on what others think of them. If they are lucky, then they will receive the green packet without any question asked, even though most people of their age doesn't get it but if they are unlucky, then of course they will not get any even though technically speaking, they are 'eligible' to get them. You dont expect them to ask the guests why they didn't received any green packet because that is just a rude thing to do. You still can though 'cheat' the guest of their green packets. If you are going to somebody house that you dont really know of, it could be your parents friend, and you are really sure that they have no idea of what your age is or where are you schooling, you should ask your parents to start a conversation with them about their child's education, and then tell them about yours, by lying to them. What I mean is, you should tell your parents beforehand to lie about your age or your education status, if it is being ask by someone that you dont really know of by telling them that you had yet to graduate from secondary school when in actual truth, you have.

Well, thats it from me. Last year, I still managed to get some green packets, it was not much, but still who doesn't love money. Im not sure about this year though, maybe I will get, maybe not. I think this year, even if I get, it will mostly be $2 especially with the current uncertainty in the global economy. $2 is better than having nothing, so if anyone gives me money, I cant say just say no. If I can get at least 100 bucks, I would be grateful. Till then, share your views on the topic.

Conservative Aso chosen as Japan PM...

2008-09-22T15:28:00.003+08:00

Japan's ruling party Monday chose conservative Taro Aso to be the country's next prime minister, tasking him with steering Asia's largest economy away from recession and running in high-risk elections. Aso, 68, an outspoken former foreign minister, easily won the party's leadership election, paving the way for him to succeed Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who stepped down three weeks ago amid plunging approval ratings.

The flamboyant but gaffe-prone politician - who supports public spending to revive the Japanese economy - won in his fourth try for the top job in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), defeating four other candidates. Aso saluted his rivals as he was proclaimed the winner at the vote inside the LDP headquarters, where the walls are filled with giant portraits of other leaders from the party that has ruled Japan almost continuously since 1955. Aso received 351 out of the 527 votes, party election chief Hideo Usui said. Kaoru Yosano, the minister for economic and fiscal policy and a critic of Aso's economic policies, trailed in second place at 66 votes. The other candidates included former defence minister Yuriko Koike, who was the first woman to seek to become Japan's prime minister. She came in third with 46 votes. Aso enjoyed strong support in struggling rural areas as he has promised to use public money to stimulate the economy, a break from a long push in the LDP for free-market reforms, which Koike had pledged to bring in. Rivals accused Aso of putting Japan's ailing finances further at risk, and popular former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, who championed economic reforms during his 2001-2006 tenure, openly backed Koike.

Aso is thought likely to take advantage of the moment to call snap general elections - possibly for as early as late October - in the hope of thwarting an increasingly popular opposition. But some pundits doubt whether the LDP leadership race did much to incite enthusiasm among the general public. The leadership race came as Japan wrestles with the impact of the global financial crisis and a scandal over pesticide-laced rice that was served to hospital patients and schoolchildren. Aso is expected to be installed by parliament on Wednesday. General elections must be held by September next year, but calling a snap poll could also be a risky strategy for the LDP. The party last year for the first time lost control of the upper house of parliament, and the Fukuda government's approval rating last week stood at a mere 15.6 per cent. His popularity plunged after he raised medical costs for the elderly, whose growing number is badly straining public finances. The opposition has promised to scrap the medical plan and Health Minister Yoichi Masuzoe hinted recently that Aso would do so as well. At its own convention Sunday, the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan gave another two-year term to its leader Ichiro Ozawa, 66, a veteran political tactician who stormed out of the LDP in 1993.

News reports said that Aso would likely give posts to his defeated rivals in a bid to ensure party unity, including keeping Yosano as fiscal and economic policy minister. The other candidates were military expert Shigeru Ishiba and younger-generation reformist Nobuteru Ishihara. [End of report]

Well, I dont think I have to mention that it was an expected result, one that I welcome very much. I have always supported Aso right from the start, that is why I am very happy with the result. There was never any doubt in my mind that he would lose in the contest because quite honestly, there wasnt much competition from the other candidates. I have to admit though that I am surprise by how well Yuriko Koike, the only female candidate in the contest did. She managed to finish in third place, even though the number of votes she received was relatively small, as compared to Aso's. I think she will be one to watch for the future. Anyway, back to Taro Aso, even though his LDP party's popularity has plunged over the last few years or so, as a result of the failure from his previous two predecessor Shinzo Abe and Yasuo Fukuda, he remained a largely popular guy with the Japanese people. I think the reason why he is popular with the people is because they are able to relate well with him, not just as a politician, but as a normal individual as well. If you ask me, I think he should be the Prime Minister a long time ago, after the departure of Koizumi. I mean as you can read from the report, this was his fourth try in his bid secure the top job in LDP. You just got the feeling that he would eventually be the leader of the party sooner or later, and his time has finally arrived.

Having secure the leadership position now, he can now focus his effort in rebuilding the country, which will not be an easy task. The foremost problem that he would most likely to deal with first is the country's sagging economy. Inflation is at all time high and the economy hasn't been doing well ever since Shinzo Abe took over from Koizumi. Aso advocates an increase in public spending and tax cuts to stimulate the economy, which as you can read from the report is not something that is popular with most of the people. It is difficult to say whether it will work or not, so Im not going to judge it until I see the true results of the move. You can also read on the report that the LDP is expected to call a snap election, as early as next month. Now, I have talk about my views regarding having an early snap election in one of my previous post, so I wont comment much on the issue. I just think it would be a very risky move on LDP's part. Im not sure if majority of the Japanese people share the same view they have on Aso along with LDP. What I mean is that they might like Aso, but I dont think the same could be said on LDP's part, not with everything that has happened when Abe and Fukuda was in charge. The party has already lost control of the upper house of parliament last year, and to lose again in the election would be a huge blow.

As far as I am concerned, the LDP should not rush into having a snap election. They should not expect to get the support that Aso is receiving from the people as quickly as they would like to just because they have chosen him to lead the party. The plan could backfire and any gains they have made to get back the trust and support from the people could be jeapordised. I think they should wait for at least a few more months before calling an election. They should give Aso the time to do what he needs in order to gain back the public trust before they decide to do anything else.

*The report was taken from AFP.

Counting down to Syawal...

2008-09-21T13:29:00.003+08:00

Greetings to all of my fans out there. How are you doing? I hope everyone is doing fine and for those of you who are fasting, continue to do so. As you all know, we only have a few days left before Ramadan leave us once again, so use every time and opportunity given wisely. After Ramadan, the Muslims will of course be celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri and over the next few days leading to Hari Raya, I am going to talk about some topics that are related to the celebration.

My first topic is going to be about new accessories. Today, I want to ask you whether you think it is necessary to buy new accessories such as furniture, curtains or cushion covers everytime when it comes to Hari Raya. For me, I dont really think that it is necessary because I dont see why we should be wasting our money, especially during the current surrounding, where everything, from food to electricity bills are going up when we can use the old ones, considering it is still in good shape. I think about 90% of the people who come to our home during Hari Raya only do it once, and that is during Hari Raya itself, so I doubt that they will remember if we are using the same stuff from the previous year, unless you have any pictures taken from the Hari Raya last year and place it in the living room or something for everyone to see. Actually to be honest, there is nothing for you to be embarrass about if you are planning to use the same stuff to decorate your house for this year. Afterall, it is your house and you can do whatever you want with it. I know that it is important to give your guest a good impression of your house, but I dont that is the reason for them to visit, but rather it is because Hari Raya is an opportunity for everyone to get together and get updated on what has been happening over the course of the last one year or so.

Well, accessories and decorations aside, lets move on to talk about something that is much closer to your heart, something that you probably bring along for most part of your Hari Raya visits. Yes, I am talking about your 'baju raya' or raya clothing of course. I dont know about you, but for me, it is a must to buy them every year. I just dont feel very excited if I dont have a new baju kurung every year. It just doesnt feel right. I am willing to use the same 'kain samping' every year but not the baju kurung. Some of you might argue why the need to buy a new one when you only use it for a few times during Hari Raya. You are in someway right in saying that but there are other occasions that you can use it again such as going to the Friday Prayers or any religious related event. I think it is much easier for the guys to select a baju kurung but for the girls, it is much more complicated because from my experience, most of them prefer to have it tailored to their liking and most of them prefer to have at least 2 sets of baju kebaya which is understandable I guess.

Alright, I have shared some of my views regarding today's topic. I would love to hear from you now. Do you agree with me or do you have a different opinion. Please feel free to tell me. Hari Raya is coming in a few days time and I have yet to buy my baju kurung for this year, got to rush down to Geylang soon! Until then, happy fasting!

The Blogging God will help to inject in new tags...

2008-09-20T13:26:00.003+08:00

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

September 20, 2008

As most of you probably know already, the world is currenly experiencing trouble times in the economic sector. It is very unstable at the moment and the world is trying to come up with every kind of steps they could think of to ease the situation a little bit. The core of the problem seem to have started from the U.S. and the U.S. government is now trying to find a bailout plan to prevent the problem from escalating further.

Here in the blogging sector, the Blogging God has also noticed a similar problem, but it does not involve anything with the economy, but if left unresolved, it could be facing the same fate as the global economy, which is a total meltdown. The world major central banks has pumped in a lot of cash into their financial market to stabalize their own situation, but the Blogging God has decided to pump in new tags on blogs for anyone who needs them. He understand that for some of you, having a chatbox that is not active is not a good sign because you feel that nobody is reading your blog. You will start to panic and you will start asking people to tag your blog because if it does not start happening soon, you will start to think of closing down your blog. That is not the worst thing though. For him, there is no person that is more pathetic than the ones who tag their own blog using a different name and continue to tag again using a different name, thus creating a situation in which he/she is talking to him/herself to attract attention. These are the people who are suffering from, what the Blogging God like to call, the 'Blog-al Depression.'

The Blogging God does not wish to see such thing happening not especially to his friends and as such, he has came out with a rescue plan of his own. He will be offering unlimited tags for those who really need it so that those people will at least have a sense of feeling that their blogs are being visited by others and will then feel better to continue blogging. Therefore, feel free to ask him to tag your blog anytime you want. This offer will end in 1 week's time.

North Korea preparing to restart nuclear facility...

2008-09-18T16:25:00.007+08:00

North Korea said Friday it was undertaking "thorough preparations" to restart its nuclear reactor, accusing the United States of failing to fulfill its obligations under an international disarment-for-aid pact. It was the first time the North has confirmed it has begun reversing what it has done so far to roll back its nuclear program, though it has warned it would do so in anger over Washington's failure to remove it from the U.S. terrorism blacklist.

"We are making through preparation for restoration works" at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, Pyongyang diplomat Hyun Hak Bong told reporters. He did not say when Yongbyon would be operating again.

Hyun spoke to reporters in the border village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone before sitting down for one-day talks Friday with South Korean officials on sending energy aid to the North as part of the six-party disarmament deal. The landmark 2007 pact — made with the United States, China, South Korea, Russia and Japan — called on Pyongyang to disable its nuclear program in a step toward its dismantlement in exchange for the equivalent of 1 million tons of energy aid. North Korea began disabling the complex last year, and the process was 90 percent complete, with eight of 11 key measures carried out "perfectly and flawlessly," Hyun said. The accord ran aground in mid-August when Washington failed to take North Korea off its list of states that sponsor terrorism. The U.S. has refused to change that status until North Korea agrees to an international plan to verify a declaration of its nuclear programs submitted in June. North Korea responded by halting the disabling process and is now "proceeding with works to restore (Yongbyon) to its original status," Hyun told reporters.

South Korean and U.S. officials say it would take at least a year for the North to restart a completely disabled reactor. The latest impasse followed major progress made in late June when the North submitted its long-delayed account of its nuclear activities and destroyed its nuclear cooling tower in a show of its commitment to denuclearization. Hyun warned Washington not to press the verification issue, saying verification was never part of the deal. He said forcing the North to comply with such an inspection would exacerbate tensions. "The issue of verification won't be resolved if (the U.S.) applies a robber-like inspection method in the name of an international standard," he said. The White House had no immediate reaction early Friday. The six-party talks last convened in July, and a new round has not been scheduled amid the standoff between the U.S. and North Korea. Seoul's delegate to Friday's talks reassured Pyongyang that the rest of the energy aid promised to North Korea would be sent to the North.

The tensions come amid reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has suffered a stroke. Kim, 66, has not been seen in public for more than a month, and missed two big public events: a military parade marking North Korea's 60th birthday and Thanksgiving. [End of report]

The fact that North Korea is preparing to restart nuclear facility is very worrying. There were some reports earlier that North Korea has begun to reassemble its main nuclear facility, but it didnt came from any of its officials, but now that it has been confirmed by one of their diplomat, I guess we can say that the reports were indeed true. It is worrying to hear the news because it could jeopardise the six-party deal that was made last year, which as you can read from the report, called on Pyongyang to disable its nuclear program in a step toward its dismantlement in exchange for the equivalent of 1 million tons of energy aid. It wasnt an easy task to achieve that deal and if North Korea somehow manage to restart the Yongbyon reactor, then I think all the hard work that has been done by all the parties involved would be wasted. In short, North Korea wants the U.S. to remove it from the list of terror sponsors but the U.S. instead wants to see North Korea agreeing to a plan to verify an accounting of nuclear programs it submitted in June if it wants to be taken off the list. The North Koreans are saying that verification was never part of the deal. I dont know if this is true though.

I dont particularly trust the North Koreans but I think what they are saying is true. If it is, then I think it was a mistake on the part of the U.S. and the other 4 parties involved in the deal to not include the verification issue. This has definitely put North Korea in a better position to be negotiating because they hold all the playing cards right now. As much as the country needs the aids that it is currently receiving, I think it could still do without it but as far as the other parties is concerned, they would want to see the Koreans honouring the deal which they have all work very hard for to achieve. I dont think having a nuclear North Korea would be a good idea, that is why it is important to ensure that they do not restart the Yongbyon reactor. There have been evidence that shows the North Koreans are trying to assemble the parts of the reactor, and to restart it would be a long process. South Korean and U.S. officials has said it would take at least a year for the North to restart a completely disabled reactor, but still, that is a risk that is not worth taking in my opinion. They have come this far, so why wait another year when things will only get more complicated. But then again, Pyongyang might just be putting up an act to put more pressure on the U.S. to listen to its demands. They might be trying to assemble the reactor, but maybe they dont have any plans to actually start it all over again.

I really hope both the U.S. and North Korea can find a peaceful solution to all the problem. I think it would be a big disappointment if they fail to find any kind of agreement and to see the North Koreans restarting the nuclear reactor. There have been a lot of progress made so far on the issue and for it to end like this would not just be a shame, but it will also mean the world need to worry about the possibility of a nuclear North Korea again. I dont think this will do any good for everyone.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

Israel poised for first female leader in 34 years....

2008-09-18T16:25:00.004+08:00

Israel's foreign minister declared victory Thursday in a tight race to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as the head of the governing party, getting a chance to be the country's first female leader in 34 years. Tzipi Livni, 50, said she would immediately turn to the task of trying to cobble together a new government. Official results showed Livni winning by a 1.1 percentage point margin in the Kadima Party primary elections — a far narrower victory than the double-digit romp polls had predicted.

Livni, a political moderate, barely edged out hawkish rival Shaul Mofaz, a former defense minister, in a contest that could have far-reaching implications for peacemaking with the Palestinians and Syria. Livni said she would launch coalition talks on Friday, even though President Shimon Peres cannot officially ask her to try to put together a government until Olmert resigns the premiership. After she is assigned the task, she will have 42 days to form a new ruling coalition. If she succeeds, she will become Israel's first female prime minister since Golda Meir stepped down in 1974. If she fails, the country will hold elections in early 2009, a year and a half ahead of schedule. Olmert, who is stepping down to battle multiple corruption allegations, will remain as a caretaker leader until parliament approves a new Cabinet. Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said the prime minister called Livni to congratulate her on her victory and would notify the Cabinet on Sunday that he would resign. "After that, he will resign," Regev said, without specifying when.

Israeli media reported Thursday that Mofaz called Livni to congratulate her, rejecting a legal adviser's proposal to challenge the results. Three TV exit polls released just before the voting ended Wednesday night had showed a clear victory for Livni over Mofaz, about 47 percent to 37 percent, leading to premature celebrations. But official results saw that margin shrink dramatically, to 43.1 percent for Livni and 42 percent for Mofaz — a 431-vote edge. This was not the first time exit polls have badly missed their mark here. Livni needed 40 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff next week. Two other candidates lagged far behind in the tally. A fast-rising star in Israel's political firmament, Livni is Israel's lead negotiator in peace talks with the Palestinians and a rare female power figure in a nation dominated by macho military men and a religious establishment with strict views on the role of women. A lawyer and former agent in the Mossad spy agency, she is eager to continue the low-decibel diplomatic efforts. She says she hopes diplomatic efforts to halt Iran's nuclear program will prevail, though she says all options are on the table.

With opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu's hardline Likud Party polling well, neither Kadima nor its coalition partners appear eager for a new election. But the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, which could be key to building a new coalition, has already served notice that it would not join a government that is willing to negotiate the fate of disputed Jerusalem with the Palestinians. As lead peace negotiator, Livni is committed to discussing all the outstanding issues between Israel and the Palestinians, and the future of Jerusalem is at the heart of the conflict. Shas' position will require some deft political maneuvering on Livni's part if she is to sidestep elections. [End of report]

Im very pleased with the result. If given a choice between Livni and Mofaz, I would definitely choose Livni because I like her level-headedness and tenacity approach as compared to Mofaz, who is a much more aggressive type of person. Being the foreign minister herself, she would have a lot of experience when it comes to dealing issues involving countries such as Palestine or Syria. She herself has been in talks with the Palestinians for almost a year regarding the peace deal. The job doesnt end there for her though. Winning the contest to replace Olmert as the leader of the Kadima Party is only the first step. The next step for her of course is to try and form a new coalition and that is not going to be an easy task. As you can read from the report, she has only 42 days to form a coalition that is acceptable to parliament. She will need to try everything to avoid a general election but convincing some of the parties to join her coalition would, like I have said earlier, not be an easy task. The party that could be a stumbling block for her would be the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party.

Now they have made their feelings known that they would not join a government that is willing to negotiate the fate of disputed Jerusalem with the Palestinians. Therefore, she will have to do everything in her power to convince them that she has a good plan. Another reason why it wouldnt be good if a general election were to take place is that the peace talk between Palestine, would be put in jeopardy. I dont know how the other parties would react if they were in charge. There have been some achievements that has taken place in the peace talk, and in order to sustain it, it would be much better if the Kadima Party remains in power. The Palestinian Information Minister Riad Malki has came out today and said that he was hopeful that peace talks could succeed under Israel's new leadership. I certainly share the same hope as well. The peace deal was actually started by the U.S. if you can remember and as much as they wanted it to be done with by the end of this year, I doubt it will happen. Should there be a general election, the Likud Party is expected to win, so that is not a good sign for her and her party. I believe she can do a good job as a Prime Minister. After the failure of Olmert, I think she is a fresh change to the politics in Israel.

With both the U.S. and Israel leadership set to change by the year end, it is very difficult to say where the peace deal with Palestine will be heading to. I just hope that whoever the leaders will be, it will not have a huge effect on the deal and that all parties could continue to do what their predecessors did. Of course there are other issues to be dealt with as well such as the Iran nuclear ambitions along with Syria. I dont know how much will the leadership differ when it comes to dealing with those issues, but I just got a huge feeling that Livni will do a better job than Olmert. I guess we will have to wait and see for now.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

Fed in AIG rescue - $85B loan....

2008-09-17T16:14:00.004+08:00

U.S. authorities engineered an $85 billion rescue of insurance giant American International Group Inc (AIG.N), staving off bankruptcy and bringing a measure of calm to shell-shocked global markets. The bailout, made amid a cataclysmic week for the financial sector, marks a reversal of Washington's vow not to step in and calls for the U.S. Federal Reserve to lend up to $85 billion to AIG for two years in exchange for a 79.9 percent equity stake. It came just two days after U.S. authorities refused to rescue investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (LEH.N) (LEH.P), forcing it into bankruptcy court despite pleas from Wall Street's chiefs.

AIG's lifeline bought time for investors to digest an unprecedented run of events that has altered the shape of Wall Street, but did little ease a funding squeeze caused by the turmoil. Asian stocks were mostly higher after Tuesday's dramatic selldown, with Tokyo's Nikkei index (.N225) up 1.2 percent and the MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan stocks index up 0.9 percent. Oil rose more than $3 a barrel, and major European markets were expected to open as much as 2.1 percent higher. The Fed stepped in amid worries that a collapse of AIG could cause far-reaching damage to the global financial system, although some market players argued that the government's move brings just a short-term respite and could do long-term harm. Around the time the AIG deal was announced, British bank Barclays Plc (BARC.L) gave Wall Street another boost: It agreed to buy several parts of Lehman, the Wall Street investment bank that went bankrupt on Monday, for $1.75 billion. U.S. stocks earlier had clawed back from their largest one-day drop in seven years on speculation about the AIG and Lehman deals. The two largest U.S. investment banks, Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N), also reported better-than-expected earnings.

The AIG deal overshadowed a Fed decision earlier on Tuesday to hold its benchmark interest rates steady despite market's counting on an economy-boosting cut in borrowing costs. Central banks in Japan, Australia and India pumped $33 billion into global money markets as the AIG bailout did little to ease the funding squeeze triggered by Wall Street's crisis. The rescue keeps AIG from surpassing Lehman as the largest U.S. corporate failure ever. It comes on the heels of a government bailout just over a week ago of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae (FNM.N) and Freddie Mac (FRE.N), and six months after the Fed helped to finance the fire sale of failed investment bank Bear Stearns to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N). The move comes at a sensitive time given job losses and tax rates are key issues in the battle for the White House between U.S. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. Both candidates struck populist tones in speeches on Tuesday, with Democratic candidate Obama accusing Republican rival McCain of being an opponent of regulation who turned a blind eye to market recklessness. McCain said Obama had taken big donations from mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

AIG will pay interest at a steep 8.5 percentage points above the three-month London Interbank Offered Rate, equal to about 11.4 percent. That gives AIG a big incentive to embark on a massive asset sale program to pay back the loan quickly. AIG's bailout brings to about $900 billion the total of U.S. rescue efforts to stabilize the financial system and housing market. Authorities may get much of that sum back provided asset prices don't continue to slide. Senior Fed staff told Reuters that AIG's broader business ties and its retail products meant a rescue was necessary, unlike in Lehman's case. Critics said that the Fed may have wiped out what credibility it won resisting Lehman's rescue pleas and may have opened the door to countless other companies to come calling for help. [End of report]

I think everyone would agree with me that it has been a crazy week in the global financial market over the past few days or so. I mean, you got the Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy and AIG on the verge of demise as well, only to be rescued by the Feds. When I first heard the news about the Lehman Brothers, I was shocked, along with everyone else I believe but at the same time, the news shouldn't have come as much of a surprise because the signs were there and I guess it was only a matter of time before it went bankrupt. Some of you might be wondering why didn't the U.S. government went to the aid of the Lehman Brothers when they had asked for it, and instead went to rescue AIG instead. Well that is because, unlike Lehman Brothers, AIG is a much more bigger player in the market and the U.S. government just couldn't allow it to follow in the same direction as their Lehman Brothers counterpart, not especially in the current situation. You can just look at the impact that the news of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy is having, I cant imagine what would happen if AIG went bankrupt as well. AIG, with 103,000 employees and more than $1.0 trillion of assets, is more than an insurance company, if it was unable to honor its obligations it could have set off a cascade of problems around the world.

AIG previously found a protector in the State of New York, which agreed to bend rules and allow AIG to borrow $20.0 billion from its operating subsidiaries. That could enable it to obtain some sort of credit facility or additional capital. It will be used to help maintain the company's credit rating. It may also be used as collateral. New York's governor gave AIG until Wednesday to secure an injection of capital or a credit facility. If it fails to do that, the agreement to let it borrow from its operating subsidiaries is off the table. The New York Fed had even asked Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to try to arrange a $70 billion private loan for AIG, but that didn't go anywhere. That is why the Fed had decided to come in and bail it out. This is not the first time that they had done such a thing this year. If you remember earlier this month, the Treasury had bailed out the former government agencies of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and back in March, they had participated in the March rescue of Bear Stearns. It was all a very important decisions to make but I think the AIG one is the most important yet. The U.S. government will of course get something from the deal as well, as the loan is expected to be repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the firm’s assets.

The Fed's move to bail out AIG will come as a relief to many Im sure but I dont think we have heard the end of the story yet. I think it will definitely help to stabilise the global financial market in the short term, but in the longer term, nobody can predict what will happen. The U.S. mortgage crisis has shown little sign that it would be over soon, and the longer it continue, I believe we will see more big names succumbing to the pressure. Many critics are saying that the move to rescue AIG may have opened the door to countless other companies to come calling for the government to help, but I really doubt that will happen. The U.S. government cant rescue every companies that are in trouble because I dont think they have enough resources to do that. The problem might have ease a little for now, but it will not end soon. Alan Greenspan has recently said that this is a once-in-a-lifetime, or once-in-a-century event and I have to agree with him. The worst part of the problem might not be over just yet.

*The report was taken from Reuters.

Zimbabwe political rivals sign historic power-sharing deal...

2008-09-16T16:23:00.004+08:00

President Robert Mugabe ceded some power in Zimbabwe for the first time in 28 years, signing a power-sharing deal Monday with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai amid questions on how the fierce enemies will work together to fix the collapsing economy. Thousands of supporters of the rival parties threw stones at each other as the ceremony got under way and several hundred broke through the gates of the convention center where it took place. Police fired warning shots and set dogs on the crowd, which calmed and cheered as their leaders left after the signing.

Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a faction that broke away from Tsvangirai's party, all pledged to make the deal work. But long-simmering and bitter differences as well as the nation's economic collapse — inflation is officially running at 11 million percent — have put the deal under intense pressure. It has already been criticized privately by some opposition leaders, who are unhappy that it leaves Mugabe as president and head of the government. They fear Mugabe will exploit that, especially by playing on tensions between the two opposition groups. Nine African leaders including mediator President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa witnessed the signing in a show of commitment to the deal, which the African Union is underwriting. Aid agencies welcomed the deal as a hopeful sign they will be able to step up food deliveries to millions of people facing hunger. Mugabe's government restricted the work of aid agencies in June, accusing them of siding with the opposition before a presidential runoff. The ban was lifted last month, but aid agencies say it takes time to gear up.

Mugabe, 84, has been in power since independence in 1980 and went from being praised as a liberator who freed the former British colony from minority white rule to being vilified as an autocrat. He and Tsvangirai, 56, have been enemies for a decade, and Tsvangirai has been jailed, beaten, tortured and tried for treason — charges that were dismissed in court. Under a complicated arrangement, Tsvangirai is the prime minister with executive powers to chair a new council of ministers responsible for forming government policies. He is deputy chairman of a Cabinet of ministers that Mugabe will head. The agreement provides for 31 ministers — down from 50 — 15 nominated by Mugabe's party, 13 by Tsvangirai and three by Mutambara. The parties began negotiating Monday which ministries they would hold and an announcement was expected later this week. Opposition leaders want the Home Affairs Ministry that would give them charge of the police who have terrorized them and their supporters this year, and Mugabe would retain the Defense Ministry. Tsvangirai saluted members of parliament for their willingness to work across party lines.

Tsvangirai said his first priority would be getting food to hungry Zimbabweans. Mugabe, in a speech that was often combative, again accused Britain and the United States of wanting regime change in Zimbabwe and sneered at the democratic process. Western countries say they will withhold the aid vital to help the country rebuild until it is clear Mugabe is committed. European Union foreign ministers meanwhile welcomed the deal but said Mugabe must prove he is willing to restore democratic rule before EU sanctions can be lifted. [End of report]

Well, it has been a long time coming but who would expect both Mugabe and Tsvangirai, a long time rival, sharing the same stage and looking as if there had been no problem between them in the past. However, behind all the smiles and the handshakes, I think there is still some elements of mistrust and hatred between the both of them. If given a choice, Im sure Mugabe will want to control everything for himself while Tsvangirai would want to see Mugabe disposed as the president of the country. The one thing that they would agree on is that they want to make the country better and they want to do it as soon as possible. I mean Zimbabwe has not had the best of time over the past few years or so, majority of its people are living in poverty, not having enough food to eat, and their economy is at all time low. So its easy to see where the anger towards Mugabe are coming from, which explains why the opposition party of Tsvangirai did fairly well in the recent elections. Considering everything that has happened in the country, I think Mugabe will feel much more happier about the deal. Although some of his power has been restricted, he is still the president of the country and he is still able to make some of the major calls in the government.

The deal hasn't been easy to come by though. Neither Mugabe nor Tsvangirai made any secret of their difficulties in accepting the accord. Tsvangirai has said that he signed the deal because he thinks that it was the only way to move the country forward but Mugabe was much more reluctant to sign it as demonstrated by the speech he gave after the conclusion of the deal. His speech managed to draw jeers from the crowd as he took swipes at Tsvangirai and lashed out at the United States and Britain, which Mugabe has blamed for undermining his regime and sowing the seeds of the country's crisis. It is not that difficult to see why he was reluctant to share some of his power, I mean he has been the president for almost 28 years. I think the reason why he finally decided to go through with the deal was because he knew he couldnt do it all alone if he wish to see the country getting better. It needs help from the U.S. and other western countries too to get Zimbabwe back on track and the only way it can happen would be if Tsvangirai is allowed to run the country in some way or another. The question now is, whether the deal will actually work. Many analysts have note that the deal is fragile, and fraught with uncertainty over the practicalities of sharing power between such bitter enemies and I have to agree with them.

You just have a feeling that with Mugabe still in power, anything can still happen. Many expect that Mugabe will continue to do his utmost to undermine the deal and sideline his opponents, while the military, which supports Mugabe, strongly opposes MDC rule. I just find it really difficult that Mugabe, who has been in power for such a long time, would suddenly have a change of mind but then again I might be wrong. At least now, there is some kind of official agreement between the both sides, something that can be use as a starting point to get the country back on track. It is just the beginning though, there are a lot of challenges that they will have to overcome in the future Im sure, one which would test how strong the deal actually is and how committed the two sides are in working together.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

Thai ruling party leaders back Somchai for PM...

2008-09-15T17:01:00.002+08:00

Leaders of Thailand's ruling party agreed Monday to nominate acting prime minister Somchai Wongsawat to take on the job permanently as they try to douse weeks of anti-government protests. Parliamentarians from the People Power Party (PPP) will be asked to endorse Somchai at a meeting today. However selecting Somchai, who is married to the sister of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, will likely inflame anti-government protesters, led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, who seized the prime minister's offices last month.

The PPP was forced to search for a successor to Samak Sundaravej after his bid to return to power last week, three days after being stripped of office, was torpedoed by a party revolt. Two other candidates had been considered -- co-deputy PPP leader Sompong Amornviwat, and party secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee. The party's eventual choice will be presented to its five coalition partners before going to parliament for a vote set for Wednesday.

"Somchai is going to be a sitting duck if he takes over the premiership as expected Wednesday, because the PAD will attack his fatal weakness as being Thaksin's brother-in-law," said political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak.

But any of the candidates would struggle to end Thailand's political chaos, as the thousands of protesters besieging the grounds of Government House since last month have declared they will stay as long as the PPP is in charge. The demonstrators stormed Government House nearly three weeks ago to try to force the resignation of Samak and his cabinet. Last week the Constitutional Court stripped him of office, ruling that he had illegally accepted payments for hosting television cooking shows. Samak then Friday ended his bid to return to power after being deserted by his allies, scuppering a re-election vote in parliament. The demonstrators, who represent Thailand's traditional elite, claim Samak and the three candidates to replace him are proxies for Thaksin. The PAD also spearheaded protests against Thaksin in 2006, leading to the military coup that toppled him. They are also pushing a broader agenda to scale back democracy by reducing the influence of poor, rural voters, who gave Thaksin their steadfast support for providing universal health care and low-interest loans.

Thaksin now lives in exile in Britain to evade corruption charges, which he says are politically motivated. Despite that he casts a long shadow over Thai politics. His supporters won last December's election and he was consulted about Samak's renomination last week. Meanwhile the Supreme Court is set to rule Wednesday in a corruption case against Thaksin and his wife. That verdict is expected shortly after the vote in parliament for the new prime minister. [End of report]

If you remember in my previous post regarding the current situation in Thailand, I said that I thought Samak would be nominated as the Prime Minister again but of course that wasn't the case. You would think that the ruling party, PPP would choose someone else that at least doesnt have any link to Thaksin for obvious reasons, but they have decided to choose Somchai out of of the members in the party. As you can read from the report, Somchai will definitely not be a popular choice among the Thai people because of his relation with Thaksin. I dont know which is a worst choice for the Thai people, Samak or Somchai. I would like to think its the latter. He is afterall the brother-in-law of Thaksin, therefore there will even be more speculation that he will just be another proxy for Thaksin. I dont know how the Thai people will react if he becomes the next PM. Let's just put his relationship with Thaksin aside for a while and judge him on whether he has what it takes to be the next PM. One of his strong points I guess is that he has a lot of bureaucratic experience. He has been a judge for over 20 years so Im sure he wont have any problems in making tough decisions. Other than that, he doesnt have any other qualities to support his bid to become the PM. He is particularly a low profile and uncontroversial figure who was a deputy prime minister and education minister in Samak's Cabinet.

Then there are also the two other potential contenders that had been considered, co-deputy PPP leader Sompong Amornviwat, and party secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee. The Thai people though has said that they wont accept a PM who has any links with Thaksin or from the PPP party. As a Thaksin supporter, I find the accusations that Somchai are trying to run the government as a proxy for Thaksin baseless. I dont think it is right to say that you are running the government for Thaksin just because you have any links with him. I mean Thaksin is not interested in running the country anymore even if he is given the opportunity to do so, he is busy with his job in England, as the owner of the Manchester City Football Club. I think the Thai people are taking their frustrations towards Thaksin a bit too far which is bad for the country. They should judge Somchai or any other new Prime Minister by the job that they are doing and not because of their relationship with Thaksin. I dont know much about Somchai but since the PPP has chosen him to be the PM then I think the whole country should unite and get behind him and the new government. If they choose to continue their anti-government protests, then I doubt there will be any chance of success for both parties. Its time that they stop protesting and start supporting the government. Firstly they wanted Thaksin out, and they got it, and then they wanted Samak out and they got it too, so what's next?

Im sure Somchai will do a good job as the PM if he doesnt allow the Thai people to get in his way. He should do what he think is best for the country and not listen to the demand of the people, if stepping down is what they are asking. They have done a lot of damage to the country over the last few weeks or so and I hope that they wont repeat their actions all over again if they know what is best for the country.

*The report was taken from AFP.

One of the worst animal abuse I have ever seen...

2008-09-14T13:35:00.004+08:00

Australian animal welfare authorities launched a nationwide hunt on Thursday for a man filmed punching and kicking a kangaroo unconscious. The video, which shows the man using kickboxing-style attacks on the kangaroo as his friend laughs while filming, was sent to the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in Western Australia state.

In one scene the man pulls the kangaroo towards him and uses his knee to hit the animal's chest and the man punches the kangaroo's face as the animal struggles to remain standing. A final punch knocks the kangaroo to the ground where it appears to lay unconscious. It is unclear whether the attack resulted in the death of the animal, which authorities believe was injured, possibly in a car accident. The RSPCA said it had launched a nationwide appeal to catch the men responsible for the attack and video.

"We are appealing to every media outlet in Australia to help us track down the cowards behind the vicious attack on this kangaroo," RSPCA spokesman Richard Barry told reporters.

"Only a coward would attack an injured and obviously terrified young animal much smaller than himself. We want these cowards to be caught, charged and prosecuted," he said. [End of report]

I think if you had seen the news a couple of days ago, you would have the seen the footage. When I saw it, I thought it was really disgusting to watch. Im a huge animal lover, so I dont like to hear or see any form of animal cruelty, but I think even if you dont really like animal, you would find the act really despicable. I dont really know why the guy started to attack the kangeroo. I would like to think that it was an unprovoked act and the guy wanted to show the world that what he did was funny. I say this because the attack was being recorded and then it was posted on the Internet. I think it was obvious that he knew he would be caught by the authorities if he post the video on the net but I dont think that he care. All he wanted was to show the video to as many people as he could. The good news is that everyone could recognise him now and Im sure he would be caught soon. The video though has been removed from the website where it was first seen.

He should count himself lucky that Im not living in Sydney because if I did, I dont think I could control myself if I saw him on the streets. My heart was filled with a lot of anger and hatred when I saw the video and I don't think I can forget it. I feel really really sorry for the kangeroo. I dont know what the condition of the kangeroo is, whether it died as a result of the vicious attack or whether it is recovering. I really hope its the latter. As you can see from the report, authorities believe that the kangeroo was already injured before it was attacked which makes me even more angry. Its probably defenseless in the time of the attack so I dont see any point why the guy would want to attack it. It was just a cowardly act, I dont think there is any adjectives that could be use to describe the action to be honest. I dont know what he was hoping to prove by his action, other than being a total fool and an idiot. I hope he will get caught as soon as possible because he might repeat what he did to another kangeroo or worst, other animals that are smaller in size. I would love to see him travelling in the jungle at night and get eaten by an animal such as the lion or the tiger.

I dont know what the punishments are for animal cruelty in Australia, but I hope it will be a harsh one for the guy. I hope he will get a life imprisonment and is ask to do some community service in the zoo. He should be taught a lesson on how to respect the animal. If you remember earlier, I said the video has been removed from the website where it was first seen. I tried to find it on Youtube over the past few days or so, but to no avail. Fortunately though, someone was kind enough to post it on Youtube recently and you can watch the video here to see for yourselve how cruel the guy is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqQbx_Rv-ug

*The report was taken from Reuters.

US stops being polite as spat with Venezuela grows...

2008-09-13T16:10:00.004+08:00

The United States stopped trying to be polite Friday in an escalating diplomatic shoving match with the populist leaders of Venezuela and Bolivia. Washington slapped new sanctions on three aides close to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and called him weak and desperate. The Venezuelan ambassador got the boot for good measure, a move that was purely for show. Chavez had already brought his man home.
"Those who shout the loudest are not making the real news in the Americas," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said after Chavez used bathroom profanity to accuse the Americans of meddling in Latin America.

The rupture began Wednesday when Bolivian President Evo Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador there, accusing him of inciting violent protests. Chavez followed suit Thursday, accusing the "U.S. empire" of helping plot a coup against him. He later gave the American ambassador 72 hours to quit the country. McCormack adopted a grave tone to read a long defense to reporters Friday. Separately, the United States accused three members of Chavez's inner circle of aiding Colombian rebels known as the FARC by supplying arms and helping drug traffickers. Violent clashes over Bolivia's future have claimed eight lives. U.S. diplomats say Chavez and Morales are punching the United States to distract attention from mismanagement and unpopularity at home. Meanwhile, Honduras has announced that it will hold off on the accreditation of a new U.S. ambassador in solidarity with Venezuela and Bolivia. Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said the Central American nation is not breaking relations with the United States. Zelaya said small nations need to stick together. Zelaya previously planned to receive credentials Friday from U.S. diplomat Hugo Llorens.

Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega, a close ally of Morales, has not announced yet whether he will take any action against the U.S. ambassador in Nicaragua. By the end of the week, it was clear that the Bush administration's second-term strategy to get along with many left-leaning governments in Latin America while saying as little as possible about Chavez had fizzled. Chavez and Morales suggested they had no interest in improving ties with Washington until a new administration takes over in January. Chavez has made a specialty of anti-American broadsides, including an infamous 2006 reference to President Bush as the devil. Morales, on the other hand, was seen by Washington as a potential partner. The former coca growing union boss campaigned with a mild anti-American edge, but shook hands warmly with Rice at a much-watched get-acquainted session in 2006. He gave her a present she couldn't keep: A traditional Bolivian string instrument plastered with coca leaves. A two-week protest against Morales' plans to redo the constitution and redirect gas revenues turned violent this week as demonstrators in the country's energy-rich eastern provinces stormed public offices, blocked roads and seized gas fields.

His surprise move Wednesday to kick out the U.S. ambassador drew a mild response from Washington at first. The State Department said the diplomat had done nothing wrong, and then stalled for time to see if Morales was serious. All hesitation was gone Friday with the U.S. saying that all the accusations are 'false'. The new sanctions target Hugo Carvajal Barrios and Henry Rangel Silva, both chiefs of Venezuelan intelligence agencies. A former government minister, Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, was also named. The officials have served as Chavez's most trusted security chiefs. U.S. officials said the sanctions had been in the works for some time and are unrelated to the diplomatic dispute. [End of report]

When I first heard that Bolivia had expelled its own U.S. ambassador, I was quite surprise because I didnt saw it coming. Yes, relations between the U.S. and Bolivia or any other Latin America countries for that matter hasn't been the best over the last few years or so but unlike with Venezuela, I thought the relations between Bolivia and the U.S. was starting to improve. I also thought that their accusations regarding their U.S. ambassador to the country was more politically motivated rather than about the facts. The Bolivian President Evo Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador there, because he accused him of inciting violent protests and was trying to overthrow the government but he has failed to provide the evidence to support his accusation. Then you have Venezuela. I think everyone knows that their President Hugo Chavez hasnt been a huge fan of President Bush and he would cash in any opportunity to anger the U.S. further. Chavez said he was taking the action in solidarity with Bolivia's President Evo Morales, but he also accused the U.S. of being part of a plot to assassinate him, a scheme allegedly involving retired Venezuelan generals and opposition politicians. I dont know if he is just creating some stories or whether it is true, though I strongly believe it is the former.

The relationship between Venezuela and the U.S. have not been the best. There is a lot of mistrust and anger between the two sides. Just recently, Chavez had welcomed two long-range Russian bombers to Venezuela for training exercises, which will be followed in November by joint naval maneuvers with Russian warships in Venezuelan waters. This move will undoubtedly not go well with the U.S. especially under the current circumstances. The U.S. has not only Venezuela to worry about but the Russians as well now. The more urgent question now I guess is whether U.S.-Venezuelan relations are at a breaking point. It does seem that way though but then again, it might not continue for too long as Chavez has talk about a renew relationship with the new U.S. administration. Some people think that Chavez actions is due to the fact that he is trying to deflect attention away from allegedly incriminating evidence against him and his government emerging in an international corruption trial that began this month or simply because he may be trying to win the support of his base in advance of local and state elections in November. He and his party desperately need a strong showing in order to reverse the unusual downward political slide he's experienced since losing a national referendum last year.

I dont know what is it about Chavez, whether it is his charismatic attitude or what, but he is the kind of guy that you either love to hate or hate to love. I dont know when was the last time I heard a world leader calling the U.S. by the term 'Yankees'. There is no doubt I love the U.S. but I cant help but find that amusing. Nevertheless, whatever his problem is with the U.S. or the Bush administration, it is probably the problems in his own country that he should think first. His loud confrontations with Washington haven't been playing so well at home this year. There is no question that Venezuela remains as an important ally for the U.S. I mean it is the U.S.'s fourth largest foreign supplier of oil but at the same time, Venezuela needs the U.S. as much as the U.S. needed them. I dont know what will happen next between the two countries, my only hope is that the relationship between the two sides will improve soon or there will be bound to be more trouble.

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

N. Korea denies Kim Jong Il health 'conspiracies'...

2008-09-11T16:39:00.005+08:00

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is believed to be recovering from recent surgery, South Korea's spy agency said Wednesday, as the communist nation rejected reports questioning Kim's health as a "conspiracy plot." Speculation has intensified that Kim may have taken ill after he missed a parade Tuesday commemorating the communist state's founding 60 years ago. That followed weeks of being absent from public view and rumors that foreign doctors were brought to the isolated nation to possibly treat him.

On Wednesday, South Korea's National Intelligence Service reported to a parliamentary committee that it obtained intelligence reports showing Kim recently had surgery for an unspecified circulatory problem, and his condition had much improved, an agency official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing office policy, did not elaborate. South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing lawmakers briefed by the spy agency, reported that the 66-year-old Kim suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, but he remains conscious and "is able to control the situation." The NIS also reported to lawmakers that Kim is in a "recoverable and manageable condition," and that the North is not in a "power vacuum," Yonhap said. NIS officials said they could not confirm the Yonhap report. Earlier in the day, North Korean officials denied that Kim may be ill or that there was anything unusual about his absence from the parade. Song Il Ho, a senior diplomat, said reports of Kim's illness are "worthless" and a "conspiracy plot," adding Western media "have reported falsehoods before," according to Kyodo's dispatch from Pyongyang.

It was not the first time North Korea had sent a message to the outside world through Kyodo. Kim Yong Nam also gave the news organization an interview two days after North Korea carried out its first-ever nuclear test blast in 2006. In another indication that the North's leader is alive, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said Kim sent a birthday greeting Wednesday to Syria's leader. Kim wished Syrian President Bashar Assad good health and success in efforts to make the country secure and prosperous, according to the Korean-language message carried by KCNA. Early Wednesday, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency meeting in Seoul to discuss the situation with senior aides, an official at the presidential Blue House said. Lee's office said in a statement after the meeting that the government will continue to follow the situation closely. It said Seoul had predicted the North's leader may not attend Tuesday's event, but did not elaborate. Seoul's Defense Ministry said there has been no unusual movement in North Korea's military and the heavily armed border between the two sides remained calm.

Speculation over Kim's condition spiked Tuesday after he did not appear at a parade commemorating North Korea's founding 60 years ago, one of the country's most celebrated holidays along with the birthdays of Kim and his late father, Kim Il Sung, the country's founding leader. Kim, who has been rumored to be in varying degrees of ill health for years, took over the reclusive state upon the death of his father 14 years ago in a hereditary transfer of power. The younger Kim attended the parade on the 50th and 55th anniversaries and was widely expected to do so this year as well. [End of report]

It was definitely strange not to see him attending the anniversary parade because I am used to see him at the event in the past, so it definitely raised a few eyebrows and hence the speculation on what could possibly happen to him. At the same time, it was not surprising to hear that he is ill or could be suffering from any illness. Everyone knows the attitude of North Korea, and it is also no surprise that they are keeping mum on the situation. Whatever that he might be suffering from, I think it could be something serious even though the North Korean officials are downplaying the reports. We definitely know that he had gone for a surgery recently, but nobody knows the reason for it, or whether he is doing well after the surgery. I dont think you can blame the West for trying to speculate on what might be happening at the moment because they are obviously concern on every development in North Korea due to the current nuclear talks, so the talks about it being a 'conspiracy plot' I think is not right. Although there have been some progress made on the N.Korea nuclear programme, both countries (N.Korea and America) are still suspicious of each other and this would not help to ease the tension.

Currently, nobody knows what has happened to Kim. There are even talks that he might have died already. I doubt that the reports of him dying is true though but what will happen to the country should he be gone? There will definitely be a lot of problems for sure not only for North Korea but for countries such as America and their neighbouring countries as well, South Korea and China in particular. Neither China nor South Korea want to see a chaotic transition, in part because that might mean tens of thousands of refugees pouring across their borders and some people have even suggested that there could be a civil war in the country. Being a dictator, Kim has made certain that the country's senior military officers are on his side hence, he will not have a shortage of people who could replace him should the situation arise. Speculation often centers on one of his three sons, but again that doesnt necessarily have to be the outcome. It would be good if any of his generals are pick to replace him because Kim and his generals agree on the key policy that concerns the outside world such as their nuclear weapons.

Nevertheless, I think the situation in North Korea and its relationship with the outside world won't be changing much if there is a new leader or not. The world needs to know more about what is happening in the country but knowing their attitude, they wont be giving out much. There are still some elements of fear in them of the outside world and they probably don't trust anybody else even though they are starting to open up gradually. Until then, let the guessing game continue.

*The report was taken from AP.

Thai PM fired over cookery show...

2008-09-10T14:38:00.004+08:00

Thailand's Constitutional Court Tuesday fired the country's prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, for violating the constitution by hosting a TV cooking show while in office. Tuesday's ruling against Sundaravej, who has faced weeks of violent street protests, also forces the resignation of his cabinet. Ministers are barred from working for private companies, and Samak's opponents filed the case hoping that a conviction will compel him to step down.

In theory, analysts say, Samak can return as prime minister in days -- if the ruling coalition nominates him again and a parliament vote is taken. Samak appeared in court Monday, and argued that he had not violated any rules. His work for the television company, he said, was as a freelancer and not an employee. Further, he said, the show was not on the air any more and that he received just $2,300 for his appearances. The 73-year-old Samak continued to appear sporadically on the show "Tasting while Grumbling" after he became prime minister in February. On the show, he served up personal favorites and dished on topics that struck his fancy. Soon after taking over, he said that there was no reason for him to stop what he was doing. Professor Suchit Bunbongkarn, an expert on the constitution disagree with him and said the document clearly bans prime ministers from being employed by a private entity.

The court case is another attempt by Samak's opponents who have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at him. Samak was already facing charges of corruption, appealing a three-year prison sentence for defaming a deputy governor and dealing with an election commission decision last week that his party committed electoral fraud in the December elections and should be dissolved. In adition, thousands of protesters have camped outside the Government House, the government's headquarters -- blocking Samak from entering since August 26. The protesters are demanding that Samak step down. They accuse him of being a proxy for his ousted predecessor Thaksin Shinawatra. Samak has strongly denied the allegation and has refused to resign.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) -- which is heading the protests -- contends Samak is trying to amend the constitution so Thaksin does not have to face charges. Thaksin, who was ousted in a coup in 2006, returned to England last month just as he was to appear in court in a corruption case. [End of report]

The situation in Thailand is getting interesting now. It is getting from bad to worse for Samak. Just when I thought it couldnt get any worse after the clashes between his supporters and anti-government demonstrators, it just did. First of all, I dont understand why any leader of a country would want to host a cooking show when he should be thinking about ways to improve the country. Its fine if you want to showcase your talent once in a while, but I dont think hosting a TV show is a good idea, much less a cooking show. I heard today that Mr Samak has a notoriously big appetite, which could explain why he has a cooking show. Here is the problem. According to the Thai constitution, the P.M. may not accept compensation from a private company while in office. The Thai company, Face Media, that made the shows, says it paid Samak around $2,300 for several appearances, an amount that the Samak maintains was used to buy ingredients and cover transportation costs. But the court didn't buy that argument, ruling that Samak and his entire cabinet must resign.

You can just imagine how happy his opponents were when they heard the news. They were still camping outside the Government House when they heard it and they greeted the court decision with loud cheers and claps. Their celebrations could be shortlived though as Samak could still be the Prime Minister in theory. The judges might have fired him but they didnt ban him from politics, so he could still return as the Prime Minister. Thailand's ruling coalition holds the right to reinstate him as Prime Minister, something party officials have already vowed to do. Key leaders in the six-party PPP-led coalition government met Wednesday to discuss the next move, while parliament prepared to hold an emergency session to vote in a prime minister. It is expected that he would retain his position as the Prime Minister because there are not much people in the government that are interested to take over the job. I do hope that he will get his position as the PM back because I know that he has not anything wrong since he took over from Thaksin. Ive spoken on a great length regarding the issue in my previous post so I wont touch on that any further.

I am not foolish enough though to say that everything will be over if he is back in power because his opponents will continue to call for him to step down. I just hope that Mr Samak wont bow down to their request since he has not done anything wrong. But sometimes, he doesnt have the choice to make the decision to step down. Even before this whole incident, he was already facing charges of corruption, appealing a three-year prison sentence for defaming a deputy governor and dealing with a fraud charges that are related to his party for the election last December. One thing for sure, he will still have a lot of problems to deal with whether he managed to retain his PM post or not and it is not likely going to end anytime soon.

*The report was taken from CNN.

Russia agrees troops pullout from Georgia heartland...

2008-09-09T14:31:00.004+08:00

Russia agreed on Monday to completely withdraw its troops from Georgia's heartland within a month, but there was no commitment to scale back its military presence in two Georgian separatist regions. Georgia welcomed the deal as a "step forward," brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on behalf of the European Union during four hours of talks with Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev.

Last month's Russian invasion, that sent forces deep into Georgia in response to an attempt by Tbilisi to retake the breakaway region of South Ossetia, drew condemnation from the West and raised fears for the security of energy supplies. Sarkozy and Medvedev, meeting at the neo-Gothic Meiendorf Castle outside Moscow, announced an agreement to pull back hundreds of Russian troops still stationed in buffer zones inside undisputed Georgian territory. The French leader, accompanied by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, took the deal to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who offered cautious approval. In contrast to Russia's conciliatory tone with the EU over Georgia, tensions with the United States flared on Monday when Russia said it was sending warships for exercises in the Caribbean Sea, its biggest deployment there since the Cold War.

The United States said it was rescinding a U.S.-Russian civilian nuclear pact, saying the time was not right for the agreement "given the current environment." Medvedev, after his talks with Sarkozy, made clear that he would not reverse his decision to recognize Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, a move condemned by the West. Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would formally establish diplomatic relations with the regions on Tuesday. It still depended on the deployment of an international force to monitor the Russian troops, a contingent which would include a 200-strong EU force, according to a text of the agreement released by the Kremlin. Georgia is home to pipelines carrying oil and gas from the Caspian Sea to world markets which are favored by the West because they bypass Russia. But the conflict has cast doubt on Georgia's viability as a safe energy route. Russia said it was morally obliged to send in its military last month to prevent what it called a genocide in the separatist regions by an aggressive Georgian government egged on by its ally, the United States.

The agreement signed by Medvedev and Sarkozy did not contain any stipulation that Russia withdraw to pre-conflict positions, a demand previously mentioned by Western states. That leaves Russia scope to leave troops and weapons inside South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was sending its nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great, as well as other warships and an anti-submarine aircraft, for joint exercises in November with U.S. foe Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea. A ministry spokesman said the exercises had nothing to do with tensions over Georgia, but they follow Russian complaints about U.S. warships deployed in the Black Sea, an area where Moscow has been the dominant naval power. [End of report]

If anyone thinks that Russia is not committed in achieving a peace process with Georgia, then I think this move will help to prove them wrong. It is good to see that the Russians are working very hard to find a solution to the current problem when every other country in the world are condemning Russia and are having a one-sided view and by refusing to listen to Russia reasons for attacking Georgia. For some of them, they only think that Russia is the bad guy in the entire conflict and thus should be punished. The fact is, Russia went into Georgia because of Georgia's initial actions. Russia was forced to do what it did, but instead of blaming Georgia, they are pointing their fingers to Russia instead. If you remember a ceasefire earlier, Russia had promised to withdraw its troop by a period of time, but of course that didnt happen not because Russia had any other intentions such as taking over Georgia again, but because the conditions and situation in the country didn't allow them to do so. Russia once again receieved a lot of criticism from EU and America, but again they failed to understand Russian position on things.

Russia's move to recognize Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states didnt help to improve the situation and reduce the tension especially between both Russia and America but I thought it was a right move by the Russians. The West then threaten Russia with harsher actions such as sanctions, though it didnt materialised. America, who is a strong supporter of Georgia meanwhile has announced that it has froze a much vaunted US-Russian civilian nuclear pact in protest at Moscow's military moves in Georgia. The EU meanwhile knows that any form of action that goes against the wish of Russia is not good for them either. The EU is so dependent on energy from Russia. It buys 30 percent of its imported oil and 40 percent of its imported natural gas from Russia. In my opinion, it seems to me that the EU needs Russia more than it needed the EU. I think that is probably why they are so desperate to achieve some form of progress with the Russian, but at the same time, they need to be careful on what they do. I think its also good to hear about the deployment of an international force to monitor the Russian troops. I believe everyone would be very happy with the agreement but whether it will really work, we will have to wait and see.

I know that the Russian will play their part in ensuring peace in the region, so the EU or anyone else won't have anything to worry about that. At the same time, the deployment will probably help to prove that the reports about Russian aggression in Georgia wrong. I just hope that Georgia would not create any kind of problem anymore because it wouldnt be good for them. They should just go with the flow and accept whatever terms that have been agreed upon and it will only be then that both countries are able to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

*The report was taken from Reuters.

Keegan finally quits Toon....again

2008-09-05T15:45:00.004+08:00

Kevin Keegan's second reign in charge of Newcastle United has come to an end after he resigned as manager. The news brings to an end huge confusion surrounding Keegan's future at the club, after talk of his departure first emerged on Monday evening. Keegan held discussions with Newcastle's hierarchy on Monday and Tuesday, and reports of him being sacked began to leak out of St James' Park.

However, Newcastle denied he had been sacked and then Keegan insisted through the League Managers Association that he had not resigned. Now, following further talks, Keegan has quit his role - bringing to an end his second spell in charge, which lasted eight months, after he took charge following Sam Allardyce's departure. In a statement released through the LMA, Keegan confirmed he had quit - citing the fact he did not have the control he wanted over club affairs.

"I've been working desperately hard to find a way forward with the directors, but sadly that has not proved possible," he said.

"It's my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and that clubs should not impose upon any manager any player that he does not want.

"It remains my fervent wish to see Newcastle United do well in the future and I feel incredibly sorry for the players, staff and most importantly the supporters.

"I have been left with no choice other than to leave."

The LMA confirmed that Keegan failed to resolve his issues after talks over the past few days. [End of report]

When I first heard this news on Monday, I was completely shocked, but having said that, I think I should saw it coming. The question now is who to blame for the current situation. The first person that should be blame is probably the owner of the club, Mike Ashley. When he took over the club from Freddy Shepherd, everyone thought we were going to achieve great things. Afterall, Ashley is one of the richest person in the country and logically speaking, he should invest a lot of cash in bringing new players into the club. He even promised that there would be cash to spend. His first major decision at the club was probably to sack Sam Allardyce, our manager then, who was not his choice of manager, but Freddy Shepherd's. The club wasn't doing too well then and it was probably a right thing to sack him. So the search for a new manager was on and most supporter was asking for the appointment of Kevin Keegan. I dont need to tell you what he means to the club. Mike Ashley listened to the fans and he got Keegan to be the new manager. Everyone was happy, or so it seems.

The first sign that things wasnt going well between Keegan and Ashley in particular was the recruitment of Dennis Wise and Tony Jimenez as the Director of Football and the club Vice-President for player recruitment respectively. I dont really know what their job really is but whatever it is, Keegan was unhappy. According to him, they were trying to buy players that he was not interested in and they were trying to sell players behind Keegan's back, which was ultimately the main reason for him to resign. He wanted to have more control on how the club is run and he didnt got it. I dont know whether that is true or not but I have to agree with Keegan when he says that he should have the control on which player to buy and sell, I think any manager needs to have that power. I disagree with Keegan though on his decision to quit the club once again. He should just stick with the current squad and leave at the end of the season. I have to admit, I wasnt that pleased when Keegan became the manager because there were many other top managers who are unemployed.

Keegan might have came close to winning the Premiership in his first reign at the club, but I highly doubt it would happen again. It is difficult to say if his time with the club now is a success or not because he has only been here for eight months. I believe Mike Ashley is also responsible for the current situation we are in. He has not delivered what he has promised which is to invest huge sum of money in buying new players, but to be fair with him, he had to pay off a lot of debts left by Freddy Shepherd when he took over. He may say that he is short in cash right now, if that is the case, he should sell the club already. I heard that the Arab company that bought Manchester City recently were also considering to buy Newcastle, but Mike Ashley wasnt interested at all, I dont know why. If he doesnt have the cash to invest in the team anymore, he should just sell the club to someone who has the money to bring the club forward. It is a shame that he had miss out on the great opportunity.

Well, everything has happened now there is no turning back. As much as I wanted to see Keegan staying, it just wasnt meant to be. I dont know what will happen to the club now, it is in utter disarray. Im just hoping that some big company are interested to buy the club and get rid of Ashley because I dont think we are going anywhere with him still in charge. The search for a new manager starts again, but whether things are going to change for the better, I guess we will all just have to wait.

*The report was taken from SkySports.

Mom spared death for microwaving baby....

2008-09-04T11:55:00.004+08:00

A woman convicted of murdering her infant daughter by microwaving her was spared the death penalty Wednesday by a jury that couldn't reach a unanimous decision. China Arnold showed no immediate reaction, but she smiled and waved to family members as deputies led her from the courtroom. Her relatives told her they loved her. The defense had argued that Arnold was drunk when the offense occurred and had no motive, while prosecutors had called the crime "heinous" as they argued for the death penalty.

After about five hours of deliberation, the jury told Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Wiseman that it couldn't decide whether to recommend the death penalty or life in prison, and that it wouldn't be able to make such a decision even if it deliberated through Thursday. Wiseman is now limited to sentencing Arnold to life in prison without parole, life without parole for at least 30 years, or life without parole for at least 25 years. She plans to impose her sentence Monday. Arnold was accused of killing month-old Paris Talley in 2005. A judge declared a mistrial in February, and the retrial began August 18. The jury found Arnold guilty Friday of aggravated murder.

Defense attorney Jon Paul Rion said that he is relieved that Arnold didnt receieved the death penalty. Rion had asked Tuesday for a new trial, saying a former cellmate who said Arnold confessed to the crime has changed her story. Wiseman has not ruled on the motion and said she would schedule a hearing. Rion said he plans to present witnesses that point to another person being responsible for the baby's death. During the trial, an 8-year-old boy said he saw another boy walk into the kitchen of a nearby apartment with the baby, heard the microwave go on and then later saw the burned baby in the microwave.

Attorneys for both sides addressed the jury before deliberations on Wednesday. The fact that Arnold had been a Girl Scout, that her father died when she was young and that she comes from a close family does not outweigh the seriousness of the crime, Assistant Montgomery County Prosecutor Daniel Brandt said. Defense attorney Kevin Lennen urged the jury not to recommend the death penalty, saying Arnold was drunk at the time and that she had no motive to kill her child. [End of report]

Fair sentence? Well I let you decide for yourselve. When I first heard this news, I was really shocked and felt really disgusted by Arnold's actions. I think anyone with a right frame of mind and who have any common sense in them would agree with me. Murdering your own child is already a terrible thing to do but to do it in such a way is even more terrible. How could a mother place her infant daughter in the oven and microwaving her. I dont care what the reason was for her to do that, whether she was drunk during that time or not, it was just unforgivable. If someone had done that here in Singapore, then Im sure she would have receieved the death sentence straightaway but I think she is fortunate the laws there isnt the same as the one here. I think everyone would want to see her receiving the death penalty but they wouldnt be thinking properly and they would probably be making a rash decision. Whatever the level of the crime is, I think everyone deserve a fair trial and they should be punished as such.

As you can see from the report, it also says that her Defense attorney Rion said he plans to present witnesses that point to another person being responsible for the baby's death. Now whether that is true remain to be seen but it is really difficult for me to believe his story, that an 8-year-old-boy was responsible for the death of the infant. And judging from the reaction of Arnold when the verdict was announced, it seems like she had the looks of someone guilty of the crime than someone not. I think it was also difficult to use the excuse that she had a difficult family background to justify her actions. She is not a child anymore. She is an adult and she should at least know that putting her child in the microwave is wrong, not to mention burning her in the microwave. In my opinion, I think the most likely sentence that can be considered as fair for all parties, apart from the death penalty is the life imprisonment without parole. She should be considered very fortunate that she gets to avoid the death penalty, irregardless of why she decided to do it.

At the end of the day, whatever sentence that she will receieved will not change the fact that the dead infant cant be brought back to life again. It is just sad to see that a mother could do something so cruel to her own child. If she dont want the child, then she should just give her away to someone else that are willing to take care for her. I'm just wondering what her family are thinking about her now. They say that they still love her but I dont know how they could possibly justify her actions. Alright, Im done now. Share your views regarding this story with me as I would love to hear from you.

*The report was taken from AP.

Japan searches for a new prime minister,again...

2008-09-02T14:07:00.003+08:00

Photo by AFP.

Japan began searching for a new prime minister on Tuesday after Yasuo Fukuda became the second leader to abruptly resign in less than a year, threatening a further policy vacuum as the economy teeters on the brink of recession. The frontrunner to become the 11th prime minister in 15 years is former foreign minister Taro Aso, 67, an outspoken nationalist popular with voters who was runner-up to Fukuda in the race for party chief last year.

Markets took the sudden departure of Fukuda in their stride. Both the Nikkei stock average and government bond futures rose after initial wobbles, although analysts said Aso might try to spend Japan's way out of its economic woes. Aso said he thought he was a suitable candidate in a party vote, which Kyodo news agency said was expected on September 22. Fukuda, 72, had been struggling to cope with a divided parliament where opposition parties have the power to delay legislation, and his sudden exit raised questions about his conservative party's ability to cling to power or even hold together after ruling Japan for most of the past 53 years. The bespectacled Fukuda, a moderate conservative who favors close ties with Japan's Asian neighbors, only took office last September after his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, similarly quit after just a year in office. Fukuda's resignation does not automatically mean an early election, ahead of the due date of September next year.

However, whoever the LDP picks as its leader, and thus the next prime minister, might choose an early poll to take advantage of any rise in public support. A complete deadlock in parliament could also force the prime minister to call an election reluctantly. The ruling coalition is almost certain to lose seats, if not its majority, but voters say they want a turn to pick their government. The main opposition Democratic Party has made no secret of its desire to oust the LDP and its junior coalition partner, the New Komeito. If the LDP goes past the outspoken Aso again, other potential leadership contenders are Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano, known for his commitment to fixing Japan's tattered finances, and conservative Yuriko Koike, who was briefly last year the country's first female defence minister. Popular female lawmaker Seiko Noda, currently the minister in charge of consumer affairs, has also been mentioned by the media as a possible successor to freshen up the LDP's image.

Analysts said the next LDP prime minister would face similar woes given the parliamentary deadlock and the party's rusting political machine and scandal-tainted image. Talk of a broad realignment of party alliances has been simmering since the opposition took control of the upper house last year, but it remains to be seem if early moves pick up steam. [End of report]

When I first heard this news yesterday, I have to admit I was quite surprised. I knew that Fukuda had received some criticisms since he took over from Shinzo Abe but I didnt expect him to resign. I dont know what it is about the way they run things in the Japanese government but there will always be some sort of problems whoever the Prime Minister is and it doesnt take long for them to resign. I mean you just have to look at the recent history of the Prime Ministers in the country to really understand what the problem is all about. Fukuda became the second Japanese prime minister in a row to throw in the towel with just under a year in office and the third to do so without holding a general election. I think the country was progressing well when Junichiro Koizumi was still the Prime Minister. I quite like him so it was sad when he had to go. Then I thought Shinzo Abe was an excellent choice to replace him but that wasn't true. It was actually difficult to judge whether he was a success or a failure because he didnt stay in power for a long time, and the same goes with Fukuda.

Lets take a look at some of the candidates that are likely to be the next PM. Taro Aso, the popular former Minister of Foreign Affairs is currently leading the line of likely successors. I believe this is not the first time that he has been in that position, so that just show that he is a strong candidate. The hope is that Aso can can not only rekindle the office's appeal but, much more importantly, help break gridlock in parliament, where the LDP heads a coalition in the lower house of the Japanese Diet. Fukuda reshuffled his Cabinet last month to install Aso in the No. 2 spot as the secretary general of Liberal Democratic Party. The Upper and Lower Houses of the Diet have been paralyzed for more than a year now. Since then, Japanese politics has been rife with indecision which is why it is no surprised that Fukuda's approval ratings have hovering below 30%. Fukuda has not said when his resignation takes effect. But if the LDP elects Aso as president, the expectation is that the much-more appealing leadership could restore confidence in the party and help it win the general elections that needs to take place before Sept. 2009. It is definitely not going to be an easy task for him. I just think if he is elected to be the party's president, which will also mean he will be the next PM before the elections next year, it would be foolish for them to hold an early elections.

I think Aso is a great candidate to be the next PM as far as the party is concern, but I dont think the majority of the people will agree with that. I believe that he decline in the LDP's popularity will definitely have an affect on Aso or anyone else that the party decides to be president during the elections later, whether it will be move forward to this year or not. There are critics, of course, who see no real change as the ultimate outcome of such political maneuverings. The situation in Japan was already in turmoil before Fukuda took over and it is going to get much worse now if they dont sort out things now.

*The report was taken from Reuters.

Thousands flee Hurricane Gustav...

2008-09-01T15:21:00.002+08:00

Hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing the southern US coast as Hurricane Gustav approaches land. Authorities have ordered the evacuation of New Orleans and an estimated 1.9 million people along the Gulf coast have been heading inland. The Category Three storm is expected to make landfall at midday local time. The storm has prompted the Republicans to scale back their national convention where John McCain is due to accept the party's nomination for president.

President George W Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney have scrapped plans to address the event in St Paul, Minnesota on Monday. Forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center say that at the current speed, the centre of the storm would hit the coast by midday local time. The US National Hurricane Center warned Gustav was packing winds of 115 mph (185km/h) and could bring "extremely dangerous" storm surges 14ft (4.2m) above normal. Isolated tornadoes are also possible in the area. A dusk-to-dawn curfew is in force in New Orleans, which is described as being like a ghost town. The 7,000-strong Louisiana national guard has been mobilised and support requested from other states. The New Orleans mayor has warned looters will be sent to jail. Crime was a major problem in the New Orleans area in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the city three years ago, causing disastrous floods. The exodus of an estimated 1.9 million people from the Louisiana coast is said to be the largest evacuation in state history. Roads out of New Orleans - much of which lies below sea level - were crammed with traffic throughout Sunday.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has appealed to residents to leave while they can while New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin told local TV only about 10,000 residents remained in the city, where rain began falling at sunset on Sunday. He said the first storm winds could hit New Orleans at daybreak on Monday and Gustav could reach Category Four strength. In 2005, three-quarters of New Orleans was flooded by a storm surge that claimed more than 1,800 lives in coastal areas. All eyes will now be on the city's levees, which Category Three storm Katrina swept away under a wall of mud and water. The storm has already claimed the lives of more than 80 people in the Caribbean, causing widespread damage in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica over the past week. At least 300,000 people were evacuated in Cuba as the storm brought extensive flooding and some severe damage, but no reports of deaths. [End of report]

It is a very stressful and dangerous situation in the affected states right now and I dont like to hear news as this because you just know what could happen and it just brings back bad memories like Katrina. I dont think anyone can forget what happened then and to know that the possibility of such disaster happening all over again is very scary. The fact that the storm has already claimed the lives of more than 80 people in the Caribbean over the past weak is not a good thing to hear. I mean, try to imagine the level of damage that the storm would cause in more populated areas such as Louisiana or New Orleans. The good thing about it is that the American government is much more better prepared to deal with the hurricane and I think the lessons they have learnt during the Katrina experience has better equipped them in managing the situation more effectively. You can't stop the hurricane completely but you can reduce the level of damage that it might cause and I think the local states have done well in evacuating its people. You might want to know that there are still some though that are refusing to move out from their house. They cant be force to do it if they dont want to, so I just hope they will still be safe once the hurricane is gone.

I would also like to talk a little about the Republican National Convention which is scheduled to run from today through Thursday in Minnesota. Due to the hurricane however, it has been suspended and that is why President Bush and Vice President Cheney have scrapped their plans to address the event which is sad in some part for me. I was really looking for President Bush's speech but unfortunately, the current situation doesnt allow him or anyone else for that matter in the Republican camp to celebrate. John McCain has said that it is just not right for them to be having a festive occasion when there is a hurricane going on in some parts of the country and I have to agree with him. You might say that this somewhat might be a setback for John McCain but at the same time, it could still be a blessing in disguise. As you all know during the Katrina disaster, the Bush administration and the Republican party in particular was blamed for slow, botched response that exacerbated disaster. Therefore, John McCain could used the current disaster situation to show to the people that he is much better in handling this kind of crisis and it might just win him some more votes.

Anyway, whatever the reason is, I just hope that Hurricane Gustav will not be as bad as Katrina, at least in the numbers of the people who was killed. You can rebuild a town back after it is destroyed, but if someone gets kill, you cant bring that person back to life. It is good to hear that everyone in the country is doing their best to prevent a repeat of Katrina, but whether their effort is good enough to see them through this difficult period, that remains to be seen. Let's hope to hear better news over the coming days.

*The report was taken from BBC.

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

2008-08-31T14:34:00.003+08:00

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...

2008-08-31T12:26:00.005+08:00

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...

2008-08-28T14:36:00.003+08:00

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.