ComfortDelGro to remove 30-cent diesel surcharge...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*The report was taken from ChannelNewsAsia.

An Announcement.

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

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

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

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

Going Soft on Crocodile Crime...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*The report was taken by TIME.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*The report was taken from POLITICO.com

Anderson Cooper Has The ‘Best Life’...

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

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

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

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

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

October 20, 2008

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

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

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

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

The Blogging God response to a trouble maker...

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

October 17 2008

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

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

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

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