TAIL YOU LOOSE AND HEAD I WIN

Oil price going towards the US$100 per barrel ?
Filling the coffers of Petronas for more mega-ringgit bailouts.
Another justification for petrol hike to squeeze the common people.

Crude oil rose above $88 a barrel in New York as the dollar declined to a record low against the euro, enhancing the appeal of commodities as an investment.
Investors purchased oil on speculation the Federal Reserve will cut borrowing costs to bolster the U.S. economy.
Oil reached records the past four days on concern Turkey will use military force against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, a step that the U.S. says may damage Iraqi security and disrupt oil supplies.

The real unheralded Malaysian "angka -1"

The eight subjects are: further mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, art and design, French and mathematics. Nine students have made the country proud by being the world's top scorers of eight subjects in the Cambridge A-Level examinations in June.
University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) assistant director Nick Sansome said he was surprised Malaysian students have done so well in mathematics and science.
I have never seen such outstanding mathematics results. When I was shown the results, I could not believe it. The maths results are second to none," he told reporters after the CIE's Brilliance in Malaysia Awards today, adding that students elsewhere were struggling maths.

And the Angkasa-nought prepares to return for datukship.

ASTRONAUTS returning to Earth on Sunday will be taking their seats with them.
Today, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Musta-pha and International Space Station commander Feodor Yuchikin and medical doctor Oleg Kotov will transfer the seats used in their journeys to the ISS into the Soyuz craft which will take them back to Earth.

ANOTHER STATISTIC, ANOTHER DEJA VU.

It is another statistic soon to be forgotten. Another Deja vu headline to be publish. “Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi expressed his concern and says that the government is unhappy that such an accident occurred.”

The search and rescue (SAR) operation for missing passengers of the ill-fated “Seagull Express” ferry, which caught fire seven nautical miles off Tioman Island yesterday, killing 4 people, resumed this morning.

To some uncaring moneybag, the next person life is as cheap as paying for their victim’s funeral.
The Warong kopi demands that the directors should not escape accountability and be prosecuted for manslaughter.
When will the killing ends?

Seagull Express and Accommodation Sdn Bhd, operator of the “Seagull Express” ferry that caught fire and sank near Pulau Tokong Bahara, seven nautical miles from Pulau Tioman yesterday, will pay for the funeral expenses of the four holidaymakers killed in the tragedy.

Psssst.... Let us take the advice of the Minister of Propaganda into heart. Don’t tell the Prime Minister the truth.
The thousands who converged at the PWTC do not have anything to do with cherishing each other; it is really very Malaysian -- like the circus and it's clowns, it is all about the fun and the food.

Some 200,000 people from all walks of life thronged the Putra World Trade Centre on Saturday for the prime minister's and Muslim ministers' Hari Raya open house.The VIPs were greeted by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his wife, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, as well as other ministers and their wives.

RIGHT MESSAGE BUT WRONG AUDIENCE.

The grand Muftis drum beat would have even been more appropriate if they had not tried to seize the high moral ground and had directed their "2 common foundation" message to their flocks.

Dozens of Muslim leaders from around the world released a letter yesterday to "leaders of Christian churches everywhere" emphasizing the shared theological roots of the two faiths and saying the survival of the world depends on them finding common ground.
The document, "A Common Word Between Us and You," was signed by 138 clerics, scholars and others and released at news conferences in Jordan, London, Abu Dhabi and Washington.
The letter was addressed to more than 30 Christian leaders, including Pope Benedict and the leaders of the world's Orthodox Christians and Anglicans. Its signatories include present and former grand muftis of Syria, Slovenia, Palestine and Egypt, as well as professors, political leaders and advocates such as the co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The key point of the 29-page letter is that Christianity and Islam share two foundations: love of one God, and love of one's neighbor.

In true Malaysia-boleh fashion, you only need to be an ex-railway gatekeeper from UMNO to overrule the indignant cry of the common people and to inore the displeasure of a Sultan.

The mansion is built on 43,000 sq feet of land in Kampung Idaman, while the size of his current home can only be described as an extensively renovated low-cost house.
The 21/2-storey mansion has a large fish pond and swimming pool. The main hall's flooring is marble-tiled with many chandeliers.
There is also a mini golf course and a large garage. The size of the master bedroom could only be compared to an apartment and its attached bathroom comes with a jacuzzi.

Perhaps, the government needs more time to establish another three-member independent panel to probe and determine the authenticity of the AG report.

Government officers and staff investigated for corruption and mismanagement of public funds under the 2006 Auditor-General’s (AG) report will either be charged in court soon or face disciplinary action.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, told a media briefing yesterday that the Government would use a three-pronged approach to rectify problems highlighted under the AG’s report.
“If it involves corruption and there is clear evidence, the ACA will charge those responsible, and you can expect this to happen very soon.
“If there are clear abuses but the case lacks evidence, disciplinary action will be taken against them,” he said.
The AG’s report highlighted the National Youth Skills Institute (under the Youth and Sports Ministry) project where a car jack that cost RM50 was bought for RM5,700, a digital camera that cost RM2,990 was bought for RM8,254 and RM1,146 was paid for a set of technical pens with a market price of RM160.

The Malaysian spirit of giving and taking is not dead. We gave away USD900 million to "take" in military hardware of questionable quality.
It looks like our neighbour down south has once again trump us with their purchase of 12 combat proven F-15 fighter jets.

F-15 Live Fire Training Session

The September 6 Israeli air raid in Syria has been a major setback for Russian arms sales. The Syrians had invested heavily in new Russian air defense systems, and the Israelis apparently brushed right by them. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russians have been trying to rehabilitate the reputation of their weapons. Throughout the Cold War, whenever Russian and Western (especially American) weapons met on the battlefield, the Russians lost. The Soviets tried to compete on price, but even "free" was not low enough for many countries. Using Soviet weapons came to be seen as a sure ticket to battlefield defeat.
In the 1990s, Russia upgraded its manufacturing capabilities, and its weapons designs. Much Western technology was imported. By the late 1990s, sales were climbing. OK, the Iraqis went down real quick in 2003, but they didn't have any of the new stuff, nor did the Taliban in 2001. Sales continued to climb, until now. Russias arms customers are asking for answers, but so far the Syrian incident is being dismissed as nothing to worry about. The Russians believe that most of their customers have little choice. That may be true of China and Iran, but India is increasingly looking West for modern arms. And so are many other smaller customers.
The "Syrian Incident" may prove to be not-so-minor after all.