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seems like another Huang Na case. their funeral in China is more X than Singapore. Almost 3 times more. I suppose they took Business or First Class. If not, why so X for a single person? ====================== http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNew...48.html?vgnmr=1 THE husband and teenage son of a Chinese woman killed in a traffic accident two years ago has sued the bus driver and bus company for compensation. Mr Luo Zhiqiang, 46, and his son, Kaipeng, 15, who are both in China, are seeking more than $250,000. The case was heard in the High Court on Monday. Lawyers for both sides will make closing arguments at a later date. However, the current trial deals only with the issue of liability; the payout sum will be determined at a separate hearing. Madam Wang Ruiyun, 44, was in Singapore as a 'study mama' to put her son, then 13, through primary school here. She worked as a machine operator with a bakery, but according to court papers in the lawsuit, she held part-time jobs as a cleaner, gave home tuition and distributed flyers. On the night of Sept 11, 2007, she was crossing a traffic junction at Rochor Road when she was hit by a Malayian-registered bus driven by Mr Lai Fook Siang. Pinned under the bus, she was dragged for 9.3m and died on the spot. Mr Lai, then 41, a Malaysian, was jailed three weeks in December 2007 after pleading guilty to causing death by negligence. He was also banned from driving for five years. Last October, Mr Luo and Kaipeng filed a suit against Mr Lai and Handal Indah, the Malaysian company that owns the bus, claiming various types of damages. In their lawsuit, they said they have lost a means of support with her death. Madam Wang, who earned just under $1,500 a month from her bakery job and $800 from part-time jobs, was supporting her son and partially supporting her husband. Their claims also include $5,888 for a funeral in Singapore, $15,170.69 for a funeral in China, $2,583.42 in airfare for Mr Luo to bring back her ashes to China, and $3,230 in airfare for the boy to attend her China funeral. The teenager is also claiming for psychiatric injuries suffered as a result of what happened to his mother. Their lawyer, Mr M. Nagarajah, contended in his opening statement that Mr Lai is wholly liable for the accident as Madam Wang was crossing the road lawfully. The defendants asserted that the accident was partly caused by Madam Wang's negligence while crossing the road. They argued that she failed to keep a proper lookout and walked into the path of the bus, giving Mr Lai no reasonable opportunity to avoid the accident.

Hi guys, like to consult MCF brothers and sisters who might have been in a similar situation before. My friend just received a TP letter charging him for 'driving without consideration for other persons'. The offence carries a $200 fine and 9 demerit points. My friend just wanted to pay the fine and get it over with, but I thought the outcome was unjust. Here's what happen on the road: He stopped behind a lorry which is dropping passengers. In an attempt to overtake the lorry, he signalled right and checked his blind spot. That was when a foreign motorcycle rammed past his right car mirror, losing his balance and crashing onto the road. The right car mirror broke into pieces as a result of the impact. Needless to say, both road users could not resolve the dispute, each making allegations at one another. Due to abrasions on the foreign motorcyclist, he checked into a hospital. My friend was then called down by TP to record a statement. Subsequently, this notice of traffic offence arrived in the mailbox. I'm not sure how TP arrived at the conclusion that my friend drove without consideration, bearing in mind that his car was stationary when the bike crashed into his mirror. Of course, I understand that this is just his side of the story, and the IO probably have a different view on the accident. But does that mean that every car driver has to be penalized for the recklessness of other road users? (Especially locally unqualified foreign road users who are not familiar with traffic rules and safety) Thanks for reading, I guess I just wanted to find out if its worthy to pursue the case further or just get it over with. My friend can't even be bothered to appeal the offence, saying its a waste of time.

As reported in CNA : Resolution expected soon over table tennis manager controversy Channel NewsAsia - Friday, August 29 SINGAPORE : A resolution is expected to be reached soon over the controversial decision by the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) to end its team manager

Well, just need to vent this out here. I'm a nice person who will at times give friends a lift even though it's not all that "on the way". Sometimes, I even initiate to send them home be it colleagues or friends. Well, the problem is there are people who will not appreciate this and make this their convenience instead of mine. Like for example... I am about to go home, so ask my colleague casually if he need a lift since he stays quite near me but not really on the way. He says ok, so gave him about 15mins to get ready. 15mins I already in the car, engine on, air-con cooled, drove out to the pick-up point and still dun see him. Then wait a further 10mins, still don't see him... I simply drove off without informing him. And of course, kenna sms from him saying if i wanna go off should have inform him. This is just a one off event, but there are similar incidents with other friends as well. Like ask to pick friend up below his block, but wait like 10mins liao still dun see him. These are the kinda things i will get pissed off. Worst is pick up at bus stop, go to bus stop friend haven't even there. Then there are people who will set a meeting point to their convenience instead of a efficient pick-up/drop-off point. Like have to make several turns that kind. I have learnt to advise my friends since... "don't let the car wait for you, you wait for the car."

I was really bored by some school kids (teenages) and old people who reserved seats in the library next to where they are sitting not because they have a friend but because they want more space to do their reading especially in the newspapar/magazine area the staff do nothing about it and if it is crowd those people who canty find a seat just stand and read how come so selfish Library visit ruined by unruly students ON MAY 6, I visited the Children's Section at Bishan Community Library with my toddler. To my dismay, I was assaulted by noisy laughter and chatter among a group of secondary schoolboys in uniform. They were sitting on a bench meant for cosy reading by parents and kids. Also, one of two small tables with small chairs was occupied by a group of secondary schoolgirls, also in uniform. They were engaged in casual talk, glancing and giggling occasionally at the boys. Nearby, in one of the aisles, were a boy and girl, yes, in school uniform, sitting on the floor and getting acquainted. Oblivious to this were the library staff, who were pushing trolleys and shelving books. Frustrated, I chose the books I wanted to borrow for my toddler and shelved the idea of sitting down to read with her. I decided to leave the library as soon as possible as I did not want my toddler to learn ungracious behaviour from her older 'brothers and sisters'. Can the National Library Board (NLB) look into this unbecoming attitude of some library users? If it is not nipped in the bud, it could create a generation of ungracious adults. While aiming to nurture a nation of readers, NLB needs to keep these uncultured individuals off its premises. Vasanthan Kanmani (Mrs)

This evening, on my homeward journey, traffic along CTE (SLE) was rather heavy but still moving. As I was approaching the exit to PIE (Changi Airport), a long line of vehicles had already formed. Thus, I had no choice but to cut in. I decelerated and signalled my intention to join the queue. I saw a gap between two vehicles, slightly more than a car's length. Assuming that the car behind would allow me to do so, because if I were in his situation, I would definitely give way, I proceeded to join the queue in front of this Honda Civic. Guess what. This driver accelerated, swerved onto the road shoulder and overtook me. Given the tight space between lane 4 and the road shoulder, his vehicle was too close for my comfort while he was trying to overtake my puny Picanto. Out of frustration, and partly because I was pissed that he gave me a fright by his stunt, I blared my horn and displayed my middle finger (yes, I know, I shouldn't have done it). He retaliated by tapping his brake, which caused me to slam my brake in turn. Luckily, the car behind me, driven by a middle-age lady, I think, was quite a distance from my rear. I shuddered to think if she had not. Looking back at the incident, I was disappointed at myself for being so puerile. I am way past the age of a hot-blooded young man (hint: I no longer have to go for reservist) and yet I displayed such uncouth behaviour. With nearly ten years of driving experience (because, I obtained my licence late), I have already encountered several kinds of fxxk-up drivers. By comparison, this Honda joker is considered mild. Also, my reaction (blaring the horn and flipping the bird) was totally uncalled for; they would only antagonise the other party. With more introspection, I guess I should thank this Honda driver for showing me something that I found out about myself today. One, I really have to work on my temper. All along, I have this mistaken notion that I had done a good job keeping it in check. Guess, there's more to be done. Two, I should really kick this bad habit of hitting the horn whenever I'm frustrated. Three, as for my middle finger, I should keep it wrapped around the steering wheel when I'm driving. Hmm.... I'm feeling much better, now that I have verbally unloaded my feelings. For those who took the time to read, thank you. That's all, folks. Have a nice weekend!

Was involved in an accident with an NTUC cab this morning at Jln Toa Payoh towards Jurong. I was on innermost lane and he was in the middle lane - both wanted to turn into Jln Datoh and Balestier Rd. The p r i c k tried to force his way in and hit my car at a point between rear door and rear right fender. Damage to his taxi was at the front left fender. I made the report to IDAC and was told that claiming against taxi was very difficult. What should I do?

was really fed at meeting such a lousy taxi driver from Transcab after such a long flight back to SG... never know that I would have the "honor" to meet such a driver... [shakehead] [shakehead] I have wrote a complaint letter to their GM Jasmine Tan below.... ******************************************************************************** ************ I would like to lodge a complaint against Transcab taxi driver SHD76R. The incident happen at Changi Airport Terminal 2 Taxi Pick-up stand. The complaints against the said taxi drivers are as follow: 1. When I first boarded the said taxi at around 11.37 am, the taxi driver scolded me for cutting queue and boarded his taxi. However, it is the taxi marshal at the airport that directed me to the said taxi. He has absolutely no right to scold me for boarding his taxi, if he wanted to choose his customer than in the first place, he should not have queue up at the airport to pick up arriving passenger. 2. When i arrived at my destination, i told him to park under the shelter as it is drizzling. Instead, he parked outside the shelter and asked me to alight. Not only that, he did not even bother to step out of his seat to help open up the bonnet to take out my luggage. He just seat at his car seat counting his money. When he see that I have difficulty opening up the bonnet, he step up of the taxi and seeing that I managed to open the bonnet, he just go back to his seat and close the front door. *What kind of attitude is this?* As both of my hands are full of things and not able to close the bonnet, he stared at me telling me to close the bonnet for him. This really make me angry. I would really like to ask what kind of attitude in this in treating a paid passenger in such a manner. Does he think that driving a merc cab make him very high class? Is this the kind of value that Transcab, a reputable company, teaches his employees to treat its paid customer in such a rude manner. I have never come across such an arrogant taxi driver before. I demand an explanation from Transcab on this incident and a letter of apology from your "high class" taxi driver. This incident really give me such a horrible experience taking Transcab.

My friend was involved in an accident (at Yishun) with a drunk driver, driving a prime mover last Sunday night (21 Dec 08). He was in a coma since, and passed away yesterday. He was only 20 years old. Rides a bike. What kind of laws does Singapore have against the driver in such cases?

Rafa Benitez had signed a new deal with the yankees bosses to manage Liverpool until 2013 worth 16 million pound as reported in today New Paper...... Just how Liverpool going to improve with his rafalution rotation policy, I wonder .... KNN ...... how can he says these even before the match against Hull City .... .... see ESPN report ..... Latest ESPN Soccernet news as reported before the weekend clashes with Hull City. Benitez doubts Liverpool title credentials Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez believes that his Premier League leaders can only win the title if Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal fail to mount a decent challenge. Speaking ahead of his team's clash with Hull City on Saturday the Spaniard also said he considered Liverpool to be a small club compared to the "bigger" clubs of England's established top four. Benitez said: "For us to win the league we need Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal to mess up their season. It is very rare that three teams all mess up." Liverpool are one point clear of second-placed Chelsea and six ahead of Manchester United, who have a game in hand, with Arsenal in fourth, eight points off the pace. Prior to joining Liverpool in 2004, Benitez won the La Liga title with Valencia and the Spaniard can see parallels with the Reds' challenge this season. "For me, Valencia and Liverpool are similar - for them to win, the bigger clubs have to do badly," Benitez said. "When I won La Liga with Valencia that's what happened, Real Madrid and Barcelona were in transition, so it was easier." But Benitez has charged his team with building a lead at the top of the Premier League now that the Champions League is on a winter break. Other News: TOP PLAYER AWARD FIFA announce World Player of the Year shortlist Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is the favourite to win another major honour after being included on the shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award. The Manchester United double winner has been nominated alongside Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and Xavi, AC Milan playmaker Kaka and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. The winner will be announced at a glitzy gala at the Zurich Opera House on January 12.

These students could get themselves into deep trouble if the victim ended up seriously injured. I wonder what type of f-up brains they have........... sadistic, I guess. http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singapor...nt.jsp?id=42017

Don't turn elections into auctions S'pore not immune to populist calls to spend more, says PM Lee, on need to protect reserves By Jeremy Au Yong WHEN politicians bid to outdo one another with more and more goodies for voters, expect trouble in paradise. That was the message from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday when he cited Norway and Australia to make a case for protecting Singapore's reserves. In both countries, he said, the populist call for government handouts had coloured local politics. In Australia, the war between its two main political parties prompted newspapers to introduce a 'pork-o-meter' to track the race to offer voters more and more goodies during the last election. In Norway, the clamour was for more money to be taken from a reserve fund meant for the future. Newsweek magazine, in describing the situation, headlined it Trouble In Paradise. Yesterday, PM Lee gave an extensive account of what went on in both countries when he spoke during the debate to amend the Constitution to allow the Government to tap more of the returns from investing the country's reserves. In Norway, the saga began with the discovery of oil in the 1970s. It became rich. In 1990, it started a Petroleum Fund, into which was channelled the sales proceeds from its oil and gas. The reason: It did not want to be left with nothing when the oil wells dried up. Today, the fund has an estimated US$350 billion (S$519 billion). 'Even Norway, famously prudent, with conservative, hard-working, frugal people, finds it difficult to resist a populist push - spend just a little more.' In 2001, Norway's government included some of the fund's money in its budget. Parliament capped the sum at 4 per cent of the value of the fund. 'But once they had set the rules, they broke the rules,' Mr Lee noted. The Norwegian government exceeded the 4 per cent limit from 2002 to 2005, arguing the economy was not doing well and it was thus necessary to spend more. In 2005, they renamed the fund the Government Pension Fund - Global, to remind Norwegians that the money was not to be touched. Spending slipped below the 4 per cent ceiling in 2006 and last year, and that is because oil prices soared. Still, some Norwegians clamoured for more. Said Mr Lee, referring to Newsweek's story: 'This is a country which had everything - oil, gas, welfare state, womb to tomb, all provided for - but still there is an opposition party arguing you should pump more oil and have more profits, improved services and lower taxes. So there is no way you can avoid these pressures.' Elections are due in Norway by next year. 'Then, we will see whether the majority of Norwegians continue to uphold the principle of saving for the future,' Mr Lee added. For Australia, the events played out during last year's election. Then-prime minister John Howard announced a A$34 billion (S$34.3 billion) tax package on the first day of the campaign. Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd responded with a A$31 billion package. Mr Lee said: 'So major newspapers in Australia started to keep track of the cost of campaign promises. They called it a pork-o-meter. So as you put in more, the dacing (weighing scale in Malay) goes up.' In the end, Mr Howard's promises hit A$65 billion and Mr Rudd's, A$56 billion. 'Finally, the election was not decided on the pork-o-meter. The people wanted a change...and they chose Kevin Rudd.' In telling these stories, Mr Lee stressed he was not out to criticise others but to show the nature of election politics, to which Singapore was not immune. 'We too, face the reality of election politics. Opposition parties often demand the Government spend more, particularly near election time. They never ask where the money will come from, least of all do they explain where the money for their programmes will come from at election time.' Mr Lee added: 'Therefore, we have to take extra care to safeguard our reserves for the future, to frame the rules to prevent our elections from becoming auctions. Therefore, we need to put in place a system that will subject the Government to tight fiscal discipline regardless of which party is in power.' [email protected] LUP, NSS, GST credits anyone? "buy votes, fix oppositions?" hehehehe seems to me they dont really know what they are saying...

Wah liao, I see until blood pressure shoot high high!!!

Got a parking summon while doing delivery to Holland V last month, that day damn suay, company van spoiled, whole day travelling on personal transport to do delivery. Then the retail shop rushing me to send the stuff over by noon. So LL go there around lunch. Reached there just nice at 12pm n saw the parking warden scooter went off, so i juz parked along Lor Liput to unload the stuff n bring into the shop for stock take. All this lasted 5mins, then the parking warden just ride back n park in front of my car. Told him i doing unloading n going off, as usual see it's a personla car off course he would believe n still say that he arady input my number n he will remarks at the system to let the TP know. He took alomst 5mins to slowly key in the car plate n print out the slip. Wah lau kana conned that he input arady. Normally i will drive company's van over , a few times i met those parking warden but upon seeing vans or lorries they will close 1 eyes. But cars they will straight away summon. Then comes to appealing part, the 1st reaction from the officer was , wah lunch time doing delivery?? Muz be suspecting me going there to eat. Straight rejected my appeal without even looking at the DO. Then still tell me muz parked at car park then use trolley. Wah if i do that way dunno when i can finish my work. And still said the meaning of unloading n parking, if i unload n leave the stuff beside the road n drive off , that's unload, i ask him goods stolen how?? Then ask comapny to employ another employee to look after the stock loh, like that more people will have a job, or ask the shop to make 1 man to look after all the goods that r being unload. I faint after hearing this. He still continue to say that it's the shop problem no loading n unloading area.............. sigh give up talking to him. Shall try to meet Ah Wong n see wat he will say.

Hi ppl... I got into a car accident last month. The best (or worst) part is that the other party is a malaysian registered vehicle (motor bike) . Anyway, can anyone kindly advise on how to make an insurance claim against the other party yourself? Need to claim against the other party myself as workshop don't usually claim for you against malaysian registered vehicle... Thank you in advance

Was thinking this may be a good place to migrate to. Anyone can confirm if the crime rate really up and targetting Asians?

0% jump in fare cheats. One cabby cheated 3 times in 8 days One man even raised his fist Passenger 1 opens door & bolts when he reaches destination Passenger 2 claims he has no money & offers $4 for $32 cab fare Passenger 3 asks him to open boot, then flees By Chong Shin Yen July 01, 2008 IT has been three times unlucky for cabby Lee Lian Seng. Within a week this month alone, the 57-year-old cabby has encountered fare cheats thrice. And he is not alone. ComfortDelGro, the largest taxi operator here with about 15,000 taxis, said that the number of such cheats has increased by 50 per cent. The company received a monthly average of 128 cases this year, up from 85 last year. As a result of such cheats, Mr Lee lost $72 - not to mention the time spent lodging police reports and informing his company. He is a cabby with ComfortDelGro and works the night shift. Mr Lee said that in one case, the fare cheat bolted before he could stop him. Another was bold, refusing to pay outright. Then, there was a man who came up with a ploy that allowed him to slip away unnoticed. SNEAKY PLOY Mr Lee had picked up one man from Boat Quay on 21 Jun. He asked to go to Block 249, Bangkit Road in Bukit Panjang to pick up his wife and children before going on to Gangsa Road. Mr Lee said: 'Along the way, he even asked me if $30 was enough for the fare. I told him that it was more than enough.' The man then talked on his handphone, telling his wife to wait at the void deck with the children. When they arrived at the block, the man asked Mr Lee to open the boot so that he could put his baby's pram in there later. He got out of the cab and lifted the boot up. Mr Lee said: 'I was looking at him through the rear-view mirror. But after he lifted the boot up, my view was blocked.' He waited for about a minute before getting out to check. 'He was gone. I went to the nearby lift lobbies to search for him but I couldn't find him.' The man's fare came up to $24.30. Mr Lee waited for another 15 minutes, but the man did not return. 'I've treated fare cheats as part and parcel of my job. But I waste time waiting for them to return, when I could be picking up other passengers,' he said. Five days before that, Mr Lee had picked up three men along Geylang Lorong 4 at about 3.30am. The passengers spoke Thai and one of them alighted at the Singapore Discovery Centre. The other two asked to go to Kian Teck Crescent in Tuas. Mr Lee said: 'The fare was $32.10 when we reached Tuas. But one of them told me that they had no money and showed me two $2 notes. 'I replied, 'How can? I will call the police'. The man who was in the front seat then raised his fist at me. 'I feared for my safety so I kept quiet.' The men then left his cab, but Mr Lee did not dare to follow them as the road was quiet and both sides were forested. There was a dormitory in the distance and the two men went towards it. Mr Lee immediately lodged a police report. In the last case, Mr Lee picked up a man from Serangoon at about 9pm on 14 Jun. He asked to go to Tanjong Pagar first and then to Orchard Road. But along Craig Road, he asked Mr Lee to stop so that he could pass some documents to his friend. 'We waited for about a minute but his friend was still not in sight,' Mr Lee said. 'He then said that he would go and look for him. Before I could say anything, he opened the door and bolted.' The fare was $15.60 and the man never returned. Mr Lee said he has come across seven other fare cheats during the 23 years that he has been a cabby. He added that fare cheats often got away scot-free because they felt that cabbies would not bother taking action against them for a few dollars. 'But a few dollars here and there will add up to a lot,' Mr Lee said, 'and it's not fair to cabbies who had worked hard to earn the money.' Still, he can take comfort that from tomorrow, taxi fare cheats will face harsher penalties. Under the law, first-time offenders can be fined up to $1,000 while repeat offenders can be fined $2,000 and jailed six months. ComfortDelGro's spokesman Ms Tammy Tan said the company takes a serious view of such cases and plays an active role in helping their cabbies recover the fare. Ms Tan said: 'Our cabbies are advised to lodge reports with the company and the police whenever they come across fare cheats.' The company has reimbursed part of the fare to Mr Lee for one of the incidents and is working with him on the other two. http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...69546,00.html?? no $$ wanna cheat others somemore.. really CMI. recent news said this can result in jail & fine. soon an example will b made.

Debbie Yong Wed, Jun 04, 2008 my paper Club mad He had planned a night of revelry with friends at St James Power Station last Saturday, but when National University of Singapore student Matthew Rao flashed his identity card (IC) at the door of the popular nightclub, he was requested to pay the $20 cover charge. His four friends - from England, Germany, France and Finland - filed in for free. The reason: They were foreign students on exchange in Singapore, while he was local. "I thought the IC was for age verification, but the bouncers said I had to pay because it was proof I was Singaporean," Mr Rao, 25, recalled. He was upset because the policy seemed unfair and discriminatory. "Why should foreign students get different treatment? If they live here, why shouldn't they pay as well?" he added. Ms Cheryl Khong, marketing manager at St James, confirmed its policy of giving foreign guests free entry any day of the week if they produce a valid foreign student pass. The little-publicised policy has existed since St James opened in 2006, but it only applies to Powerhouse, the nightspot's main dance room. Ms Khong said the policy aimed to "encourage a cosmopolitan party atmosphere for our young partygoers" and added that St James regularly hosts parties thrown by local tertiary institutions and students. Still, Mr Rao said that the incident has changed his mind about frequenting theclub. "I like rules that are fair and open. If the club can at least publicise those rules on the door, then I'll respect them."

Hi all bros here, need some advice from you guys. 2 hrs ago, i was involved in an accident with a taxi. what happen was i stop my car at the bus stop along river valley road mac donald to get some food. while i was getting off my car, the taxi infront of me reverse and bang into my bumper. my bumper was surprising okay, except that one side of my bumper went out of alignment (around the headlight), front part dented in but managed to push the dent back to normal, a bit of paint got scatched. the taxi wanted to compensate me but he said he have no $$, so i got him to sign on a letter, saying that its entirely his fault that he reverse into my car and there is no injury to any affected parties and i am supposed to call him tomorrow to tell him how much is the damage. so the qns now is, shd i get him to pay me a new bumper ( i doubt he will pay) or should i just claim against his insurer coz i do not want to end up wasting my time arguing with him over the cost or even don't pay me when the everything is repaired. thanks

WP candidate Opposition party leader Yaw Shin Leong draws online flak for revelation in his blog for voting PAP in 2006 GE. Do you think what he did is alright? I don't think he did anything wrong. he is just exercising his right as a citizen to vote as he chooses. This is a non-political poll. No PAP or WP bashing. Keep your comments to agree or disagree only pls.

HE USED to be NTUC Income's chief executive officer but now, as a customer, he is one of its toughest critics. Mr Tan Kin Lian, 60, is mounting an online protest over a move by the insurer to restructure bonus payouts for life policies sold after 1993. He stepped down from the top job in February last year after a 30-year career - but he has not left quietly. The former head honcho is livid over the planned changes, which affect two Income policies that he owns, along with those of an estimated 310,000 other policyholders. In a nutshell, Income plans to cut its annual bonus payouts on these policies from 2.3 per cent to 1.3 per cent of the sum assured. Instead, it will assign more as special bonuses that are paid only at the time of death or when the policy is cashed out. Mr Tan summed up his feelings in a letter posted on his blog: 'We believe that this unilateral change by Income is to the detriment of the policyholders. It contravenes the 'reasonable expectation' of the policyholders.' Yesterday, he told The Straits Times that he would like Income to offer policyholders the option to stay on the old bonus structure if they do not accept the change. He aims to gather the signatures of other unhappy policyholders and present the letter of protest at Income's annual general meeting on May 30. His blog is at www.tankinlian.blogspot.com Income plans to raise the special bonus from 25 per cent of accumulated bonuses to anywhere between 30 per cent and 120 per cent. It says policyholder benefits are not affected by the revamp, as the combination of annual and special bonuses will give a return equal to what was intended in the past. When contacted yesterday, Income's chief actuary, Mr Ken Ng, said: 'Any decrease in our annual bonus will be offset by the increase in special bonus to achieve the same yield.' Income says that once annual bonuses are declared, they become guaranteed. To support this guarantee, Income needs to set aside reserves and invest in low-yield instruments such as bonds. This cuts Income's investment flexibility and the potential to invest in assets such as equities that could earn a higher return in the longer term. Mr Ng said: 'While we aim to keep our yields in line with our past practice, we do not wish to build in annual bonuses which prevent flexibility. This strengthens the position of the life fund for the benefit of all.' But Mr Tan and several other affected policyholders prefer to stay with the old bonus structure, as it is 'more transparent', and a higher proportion of the bonus will be vested each year. The regulator, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), said bonus declarations and bonus restructuring are commercial decisions approved by the insurers' boards based on recommendations by their actuary. However, insurers should satisfy themselves that the bonuses declared, including any bonus restructuring, are fair and equitable and that these are clearly communicated to policyholders, the MAS said.

Extracted from The Straits Times Friday, 18 May 2007 H10 - Home "189 grievances in 4 months, according to consumer watchdog. Parallel Importers might be giving authorised car agents a run for their money, but they are also notching up the bulk of complaints from buyers. >> WATCH LIST: Vehical Parallel Importers with 5 or More Complaints Jan to April 2006: -Auto Magic 9; -Car Resources 13; -Chip Guan Credit 6; -GV Credit 7; -Hua Yang 6; Jan to April 2007: -Carmax 5; -Cars Motor Enterprise 10; -Chuan Car International 5; -Golden Vision 5; -Hua Yang 9; -Kent Corp 10; -Koh Brothers 19; -Motor Traders 10; -Pinnacle Motors 10; -Shun Heng 11; Source: Consumers Association of Singapore." --- It's good for the consumers to know all these infamous PI. Is your PI one of these? Any close encounter and experience with them? Perhaps the list should be longer than that, and you would like to share?

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080304/tts-...ff-7d7070a.html TOKYO (AFP) - - A Japanese pin-up model says that her big breasts have not only boosted her career -- they also helped her overturn a court verdict. ADVERTISEMENT The bikini model, who goes by her professional name Serena Kozakura, was cleared after a court decided she was too well-endowed to squeeze into a room through a hole, as she had been found guilty of earlier. "I used to hate my body so much," Kozakura, who has appeared in product commercials on television, told the private Asahi network in an interview aired Tuesday. "But it was my breasts" that won in court, she said. The case was splashed through the Japanese media on Tuesday, with the Asahi network even inviting her to demonstrate how she could not fit through the opening. Kozakura, 38, was convicted last year of property destruction after a man said she kicked in the wooden door of his room and crawled inside, apparently because he was with another woman. Kozakura had said the man made the hole himself. In her appeal, the defence counsel held up a plate showing the size of the hole and said that she could not squeeze through with her 110-centimetre (44-inch) bust. "The judges were very good-mannered as they showed no expressions on their faces. I guess they're well-trained," Kozakura said. Tokyo High Court presiding judge Kunio Harada agreed and threw out the guilty verdict on Monday, saying there was reasonable doubt over the man's account.

Hi all. Dunno if u encounter this. In this MSCP where the ramp for upgoing traffic is just beside ramp for down-going traffic, a motorcyclist actually tried to go up by using the down-going ramp, apparently trying to save time and petrol. I had a close shave with one before. Luckily, I reacted fast enuf, else biker sure kena. why do they have to risk their lives, just to save that few secs. I shudder to think what'd happen if they met with another slow-reacting driver. Bike vs car, sure lose! If touch wood, really accident occur, I wonder who will be at fault.

GPGT! GTR vs Audi R8 GTR vs Porsche 911 Turbo