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"We all know the MM will die someday," says Calvin Fones, a psychiatrist who runs a clinic at Gleneagles Hospital on Orchard Road. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/01/...jacobson-text/6

http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=7333

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/health/15mind.html When a Parent

Interesting to see how this will turn out... ST article - Cleaner sues Esplanade

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-slate...e_b_171839.html

where did that thread go to? anyone find the Search function abit lousy?

http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Stor...ory_265627.html They should have known that academics are an argumentative bunch First, they make the teaching profession a sweatshop, with teachers doubling up for admin jobs, and long vacations largely a memory. Next, they'll start tackling the polys. And next?? You got to love this guy they interviewed: Cutting leave is supposed to... "the aim of the review was to come up with a 'compelling career pathway' and 'attractive pay package' and that annual leave was just one aspect of the package. " And this is "competitiveness", Singapore-style: "The review, he said, 'is necessary to ensure that our compensation and career development framework remains competitive'. " ... basically, well, nobody else is offering 42-day leave nowadays, so we can safely cut it down and still compete

SMALLER INSURERS MAY TURN OUT TO BE MORE... GENEROUS By Larry Haverkamp (Doc Money) [email protected] 08 July 2008 IF you drive a car, you need car insurance. It's the law. The problem is, it's hard to know which insurer offers the best deal. There is more to it than just comparing the first-year premiums. To find out, an important statistic is 'claims to premiums'. That's 'claims an insurance company pays for accidents' divided by the 'premiums it charges'. I have just completed a study which calculates this important ratio. Policyholders benefit from a high ratio. But insurance companies need to keep it low to boost their profits. They call it an 'incurred loss ratio'. The ratio is highest for insurers that are generous in paying claims and charge low premiums. By this criterion, Mitsui came in first among the 12 largest auto insurers. Next came China Insurance then Tokio Marine. These firms paid out $96, $90 and $83 in claims for every $100 they collected in premiums. The auto insurance market is concentrated. The 12 largest insurers have more than 85 per cent of the market and the three largest have 70per cent. They are NTUC Income, AIG and AXA which, surprisingly, placed rather low in our ratio - in 6th, 10th and 12th places. Why didn't the big boys do better? Possible reasons: (i) Large insurers may be able to get customers on the basis of their name. They don't have to cut premiums as much to get new business. (ii) They are able to capture business by offering generous commissions to car dealers who tie that firm's auto insurance to the car sale. (iii) Some, like NTUC Income, have reduced claims payments by requiring workshops to use second-hand, reconditioned parts when repairing cars more than 3years old. The cheaper parts reduce the claims to premiums ratio. Small car insurers typically lack the muscle to do this. They must fight for new business by offering lower premiums, which raises their ratio of 'claims to premiums'. There are drawbacks to the ratio, such as a one-time surge in accidents or a fraudulent claim. These can usually be remedied by averaging the data over a few years. My study looked at the period 2005 to 2007. Despite the flaws, 'claims to premiums' is the best we've got. No other number gives as comprehensive a picture of 'value for money' in car insurance. Don't drive that much? One day, you could pay less PAYING annual car insurance premiums may be a thing of the past. The future may be 'pay as you drive' (Payd). In the scheme, you have to install a device on your car that monitors how far you drive each day, the speed at which you drive and even how hard you step on the brakes. It means you will pay for car insurance per kilometre instead of per year. Infrequent drivers will no longer end up subsidising those who drive alot. A study by the Brookings Institution in the US estimates the scheme would lower premiums for two-thirds of households. Payd is already in use by two large US car insurers, Progressive and GMAC, where it has lowered premiums by up to 60 per cent.

http://www.omninerd.com/articles/Improve_M...Fuel_Efficiency

Tomorrow isn't guaranteed So keep your perspective and make every day count, sensibly and lovingly By TEH HOOI LING SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Email this article Print article Feedback LIFE is fragile. Life is transient. And the unexpected departure of former colleague Eddie Toh from this world last Sunday was, for me, a much-needed reminder to take stock. Try some random kindness with no expectation of receiving anything in return. Make somebody's day... Sometimes it pays to stop and think: there are plenty of other riches out there too. In our hectic lives, the days literally zoom past; it seems like everything is in fast-forward mode. Rarely do we have time to stop and consider what is really important to us. It seems like just yesterday when a friend of mine, Carol, called me around 10 on a Sunday morning. 'Guess who's in front of me now,' she said. Me: 'How would I know?' Carol: 'Thaksin. He's having bak kut teh at Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh at Rangoon Road. It's very near where you are. Come quick. You can catch him here and interview him for your paper.' Me: 'You sure it's him? Aiya, even if it is him, he may be gone by the time I get there.' I put down the phone. But the chance that The Business Times could score a scoop with deposed Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra while he was having bak kut teh at Rangoon Road made me pick it up again. Life's dichotomies I called Eddie. Knowing the true news hound he was, I was sure he would make his way there. Furthermore, he lived in that area. About 10-15 minutes later, both of us reached Ah Sio's shop about the same time. Eddie came well prepared - with his note book, tape recorder and a barrage a questions for Mr Thaksin. Alas, he never got to ask them; the ex-PM had already finished his breakfast and gone. To prove that he was there, my friend Carol showed us a photo she took with Mr Thaksin on her handphone. So we ended up having our brunch anyway. Eddie, then the deputy news editor of BT, subsequently got that photo published in the paper. Although this happened more than a year ago in January 2007 (how time flies!), it is still fresh in my mind. After that, Eddie left BT - and, alas, we managed to catch up only once for dinner and drinks. There are a lot of dichotomies in life. Humans as a species are different from others because we can delay our gratification, which is one of the reasons we have progressed more than other animals. Instead of eating all the food we have straight away, we save some for tomorrow. Instead of spending all that we have today, we save and invest. Instead of enjoying life to the fullest today, we study, we work. We sacrifice spending time doing things we like because we have an exam to take next month, or have a project deadline to meet next week. We do all this in the hope that, some time in the future, we will get to enjoy the fruit of our labour. Indeed, it is those who have the discipline to delay gratification who will be successful in life. What can a person make of his life if all he does every day is sip wine, loaf on the beach and feel high? On the other hand, if we strive too much to keep up with the Joneses and keep on increasing the speed of the treadmill we are on, life becomes a drag. There is no denying that some folks - a lucky few - derive pleasure from the work they do. Others, however, become too obsessed with material pursuits. As Nassim Taleb noted in his book Fooled by Randomness, the higher a person is promoted, the less of his time will belong to him. In life, the fact is that we all have to do what we have to do so that we can do what we want to do. We have to work to survive, to indulge ourselves, to ensure we are financially secure so that we can raise a family or devote our time to some cause we believe in. Perhaps, given the unpredictability of life, we should not feel guilty about pampering ourselves once in a while. As Berkshire Hathaway's vice- chairman Charlie Munger said, every day you should give the best hour of the day to yourself. It can be spent with a loved one, or it can be spent exercising so you can remain fit and healthy, or it can be spent thinking about how best to manage your finances. And the rest of the time, you can do what you have to do. But, of course, to have a goal, a target, is what keeps humans going. The key is to try to not make this an all-encompassing purpose that makes you lose sight and perspective of everything else. One way to keep perspective is to derive pleasure and satisfaction from little achievements along life's path. For me, an article well done is something to be happy about. A dish well cooked is another reason to be satisfied. But, ultimately, what people seem to remember most about life when they reach the end of their earthly journey is other people who travelled with them and the experiences they shared. A dinner with a group of friends at Holland Village. Enjoying a picnic and concert in the park with your family. One particularly flawless game of tennis you played. Moments when the silliest of things made you laugh until you cried. Since we never know what tomorrow will bring, we should make today - every day - count. So give your mum a call. Arrange that lunch with the friend you said you'd meet 'one day'. Make the first move to know a person you have been wanting to know. Buy a ticket to a concert to hear your favourite music. And while you're at it, try some random kindness with no expectation of receiving anything in return. Make somebody's day. Because, like Eddie, we are all but passing through this world. My regular readers will know my column is about the nitty-gritty of money, which is something we all need. But sometimes it pays to stop and think: there are plenty of other riches out there too.

http://intelligentsingaporean.wordpress.co...-like-to-leave/

Seems to be going around in circles... None the wiser after finishing the article. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin.../327058/1/.html

http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/Owners/Buy...0121-45869.html Raymond Lim can now say taxi fare hike is helping more Singaporeans to own cars. Good strategy actually. More people buy cars, pay COE and ERP, and LTA may just be able to raise internally the $500 million that LHL refused to give LTA to build a new HQ.

Just saw a lady wrote in to Today papers and the header reads "Car owners should be able to pay more for healthcare". Read up and you will feel how a car owner feels after reading this article. Wah lau if the gov really implement this, what will car owners do ..... pathetic !

http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/News/Story...0102-43347.html Well, we all know we should blame the driver not the car. Just some points from GR that i thought it's interesting to discuss: 1. "In some countries, if you own a car above a certain horsepower, you must go for training." This is interesting. Anyone knows which countries huh, and what HP? 2. "Regular brake pads on Japanese performance cars are optimised to perform in a Japanese climate." How true is this and how do we recognise those aftermarket pads (made in USA or Japan) are really suited for our climate?

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html#blackdeath Summary - 2005 Consumer Reports article discovered that some engines from Audi, Chrysler, Saab, Toyota, and Volkswagen appear prone to sludge almost no matter how often the oil is changed. =Extract= I'm interested to hear your views on this...

For those who have ever wondered whether diesel will take over petrol engines. http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=4039

Part 1: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest1.htm Part 2: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest2.htm Part 3: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest3.htm Part 4: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest4.htm Part 5: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest5.htm

WHEN Mr Chiang Soong Chee suffered a stroke, he went from a man capable of lifting drums of paint to someone resigned to signing cheques in the family-run paint store. Click to see larger image He was no longer able to handle his old tasks. Never mind, he thought, he could always rely on his insurance payout. But after making the first five instalment payments, NTUC Income held back on the remaining amount. The insurance company, which is the biggest here with more than 1.8 million policy holders, argued that Mr Chiang was not totally and permanently disabled. And he was able to work, though not at the same job he held previously. Mr Chiang, disagreeing with the insurer, sued for the remaining $90,000. And won. SEVERELY PARALYSED Mr Chiang became severely paralysed in his left limbs after a stroke in 1992. He had bought a life insurance policy in 1988, which said that Income (then NTUC Co-operative Insurance Commonwealth Enterprise) was to pay $150,000 in 10 annual instalments if he became totally and permanently disabled. But after the stroke, Mr Chiang was told by his insurance agent later that year that his disability did not meet Income's criteria. The agent was not named in the court papers. In March 2001, during a chat with friends, Mr Chiang was urged to go ahead and make the claim. He decided to act on their advice and registered his claim. By this time, after nine years of being treated by neurologist Dr Tong Hoo Ing, he was able to walk, albeit with a limp. In August that year, Mr Chiang was examined by Dr Tong and another doctor. Both doctors certified him as totally and permanently disabled. Initially, all went well with his claim. The insurer accepted the doctors' findings and in Sep 2001 told Mr Chiang that it would pay him four annual instalments of $15,000 each. The first payment was made in late 2001. A final instalment of $90,000 would be paid in 2005. Mr Chiang was paid the first $60,000, but things then went awry. Before Income made the final payment in Jan 2005, it asked Dr Tong to clarify Mr Chiang's current condition, which it was entitled to do under the policy. This time, Dr Tong certified that Mr Chiang was not totally and permanently disabled, but maintained that he was unemployable. This was because while Mr Chiang was mobile, he still carried a limp and had poor short-term memory. Income then decided not to pay Mr Chiang the remaining $90,000, saying he was no longer totally and permanently disabled. So Mr Chiang filed a suit. He was awarded judgment last month in the Subordinate Courts by District Judge Lim Wee Ming, who rapped the insurer for its treatment of Mr Chiang. The judge said the insurer could not provide a clause to attract potential customers, only to make it difficult for them to claim the money. Said District Judge Lim: 'Income cannot on one hand have a clause that appears more acceptable to potential customers but when they seek to enforce it, Income be allowed to take advantage of the ambiguity against the customer.' In his affidavit, Mr Chiang said that before the stroke, he handled, stacked, moved and delivered drums and tins of paint. His lawyer argued that because of the stroke, he was no longer able to carry out such work. As a result, his work with his family business is limited to signing cheques and bank documents. Mr Chiang's present role in the family business was minor compared to what he was doing before, and he remained employed only out of his siblings' sympathy. His doctors also testified that Mr Chiang was unable to do manual work. The main issue for the court was the interpretation of the policy, which stated that the disability must be total and permanent such that the insured person is unable to earn a living. In its defence, Income said it had observed a strict interpretation of the policy, which meant that Mr Chiang, even if only signing cheques and bank documents, was gainfully employed. Under a broader interpretation, the court would consider work as that which the insured was doing when he bought the policy. But Income claimed that Mr Chiang would have to show that he could not do any work whatsoever, regardless of his occupation when he bought the policy. The judge disagreed, saying that the phrase 'regardless of the usual occupation of the Life Assured' was not mentioned in the policy. In his judgment, Mr Lim wrote: 'Obviously, such a provision would have made the policy less palatable to potential customers.' The judge also noted that Income's strict interpretation of the policy would then apply only to extreme cases, such as brain damage or vegetable-like existence. And that was not fair. He was satisfied that Mr Chiang qualified for the payout as he could not continue the work he did before the stroke. Mr Chiang declined comment when contacted at his home, but a staff member at his family's shop, Sai Sia Paint, said he still works there. Income's lawyer, Mr Sundararaj Palaniappan of Straits Law Practice LLC, told The New Paper that his client plans to appeal. http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,...,138844,00.html

In today's ST forum section. Basically, it talks about how a person who just passed their driving license can go to a showroom and buy a performance/big car and when compared to bikers, they have to slowly work their way up from class 2B to Class 2. The classification is different for cars, they consider weight than engine capacity. I understand if the car is heavier, then in most cases, it is also larger but no necessary more powerful. My POV, if you are a P-plate driver, you should not be driving a performance car. Let the flaming begin.

hi all: some info on why you use sway bar to tune the car's handling http://www.mazda6tech.com/index.php?option...=1&limitstart=0

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

Those with interest can have a read..

Was reading the article about the Evo 9 Ralliart GT by Jackson Toh on the Hotstuff magazine... I seemed to have read it on the Times Online by Jeremy Clarkson... http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_...icle1292206.ece Many sentences are the same...Dunno who got "influenced" by who? I'm sure I'm not the only one who discovered that...

http://denniswong.blogs.friendster.com/per...ase_road_t.html