You know what is a cartel? A search on dictionary.com returned the following results:

(A cartel is) an international syndicate, combine, or trust formed esp. to regulate prices and output in some field of business.

It basically means that there is some sort of agreement to raise or drop prices at the same time. That’s what 3 petrol companies in Singapore are doing. Shell, Caltex and Esso are raising prices together at the same time, apparently due to raising fuel prices per barrel. This really seem strange to me because I remembered that fuel prices were going up and down and it was reported to be at an "all time low" for a particular duration. However, the petrol companies never adjusted their prices to match that piece of news.

Now, fuel prices have hit a record high again before going down. However, it seems like the petrol prices will only go up and not go down. Conspiracy theory: it’s a means to increase the cost of ownership. But nay, I am not going into this uncharted water. I can be sued for defamation. =P

Shell, Caltex and Esso raise pump prices again

PUMP prices have risen again.

Petrol at Shell, Caltex and Esso stations rose by four centres a litre while diesel rose by five cents a litre.

Before a discount, the 92-octane grade is at $2.053 a litre, 95 at $2.086 and 98 at $2.16.

Diesel is now at $1.613 a litre.

Shell’s V-Power has risen by 3 cents to $2.279.

This is the second time in a month, with the previous hike on March 3.

Overall, this is the eighth consecutive hike since July last year.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 18th March 2008

So, the LTA has relented. Well, sort of. There is an exception to the no-stopping-by-the-road-side-in-CBD rule. That is, taxis can stop in roads not served by public buses. Hmm… I am just thinking hard - how does this help the poor fellow on the wheelchair who is trying to get a cab on a road that is served by public buses? How does that help the poor traveler who is lugging his bags to the nearest taxi stand on a road that is served by public buses?

Sometimes, I wonder if the people at the top who make the rules even take taxis - and taking that occasional taxi when their spouse uses the family car doesn’t count. While I agree that safety is of paramount concern, have their considered if the roads are unsafe enough for such rules to be warranted? Where did they get their survey data from and what are the conditions that these are done? Are there statistics to show that all taxi drivers will disregard their $2000 deposit and risk getting into an accident just to pick up a passenger who may just be going to the next block?

I wonder.

FROM today, taxis are allowed to pick up and drop off passengers from side roads in the Central Business District which are not served by public buses, the Land Transport Authority announced on Monday.

But the CBD rule for taxis remains for trunk roads where public buses run.

LTA said it has fine-tuned the rule, following complaints and feedback from commuters, cabbies and other road users that it has caused pratical operational difficulties for drivers and misunderstandings and unpleasant incidents between them and their passengers.

In introducing the new rule on March 1, which made it compulsory for taxis to pick up and drop off passengers only at taxi stands and driveways of buildings between 7am to 10pm from Mondays to Saturdays, LTA said safety was the principal reason.

Sudden stopping and haphazard lane changes by taxis along heavily used roads to pick up or alight passengers pose a danger to passengers and other road users, it explained.

Furthermore, with more bus lanes, taxi drivers will find it increasingly difficult to stop along the roads in the CBD, making it also harder for passengers to hail a taxi along the road. Taxi drivers who flout the rule can be fined $100 and given three demerit points.

But commuters and taxi drivers have complained that it has resulted in much inconvenience. Elderly and disabled passengers, as well as tourists with heavy luggage, say they find it difficult to walk to a taxi stand.

LTA’s chief executive Yam Ah Mee on Monday told a media briefing that the LTA has taken into consideration feedback from the public, as well as from taxi associations, and decided to adjust the rule to minimise inconvenience to passengers, business and taxi drivers.

‘The principal consideration for this rule is safety. This remains our key priority. We, together with the Taxi Operators? Associations and taxi companies, have considered very carefully the feedback from passengers, businesses and taxi drivers, and LTA has decided to allow taxis to pick up and drop off passengers from side roads,’ he said.

‘Our risk assessment is that roads with the highest risks are the roads where public buses ply. This adjustment balances safety concerns with the need to minimise inconvenience to commuters.’

To make it easier for passengers to find a taxi stand, the LTA said it will add ten more to the existing 105 in the CBD by the end of March. It will also put up more prominent directional signs to guide them to the nearest taxi stands.

Maps showing the location of taxi stands in the CBD area will also be distributed to hotels and commercial buildings to make it easier for commuters to locate the nearest taxi stand. These maps will also be included in the public transport information guide for tourists.

So far, 469 taxi drivers have received warning advisories from the LTA for flouting the rule. The LTA said the rule will be enforced against errant drivers from May 1.

Mr Foo Chi Yong, President of Premier Taxi Operators’ Association, welcomed the easing of the rule. ‘I am relieved to note that the authorities have exercised flexibility in enforcing the new policy during the initial period. We hope to receive the support and understanding from the public so that they can help us as drivers to adjust to the new ruling,’ he said.

Added Mr Yang Ban Seng, CEO of ComfortDelgro’s Taxi Business: ‘We are heartened by LTA’s receptiveness to industry feedback. The proposed tweaks to the system will help ease the problems that our drivers have experienced on the ground. We will continue to work closely with the LTA and our associations to monitor the situation on the ground.’

Mr Lee Wai Mun, Chief Executive Officer of the Automobile Association of Singapore, also hailed the change.

He said: ‘The CBD rule for taxis, in placing safety high on the list of priorities, is the correct approach to take. AAS is happy that the adjustments, while making it more convenient for taxi commuters, retain the need to make our roads safe for the motorists.’

Mr Nah Tua Bah, President of Comfort Taxi Operators’ Association, said cabbies are happy that their views and concerns had been considered.

‘We believe these changes will still meet our objective to ensure safety and improve convenience for passengers and motorists. As with all changes, it will require some time for adjustment and we seek the understanding of all commuters, businesses, and taxi drivers,’ added Mr Yam.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 17th March 2008

Just barely a month after a crane crashed down in NUS, another crane crashed in an HDB estate. Yes, it crashed into a HDB walkway, possibly injuring or killing lots of people. Imagine this happening on a Friday morning, when the streets are full of people, or worst - when the elderly bring their grandchildren down for a walk in the early morning, or the maids bringing the dogs down for a morning walk; and the mothers! Mothers who are just back from the market and rushing home to prepare the morning meals… just suddenly losing their lives when some faulty crane crashed onto them.

Luckily that didn’t happen. For some strange reason, the walkway was particularly empty that morning.

Perhaps it’s about them they get to the root of the problem and determine if this incident is somehow related to the one at NUS? Can you imagine one day when all the cranes start toppling? I dread to think about it.

A 70-TONNE crawler crane from a condominium worksite crashed onto a pedestrian walkway along West Coast Drive on Friday morning.

The toppled crane, with a 27.4 metre boom, smashed through a hoarding and took down a big chunk of the tiled covered walkway when it came crashing down at about 10.20 am.

Luckily, no one was walking near the area. Next to the walkway are several blocks of Housing Board flats.

The crane was operating on the site where the Parc Condominium is being built.

The Ministry of Manpower said it had stopped work for cranes that were managed by the piling constractor on the site, pending investigation.

This incident came just three weeks after a toppled hammer head crane killed three workers at a National University of Singapore worksite.

The ministry has since stepped up checks on construction site and produced a technical advisory on the safe use of such lifting equipment.

Stomper Choo Jen-Sin who took this picture and sent it to Stomp, said: ‘I can’t imagine what will happen if the crane had crashed into the walkway with people around the area.’

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 16th March 2008

Ya… This Jean from SimplyJean missed the LG KS20 launch because this Jean is the only author that Princessa knows. Little did this Jean realise that Princessa can invite other authors of SimplyJean to the event. Duh! Sigh… there’s goes an opportunity.

Anyhow.

This Jean google’d for this mysterious LG KS20 and found the official web site for the phone. It’s running on Windows Mobile 6 and has predictive text! This Jean is excited about the predictive text because her current Windows Mobile 5 doesn’t seem to have it. Either that, or O2 made it really difficult to turn it on or to use it. It’s a tri-band phone support the 900/1800/1900 Hz frequencies and has a whooping stand-by time of 280 hours! That’s about 11 to 12 days of stand-by without making phone calls!

So, why would someone want a phone that he or she can’t make phone calls? Well… cos’ this Jean does go overseas but leave her phone on just to receive SMS’es. There are other things like Wifi, Bluetooth, a built-in 2MP camera and a built-in memory of over 50MB. It also supports microSD for external memory. The design looks rather sleek, so the only thing left to complete this review is actually to try it.

Of course, SimplyJean doesn’t have S$888 to splurge on one. *cough*

So until it’s been tried and tested, it remains a mysterious phone to this Jean. Hmm…

I’m not sure if it’s still the same practice, but apparently, construction firms are usually not paid beforehand and so all expenses are borne by the construction firms before they are paid months after the project is completed. I am not even sure if they are paid in between, but I heard not.

So what happens is that they either get a loan or dig into their own capital - which runs into millions or billions. Their budget is as much as the amount that they have bid for when tendering for the project. However, their suppliers will demand payment upfront with very short payment terms. What I am not sure is - if a construction firm goes bust towards the end of the project and another tender is raised, does it mean that the agency who puts up the tender pays very little for the project at the end of the day?

NATURE lovers and fitness buffs may have to wait at least nine more months before they can enjoy some of the new visitor-friendly facilities at the MacRitchie Reservoir.

A $5 million MacRitchie spruce-up, the first phase of which was slated for completion this month, came to a stop when the contractor - Wacon Construction & Trading - went bust.

The project is the brainchild of the National Parks Board and PUB, the national water agency.

According to PUB’s director of best sourcing, Mr Moh Wung Hee, construction work came to a virtual halt two months ago. Mr Moh said the PUB has since terminated its contract with the company for failing ‘to make satisfactory progress on the project’.

The upgrade was part of PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC) programme to spruce up Singapore’s reservoirs and rivers.

It was meant to provide MacRitchie with new features such as shower facilities, a specially designated warm-up area and a two-storey carpark that would double the number of lots.

In the meantime, PUB said it will be calling for a new tender this month to find a replacement contractor. It aims to complete construction of the carpark by the end of this year, while the other new amenities are expected to be up and running by next October.

When contacted by The Straits Times, MrOng Say Kiat, who is managing director of Wacon Construction, declined to talk about the MacRitchie project, but blamed rising operation costs as the main reason for his company’s financial troubles.

He said: ‘My company had to fold because of the price increase in raw materials, especially sand.’

Sighing, Mr Ong added that it was ‘a heartache’ to see the company that he had built collapse.

He declined to reveal how much debt his company was in, or if there were other projects that had also been put on hold.

However, The Straits Times understands that several companies have taken legal action against Wacon Construction this year for slightly over $1 million in money that they said was owed to them.

Three other companies are also taking Wacon Construction to court for alleged debts amounting to more than $83,000.

Back at MacRitchie, some regulars were disappointed when told of the delay.

Mr Bernd Nordhausen, 46, who jogs at MacRitchie regularly, said he was annoyed as the delay would mean that the problem of finding a parking lot, especially on weekends, would continue longer than expected.

‘A bigger carpark is desperately needed. It has already been about 14 months since the upgrading began. That’s just too excessive,’ he said.

Another regular jogger, Mr Surinder Singh, 50, said of the delay: ‘It has caused a lot of inconvenience because everyone was looking forward to the facilities, especially the showers. Now it’s, ‘Oh, suddenly stop!”

But Mr Singh conceded that unforeseen circumstances cannot be helped.

‘Hopefully we can expect quick action from PUB,’ he said.

melk@sph.com.sg

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 14th March 2008

This is coming off rather randomly and I figured that there will be a second post on this; but I am just wondering aloud how many more criminals there will be this month onwards. You see, it is now illegal to stop a taxi in the middle of nowhere in the CBD - even if it is some ulu alley in some hidden corner. For all you know, they may be putting the "eye in the sky" to good use now, since they can capture taxi registration numbers now.

Oh wait a minute, they are doing that for bus lane offenders now!

WHEN cabby Wee Chew Khoon explained to his two passengers that they could not alight at Stanley Street, they were so incensed they abandoned his taxi at a traffic light junction near their destination - without paying the fare.

The 40-year-old taxi driver, who encountered the incident last week, said: ‘I told them that the nearest taxi stand was at Cecil Street but they got angry.’

Stanley Street, which is one street away from Cecil Street, is subjected to the new CBD taxi-stand rule.

Cabbies are increasingly finding themselves caught in the middle of what is turning out to be a hugely unpopular move.

Flout the rule and they risk being caught by the Land Transport Authority, like the 352 of their counterparts who have been warned as of March 10.

Many continue to ignore the rule and would still make kerbside stops, especially along smaller lanes like Keong Saik Road in Chinatown, which serves boutique hotels, restaurants and shophouse offices.

Those who comply with the rule sometimes get verbal abuse, or worse, from passengers who still believe they should get door-to-door service.

Last week, 46-year-old Daniel Lee had vulgarities hurled at him when he informed a pair of well-attired passengers that they could not alight at the MacDonald House on Orchard Road.

The nearest taxi stand was at The Atrium Orchard, less than 100m away.

Mr Lee recalled how another passenger had called him ‘a liar’ when he would not let the commuter get off at a specific spot on Purvis Street.

‘I tried to explain that it is a government ruling,’ he said with a sigh.

A check with cab companies found that complaints are rising.

ComfortDelGro spokesman Tammy Tan said it has received feedback from drivers who now face difficulties as a result of the rule.

Prime Taxis has received 15 complaints from its cabbies so far, said its general manager Tan Soon Chye.

General manager of Smart Taxis Niki Ong added: ‘We have had two or three complaints per day from cabbies since the rule started.’

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 13th March 2008

What?! You mean to say that the whole thing was staged? You mean to say that Mas is still in his cell - innocently being cursed and sworn at? You mean to say that the long hours of wait at the various checkpoints are for nothing? You mean to say that it’s just another of those mobilisation exercises except that it is now on a national level involving all citizens and pets? You mean to say… it was all just a show?!

Thankfully it’s not.

S’poreans get A+ for response on Mas Selamat’s escape: Swee Say

THE response of Singaporeans to the escape of Mas Selamat Kastari, a Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader, received an A+ on Tuesday.

Minister Lim Swee Say, who described the escape as a test in inter-racial cohesion, said Singaporeans passed it ‘with flying colours’.

He said people worked as one, without any finger-pointing, to search for the former chief of the Singapore JI cell.

‘Did they take a position based on their racial or religious groups and draw the line? They did not,’ he pointed out.

Mr Lim, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, was speaking to about 250 grassroots and community leaders at an event hat underlines Singapore’s unrelenting effort to maintain racial harmony.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 12th March 2008

There was another article in the papers regarding some new rules for some saving schemes. Frankly, there are so many schemes now that I am totally lost. So what’s going to happen is that I’m just going to ignore whatever that’s in the CPF accounts because I am sure it now belongs to the almighty government at the end of the day. It’s no wonder that when people apply for jobs, they may be more concerned with the actual take home pay (80% of monthly pay) instead of caring how much they get in their CPF. Of course, the one good thing that CPF can do is that it can be used to buy housing, although I suspect that that is going to change some time soon (limiting how much you can use?).

However, apparently, this new ruling is supposed to be in favour of the CPF members - that is, the common working people. What I am concerned about though - is by the time I am old and senile and have no kids, would I still know or bother to use these funds? Sigh. Morbid, ya?

FROM Oct 1 this year, employers can top up the Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) accounts of their employees and enjoy tax exemptions.

Workers can also top up their own accounts beyond the retirement age of 62.

In addition, those who did not earn a salary in the previous year, such as housewives who receive income from renting out a room, can also top up their accounts in the current year.

The Finance Ministry yesterday announced details on the enhancements to the SRS to encourage Singaporeans to save more for retirement.

The voluntary retirement savings programme complements the Central Provident Fund savings scheme.

Contributions to the SRS are tax exempted.

There is tax relief as well when the savings are taken out.

Only 50 per cent of the amount taken out of the SRS is taxable. But those who make a withdrawal before the age of 62 will be taxed 100 per cent of the sum withdrawn and must pay a 5 per cent penalty.

Currently, members are given a 10-year period to withdraw their savings and it starts from the retirement age of 62.

However, with the latest changes, the 10-year withdrawal period has been modified.

It will start only when an SRS member makes his or her first withdrawal, instead of kicking in automatically at age 62.

Also, a one-off concession will be given to members aged 62 or older on Oct 1, so that they can take advantage of the new rules.

Those who have made penalty-free withdrawals or closed their accounts before Oct 1 may top up their accounts. But it must be done between Oct 1 and Dec 31.

They can withdraw their money any time after that. But they will not be able to top up the account again after the first penalty-free withdrawal.

Top-ups will still be capped at $11,475 for Singapore citizens and permanent residents, and at $26,775 for foreigners, regardless of who makes the top-ups.

The ministry expects the SRS to grow with the enhancements and the increasing awareness of the need to save for retirement.

The seven-year-old scheme has been growing at an annual average rate of 25 per cent in the last three years. There are more than 41,000 accounts worth $1.44 billion.

More details can be found on the ministry’s website.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 11th March 2008

I would have loved to write about how PM Lee have to congratulate PM Abdullah although the latter would really not be happy about the election results, but this topic caught my eyes - Adam Air (emphasize budget airlines) skids off runway. It seems that budget airlines are really living up to their names - being budget in almost everything. One thing I hope for is that the safety of the passengers do not get discounted along the way.

When budget airlines first hit Singapore, it was such a big thing and almost everyone thinks that this spells the end of expensive air travel. However, this was not to be. Apparently, even Tiger Air (ran or spun off by Singapore Airlines?) has its own fair share of problems of flight delays and not notifying their passengers of changes to flight time; and of course the make-shift terminal that is really… budget.

Sigh. Do they have to make it so apparent that they are serving budget airlines? Then again, I don’t have much to complain. This (the facilities and all) is better than the Thai airport who always seem to get their own airlines to land their passengers in the middle of the tarmac, and I thought it was a new airport. You mean to say they don’t have enough berths?! Sigh…

JAKARTA - AN Indonesian passenger plane carrying 174 people skidded off the runway in heavy rain while landing at Batam airport, an airline spokesman said.

The Boeing 737-400 operated by local budget carrier Adam Air overshot the runway at Hang Nadim airport on Batam, an Indonesian island close to Singapore, and its right wing was damaged, said airline spokesman Danke Drajat on Monday.

‘It rained heavily at the airport but whether it was due to the weather it is not for us to say,’ Mr Drajat said, adding that the national transport safety committee was investigating.

None of the 169 passengers and five crew members on board the plane coming from the capital Jakarta were injured but several people were being treated for shock, he said.

Indonesia’s airline industry has grown rapidly in the past decade following liberalisation, with the launch of new players and a wider choice of routes across the sprawling archipelago.

However, the world’s fourth-most populous country has suffered a string of airline disasters in recent years, raising concerns about safety standards and prompting the European Union to ban all Indonesian airlines from its airspace.

In January 2007, an Adam Air plane crashed into the sea off Sulawesi island, with all 102 on board missing and presumed dead.

Adam Air planes have also experienced a number of non-fatal incidents in recent years. — REUTERS

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 10th March 2008

So what is new anyway? When GST was revised to 7%, the parking charges at Paragon Shopping Mall took the existing S$3.15 (S$3.00 with 5% GST) and multiplied it by 7% or 2% - either way is not right anyway. It’s quite sickening when people cite GST to raise everything and I’d prefer that they attribute it to "operational costs", like how most of other organizations do it - blaming it on day-to-day expenses - inherently claiming that if they do not raise the charges, they will cease to function.

Apparently, besides the carpark operators, stall operators are also raising costs - like selling a packet of papadum for 70 cents, up 20 cents. Thankfully papadum is not my staple diet. =P

THAT trip to shop or run errands in Orchard Road is setting back motorists more in parking charges nowadays.

A Straits Times check of 20 malls on the shopping strip revealed that parking fees have gone up at 18 of them.

Just over a third of the 18 carparks are levying charges that are between 10 and 20 per cent more.

While the jump is bigger at some, there are also places where weekday, off-peak fees have stayed about the same.

The most expensive places to park are Tang Plaza or Wheelock Place, where leaving your car for three hours will cost $9 before 5pm on weekdays.

Prices are not uniformly high along Orchard Road. It is four times cheaper to park in Plaza Singapura, for instance. Three hours there costs just $2.25.

Tang Plaza is the only mall on the strip that charges by the minute, so motorists pay for the exact amount of usage.

At other carparks, the rates are calculated in blocks of between 15 minutes to an hour.

It can make a difference.

Housewife Ong Lee Lee, 55, for example, has found that she will be charged $3.50 for an hour and five minutes at Tang Plaza; if she parks at Ngee Ann City down the road for that length of time, she would be paying $3.84 for a block lasting an hour and a half.

Parking charges at most carparks rose with the upping of the Goods & Services Tax by two percentage points last year, say carpark operators.

But the jump has been by more than two percentage points - by a whopping 36 per cent in one instance.

Cairnhill Place takes the dubious honour as that carpark. Leaving your car there for three hours before 5pm on a weekday now costs $8, up from $5.90 just two years ago.

Back in 2002, the nondescript-looking carpark was the best-kept secret among motorists looking for lots in the heart of Orchard Road: It cost just $3 for three hours then.

Its operator, Wilson Parking, which runs 50 carparks islandwide, declined comment on the price increase.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 9th March 2008