1 year to Singapore's inaugural Formula One Grand Prix race, things have moved into high gear.
The FIA, the governing body of world motorsport, has granted approval for Singapore’s street circuit and are now awaiting whether it will be a day or night race (god I hope it will be a day race). The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be working on modifications to some existing infrastructure such as road kerbs and traffic islands. There's also a new 1.2 km road along the pit building to be constructed that will cost around S$18 million.
All goods news for F1 fans who this year were treated to McLaren's spying saga and the less than stellar punishment from the FIA (the team got kicked but not the drivers?). The spying saga has, in my view, tainted the title race between Fernando Alonso and the cry-baby who is Lewis Hamilton. for the sake of F1, I hope Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen win it this year.
That way, when F1 come to Singapore next year, we can exactly know who is the real champion of the track.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Comics this week
Avengers: The Initiative #6- Seeing the cover, I thought this issue will be a big deal. The cover has The Gauntlet, the hard-nosed disciplinarian of the Initiative Training Camp, against a wall with the NW logo on him. New Warriors/Initiative beatdown I think. Nothing of the sort! The issue is mostly about the investigation, how the team sent by SHIELD explores the motivations of the suspects in camp and how they got railroaded by Gyrich & company for digging into things they shouldn't be seeing. However outside the fact that the issue make Gauntlet (and his attacker) into a deeper character, it got nothing going for it. A waste of a good cover.
Countdown 31- Countdown is a funny book sometime. Take this week issue for example. There's nothing really wrong with it; we get to see Jason Todd and company on Earth-3 fighting against the Crime Society (no, NOT the Crime Syndicate); we get to see Mary Marvel do something really evil (for once); but there's still no sense of excitement at all! The level of excitement in Countdown has just degenerated (not that it was very high to begin with), the book has shown improvement in story and art but it still lack the extra something that make people go wow. It also keep giving us these 2 pages update on the rest of the stories. Does anyone really still care for Karate Kid or Jimmy Olsen's quest anymore? Not me! I know something big is on the horizon but that's no excuse for putting everyone on a holding pattern, get the stories moving already. Please!
Astro City: The Dark Age #4- Kurt Busiek, I knew you would come through in the end! After the last issue which was highly disappointing, this issue bring Astro City back to it's lofty height! Charles & Royal finally got their act together and the story was sweet! In the backdrop of a city going mad, we get to see how blood is always thicker than water. Nice!
Countdown 31- Countdown is a funny book sometime. Take this week issue for example. There's nothing really wrong with it; we get to see Jason Todd and company on Earth-3 fighting against the Crime Society (no, NOT the Crime Syndicate); we get to see Mary Marvel do something really evil (for once); but there's still no sense of excitement at all! The level of excitement in Countdown has just degenerated (not that it was very high to begin with), the book has shown improvement in story and art but it still lack the extra something that make people go wow. It also keep giving us these 2 pages update on the rest of the stories. Does anyone really still care for Karate Kid or Jimmy Olsen's quest anymore? Not me! I know something big is on the horizon but that's no excuse for putting everyone on a holding pattern, get the stories moving already. Please!
Astro City: The Dark Age #4- Kurt Busiek, I knew you would come through in the end! After the last issue which was highly disappointing, this issue bring Astro City back to it's lofty height! Charles & Royal finally got their act together and the story was sweet! In the backdrop of a city going mad, we get to see how blood is always thicker than water. Nice!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The sad truth about global warming
You know global warming is now a true global issue when Singaporeans start talking about it. Especially when that Singaporean is our Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
In a speech at the Fullerton Hotel, MM Lee says that he will be sad when polar bears disappear from the Arctic, and will be sadder still when the Antarctic ice cap melts because of the rising water levels. Worse, he says that he is not optimistic about the will of governments to solve the problem!
It's a mixed bag for me. On one hand it's good that political heavyweights like the MM are taking global warming seriously and are willing to do things about it. However, the MM is probably right that there's not much anyone can do to stop, much less reserve things. Sad but true.
In a speech at the Fullerton Hotel, MM Lee says that he will be sad when polar bears disappear from the Arctic, and will be sadder still when the Antarctic ice cap melts because of the rising water levels. Worse, he says that he is not optimistic about the will of governments to solve the problem!
It's a mixed bag for me. On one hand it's good that political heavyweights like the MM are taking global warming seriously and are willing to do things about it. However, the MM is probably right that there's not much anyone can do to stop, much less reserve things. Sad but true.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Malysian orangutan mug French tourist
A Malysian official says that an orangutan at a wildlife sanctuary mugged a French tourist for her backpack, leaving the woman bruised and scratched.
Wilfred Landong, chief park warden of Malaysia's Sarawak state, says Odile Nordon, 24, was taking photographs of Delima, a female orangutan in Malaysia's Semenggoh Wildlife Centre on Sunday, when the animal grabbed at the backpack. They fought briefly over the bag, with Delima ripping Nordon's pants. Nordon, who managed to keep her backpack, told newspapers she thought orangutans were friendly, cuddly creatures.
HA! It's just so easy making fun of these stupid tourists that I won't even bother. Wild orangutans, people. Know what is the meaning of "WILD"! What's even better the wildlife centre has several signs warning visitors to walk away if orangutans approach them because the animals tend to grab at humans and objects. If you don't listen, then read!
Wilfred Landong, chief park warden of Malaysia's Sarawak state, says Odile Nordon, 24, was taking photographs of Delima, a female orangutan in Malaysia's Semenggoh Wildlife Centre on Sunday, when the animal grabbed at the backpack. They fought briefly over the bag, with Delima ripping Nordon's pants. Nordon, who managed to keep her backpack, told newspapers she thought orangutans were friendly, cuddly creatures.
HA! It's just so easy making fun of these stupid tourists that I won't even bother. Wild orangutans, people. Know what is the meaning of "WILD"! What's even better the wildlife centre has several signs warning visitors to walk away if orangutans approach them because the animals tend to grab at humans and objects. If you don't listen, then read!
Monday, September 24, 2007
DBS' CEO steps down
The crisis in the US subprime mortgage sector have claimed another victim, this time it's close to home. Singapore's DBS Group Chief Executive Officer Jackson Tai will step down for "family reasons".
Of course no one is buying that. The outgoing CEO left after a string of bad news has hit DBS shares including last month surprise when DBS told investors saying that its exposure to risky debt obligations was nearly double what it had initially declared. Also DBS had failed to raise its 16 percent stake in Thailand's TMB Bank earlier that month.
DBS said that it had started an "extensive global search" for his replacement with DBS chairman Koh Boon Hwee being the caretaker until the successor has been found.
Now usually I don't feel that sorry for upper management people who play musical chairs with their positions, but it's hard not to fell sorry for Tai. Okay, he overpaid for Hong Kong's Dao Heng Bank, but he wasn't kicked for that! He was kicked for DBS risky debt situation, which he can't really control. When the biggest US mortgage lender, Countrywide Financial, facing bankruptcy due to the same crisis, it's kind of hard to blame Tai for it. The drying up of credit and the explosion of bad debts due to the credit crisis in the U.S has hit almost every bank that operate in America (even some that don't)!
More a case of bad timing, I'm afraid. If it's not...that makes me wonder just how bad is DBS debt position.
Of course no one is buying that. The outgoing CEO left after a string of bad news has hit DBS shares including last month surprise when DBS told investors saying that its exposure to risky debt obligations was nearly double what it had initially declared. Also DBS had failed to raise its 16 percent stake in Thailand's TMB Bank earlier that month.
DBS said that it had started an "extensive global search" for his replacement with DBS chairman Koh Boon Hwee being the caretaker until the successor has been found.
Now usually I don't feel that sorry for upper management people who play musical chairs with their positions, but it's hard not to fell sorry for Tai. Okay, he overpaid for Hong Kong's Dao Heng Bank, but he wasn't kicked for that! He was kicked for DBS risky debt situation, which he can't really control. When the biggest US mortgage lender, Countrywide Financial, facing bankruptcy due to the same crisis, it's kind of hard to blame Tai for it. The drying up of credit and the explosion of bad debts due to the credit crisis in the U.S has hit almost every bank that operate in America (even some that don't)!
More a case of bad timing, I'm afraid. If it's not...that makes me wonder just how bad is DBS debt position.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Comics this week
Countdown 32- As Countdown is supposed to be the spine of the DCU, the writers had to stick the Black Canary/Green Arrow wedding in this book. Considering that I just don't care about the wedding of 2 of DCU B-listers, this is actually a pretty good issue. The bachelorette party was pretty funny as we see Wonder Woman playing mother hen to both Supergirl and Wonder Girl. Of course most of the problems are still there. What happened to Witchboy? Since when did Klarion the Witchboy became such an idiot? What happened to the Witchboy in Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers? They are the same character right?
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Richest People in America
We humans love list. We list anything and everything we can think of. And one of the best list we came up with is Forbes magazine list of wealthiest person in the world. Come, let's admit it. Who don't want to know how much the monster-rich truly has?
In the list of wealthiest person in America, Microsoft's Bill Gates has again been ranked as the wealthiest person in America...for the 14th year in a row! Forbes magazine put Gates' fortune at $59bn, $7bn in front of second place investment guru Warren Buffet. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and software tycoon Larry Ellison came in at third and fourth place. Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page came in at joint fifth, with $18.5bn apiece.
What does this list tell you? Take up IT people! 3 of the top five belong to the IT industry; 4 in the top 6 if you want to be exact! Where are the IT courses in Singapore! Bring them here.
In the list of wealthiest person in America, Microsoft's Bill Gates has again been ranked as the wealthiest person in America...for the 14th year in a row! Forbes magazine put Gates' fortune at $59bn, $7bn in front of second place investment guru Warren Buffet. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and software tycoon Larry Ellison came in at third and fourth place. Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page came in at joint fifth, with $18.5bn apiece.
What does this list tell you? Take up IT people! 3 of the top five belong to the IT industry; 4 in the top 6 if you want to be exact! Where are the IT courses in Singapore! Bring them here.
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