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Red Devils too hot to handle United back on top after win over Man City 10 May 2009 10:07 By Martyn Herman LONDON - Manchester United strolled to a 2-0 defeat of Manchester City on Sunday to return to the top of the Premier League and closer to a record-equaling 18th title. Cristiano Ronaldo's deflected free kick and a superb strike by Carlos Tevez on the stroke of halftime made it a comfortable afternoon at Old Trafford for United who moved three points clear of second-placed Liverpool. United are on 83 points and have three games left to play to Liverpool's two. Four points from their matches at Wigan Athletic on Wednesday and at home to Arsenal next Saturday would mean they are uncatchable. Chelsea made sure of finishing at least third with a 4-1 victory against their fellow Champions League semi-final losers Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. After United's thrilling Champions League win against Arsenal in midweek they rarely needed to get out of second gear to overcome a disappointing City side. "We didn't play well," United boss Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports. "I think we got a horrible game but City didn't look like scoring." "It's a hard game at Wigan and we've only got three days to prepare so I'll have to freshen up the team again," added Ferguson, who started with Wayne Rooney on the bench and substituted Ronaldo early in the second half. Ronaldo appeared less than happy to be taken off. "Of course he wants to play all the time but I have to look at the bigger picture," said Ferguson, who hopes to have Rio Ferdinand back for the Wigan game after the central defender sat out the derby because of a calf injury. Any pressure Liverpool's 3-0 win at West Ham United on Saturday put on United soon disappeared as Ronaldo scored his 18th league goal of the season in the 18th minute with a free kick after Dimitar Berbatov had been fouled by Stephen Ireland. Ronaldo did not strike the ball with his usual venom but it took a deflection and nestled into the corner past the slightly wrong-footed City keeper Shay Given. Tevez, who was quoted in Sunday's newspapers as saying he wants to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season, was intent on showing United's fans what they might be missing next season. The livewire Argentine was denied by the woodwork when he cut in and curled a great effort past Given but he was not to be denied again as the halftime whistle approached. Berbatov controlled a high ball before picking out Tevez who fired an unstoppable shot past Given off the inside of the post. Chelsea blew away their hangover from Wednesday's last-gasp Champions League knockout against Barcelona by ending Arsenal's 21-match unbeaten league run. Defender Alex headed them in front and former Arsenal player Nicolas Anelka made it 2-0 at halftime. Kolo Toure's own goal made it 3-0 and although substitute Nicklas Bendtner pulled one back Florent Malouda completed the rout late on. With two games remaining Chelsea have 77 points, three behind second-placed Liverpool and six behind United. Arsenal are back on 68.

Manchester United eye historic football record 09 May 2009 18:49 Manchester United are five games away from an historic season and veteran winger Ryan Giggs feels Sir Alex Ferguson's side are hitting form at exactly the right time. With the League Cup and the Club World Cup already won, United can look forward to a Champions League final against Barcelona on May 27 and need seven points from their last four games to secure an 18th English Premier League title. Sunday's derby with Manchester City will be their 63rd game of the season but after their back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Fulham in March, United have responded with an impressive run of form. They have won five matches in a row going into the game with Mark Hughes' team at Old Trafford. While United are on course for more silverware, City's expectations have increased considerably since they were taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group in September and they are continuing to battle for a Europa League place. Despite being well into the 10th month of their campaign, veteran Giggs thinks United's energy levels are high. Giggs said: "At this part of the season you want to be involved in big games all the time - and we are. "We have another one on Sunday against Manchester City but it is not something we should be complaining about. "We just have to get ourselves ready and on Sunday we will be. I hope we are hitting form at the right time. "The manager always knew we would need a big squad because of all the games we might have to play. Now he is using it." United will be without Wes Brown, who has been out since January with a foot injury, for the rest of the season but Gary Neville could return after a short spell on the sidelines with a similar problem. Ferguson could also call on Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes for the game against their local rivals. The United manager agrees that his side are peaking when it really matters. He said: "The team has just come into top form at the right time. I'd like to say it was my preparation, but it's not. I think the players smell the big games well. "They like those situations, they've proved they can handle them and we're so close now." Hughes thinks his City team are feeling the benefit of their UEFA Cup run ending last month. Argentinian utility man Pablo Zabaleta could return from a hamstring problem and the England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips may also earn a recall after an ankle injury. And even though United are on the verge of retaining their Premier League and Champions League trophies, the City manager thinks it is a good time to be facing his former club. He said: "We're on a nice little run, four games unbeaten, and as I have said all week you have to go to Old Trafford with a lot of belief and confidence. "That's what we have, we're playing well and winning games. We're looking forward to Sunday, we're in decent shape and if ever there was a time for us to go to Old Trafford, it's now." City midfielder Stephen Ireland is adamant that, having won away in the derby last season, Hughes' team will not be intimidated by visiting their big rivals and are desperate to make up for their 1-0 defeat at Eastlands in November. He said: "When you think about the build-up to the game all you have to do is go back to last year and think about how positive it was. "With the performance last season and how we are playing at the moment, we have to be confident. "I'm really looking forward to it, the derby at our place was a real disappointment, but on Sunday it will be electric and it will be up to us to dictate the tempo. "We have a better squad than last year, the players on the bench are really hungry to get in."

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Didn't ask cos' moi dreamy eyes fell in luv with the sexy pinky-red Rosy Scale Fairy Wrasse aka Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamis. Shhhh.

WOW !!!...Alas U managed to 'GRAB' a Vanuatu MW...Nice Catch mate !

More GEMs galore !!! CF...has several cute, active & reef-safe nano-sized Female BELLUS Angel aka Genicanthus bellus (1 inch - 2 inch), Rosy Scale Fairy Wrasse aka Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamis & hear this !...one & only seldom seen 1-inch size Mustard Guttatus Tang aka Acanthurus guttatus. Mustard Guttatus Tang Description The Mustard Guttatus Tang comes in an oval to circular shape with an attractive grayish coloured body. The grey coloured stripe at the front portion of its body adds to its beauty. This is brilliantly complimented with white spots, usually found on the back half. As The Mustard Guttatus Tang grows in course of time, the more prominent stripes and spots of the young fish fades away. Though The Mustard Guttatus Tang is a very common fish, it’s rarely seen. This is mainly due to their strange habitat behaviour.Hence not much information is available about this species. They hide under shallow reefs to protect themselves from predators. The Mustard Guttatus Tang is venomous and so not fit for human consumption. Incase of any ingestion of its flesh immediate medication is needed. The Mustard Guttatus Tang is a very active hardy fish which requires lot of space and water. Like any other member of the Tang family these are great community loving salt water fish. Hence, it is observed that The Mustard Guttatus Tang swims about shoals. But in a small tank owing to their aggressive nature are violent towards not only with other species but also fish of same family and sex .For this reason they are also known as "Fish with a flick-knifeâ€. Since the major reason of dispute is territory space it is always advisable to provide a large aquarium. The Mustard Guttatus Tang should always be kept in quarantine for at least a couple of weeks to protect them against any infection, when introduced in a tank When frightened, strained or attacked by predators these fish extend their sharp blade like spines on their tail outwards. So be careful while handling this fish. Maximum Size: It can grow up to a maximum size of about 12 inches. General Size Specifications: A small sized Mustard Guttatus Tang fish usually comes in the size of 1 to 2 inches, medium variety 3 to 4 inches and the larger ones ranging from 5 to 6 inches. Minimum Tank Size: The Mustard Guttatus Tang usually prefers to have a tank of not less than 100 gallons with lot of space to hide and swim. Habitat: Range: Mexico Indo-West Pacific: oceanic islands in the western Indian Ocean to the Hawaiian, Marquesan, and Tuamotu Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to New Caledonia and Rapa Feeding and Diet: The Mustard Guttatus Tang fish is basically a herbivore and likes to feed on Dried Seaweed (best), marine algae mysid shrimp, Spirulina, Romaine Lettuce (blanched), fresh seaweed, and other meaty treats.

Please report to AH BENG !

Ooops ! Which company ???

Drogba disgrace Drogba says sorry for ref rant 07 May 2009 11:52 Didier Drogba on Thursday apologised for his furious confrontation with referee Tom Henning Ovrebo in the wake of Chelsea's stormy Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Barcelona. The striker faces potentially severe sanctions from UEFA over his conduct, which was aggravated by him screaming into a television camera that the official had been a "f-ing disgrace," forcing some broadcasters to apologise to viewers watching the match live. In a statement published on Chelsea's website, Drogba said: "I was very upset at what happened during the game, but having seen the pictures on TV I accept that I overreacted." "I also accept that the language I used did not set a good example for those watching at home, especially children. "I regret that in the heat of the moment I let out my incredible frustration and disappointment in this way, and for that I apologise." Drogba, who had been substituted in the second half, was shown a yellow card for coming onto the pitch to vent his fury at Ovrebo after the final whistle. He was incensed at the referee's refusal to award Chelsea two spot-kicks in the first half at Stamford Bridge when he and Florent Malouda were brought down. The Norwegian official, who had to be smuggled out of Britain on Thursday because of police fears for his safety, also rejected two handball penalty appeals after the break when Gerard Pique handled as Nicolas Anelka tried to go past him and in the final seconds when Michael Ballack's shot hit Samuel Eto'o's arm. That last claim came after Andres Iniesta had lashed home a 93rd-minute leveller for Barcelona to cancel out Michael Essien's opener and put the Catalans into the final against Manchester United on the away goals rule. Chelsea welcomed Drogba's display of contrition -- in sharp contrast to the backing the Ivorian had received after the match from club captain John Terry and manager Guus Hiddink. A club statement read: "Chelsea welcomes Didier's statement today which was made honestly and after reflection. "We are all acutely aware of the responsibilities that lie with both the club and its players towards setting a good example as role models." Fearing reprisals from furious fans, police changed Ovrebo's hotel on Wednesday night before organising his hasty exit from the country on Thursday morning, according to former international referee Graham Poll. Poll said: "He's been smuggled out of our country under police escort - this is a referee of a football match. That is a disgrace." Ovrebo's situation has worrying echoes of the hounding of Swedish referee Anders Frisk, who retired from the game in 2005 after receiving death threats in the wake of another ill-tempered meeting between Chelsea and Barcelona. Hiddink, who attempted to restrain Drogba, acknowledged that the striker's conduct was close to the limit of what is acceptable but said he understood his frustration over what he described as the worst refereeing performance he had seen in his long career. "People say he should be in control. The moment a player starts hitting then he is going beyond where he should go," Hiddink said. "I can understand his emotion and his behaviour after the game. I will protect that." Terry appeared to suggest that Ovrebo's handling of the match was influenced by a perceived desire by UEFA to avoid another all-English final. "I'm fully behind Didier. The fact is the referee is the one who should face the consequences," he said. UEFA will decide on Friday what action to take after seeing Ovrebo's match report. The governing body's General Secretary, David Taylor, dismissed any suggestion that Chelsea's exit reflected the governing body's desire to avoid another all-English final. Ovrebo undeniably made a string of errors but Barcelona were also victims of his poor decision-making with Eric Abidal sent off 25 minutes from the end for tripping Nicolas Anelka, who actually tripped himself up. Taylor, who was at the match at Stamford Bridge, said he was angered by the implication that UEFA would try to influence the outcome of a match. "If anything it's a media conspiracy against UEFA," he said. "It does make me angry. It really annoys me because it's a load of rubbish."

Own TIME Own TARGET !!!

United's win a triumph for Fergie Wed May 06 10:52AM So it wasn't close after all. Manchester United were in the Champions League final after just 11 minutes of last night's semi, from the moment Manuel Almunia was exposed by Cristiano Ronaldo's free kick. That was the moment that put Arsenal flat on the canvas, their weak chin shattered, their senses scrambled. Needing four goals against the best-marshalled defence in the European game: they were already beaten, humiliated, mangled and there were still 80 minutes left to play. It was at that point that the noise in the Emirates changed. Before kick off, this often contemplative stadium had been a cauldron of happy local expectation, of waving flags and cheery chants. Even after the first goal went in, there was still a grumble of defiance about the place. But after the Ronaldo rocket, the only sound came from the away fans, chirpily reprising Rafa Benitez's rant and announcing that they were "off to Rome and that's a fact". Mind, even that happy row was challenged as United went three up on the hour. It was then that the stadium began to echo to the clack-clack-clack of emptying seats. There were many reasons for United's utter superiority on the night. There was the huge gulf in experience (only two of Arsenal's players had won a major trophy, whereas every one of United's needs an extension to their home to house the baubles). There was the lung-busting effort of the visiting players (evidenced in the distance Ronaldo - a player routinely and ignorantly derided by his many detractors as nothing but a showboater - ran to score the third). There was the magnificence of a defence that - unlike poor Kieran Gibbs, whose stumble had United followers smirkingly speculating that he was wearing John Terry's boots from last year's final - did not put a foot wrong. But the one that really matters, and oddly the one that is likely to be given the least prominence in the post mortem, is that in the tactical battle of the dug outs, their manager won hands down. Alex Ferguson is reckoned to have many talents as a football manager. He is a superb judge of a player, he exudes a contagious passion and he is a wonderful motivator. As he recently revealed, among the many backroom staff at Carrington he does not employ a psychologist. Why should he? He does all that sort of thing himself. But what is not often recognised about him is his tactical nous. I recall once interviewing him following a game against Liverpool in which United had come from behind to win. I asked him why he thought it was, why had a seemingly determined Liverpool side had capitulated in the second half? He patiently explained that it might have had something to do with the fact that Steven Gerrard had been gifted the freedom of the park by the United midfield for the first 45 minutes, but a quick change of tactic at half time had seen his movement curtailed. And so it was with Arsenal. In both legs, Ferguson out-foxed a manager who is often portrayed as his tactical superior. Everything the Scot did was a triumph. For a start, he picked exactly the right team to stifle the Gunners' habit of completing 45 consecutive passes before attempting a shot on goal. Knowing they have no Plan B, he dispatched Darren Fletcher, Anderson and Ji-Sung Park to tear at them. Cesc Fabgregas, Denilson and Samir Nasri barely had the space to breathe, never mind create. On the train back from the Emirates last night, I sat opposite some Arsenal fans who were bemoaning the fact that their team had been so comprehensively out played by "such ordinary players". Park, one of them moaned, had only been bought to sell shirts in the Far East and here he was dominating their team. Well, not quite. Even after Gibbs's desperate slip had presented him with a chance, Park was required to demonstrate considerable skill to score. For those with ridiculously long memories, the United player he most brings to mind is Steve Coppell, a similarly all-action combination of endeavour and touch who still retains the longest sequence of first team appearances in United history. Ferguson sent Park out knowing the job that was required and he did it. Even for those of us who would argue that a United team is not a United team without Paul Scholes at its heart, it was the right choice. The Ginger General would simply not have been able to run like Park. Not only did Ferguson select the right team, he played them in precisely the right way. Wayne Rooney was brilliant defensively, working as a shield on the left side, but still with enough forward nous to produce a wonderful pass for Ronaldo's second. In fact that goal was the glittering amalgam of all that Ferguson planned, the swiftness of its execution a thing as beautiful as it was brutal. The only downside to Ferguson's evening of personal triumph was Darren Fletcher's unhappy red card. One of the returning Arsenal fans suggested he would have been better off letting Fabregas through to score. But you suspect that if he had done that, Ferguson would immediately have crossed him off his final team. At Ferguson's United that is simply not the way.

Champions League - Iniesta breaks Chelsea hearts Eurosport - Wed, 06 May 23:25:00 2009 Andres Iniesta's injury-time leveller sent 10-man Barcelona into the Champions League final after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Spain international struck a screamer in the 93rd minute to cancel out Michael Essien's equally , if not more, stunning early strike to win the tie on the away goals rule following last week's goalless stalemate at the Camp Nou. Chelsea were left to reflect on what might have been, although initial reaction to defeat was one of anger after referee Tom Ovrebo denied the hosts several strong penalty appeals. The full-time whistle sparked shocking scenes as Didier Drogba remonstrated with the Norwegian official and had to be restrained before he turned to television cameras and gave his strong opinions on the referee's performance. The hosts had looked favourites to seal a second consecutive final appearance, having led since the ninth minute and enjoyed a man advantage for the final 25 minutes after Eric Abidal was dismissed for a professional foul. But Iniesta's sensational strike into the top right hand corner - Barcelona's first attempt on target throughout the 90 minutes - deep into time added on dashed Guus Hiddink's hopes of reaching the final in his first season in charge of the Blues. The effective defensive showing that secured a goalless draw for Chelsea last week had prompted sharp criticism from Catalonia, but Hiddink is in the business of getting results, not making friends. Chelsea began the return leg in a similarly blunt vein, packing the defence in a bid to keep out Barca, who enjoyed initial superiority in the game and had far more possession than their hosts. Chelsea were forced to rely on long balls forward to give their backline relief during the opening exchanges, and it was from one such pass, played downfield by Petr Cech, that led to the opening goal on nine minutes. The keeper's punt was headed on by Drogba, the ball eventually making its way to Frank Lampard who saw his cross deflected and loop up towards Essien on the edge of the box. There was nothing anti-football about the Ghanaian's strike. Indeed, a more spectacular finish will not be seen this year. The midfielder struck the ball with a volley so sweet it arrowed towards the top corner and went in off the underside of the crossbar. Understandably, the goal settled Chelsea, who began to play the ball around with more confidence and more purpose. And their efforts could easily have been rewarded, as not once, twice, or even three times, but on four occasions, Chelsea had big appeals turned down by Mr Ovrebo. First, marauding full-back Dani Alves was caught out at the back by some lovely control by Florent Malouda who then fell under the Brazilian's clumsy challenge, apparently a yard inside the box. Ovrebo saw the foul, but deemed the offence to have taken place outside the area. Didier Drogba then saw his blasted effort from the resulting free-kick well saved by Victor Valdes before John Terry headed wide moments later with Alex stretching to get a telling touch at the far post. Chelsea were enjoying their best spell of the game, and soon after they had a second, more convincing, penalty appeal waved away. Drogba was at the centre of the action once again, the Ivorian brilliantly bringing down Lampard's through pass only for Abidal to seemingly bring him down. Again the official opted not to give a spot kick. It was a bad miss, so perhaps there was a certain sense of justice when the France international did receive his marching orders on 66 minutes, after he halted Nicolas Anelka's run on goal by clipping his compatriot's ankles. That said, the foul was far less clear cut than the earlier offence and Barca were right to feel aggrieved at having to see out the remainder of the game with a man less. Abidal will now miss the final against United, as will Alves , who was booked for an aerial challenge on Malouda on the half-hour mark. Earlier, Drogba had passed up the best chance of the night to give the hosts the luxury of a two-goal lead after Anelka had played him in on goal. Drogba opted to cut inside the challenge of Gerard Pique, who was left on his backside, but his shot was well blocked by Valdes. Malouda fired the follow-up into the side-netting. The third handball came on 82 minutes, as Chelsea looked for the second goal that surely would have seen them home. Anelka flicked the ball past Pique, who clearly stopped its progress with his hand, yet once again the referee refused to point to the spot. A second goal eluded Chelsea, who knew full well that at just 1-0 a single Barca goal would change everything. And so it was, as almost inevitably Iniesta pounced on the disappointing Lionel Messi's square pass on the edge of the area to crash a shot past Cech and break Chelsea hearts. Yet still there was time for more late drama as Michael Ballack's goalbound shot hit a Barca arm even deeper into injury time. For a final time, the referee dismissed the appeals, prompting Ballack to go on an amazing rant at the official, earning himself a booking. The yellow card would have seen the German deprived of a final appearance, but the referee's performance had already made sure he, and Chelsea, will miss out. Mike Hytner / Eurosport

Champions League - United dominate Arsenal to make final Eurosport - Tue, 05 May 23:51:00 2009 Manchester United booked their place in the Champions League final thanks to two early goals against Arsenal at the Emirates which helped them to a 4-1 aggregate victory. Ji-Sung Park's eighth minute opener and Cristiano Ronaldo's 11th-minute free kick put the tie almost beyond the home side in the opening few minutes, while Ronaldo's second just after the hour mark put things beyond doubt. Robin Van Persie's late penalty gave the home side a consolation goal in a 3-1 scoreline on the night - but Darren Fletcher's red card in the spot kick incident took the shine off a superb night for United. The home fans' raucous cheering had helped boost their team to a lively start in the first five minutes, but optimism quickly turned to gloom for the Gunners when Kieran Gibbs slipped in the box to allow Ji-Sung Park to slot home the opening goal on eight minutes. The goal gave the visitors a commanding 2-0 aggregate lead that meant Arsenal needed to score an improbable three goals; yet just three minutes later, the highly improbable target of three became all-but-impossible four as Cristiano Ronaldo fired in a 41-yard free kick that beat Manuel Almunia purely for pace. The stunned Arsenal team now faced not so much an uphill battle as an assault on the north face of Everest, but United clearly had no intention of resting on their lead. Instead, their fluid passing and movement allowed the hosts little time on the ball, and their tireless closing-down of the gutsy Arsenal attack force meant that every time the Gunners managed to find the door slightly ajar it was quickly slammed in their faces. And with the sound of the visiting fans' victory chants filling the Emirates already, it was United who came closest to adding to the scoring in the remainder of the first half. Rooney's 18th minute strike forced Almunia to tip the ball around the post, and Ronaldo's powerfully-struck 32nd minute free kick was well held by the keeper. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger seemed unwilling to make drastic changes to chase the game at half-time, and after the re-start it was United who continued to look the more likely to score. Ronaldo's left-foot effort demanded a terrific save from Almunia on 52 minutes as the visitors seemed comfortably in control, and as the hour mark loomed the Arsenal tactics finally opened up a little. Yet as they did so, United struck again: Ronaldo released Park from an Arsenal corner, who charged up field and released Rooney on the left. The England striker, who was playing as a left-winger on the night, released the flying Ronaldo down the centre with a perfectly-weighted ball, and the world player of the year made no mistake in burying the ball in the roof of the net with unstoppable power. With the tie decided beyond any doubt, the pace of the game died down in the final 20 minutes, though to their credit Arsenal continued to push hard for a consolation strike with Samir Nasri and Van Persie particularly effective. And it was the latter's run on to a ball into the box which saw Fletcher sent off: the defender's lunging challenge from behind sent the Dutchman flying on the edge of the six-yard box. Though it was a highly-risky tackle, replays showed that Fletcher had made contact with the ball - yet the referee sent him off and he will miss the final. Van Persie converted the penalty brilliantly, yet it was purely academic and none of the Arsenal players even bothered to make the usual show of clamouring to pick the ball out and rush to get the game restarted. The sides played out the remainder of the match in relative calm, and though Emmanuel Adebayor had half-chances in the final few minutes the affair had begun to take on all the urgency of a training match. For Arsenal, the result ended their hopes of lifting a first trophy since 2005. For United, a superb performance over the two legs will give them every hope of becoming the first side to retain the Champions League trophy. Toby Keel / Eurosport

So wat happen to his bubble mushies now ???

Power is in ya POCKET$$$ !!!

:evil: Grab Every Magical Species !!!

U gotta give credits to moi 'Eagle Eyes'...

Wah...how come never post mate ???

Bro, ya BLACKY baby looks like its having lateral line disease. Is it recovering ?

Survey shows S’poreans would take 42% pay cut Channel NewsAsia - Monday, May 4 SINGAPORE: If they lost their jobs, Singaporeans on average think they would be able to cope without their main source of income for eight and a half months. In survey findings that the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) hopes will guide the future calibration of social support for retrenched individuals, it was noted that younger people and the lower—income would be less resilient. For instance, there were more in their 20s and 30s, than in the older age groups, who would be able to cope for only up to six months. Eight in 10 respondents would rely mainly on their personal savings. But while just 31 per cent would step out of their comfort zone to take on any job, tellingly, respondents were on average willing to take a hefty 42—per—cent pay—cut in their next job, should they lose their current one (though the pain threshold for lower—income respondents was far lower at 34 per cent). Very few people (5 to 7 per cent) would turn to the Government or welfare agencies for help; more (28 per cent) prefer the support of friends and family. These findings, gathered from 817 Singaporeans and Permanent residents in mid—February, showed that Singapore residents were on the whole a fairly resilient lot, said IPS senior research fellow Gillian Koh. The study is the first of a series to study the perceptions of policies in Singapore. On the Government’s Budget measures to help Singaporeans through the economic crisis, more believed that the country on the whole was better off as a result — than they believed the measures were helpful on a personal level. Just 33 per cent felt they were personally better off with the measures, compared with 52 per cent feeling the country was in better stead. Assistance has not eroded resilience But overwhelmingly, 82 per cent of Singapore residents felt it was more important to take one’s own initiative to cope with the economic crisis — such as by cutting leisure spending and taking a pay cut — than to depend on the Government. This sentiment was especially strong among the higher—income group. Just slightly fewer respondents (77 per cent) among the lower—income agreed, with Dr Koh noting that this group has benefited more from Government help. Even so, the study concluded that while social assistance is still needed by some, "it has not eroded the general sense of self—reliance and the level of resilience" today. The presence of foreigners in Singapore also came up for examination, and threw up another interesting disparity. Seven in 10 respondents felt that having foreigners here made no difference to them economically during the crisis. Less than six per cent of any age or income group felt they were personally better off — yet overall, 34 per cent of respondents felt the country as a whole was better off. The youngest and the low—income groups were more likely to say the country was "worse off" for having foreigners working here. Overall, more than 50 per cent of the respondents indicated the crisis had made no difference to their savings, income, or employment. But Dr Koh agreed that it would be interesting to see if perceptions change in a few months, giving how it is early days yet in the economic crisis. "We’d need to anticipate impact if the crisis worsens," she said. — TODAY/fa

Heh Heh tat GEM was 'grabbed' some weeks ago...Shhhh !!!

So what will be the exotic GEMs waiting to be discovered this week ???

Govt ups efforts to save jobs, workers ! Govt announces more programmes under SPUR to tackle economic crisis Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, May 2 SINGAPORE: The government has announced three more schemes under the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) to help workers. At the same time, middle—income earners will get more help to tackle the economic crisis. Speaking at the May Day Rally on Friday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also urged Singaporeans to plan for a prolonged downturn and prepare for a tough year ahead. It’s the most difficult May Day Singapore has celebrated, Prime Minister Lee told some 1,500 union leaders, workers and employers at the annual rally. Uppermost on the people’s minds — the state of the economy. Mr Lee said: "There is no V—shaped; now the optimistic scenario is a U—shaped recovery, a deep U, a fat U, and if we are lucky, gradually recovering from the later part of this year or early next year. "But if we are not lucky, it could be an L—shaped problem — economy is still shrinking, after a while it doesn’t shrink so fast, it stops shrinking, but it stays at the bottom a long time before slowly picking up again, no growth or poor growth for several years to come. "Now we have a new problem which could be serious and that is swine flu which is going to affect the global economy and push growth down further, tourism, trade, more trouble for the world." In Singapore, the focus has been on saving jobs. And Mr Lee said both the Jobs Credit and SPUR programmes are showing good results. He said: "The Jobs Credit has helped to lower the cost of employing Singaporeans and their companies to look at many alternatives to retrenchment. "SPUR also has been useful because it is not just a scheme but supported by a whole comprehensive system, WDA, E2i, the CDCs, the Continuing Education Centres — all the infrastructure we have been building over the last few years so that we would be ready for a crisis like this." Companies have responded, with some 1,300 of them training more than 82,000 workers, and SPUR will be further improved. The absentee payroll cap will be increased from the current $6 to $10 per hour to support the training for PMETs. A Professional Skills Programme will also be launched to encourage companies to recruit PMETs and new graduates in growth sectors. And there’s a new scheme called SPUR—JOBS to co—fund on—the—job training and job redesign, to encourage companies to recruit, retain and upgrade workers. Mr Lee said union leaders can also play an important role in their efforts to upturn the downturn. They can work closely with their employers to cut costs and save jobs. They can also have regular dialogues with their members and workers to help them remain employable and also obtain training and retraining. Mr Lee said he has also been meeting investors to persuade them to do more in Singapore. They remain confident about Asia’s prospects and see Singapore playing a bigger role as they do more in Asia. — CNA/ir

LCK...still have about 5 ATs , a couple of Flame Wrasseys (male & female) & 2 Black Tangys (3 inch) !

CF...also spotted one & only piece of Yellowhead Butterflyfish aka Chaetodon Xanthocephalus. Veri good size (3.5 inch), alert & brilliant sexy body. Considered rare in the aquarium industry & moderately hardy. And if moi eagle-eyes are correct...think I saw an Oman Butterflyfish aka Chaetodon Dialeucos. This fish can be successfully kept in the aquarium & will even take food from its keeper's fingers. All ye 'Buttsie' luvers...one word for U...CHEONG !!! Also saw half-adult morph Majestic Angelfish (3 inch), adult Emperor Angel (5 inch), Blue-faced Angel...all veri alert & body beautiful.