The Challenges of Today Logistic

The vigorousness of business globalization has activated the growth of logistic business. World wide entrepreneurs are seeking the faster, cheapest and more secure transportation and logistic ways to deliver their products to the users located in another side of the world. If you make a search in www.logisticsworld.com 's directory, there are 1,888 links displayed.
Since many companies had been setting up, urging to share portion of the cake, the core business of logistic has became more competitive and challenging. Here are some of the challenges I think are given the most impact to the shipping industry.

1. High Operation Cost due to Speculative Hike of Crude Oil.

The speculative hike of crude oil price in the world market had given a big impact to transportation cost. The price had once hit over USD 145/barrel, even though now is slightly dropped to USD 114/barrel. Most of the liner would try to absorb part of the burden to maitain competitive position. However, importers and exporters are still suffering from the additional cost.

2. Outstanding Services -- SPEED and Ability.

For certain consumer products, especially the electronic products, the new technology was introduced and published rapidly. Old models can be obsoleted very fast, means the life cycle of these products become very short. Thus, it is a NEED to minimize the transaction time of these products from manufacturers to the targeted market. This implemented to the raw materials also. Thus, in order to achieve the effectiveness of SPEED, logistic has became the main factor to look into. Those who is able provide the faster and cheapest solution, he will be the winner, sharing the large portion of the cake. Dare to remind that those intransit cargo either in the ocean or keeping in the port are devil operation to the exporters and importers. It's idle time. Therefore, an excel forwarder can minimize these idle time, and speed up the operation through below activities.

• Proper Channel of Communication and Information. The forwarder must be informative to all the shipping schedule from various liners in the desire region or route, and able to prepare or find the optimize schedule to their customer. Flexibility to reallocate if any unschedule interruption taken place. For example, vssel delay, vessel omit the requested port, bad weather, and etc.
• Custom clearance. Essential documents and good relationship with custom will help to accelerate the process. 1 or half day advance clearance would mean a lot to the importers.
• Prompt reaction to unpredictable issue like road accident, hijacking, incomplete documents, contract expire, etc. Take road accident as an example, if a container was falled and the quality of the cargo are assumed to be affected. Sending back to exporter for retesting and insurance claiming procedure need to be carried out. The prompt reaction to these activities could ensure the good cargo (after retesting) being released back to the market earlier.

3. Availability of Shipping Equipments

Equipments are the most valuable assets to liners. Hugh numbers of equipment need to be assigned from one destination to another. Insufficient or not proper managing your equipments might cause you losing your competitive position in fast moving logistic line. That's why an additional charges (demurrage charge) will incur to those failed to return the container. And most liners also unwilling to share their equipments with each other, especially for limited equipment like reefer container (container which equips with temperature control).

4. Intangible Cost

Some shipments were not fully utilized the container space due to order quantity limitation. The extra space inside the container will become a waste and these cost will be equally absorb by the cargo, and indirectly increased the shipping cost per piece of product. Thus, many exporters if possible will try to use smaller container ( 20' in stead of 40' ), or combine the orders in one shipment, or arrange with LCL (Loose Cargo Load) in stead of full load. For long run cost saving, exporters might would like to redesign and improve their packing method to maximize the usage of container space.

I believe there are more challenging factors out there that I didn't describe here. If you are in this line, welcome to comment.

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Fuel Price Reduced to RM2.55 Effective August 23

Most of the Malaysian didn't expect that the fuel price will be adjusted all in a sudden. Because, earlier news still announced that the new price will be announced by 31st.August, and take effective by 1st.September.
Petrol and diesel price will drop by between eight sen and 22 sen a litre from Saturday.
The price of RON97 petrol will be reduced by 15 sen to RM2.55 a litre from RM2.70, while RON92 would be 22 sen less at RM2.40, from RM2.62
The retail price of diesel would drop by eight sen to RM2.50 a litre.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah ahmad Badawi announced the new prices in a statement after Friday's Cabinet meeting.
He said the prices were determined by taking into account the actual price from Aug 1 to 21 and the 30 sen per litre subsidy borne by the government while the subsidy for diesel, based on the new price, was 50 sen a litre.
"The cabinet decided to bring forward the enforcement date for adjustment of the new petrol price," he said

Urban Robin Hood from Las Vegas

An expert Blackjack player in Las Vegas wants to use his skills to help a selected poor family, settle all his/her debts through gambling table in one of the Casino in Las Vegas. This man has set up a webpage http://robinhood702.com recently to welcome the candidates submitting him a 1 to 3 minutes short script, explaining their difficulties, and reasons why they deserve to be the one.

Once you are the lucky one, Robin Hood 702 will provide an all-expense paid weekend, which includes a true high-roller suite with 24-Hour butler service at a posh Casino, show tickets to the hottest shows in town, spa appointments and meals in the city's finest restaurants. You will live like the high roller Robin Hood 702 is, then watch him win the money you need to become debt-free. He has made a guarantee that if you're selected, at least half of your bills will get paid no matter what happens at the Blackjack table. The whole event will be documented by the Fox News crews.

I'd discussed this offer with friends, but most of them suspected it is only another form of scam. They believed there must be some criminal motive hidden unrevealed. Hmmm... what can I said? Are we too fear for adventurous? Well, you might ask me back. How about you? Will you submit your script? Hmmm.... I think I will not. May be I'm one of them, fears to adventurous. But, very funny. When it really happen one day, then we will blame ourselves for not participating, losing such a golden opportunity. May be we are too conservative, without seeing any success example, we won't take any action to risk. Therefore, after the lucky one is born, we will most properly turning 180 degree and become very aggressive on searching another opportunity similar to this. Then, unfortunately it is very high chances that many criminals will take this opportunity to set up a trap, and we will easily fall into the real coming scams. (Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not here to convince you joining the event. As mentioned earlier, I won't participate too. Not because I'm debt-free, but just I'm not a good risk taker).

So, I would like to open this topic to you. What do you think? Is this a scam? Will you participate?


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Malaysia Fuel Price Reduce By 1st.September

Announced by Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on 20th.Aug., the Malaysia Government will announce the new fuel prices on Aug 31, which will take effect on Sept 1.

He said the new price would be based on the average fuel prices throughout the month of August and after deducting the 30-sen subsidy per litre.

"We are now monitoring the fuel price (in the international market) and I hope it will continue its downward trend," he said after chairing the 4th National Water Resources Council meeting at the parliament house today.

He said it was still too early to predict how far the prices of petrol and diesel could be lowered.
"It is still too early... We still have about ten days to go and I hope there will be no more increase in the price of fuel," he said.

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Confused sea turtles march into restaurant

Here's a very odd news I'd pasted to share about the confusion baby turtles,

ROME (Reuters) - About 60 newly hatched sea turtles lost their way during their ritual passage to the sea and marched into an Italian restaurant instead, a conservation worker said on Monday.
The baby turtles -- which ended up under the tables of startled diners at the beachside restaurant -- were probably thrown off track and lured by the eatery's bright lights, said Antonio Colucci, who was called to help rescue the group.
"They saw the artificial lights and took the wrong route," said Colucci, who works on a turtle monitoring project for the conservation group WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).
"The diners were at first quite curious and then someone alerted the coastal authorities."
The stranded turtles, which had hatched on a beach in the southern Italian region of Calabria, were released into the sea.
Female sea turtles nest on beaches and their offspring instinctively head to the sea after hatching from their eggs.
(Reporting by Deepa Babington; editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Original posting in Yahoo News

Why French Ladies Won't Get Fat?

Maybe one answer to the French Paradox – why French women don’t get fat – is because they know when to stop eating. Perhaps they pay more attention to internal cues such as whether they feel full, and they pay less attention to the external cues that can lead them to overeat (like the level of soup in a bowl).
To see if this was true, we had 282 Parisians and Chicagoans fill out questionnaires asking them how they decided it was time to stop eating a meal. Parisians reported that they usually stopped eating when they no longer felt hungry. Not our Chicagoans. They stopped when they ran out of a beverage, or when the television show they were watching was over. Yet the heavier a person was – American or French – the more they focused on these external cues to tell them when to stop eating and the less they focused on whether they felt full.
Do you eat until you’re not hungry or until all the food is gone?


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5 Common Excuses for Not Exercising

Everybody know and understand well doing exercise is good for us, and we do agree that it should be parts of our daily activities. As initial, after inspired by muscle-man in magazine and TV, we do a lot of planning and searching for many useful guidance and information. We promised to ourselve that we will someday transform our body just like the model in the magazine. So, we bought many equipments, converted our store room, fixed the schedule, joint the gym house and appointed an experience instructor. In the first month, everything just went well.... but, second month, we were a bit shifted from our schedule... and slowly our equipments were laying with dust, store room turned back as it should be, schedule was blank or miss placed.... and our body still remain unshaped. We gave ourselve many excuses for not exercising.

Nike make a marvelous slogan - "Just Do It". Simple, but suums up a lot of things in our life. Even when we know something is good for us or that we should be getting our butt in gear, it can be extremely hard to motivate. We, as a species, have become masters of creating excuses. We find ways of procrastinating and getting out of so many seemingly basic ‘have tos’, ’shoulds’ and ‘need tos’. Unfortunately, the more often we make excuses, the easier it is to perpetuate. Creatures of habit, we get used to things, whether they are good for us or bad for us. A procrastinator myself, I thought it would be good to talk about excuses that are commonly used to get out of exercising. The five excuses below are pretty common, but I’m sure there are tons more out there to poke holes through.

1. I'm too busy recently, and I don't have time for exercise. May be this weekend, I could be free.
This is the absolute worst excuse, in deed very common. In fact, you should make time, in steed of delaying it. And, most properly by weekend, you would have another concrete reason for excuse. If you don’t prioritize exercise, you will never have enough time for it. Once you get used to making time, you’ll realize that you always have the time to fit in a workout. Whether it be squeezing in a brisk walk at lunch, scheduling ‘you time’ in your calendar or developing a daily routine that you can stick to, your time is yours. So use it wisely.

2. I'm too tired, I can't boost up any energy at all.
This is another very common excuses. When we finished our job, the pressure of dressing up and heading to gym was really killing. Most of the times, we would rationalize that missing one or two section would be still fine, or even several days in a row. Actually, this is not true. The reality is, that exercise can get you over ‘being tired’. Exercise is helpful with improving and maintaining stable energy levels throughout the day, regular sleep patterns and overall mood. Exercise also improves regularity and reduces incontinence, which can contribute to a feeling of sluggishness and being tired.

3. I don't feel well, I'm not fit for exercise today.
Well, if you are in the hospital, are excessively nauseous or have a fever, you probably shouldn’t be running a marathon. That said, a cold, allergies, a headache, menstrual pains or just ‘not feeling great’ shouldn’t stop you from breaking a sweat. Is a matter of fact, exercise can sometimes cure some of the most common ailments, including: hangovers and colds. Sweating, a form of detox, allows you to release toxins that are guilty of making you feel under the weather. So next time you have a sniffle, get out there and sweat your sniffles away.

4. It's too early or too late to do exercise.
When I realized I hated coming home to exercise, and could think of a million other things I’d rather do, I decided that I needed to buck up and get up in the morning to get in the workout. Yes, it was painful for two or three days, but now, I wouldn’t go back if you paid me. If you are a morning person, get up and get your exercise groove on in the AM. If you are a night owl, exercise at night (Although it is healthier to exercise in the morning, it is better to get the exercise in at night than to not get it in at all). Be sure, however, to leave a couple of hours in between your workout and going to bed so that you give your body enough ‘downtime’ to transition to sleep time.

5. I'm travelling, not convenient for exercising.
Granted, it can be more challenging to exercise when you are traveling, especially for business trip. But that doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Here are some useful tips:

• If you are staying at a hotel, try to stay at one that has a fitness center or gym.
• If the hotel doesn’t have a gym, walk, jog or run outside. Make sure you bring appropriate clothing for the weather. And don’t forget your sneakers!!! Seriously, forgetting your workout clothes should not be another excuse.
• Tuck some fitness DVDs into your suitcase. Play them on your laptop and exercise in your room.

So, remember the Nike slogan "Just Do It", don't granted ourselves with those excuses no more.

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9 Tips Exercises To Get 6 Pack Abs

Here are the exercises you could do it yourself at home to gain your 6 pack abs.

1. Do Crunches.
Lie on the floor (with or without a mat) and cross your arms in front of your chest. Bend your knees up as far as they go. (Do not place both hands behind your head. Placing both hands behind your head can cause lower back problems in the long run as it places unnecessary stress on that part of your body from pulling on your head and neck.) Another alternative is to cross your arms in front of your chest and lightly place your finger tips behind your ears, without pulling on your neck or ears to help raise you off the floor. Draw in your abdomen towards your spine while inhaling through your nose. Now raise your shoulders (upper torso) towards your knees, using strictly your abdominal muscles. It is very important not to lift your entire back off the floor, as this can cause back strain, and the extended movement does not help you develop six pack abs any faster. The most important part of the crunch is the initial flexing of your abs as you lift your shoulders off of the floor. As soon as you begin lifting off the floor exhale through your mouth, ending with a gasp once your shoulders are off the floor. Then pause for a second once you are at the top of the crunch and exhale the last bit of air from your diaphragm while flexing your abs. The proper breathing and flexing make all the difference. Now lower back down slowly and controlled while inhaling through your nose, just until your shoulder blades touch the ground. Do not let your head touch the ground and repeat.

2. Do Sit Ups.
Lie on the floor, feet on the floor, knees up and fingers placed behind your ears or hands crossed on your chest. Sit all the way up, lifting your lower back off the floor along with your shoulder blades.Lower yourself down. Repeat. Once this becomes relatively easy for you (i.e. you can do a quite a bit with ease) start adding more challenges. Find an incline bench or do these on an exercise ball. Once you "graduate" from that, do weighted sit ups. Hold a weight on your chest while you do these. As these become easier, hold heavier and heavier weights. You might also try lifting your feet off the ground while doing the sit ups or alternating the leg in the air, like pretending to pedal while sitting up. If your hands are behind your head, bring your left knee up to touch your right elbow and then your right knee to the left elbow.

3. Do Leg Lifts.
Lie on the floor, legs straight out, hands at your sides. Lift your legs straight up (not bending your knees at all) until they're at a 90 degree angle (or close). Lower your legs and repeat without letting your legs touch the floor. For more challenge there is equipment at most gyms that will allow you to raise yourself up using your arms as support and dangle your legs. You can perform leg lifts there too. If you're using this piece of equipment, you can make it easier by just raising your knees to your chest. It's more difficult to raise your legs to a horizontal position with your legs straight. This helps firm up the lower abdomen. If you're truly a monster, try doing leg lifts with a medicine ball hanging from your feet. Or hang from a pull up bar and raise your legs in front of you all the way up to the bar. Still too easy?

4. Do Jackknife Sit Ups.
Lie down flat on the floor. Place your hands on the ground to your sides for balance; you can pick them up as you get used to the movement. Simultaneously raise your knees and torso so that your knees and face meet on an imaginary line extending from your pelvis to the ceiling. You should be able to kiss your knees at the top of the motion. Your legs will naturally fold bringing your feet towards your hips, much like a jackknife. Lie back down (i.e. "spread out") and repeat. Place a weight between your feet when you think you can handle it. What's that? More?

5. Do V-ups.
Lie on the floor, legs straight out, hands on the floor but this time extended out over your head. Simultaneously raise legs and torso. Don't bend your knees! What kind of V would it be if you bend your knees? Reach with your hands toward the raised feet. Touch your feet if possible (will require some flexibility). Relax, return to starting position and repeat. Add weight between feet to match your taste.

6. Static Hold and Side Statics.
Put your body into the push-up position but with your elbows on the floor, and your whole body flat. This position is known as the static hold position and it trains your core (including your abs) to hold the body in place which is the real purpose of your abs. Hold this position for as long as possible, but you should be aiming to start off with at least 45 seconds, while seasoned ab workers known to achieve over 20 minute static holds. To perform the side static hold roll onto one side of your body and lift into the same position as before, but this time only one arm will be on the ground with the other arm pointed straight up the air and your non-weight bearing leg resting on your bottom leg. Once again, hold this for as long as possible.

7. Train Your Oblique Muscles.
It's not as important to work on your oblique muscles at first, but eventually you'll want to start working these too. These are the muscles to either side of your stomach. There are multiple ways to do this and anything that includes twisting your torso against a resistance counts. There are twisting machines at gyms, you can twist while you do sit-ups, you can do side bends, you can twist side to side with a medicine ball in hand, etc. Be aware though, that many beginners tend to have weak obliques compared to their abs (it simply isn't used as much in daily life) so go easy on the sides at first.

8. Know that since it is, literally, the center of your body there are many other tricks you can use to train your abs, and some of the other movements will more or less involve your abs. Including every abdominal exercise in existence would make this article painfully long and new methods are being developed constantly. Now that you've made up your mind about a washboard mid-section, get creative! Find new ways to crunch, bend and twist in your daily life. Some possibilities include:

• Use a stability ball. Do your crunches on the ball to introduce instability to your workout, which will improve your balance too. There are also lots of core exercises that can be done with a stability ball.You can also use a small bubble use for physical therapy.
• Duck and twist during your daily routine. Reach with your left hand to things on your right and vice versa. If you feel like turning around to face something, see if you can do it with keeping your hips in place and twisting at the waist (warning: awkward when talking to other people, use only against inanimate objects). While walking or standing, pretend that something is coming toward you and you have to duck to get out of the way. Do this as often as you are comfortable or at times when it won't look weird. You can bend forward from the hips or, if you're really into it, bend at the knees too and really "sink" out of the way. Caution: If you have lower back problems, you could injure yourself.

9. Do the Scientific Best Abs Exercise

Researchers at the San Diego State University, found that there are certain abs exercises that triggers most muscular activity. The winner was the "bicycle maneuver":

• Lie on the floor; make sure your lower back is pressed on the ground.
• Take your hands behind your ears. Then bring up your knees at a 45 degree angle.
• Start doing a bicycle pedaling motion. Touch your elbow with the opposite knee (right elbow with left knee and so on, alternating)
• Breathe relaxed and evenly throughout the whole exercise.

Fuel Saver Tips from Helen Taylor

By traveling on normal roads, at realistic speeds and in a variety of weather and traffic conditions in an unmodified car, Helen offered the following tips and guidance on how motorists can obtain the best possible fuel efficiency from their vehicle.

Drive Smoothly
Aggressive driving can use as much as a third more fuel compared to conservative driving. Avoid accelerating or braking too hard, and try to keep the steering action as smooth as possible.

Use Higher Gears
The higher the gear, the lower the engine speed. This can improve fuel efficiency, so use the highest gear appropriate, without causing the engine to labour at an ultra-low rpm. Automatic transmission vehicles will upshift through the gears more quickly and smoothly if the driver eases back slightly on the accelerator when the car has gathered sufficient momentum.

Tune and Service the Engine
A well tuned engine can improve fuel economy by up to four percent. Change the oil and always follow the car manufacturer’s recommendation on servicing.

Keep the Tyres at the Correct Pressure
Correctly inflated tyres are safer and last longer, and they also reduce the amount of energy required to keep the vehicle rolling. A tyre that is under inflated by one psi can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as three percent.

Avoid Carrying Excess Weight
For every extra 45 kilograms (100 pounds) carried in a vehicle, the fuel efficiency can drop by two percent, so keep the trunk and rear seat clear of any unnecessary items that just add weight to the vehicle.

Take the Roof Rack Off
If the roof rack or roof bars are not being used, then remove them. They adversely affect the aerodynamic efficiency of the vehicle and create drag, reducing fuel economy by as much as five percent.

Use the Correct Engine Oil
Always use the recommended grade of motor oil. Using the manufacturer’s recommended lubricant can improve fuel efficiency by one or two percent. Higher quality motor oils can also help your engine operate more efficiently.

Avoid Excess Idling
Idling gets a vehicle nowhere but still burns fuel. Turn the engine off when you’re in a queue, or waiting for someone, until you need to drive.

Avoid High Speeds
The faster you travel, the more wind resistance you’ll encounter and the more fuel your vehicle will consume just to maintain speed. Driving just eight km/h (five mph) over the speed limit can affect fuel economy by up to 23 percent.

Maintain the Distance
Leaving a sensible distance between your car and the vehicle in front gives the driver ample time to anticipate obstacles and to brake evenly.

Use Air Conditioning Sparingly
Air conditioning puts added strain on the engine and uses additional fuel when operating, so limit its use to particularly hot days. On temperate days, use the fan instead of air conditioning.

Check the Air Filter
The air filter keeps impurities from damaging your engine. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve fuel economy by as much as 10 percent while helping to protect your engine.

Avoid Rush Hour or Traffic Jam Hotspots
If you can travel outside of peak times and avoid known areas of heavy traffic, you’ll spend less time stuck in queues and slow-moving traffic, thus consuming less fuel.

Conserve Momentum
Think ahead when driving. For example, slow down early to let red traffic lights change to green, rather than stopping completely. Also, speed up a little before reaching the start of a hill and then allow the vehicle’s momentum to carry the vehicle up the hill without working the engine harder.

Keep Calm
When drivers are not calm, they are more likely to make judgement errors. Fuel efficiency is all about smoothness. Judgement and keeping calm is absolutely crucial to achieving fuel economy.

Use Handbrakes on Slopes
Some motorists do not use the handbrake when stopping their vehicle on a slope. Instead, they either partially disengage the clutch (on manual transmission vehicles), or use the accelerator (on automatic vehicles), to keep the vehicles from rolling back. Both actions use fuel unnecessarily.


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PRO-ACTIVE ATTITUDE CAN SLASH FUEL COSTS

A couple holding the world record for fuel efficiency driving say that having a pro-active stance can go a long way to help reduce fuel costs."You don’t need rocket science to achieve fuel efficiency," says Helen Taylor, who together with her husband, John, is now in Malaysia to impart their knowledge on fuel savings."Stop complaining about higher fuel prices, think and do something constructive by being proactive, save fuel and give the money back to the Malaysian community," she told Bernama after a demonstration on "fuel economy simulator" organised by Shell Malaysia at Wisma Bernama lobby here Tuesday."We hope our lessons will help all drivers reduce fuel consumption by at least 10 percent, resulting in much lower carbon emissions and more money in the people's pockets," said Helen.John and Helen set the Guinness World Record for fuel efficiency in 2006 for using less of 40 tanks of fuel to drive 28,970 kilometres around the world in 78 days.They are officially the world’s most economical drivers. In recent years they have dedicated their lives to proving it and have notched up an impressive list of 35 fuel economy records.Their next goal is fuel economy endurance drive across 48 states in the mainland of the United States to break another record as "records are meant to be broken," said John.He also revealed that an under-inflated tyre at just one pound per square inch or psi lower can negate fuel efficiency by three percent."Check tyres regularly to keep all of them at the right pressure," said John.The fuel economy simulator, which has been designed to show the effect of a cars acceleration on the mileage and fuel usage, is timely as it comes when most Malaysians are griping about the price of fuel, which was raised by 40 percent in June this year.John and Helen will also conduct similar demonstrations at the Sunway Pyramid in Petaling Jaya this weekend and later across the country.By implementing one or two recommended tips, they said motorists could already save 10 percent and "when millions of motorists do it, the results can be highly significant".The Taylors, who have driven in over 20 countries, have also established a Fuel Academy to take this message directly to the motoring public, which contains a list of tips to improve fuel efficiency.According to their website at www.fuelacademy.com, they have laid down some 30 "Taylor’s Tips” such as getting the car into higher gear quickly as this would help save fuel.In urging motorists to drive smoothly, they also advised motorists to avoid carrying excess weight, remove the roof rack when not in use, use the correct lubrication and fuel, ensure a clean air filter and avoid excess idling, which means turning the engine off when one is stationary.Motorists should plan trips carefully to avoid rush hour driving and over revving.One should keep also use air-conditioning sparingly, conserve momentum, ensure that the fuel cap is airtight, be calm while driving and moderate the speed when driving against a headwind.John and Helen said motorists of manual transmission cars should also use the handbrake when stopping on a slope rather than riding their clutch to balance.They also advocate -- travelling light, preparing to ensure a relaxed journey, planning the route, avoid using a handphone while driving and accelerating gradually.The couple emphasised that the driver was by far the most important factor in fuel consumption, adding that the rule should be to drive slightly below the speed limit."There is no need to stomp the accelerator into the carpet to the next red traffic light. It is (still) possible to achieve the same speed using far less fuel by simply being patient. If you’re using your brakes unnecessarily, you’re essentially wasting energy," added Helen

Life is too Short for the Wrong Job

"Life's too short for the Wrong Job !"

This is a very straight forward slogan from http://www.jobsintown.de/ . Align with their creative and humor advertisement pictures in public machine as showing below, their commercial effect is really injecting.

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Even The Mummy Can't beat The Dark Knight

"The Dark Knight" hauled in $43.8 million to rank as Hollywood's top movie for the third-straight weekend, fending off "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," which opened a close second with $42.5 million.
"The Dark Knight" has soared to a $394.9 million haul in just 17 days, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Warner Bros. release should sail past the $400 million mark by Monday or Tuesday, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner.
That would be on the film's 18th or 19th day of release, another record for "The Dark Knight," which had an all-time high opening weekend of $158.4 million. The previous $400 million record-holder was "Shrek 2," which hit that mark in 43 days.
"It's a film that is just rewriting the record books every day and redefining our notions of what a blockbuster can be," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
"The Dark Knight" will top $500 million, predicted Fellman, who would not speculate on whether it could approach the all-time domestic revenue record of "Titanic" at $600.8 million.
Even if it edged past that mark, "The Dark Knight" would lag behind "Titanic" in terms of actual tickets sold. Admission prices are up more than 50 percent since "Titanic" came out in 1997, according to Media By Numbers. "The Dark Knight" would have to take in about $900 million to match the number of tickets that "Titanic" sold.
In terms of revenue alone, however, "The Dark Knight" will pass the original "Star Wars," which is No. 2 behind "Titanic" with $461 million, and such hits as "Shrek 2" ($436.5 million), "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" ($434.9 million) and "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" ($431.1 million).
Early anticipation over Heath Ledger's diabolical performance as Batman foe the Joker built to a frenzy in the months after the actor's death from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January.
A huge opening weekend was guaranteed, but the movie has sustained its audience from stellar reviews and audience buzz.
"The movie has grown in terms of its base audience from primarily what was conceived as a young male movie to a movie for everybody, from 8 to 80," Fellman said. "They're going to see it because of the reviews, they're going to see it because of the word of mouth. They're going just to see what it's all about, and they all like it."
"The Dark Knight" also has taken in $202.5 million overseas, opening in six more markets in August, among them Japan, France and Russia.
Universal's third "Mummy" flick sends Brendan Fraser's adventurer and his wife, played this time by Maria Bello, to China, where they battle a resurrected ancient ruler, played by Jet Li, and his undead minions.
Though it put up strong numbers, the new installment had the smallest opening of the three movies. "The Mummy" debuted with $43.4 million in 1999 and "The Mummy Returns" did $68.1 million in 2001.
Along with its $42.5 million domestic haul, the new "Mummy" tale pulled in $59.5 million in 28 countries overseas.
"The Dark Knight" almost certainly took away some business from the "The Mummy," since both movies competed for the same action crowds.
"It looked like we could do somewhere between $45 and $50 million, but no one could have foreseen the juggernaut `The Dark Knight' has become," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal.
Disney's "Swing Vote," about a presidential election that hinges on the lone ballot of an over-the-hill slacker played by Kevin Costner, opened weakly with $6.3 million, coming in at No. 6.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Dark Knight," $43.8 million.
2. "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," $42.5 million.
3. "Step Brothers," $16.3 million.
4. "Mamma Mia!", $13.1 million.
5. "Journey to the Center of the Earth," $6.9 million.
6. "Swing Vote," $6.3 million.
7. "Hancock," $5.2 million.
8. "WALL-E," $4.7 million.
9. "The X-Files: I Want to Believe," $3.4 million.
10. "Space Chimps," $2.8 million.

Twins from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

They are just 3 weeks old, but twins Knox Léon and Vivienne Marcheline are about to take the world by storm. In an exclusive interview and photos, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie offer PEOPLE an intimate look at their growing family. "It is chaos, but we are managing it and having a wonderful time," Jolie tells PEOPLE of daily life at the Château Miraval in Provence, France, where the couple's four older children – Maddox, 6, Pax, 4, Zahara, 3, and Shiloh, 2 – have been enjoying a summer of outdoor play (hide-and-seek is a favorite) on the château's sprawling grounds.Adds Pitt: "[It's] still a cuckoo's nest." Fortunately, they already have some household helpers. "[Shiloh] and Z pick out [the twins'] clothes and help change and hold them," says Jolie. "It's sweet – they are little mommies."

Will Malaysia's Fuel Price Cut Soon ?

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Friday the Malaysian government was set to announce a cut in fuel prices, following a 41-percent hike in June that stirred protests.

The government hiked petrol prices to ease the burden of spiralling energy subsidies, but crude oil costs have fallen around 23 dollars from record highs above 147 dollars per barrel hit earlier in July.

"If possible, I want to reduce the fuel price right now. Be patient, the government will announce it later," Abdullah was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

"The government is studying several matters before making the announcement."

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said the government wanted to cut fuel prices.

"I think if the trend of oil prices continues downwards, it is only right that it is reflected in domestic prices. There is a desire for us to reflect the current market situation," he told reporters.

A senior finance ministry official told AFP Thursday that Malaysia may reduce fuel prices in the weeks ahead if global oil prices continue to fall.

The official said "if oil prices remain between 120 dollars a barrel and 125 dollars a barrel for two weeks," then Abdullah could announce a cut in fuel costs.

Oil was trading at around 123 dollars on Friday after being pushed lower on fears of easing energy demand. But prices are still much higher than in recent history, having traded at under 10 dollars in the late 1990s.

Abdullah's decision to hike fuel prices sparked angry street protests and triggered calls for the premier to stand down, compounding his woes after disastrous results in March elections.

Malaysia's annual inflation rate soared to a 26-year high of nearly eight percent in June due to the rise in fuel costs, echoing a surge in inflation across Asia that has stoked fears of slower regional economic growth.

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Toyota's Stand-Up-and-Ride Segway

Toyota has developed a motorized stand-up-and-ride Segway lookalike designed to help people scoot around at malls and airports.

But the "Winglet," shown Friday in Tokyo, takes some getting used to. A demonstrator was visibly worried about its safety while accompanying a reporter who cautiously tried it on a short course in a Toyota showroom.
Toyota officials insist anyone can learn to ride it with some practice, including the elderly — its major target buyer.
Still, Toyota Motor Corp. has no plans yet to turn the Winglet into a commercial product. The Japanese automaker will start testing the two-wheeler this year at an airport and resort complex and next year at a shopping mall, all in Japan, to get user feedback. Overseas test plans are undecided.
The Winglet goes up to 3.7 mph, about the same speed as pedestrians, far slower than 12.5-mph Segway, which costs $5,000. The Winglet can go about 3 miles before needing to be recharged.
It is designed to stop easily with little pressure, pivot full-circle and go smoothly over bumps on roads. And it is designed to respond almost intuitively — moving forward when you lean to the front, and turning when you sway to the right or left, similar to skiing. One of three models shown comes with a protruding handle that can be grabbed and used like a steering wheel.
Toyota executive Takeshi Uchiyamada, who zipped around on a Winglet as though he was on a skateboard, said the company is experimenting with new ways of mobility as part of a company strategy to spread robotics.
"We hope to create friendly robots that can exist side by side with people," Uchiyamada said. "Winglet will help everyone move around safely and stay active."
Winglet evolved out of Toyota's takeover of parts of Sony Corp.'s robotics division last year. Sony, reshaping itself under Chief Executive Howard Stringer, decided to focus on electronics and wipe out its Aibo pet robot and other peripheral businesses.
Toyota envisions a future in which Winglet will be packed with wireless technology so it relays shopping information at stores. Or it may move on its own, Uchiyamada said. So it might go recharge its batteries itself, or come pick you up when you beckon it, toting your luggage.