The Adjustment..

"You're alive.
Do something.
The directive in life, the moral imperative was so uncomplicated.
It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences.
It sounded like this:

Look. Listen. Choose. Act."
-Barbara Hall, A Summons to New Orleans, 2000

Dear friends - near and far;

As you can see, I've updated my blog with current issues happening worldwide at the "FOODS FOR THOUGHTS AND TALKS" column. For your info, this column will be updated weekly, to keep you in track with what-do-other-thinks about our country - Malaysia and roles played by our country in the worldwide stage.

As for today's post, I'm thinking of - Hey..I keep on mumbling about oils lately; giving you infos etc..etc.. So why not this time, YOU tell me, how do you cope with today's HIGH DEMANDING WORLD - you know, with the food rising prices, not forgetting oils and others..For me, my colleagues and I has started car-pooling while some did bring cater from home. That's what life is all about, right? We keep on adjusting ourselves with the surroundings.

I believe with sharing thoughts and ideas we're not just helping ourselves, but also others. I mean who would've known what other has to do to keep on surviving? Maybe your 'writing' could inspire others. So, lets start sharing, and keep on running..

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Petronas Beri Penjelasan..

Buat julung kalinya CEO dan Pengerusi Petronas, Tan Sri Hassan Merican muncul di kaca televisyen RTM dalam segmen Bersemuka dengan Media - bagi memberi penjelasan berhubung Peranan Petronas: Industri Minyak Negara. Bagi yang ketinggalan, ikuti temubual ini.

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BOUGHT GAS LATELY....????

"If you are born poor,it`s not your mistake.
But if you die poor,it`s your mistake."
- Bill Gates -

How far is this true in this time of food and oil crisis? I can` t help but to share some of the societal fears that are building up all over the world in the midst of global oil crisis.Sit back and enjoy some of such fears as pictured by some and sent to me recently by a few annoymous listeners of mine.


DESPERATE FOR GAS/OIL

WISE THOUGHTS !!!! WISE MOVE !!!!!!

And now to wash down these fearful facts,here`s some tips for filling up your vehicle with your hard-earned money..Thanks to another annoymous listener from India..Brilliant ideas:-

1. ONLY BUY OR FILL UP YOUR CAR OR BIKKIE IN THE EARLY MORNING WHEN THE GROUND TEMPERATURE IS STILL COLD.

Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

2. WHEN YOU'RE FILLING UP, DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER OF THE NOZZLE TO A FAST MODE.

If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

3. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS IS TO FILL UP WHEN YOUR TANK IS HALF FULL.

The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in! your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated, so that every litre is actually the exact amount.


4. ANOTHER REMINDER, IF THERE IS A FUEL TRUCK PUMPING INTO THE STORAGE TANKS, WHEN YOU STOP TO BUY, DO NOT FILL UP

Most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! LET'S SHARE INFORMATION AND BENEFIT ALL, FOR THE BETTER OF MANKIND and for a better world for you and your children and your children children.

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Numbers vs Economists vs Politicians vs US....???

The rumble of news near and far since the PM`s announcement of the fuel price hike or rather the government`s move to restructure the country subsidy`s package last week was `as like a deer pants for water and so is my soul`.

Let us not get confused but first look at NUMBERS from a general perpective of a consumer.

1 barrel of oil=159 liters x RM2.70/liter=USD 134
1 barrel of crude oil=produce 46% fuel
therefore 2 barrel crude oil =approx.1 barrel fuel
which means we sell 2 barrel of crude oil=we buy back 1 barrel of fuel

ASSUMING we sell crude oil at USD 130 /barrel and buy back fuel at USD 134/barrel( though we have a record high of USD 139/barrel)
@ 2 x USD 130 = 1 x USD134
USD 260-USD 134 =USD 126 (RM 416)

Politicians ask where has the government channeled this USD 126/barrel income to? Fuel sales is Petronas which also translates into government profit?

Before we get ourselves confused further, let me share this bit of information I heard-Malaysia produces oil of type TAPIS which is of very high quality and expensive to use locally but more profitable for export. And that oil price and hike are beyond neither our control nor the OPEC countries.

For further information also, Petronas produces only 42% of our local petroleum demand in the form of petrol, diesel and LPG. The rest is supplied by foreign companies like Shell, Exxon-Mobil, BHP and Chevon all which the government can not force them to give subsidies.

Statistics showed that in 2007, Petronas had contributed back RM48.3 billion(66.2% of its profits) in the form of taxes, dividens and royalties to the country. In field of education amongst others,Petronas had built Universiti Teknologi Petronas, gave scholarships to deserving students,helped to built up interest in science and technology via their Petrosains in KLCC. They also contributed to the building of PUTRAJAYA and the Eastern Economic Corridor. From May 1997 till March 2007, they gave a sum total of RM 58.2 billion as gas subsidy to energy and non-energy sector.

As to the restructuring of the country`s subsidy package, the economists equated rebates for the rich and poor with the cc of the vehicles i.e - RM625 per year for private vehicles with engine capacity of 2000cc and below, including private pickup trucks and jeeps with engine capacity of 2500 cc and below. This rebate was calculated based on 60 liter a month consumption=60 x RM0.78 (price difference before and after hike) x 12 months. If consumption exceeds 60 liter per month,consumers pay the new rate which is RM2.70 as compared RM 3.00 in the open market (30 sen subsidy).

The government also gives diesel subsidy under the fleet card system- RM1.43 per litre (15 sen cheaper as in open market) for over 20 types of vechicles which include school buses, express buses, mini buses, rental cars and taxis; RM1.00 per litre diesel subsidy under the Fisherman e-diesel system which had benefited about 18,000 fishermen and RM1.20 per litre diesel subsidy for ferry operators in rural Sabah and Sarawak.

As to our cooking gas consumption(LPG),subsidy for every 12kg tong gas is as follows:

Semenanjung=RM21.00(retail price)+RM24.61(subsidy )=RM45.61(real price)
Sabah=RM21.96(retail price)+RM25.38(subsidy)=RM47.34(real price)
Sarawak=RM21.96(retail price)+RM25.28(subsidy)=RM47.24(real price)

I believe you all know everybody nowadays knows how to manipulate data, numbers or statistics to their advantage to protect their interest/ricebowls or to fool around. I am not surprised.

My concern is should economic crisis be politicalised. First we had sugar, then cooking oil and then rice shortage crisis and now fuel price hike and who knows what next? And each time all eyes were upon the ruling government. Can more wrongs be right by opening up more cans of worms by the politicians? Can economists not be more learned and farsighted as to how we can deter from head-on to more on-coming economic downturns? Can the business sector be more social responsible as not to focus on reaping profits only from the hard-pressed public which are their potential clients.Lets us ask them-is there a need to raise public transport, school bus, lorry, coach fares..with all the subsidy package in store?

We do not wait for the storm to pass, we have to learn how to dance in the rain instead. Together we can do it if we care to understand what is due in any cyclical economic downturn as an unavoidable spillover from global forces. I am aslo affected by the 40% fuel hike, 26% more for electricity, higher food prices and going to be an inflation of a 10 year record high of 5%. I think street protests can lead us to nowhere!! Be still, listen and comprehend well my dear listeners ?

- Ask not what you can get but what we can do to beat this economic crisis.Together we are a force.There is no U-Turn for fuel hike now but we can come up with loads of brilliant ways to beat it.

Of Numbers,economists,politicians and us-who is the better one? -

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The price paid for globalisation ????????

Effective from 5.6.08,consumers in Malaysia have to pay RM 2.70 per litre for petrol and RM 2.58 per litre for diesel.And come July 1,electricity rates too will be increased.

Are we Malaysians going down well with this new fuel price while the Singaporeans heave a great relief with the lifting of the foreign car fuel ? Did you know that
India who also faces surging global crude oil cost like us ,also had to raise petrol prices to cut losses at the state oil firms.

Like it or not,this fuel price hike had stirred widespread political anger and worries about higher inflation here and there.Both the Indian and Malaysian governments cited the same ground-they could not sustain fuel subsidy anymore and had to practise prudent fiscal policies to enjoy continued strong growth.

Some anaylsts say there is no shortage of oil in the world and its present price level was driven up by unreal speculation by the speculators and hedge funds.In this globalised world, this event or that will affect each other in a `live- vicious cycle`-no one is sparred.This is the price we pay for globalisation.Even if we resort to street demonstration, we can`t beat the globalised forces.

If the government can save RM 13.7 billions from fuel subsidy and give back to the rakyat through rebates and other forms of subsidies--RM 4 billion for National Food Supply Guarantee Policy,RM 1.5billion for subsidising cooking oil , RM 400 million to subsidise rice imports,RM 200 million on flour subsidy,RM 100million on bread subsidy and RM 5 billion for motorist rebates..why don`t we give ourselves a chance to beat it?

Why don`t we braced ourselves more realistically , to think rationally and to come up fast with many more ways to overcome this ugly force of globalisation ...

YOU , YOU AND YOU ALL CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

"Everyone thinks of changing the world,

But no one thinks of changing himself."

- Leo Tolstoy-

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Oil Prices Quoted in US Dollars Per Gallon For Regular Unleaded (up to : 1st March 2008)

INTERESTING ANONYMOUS THOUGHTS DELIVERED TO US TO PONDER..

-A MUST TO READ-

Oslo, Norway $6.82

Hong Kong $6.25

Brussels, Belgium $6.16

London, UK $5.96

Rome, Italy $5.80

Tokyo, Japan $5.65

Sao Paulo, Brazil $4.42

New Delhi, India $3.71

Sydney, Australia $3.42

Johannesburg, South Africa $3.39

Mexico City $2.22

Buenos Aires , Argentina $2.09

... YOU GONNA LOVE THIS ...

Caracas, Venezuela $0.12

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia $0.09

Kuwait $0.08

Arkansas Who Cares? - Not going anywhere........

Where do you think Malaysia fit in this oil pricing without the fuel subsidy? It's high-time Malaysian start to think about car pooling, using public transport, and other alternatives to save fuel, or be like our friends in 'Arkansas' - not going anywhere??

DON'T FORGET! "PENNY WISE, POUNDS FOOLISH" - WON'T WORK EITHER!

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