But from April, it jumped thrice to reach $1.840 in July. It climbed to $2.030 last week.

This surge in petrol prices brought on by rising crude oil prices - which reached a record of US$98.62 (S$143.11) per barrel last week - has forced some motorists to re-think the way they use their cars.

Of the 30 motorists with whom The Sunday Times spoke, more than half said they avoid making unnecessary car trips.

Ms Huang Li Min, 29, a tutor, said that, instead of driving, she now takes a 10-minute walk to the provision shop near her Ang Mo Kio flat.

Sales executive Alan Ang spends 10 minutes every morning planning his route before leaving his house in Toa Payoh. He makes at least four trips a day to see his clients.

The 31-year-old, who reckons he saves $20 monthly by planning his journeys, said: 'I'll try and schedule all the meetings in one area around the same time.

Knights play it cool in pressure of playoffs

He dribbled around the top of the key then, with the clock winding down, calmly drove the lane and banked in a five-foot runner for the final two of his game-high 19-points to give the Knights a two-point lead.

"We have a play called 'four down'. It's designed to allow the point to take the ball down to the basket," said Brunello. "The point guard works the top of the key. The big men move out from under the basket and take the post defense with them. That clears out the lane so it's easier to penetrate. I tried to stay composed and just ran the play. It worked out well."

But there were still six seconds on the clock. Six seconds for the packed house to hold its collective breath. Alhambra had time for one final shot.

The Moor's Allen raced the length of the court and put up a desperation three that banged off the back of the rim - no good - and St.

Mike Breunling's Blog

However, I was born in a Catholic family and baptized as well. But I do not know what my beliefs are yet. I belive and I have my questions. Any way, I had one more wierd question I guess you could put it... how do you know where to point on the green screen when you are on the air?Thanks again,Amanda Langage-17

Thanks Amanda...sorry if my response to you was somewhat confusing...But in a nutshell, here is my opinion on the issue:Since the beginning of the earth and its atmosphere, there is evidence that the climate (or averaged weather conditions) has always fluctuated over various time periods, both up (warmer conditions) and down (cooler conditions). Currently, it appears we are in a period of slow warming. The question is whether human activities (specifically the burning of fossil fuels, including coal and petroleum products) will lead to a warming that will be irreversible.

Dan Castellaneta cycles away from Homer

Meeting Dan Castellaneta was always going to be weird. When the hotel door opens and the man who plays Homer Simpson appears, it’s clearly impossible for him to look like Homer, talk like Homer or be washing down doughnuts with endless cans of beer – but hope springs eternal. Face to face with Castellaneta, however, that hope is softly dashed. It’s like telling a child there’s no Father Christmas, or realising your date won’t be calling back. The real Mr C is a slight, gently spoken man with fine, angular features. Like Clark Kent to Superman, he is mild-mannered, dapper and polite. Indeed, all he shares with his cartoon alter ego is a smattering of male-pattern baldness. When I spill some water, he doesn’t even say "Doh!" He reaches for a napkin and helps me mop it up while we make polite small talk.

Local runner dies mid-race

Bill Paradis, wearing his yellow Boston Marathon participant's shirt, sits with his wife, Kathy, during a recent gathering with friends and fellow runners in Dover. Paradis died of an apparent heart attack during the Half at the Hamptons half marathon Sunday afternoon.

Wild Card -- Tuesday PM

Coeur d'Alene is going to use common sense when it comes to limiting tall buildings.
4. McEuen Field is in absolutely no danger of being built upon.
5. CDA Cops write tickets because they are concerned about public welfare, not because they have to meet a "quota".
6. President Bush is qualified to hold his office.
7. There is a good reason we are fighting in Iraq.
8. All taxpayer-generated money is spent wisely by Kootenai County.
9. Jim West is a fine, upstanding, honest politician.
10. The Seattle Mariners are a baseball team.

GM Exec Stands by Calling Global Warming a “Total Crock of Shit”

Hey, Bob, as an acknowledged expert on global warming, it's great to get your opinion.

Fund-raiser deal

A CHARITY is calling on South Lakeland residents to brush up their bridge skills for a national fund-raising event.

DNA matches, CCTV film and a pattern of sightings - the case against ...

Nicholls also had hyper-inflated lungs and bruising, but significantly, the QC told the jury, there was no evidence of drag or scratch marks on her body, suggesting her body had not been dragged through undergrowth. There was, however, a scratch on her face which could have shed blood "which may be highly significant".

Paula Clennell, 24

Paula's body was discovered some hours before the finding of Nicholls, on December 12, though she had not disappeared until two days after her, on December 10. She had died, the court heard, as a result of compression of her neck, consistent with being strangled in a headlock, though she had also taken a significant dose of opiates. Clennell's body was not posed, but appeared to have been "hurriedly dumped", a few hundred metres away from that of Nicholls.